From fresh body soaps to hydrating skincare and tinted lip balms, the latest beauty launches are designed to be an easy addition to your summer routine.
Here, as selected by Wallpaper* beauty editor Mary Cleary, are the very best beauty launches of the summer so far – what they are, why we love them, and how to use them.
Summer ready soaps: Perfumer H bergamot bath collection
What it is
Bergamot-scented hand wash, body soap, lotion and bar soap from cult London perfumer Lyn Harris.
Why we love it
Perfumer H’s lotions and soaps instantly elevate any bathroom, and the brand’s long-lasting scents transform even the mundane experience of washing your hands into a pleasure.
To celebrate the season, Harris has just unveiled a new addition to the bath range – Bergamot. The Bergamot hand wash, body soap, lotion, and bar soap have a fresh citrus quality, enhanced by clean aldehydes and petitgrain, as well as deep notes of frankincense and juniper wood. The collection is also, for Harris, an ode to her much-loved pastime of wild swimming. ‘For me, bathing is about reconnecting with your natural rhythm. I love how it completely transforms you, and allows your body, your energy and breath to slow down, reinvigorating your mind,’ Harris says. With this new collection, Harris has captured a bit of that feeling in a bottle, creating a refreshing fragrance that lingers on the hands long after use.
The sweet almond fragrance: Dior Paradise
What it is
A unisex fragrance developed by Dior’s in-house perfumer, Francis Kurkdjian.
Why we love it
Dior Paradise is the latest addition to the brand’s extensive perfume catalogue. A fresh, woody fragrance that blends the milky warmth of almond with bright notes of mandarin and is sweetened with a strong dose of vanilla. Perfumer Francis Kurkdijan was inspired by Christian Dior’s Provençal holiday home, which contained a garden filled with hundreds of almond trees.
The scent’s mixture of citrus and gourmand notes makes for an ideal summer scent, with a soft but long silage that endures throughout most of the day.
The artful home fragrance: Le Labo incense
What it is
Incense sticks from the famed New York perfumer.
Why we love it
For the first time, Le Labo’s most popular fragrances are available as incense. As with everything the New York-born brand does, craftsmanship is at a premium. The sticks are made in Kyoto at a twelfth-generation family-owned workshop and can be paired with a handmade concrete incense holder. Unlike most incense, which leaves behind a burnt smell that overpowers the fragrance it's scented with, Le Labo’s incense actually smells like its perfumes, only infused with a subtle, woodier quality. Available in Encens 9, Ambroxyde 17, and the brand’s iconic Santal 26, each pack contains 35 sticks that each burn for about 25 minutes.
The fast-acting moisturisers: Rationale Radiance Duo
What it is
A Radiance Booster Serum and Instant Radiance Mist designed for hydration.
Why we love it
The new radiance duo from cult Australian brand Rationale features two products designed to complement the brand’s core six-step skincare range. The Serum is formulated with hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate and glycerin to hydrate skin and brighten your complexion, ideal for those who struggle with extremely dry skin. The Mist is designed to be hydrating as well and small enough to fit in your bag, so that you can liberally spritz it throughout the day whenever you need refreshment– always helpful, but especially great for hot summer days.
The technicolour hydrators: Dries Van Noten lip balms
What it is
Five shades of lip balms in the brand's refillable lipstick cases.
Why we love it
Dries Van Noten makes some of our favourite lipsticks, largely because of their extensive and out-of-the-box range of colours. Now the brand is launching tinted lip balms that carry on what the lipsticks started. With a smooth texture that’s between matte and sheen, the balms come in five shades – Frosted Blue, Sepia Mocha, Natural Blush, Poppy Red, and Electric Pink – that leave behind a subtle touch of colour. They also come in the same, pattern-clashing cases as the lipsticks, with a new addition to the collection, Tiger Ink, a design that combines a tiger motif with black-and-white stripes.
The cream making waves: Mai Nami hair pudding
What it is
Designed for wavy hair, the uniquely textured product (it really feels like dipping your fingers into pudding) defines, moisturise and prevents frizz.
Why we love it
Mai Nami founder Yasmine Anais Ghandour was inspired to create her brand’s signature ‘hair pudding’ after trying and failing to find a product that suited her wavy hair. A multi-purpose product that can be used for styling, repair, or both, the pudding is formulated with mango butter for breakage reduction, rose water to prevent frizz, and slippery elm for light definition.
How to use it
The pudding can be used three ways: as a mask for deep hydration, left in for 20 minutes and then washed out; as a styling gel worked through damp hair; or as a refining tool, applied in small amounts to dry hair for frizz reduction and added texture.