A ‘Beauty Sandwich’ doesn't sound like it would be the secret to the perfect skin of the world’s most famous faces but names can be deceiving. Developed by Hollywood facialist Iván Pol, the treatment ‘that sculpts the most beautiful faces in the world,’ has become an indispensable red carpet routine for celebrities like Salma Hayek, Kim Kardashian, Zoe Kravitz and Ana de Armas.

The ‘Sandwich’ is designed to be a natural alternative to Botox and fillers with results that approximate those needle-based treatments and last longer than a typical facial. The key to its success is a combination of radio frequency devices with massage techniques, red lights and vacuum suction guns, which address volume loss, reduce wrinkles and lift the skin for a naturally lifted look.

‘I consider myself a face architect, it’s all about face design,’ says Pol about the treatment it took him eight years to develop. ‘I make sure clients look perfect from every angle by defining the jawline, sculpting the cheekbones, and positioning shadows to enhance natural features. The lights highlight the cheekbones and temples, creating a naturally filtered effect. Make-up melts onto the skin seamlessly. My trademarked Snatching technology lifts, highlights, and contours based on the client’s glam, wardrobe, and desired ‘snatching’ level – whether the client wants to go for a more bold or ethereal look.’

The treatment is ideal for awards season because it instantly makes the face camera-ready with minimal downtime. Still, Pol says, the entire red carpet prep starts a month in advance. ‘We begin with clinical treatments and then do the red-carpet treatment closer to the event. Stacking treatments maximise lift, sculpting, and definition.’ When they're not in the clinic. Pol’s clients are on a hydration-heavy regimen, with Pol recommending at least two to four litres of water daily with electrolytes, as well as an alkaline diet, and avoiding alcohol.

This time of year, Pol averages about three clients a day, totalling around 10 clients over a red carpet week. One year at the Met Gala, he went so far as to do thirty facials ahead of the event, and this year he is gearing up for the busiest red carpet season yet. Part of the demand is, as Pol points out, a changing attitude towards skincare in general with glowing skin, rather than make-up and hair, becoming the most important aspects of a celebrity’s red-carpet beauty. ‘Previously, people noticed the glam first; now, the face leads,’ he says.’ I helped pioneer this trend with the Beauty Sandwich ethos – natural beauty and features should enter the room first.’

For those who want similar results without joining the waitlist (or shelling out for the $1,400 per treatment), Pol recommends using his Beauty Sandwich products, especially the SS01 probiotic-rich serum for radiant skin, and maintaining a regular routine of the basics: drink plenty of water, exercise, and do facial massages or gua sha to stimulate circulation. ‘Five minutes of at-home lymphatic drainage can make a difference,’ Pol says. ‘And most importantly, remind yourself every day that you are beautiful.’

Down a quiet side street in London’s South Kensington neighbourhood, Shane Cooper is transforming some of the most recognisable faces of our era, including (to name just a few): Sienna Miller, Sabrina Carpenter, Suki Waterhouse, Lily Allen and Josh O'Connor. Essentially, if there is a famous person whose preternaturally youthful face has left you wondering, ‘How is that possible?’ then the answer is probably, at least in part, Shane Cooper.

The key to Cooper’s success is his unique method: he uses no injectables or surgical interventions, rather ‘layering’, a variation of more than 15 medical medicines he’s travelled the world to find and rigorously tested. Every treatment is tailored to the specific needs of the client, which Cooper intuits in real time, seeing how the skin responds to one machine and interpreting what it needs from there, like the skincare equivalent of a jazz musician.

For those who can’t visit Cooper in person, here he shares some insight on why his approach is so successful, and how to achieve similar results from home.

In conversation with facialist Shane Cooper

Wallpaper*: Your bespoke approach sets you apart from most other practitioners on the market. Can you share more about how you create treatments that directly respond to a patient's needs?

Shane Cooper: My approach is rooted in both science and instinct. When I first started in the industry, there were very few places working with advanced machines or multi-technology treatments. I used to drive around London with devices in the back of my car, visiting clients in their homes and hotels, creating everything in real time based on what their skin needed at that exact moment.

That way of working has never changed. Every treatment is performed by me and created in the moment, and everything I use is something I genuinely believe in, and my entire business has been fully self-funded with no outside investment, which means we are often the first to see new technology before it reaches the wider market.

W*: What is your signature treatment?

SC: The Exclusive Face Treatment by Shane is a treatment that clients from all over the world travel to us for. There is no set routine: I work intuitively using technologies such as radio frequency, ultrasound infusion, microcurrent, oxygenation exfoliation, muscle activation and medical-grade LED. If the skin requires deeper rejuvenation, I may integrate micro-needling or radio-frequency needling. Everything is chosen in the moment based on what the skin needs that day.

Many clients choose to combine this treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound for the neck and jawline, or with exosomes for enhanced regeneration, which creates an even more sculpted and lifted result.

W*: What makes your skincare line stand apart from anything else on the market?

SC: What makes my skincare line different is that it is very small, very considered and created with a great deal of care. I work with a professor in Italy who develops our formulas slowly and thoughtfully. I never want to rush a formula or release something that does not genuinely add value.

Our Oxygenation Mask and Hyaluronic Mist have naturally become the favourites because they are easy to integrate into any existing routine. The mask almost behaves like a facial in a bottle and gives an instant lift and radiance, which so many of our clients love. The mist is equally simple and effective and works well alongside many other brands. I do not believe one line should replace everything. There are many exceptional skincare brands on the market and I often recommend a combination based on what each client needs.

W*: Are there any questions your patients frequently come to you with that you wish everyone knew the answer to?

SC: I always explain that great skin is a full 360-degree approach. Treatments play a huge role, but so do sleep, diet, stress levels, gut health and general wellbeing. Every part supports healthy, long-term skin function.

If everyone understood that skin health is both scientific and emotional, both internal and external, they would feel far more empowered and far less overwhelmed. Great skin is a journey, not a quick fix, and every part of your life contributes to it.

W*: Are there any skincare fads you want to warn people against trying? Any that you think are positive?

SC: Over the last few years, I have seen more people arrive with slightly compromised skin barriers because there are so many active ingredients now available over the counter and social media can make it seem as though everyone should be using everything at once. There is a very fine line between supporting healthy cell turnover and pushing the skin too far. When the barrier becomes stressed, inflamed or stripped, even the best treatments take time to rebuild that foundation.

I am not against trends at all; there are definitely some positive ones. The increased interest in skin health, consistency and longevity, for instance, is wonderful, but I always encourage people to seek proper guidance. What works for one person may not be right for another, and mixing too many actives without understanding the skin can lead to irritation rather than improvement.

W*: You had a background in mental health before entering the world of skincare. How does this inform your practice?

SC: My background in mental health shapes everything I do. Before skincare, I worked for years with people facing substance misuse and mental health challenges, which taught me how to truly listen, hold space and create an environment where people feel safe, respected and never judged. Those skills remain central to my practice.

Many clients describe their time with me as ‘skin therapy’ because they feel comfortable enough to open up. Trust and confidentiality are taken extremely seriously, particularly as we work with people from all backgrounds, including high-profile individuals. When someone feels safe, their nervous system settles, stress levels drop, and treatments become more effective.

I see wellbeing and skin health as inseparable. Sleep, stress, lifestyle, emotional health and skin function are deeply connected. My mental health background allows me to see the person first and the skin second, helping me understand what they truly need in that moment.

W*: What’s your best advice for achieving high-impact results without injectables or surgery?

SC: Focus on advanced technology paired with a well-structured skincare plan. High-impact, natural results are absolutely possible when the right machines, techniques and home routine are combined.

Energy-based treatments such as radio frequency, ultrasound, microcurrent, medical-grade LED and HIFU can lift, firm and regenerate the skin when used with precision. I also encourage people to do their research. Practitioners who work with multiple advanced technologies can tailor treatments to your skin, rather than forcing it into a single approach.

Finally, consistency matters. A simple but effective home routine supports in-clinic results and maintains progress over time. When advanced technology, personalised care and the right skincare plan come together, refined and effective results are achievable without injectables or surgery.

shanecooperskin.com

I recently interviewed a well-known name in the beauty industry whom I knew must be over 30, but beyond that, his age was impossible to discern. It wasn’t so much that he looked younger, but his skin was so poreless, so wrinkle-free, that it wasn’t a version of a thirtysomething I had ever seen before. It was like a Roman sculpture come to life, marble smoothness in human flesh form, an image of youth that existed in no time and eternal time. Here was a man, pickled.

We may soon be encountering people like this on a daily basis. We might even begin to look this way ourselves. That’s because the next ten years will see a significant shift in the skincare industry, a shift fuelled by advancements in treatment technology, the rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications, a growing fatigue with fillers and Botox, and a desire for a unique, ‘authentic’ appearance in a culture increasingly dominated by AI.

If beauty ideals of the past decade were typified by ‘Instagram face’, its exaggerated volume and feline features achieved through plumping and freezing methods, the next decade will see the emergence of an ideal manifested through subtle restorative treatments that respect the face’s natural architecture and place a primacy on skin health. Melinda Farina, often called ‘the beauty broker’, is known for connecting famous names with the world’s most skilled plastic surgeons. Based on what her clients are asking for now, she predicts that the most aspirational look of the future will be one that ‘appears lifted, energetic and youthful, but without signs of manipulation’ and focuses on ‘natural contours, strong mid-face support, refined jawlines, and exceptional skin quality’. Essentially, the hope is to look like yourself but better, in a way that is difficult to place. Whispers of this have already been seen on celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera, who have recently returned to the spotlight looking younger than they had when they left it, spawning discussions of a new ‘undetectable era’ of plastic surgery.

The large-scale cultural effects of this could be significant. If experts like Farina are correct, we are about to nosedive into the uncanny valley with an unprecedented force. Longevity culture is helping to create a world in which people have never lived so long; and now they have also never looked so young. As increasingly sophisticated AI technology continues to undermine our ability to perceive what is real in the digital world, new technology is making it harder than ever to identify what is real on the most overt of human attributes: our face.

The defining feature of this future face will be flawless, baby-like skin: smooth and soft to the touch, with few visible wrinkles or pores, firm enough to see the contours of the face without losing the fullness associated with youth. As plastic surgeon Dr Jonathan Dunne, co-founder of dermatology and aesthetics clinic Montrose London, says: ‘Demand for treatments that elevate skin quality has surged in a way that none of us were talking about a decade ago. Five or ten years back, the focus was almost entirely on volume loss and wrinkles. Today, patients are thinking far more holistically; they’re asking about skin texture, elasticity, luminosity, pigmentation and overall resilience.’

Dunne and his team at Montrose are responding to this interest with a number of new technologies. These include Sofwave, an ultrasound treatment used for skin tightening that claims a natural lift with minimal downtime, and BBL (BroadBand Light), a pulsed light device that addresses hyperpigmentation, acne and vascular issues while also stimulating collagen and elastin production, among other skin concerns.

Similarly, Shane Cooper’s innovative use of skin-enhancing tech has made him one of London’s most in-demand practitioners, with a roster of celebrity clients that includes Lily Allen, Sabrina Carpenter and Sienna Miller. When asked about what his clients are looking for, he says, ‘People want to age well and maintain their features rather than alter them. I think we’ll see more people stepping away from heavy filler use as technology continues to offer lifting, sculpting and rejuvenation in a far more natural way.’ To offer that ‘natural’ effect, Cooper uses more than 15 medical machines and devices, which he ‘layers’, personalising the combination and order to the client’s unique needs.‘I’m especially inspired by exosome science,’ he says, referring to the nanoscopic vesicles, naturally released by skin cells, which are purported to help regeneration and repair (as such, they have been called ‘messenger cells’). ‘Particularly the E50 exosomes [derived from salmon cells]. They support deep cellular repair and, when combined with the right devices, the results are even more impressive.’

A country long hailed as a beauty industry pioneer is South Korea, which, as Jennifer Seo, founder of luxury beauty and wellness travel service Aneue Concierge, says, ‘tends to be a decade ahead of its US counterparts when it comes to treatment offering and technology’. Salmon sperm treatments, common in South Korean clinics years before they reached other countries, are administered via a ‘stamping’ method performed with a Dermashine device that delivers PDRNs (polydeoxyribonucleotides, often derived from salmon DNA) via vibrating microneedles for high-impact results and low downtime. She predicts that this method will soon migrate beyond South Korea, but thinks the most significant advancements of the next few years will not be to do with salmon DNA, but human.

‘Stem cell treatments are becoming popular worldwide, but the technology and public understanding are still fairly nascent,’ says Seo. In the US, practitioners are typically limited to using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood or placenta tissue, but not autologous ones (those taken from your own body), which is not the case in South Korea. According to Seo, these cells, especially those derived from fat, are uniquely effective at rejuvenating skin, joints and even hair, and although only a limited number of clinics in South Korea are capable of performing these fat-derived stem cell procedures at a high level, their popularity will only continue to grow. Such treatments can already be found at the London, Harley Street clinic of plastic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides, founder of luxury skincare brand 111Skin. He offers both nanografting treatments, aimed at improving skin regeneration and quality, and micrografting treatments, aimed at adding volume and contour procedures; both of which emulsify fat harvested from the patient into a near liquid rich in stem cells and growth factors.

When it comes to more invasive treatments, Alexandrides cites deep-plane facelifts as one of the most transformative offerings, since the procedure goes beneath the muscles to lift the foundational elements of the face (muscle, connective tissues, fat) to create a smooth surface that rests more naturally than a typical facelift. But there are other factors at play, too – like the rise in popularity of GLP-1s (better known by brand names like Ozempic and Mounjaro), which can collapse fat compartments and increase facial laxity. Farina says the industry’s reflexive response to ‘Ozempic face’ has been to overfill, creating a wave of distorted, heavy complexions that don’t align with the patient’s identity. To combat this, she’s been pointing her high-profile clients to practitioners who specialise in collagen-stimulating facials and skintightening technologies ‘to help restore the appearance of the face, rather than inflating it, offering a more natural-looking solution for those who have lost weight suddenly’.

Beyond GLP-1s, there is, of course, that pernicious force that has been shaping our understanding of beauty for decades – digital technology. As Dunne notes, ‘social media filters and AI-edited images have changed what patients notice about their faces. They come in with far more precise concerns – subtle asymmetries, shadowing or jawline definition – often influenced by how their face appears on camera rather than in real life.’ This has driven a rise in treatments that improve skin quality, refine structure or, in Farina’s words, ‘help patients stay camera-ready without looking ‘overdone’.

It’s interesting to note that when asked what they think the ‘ideal’ face will look like in 2045, every professional I spoke to for this piece said it would be a face that respected ‘authenticity’. Speaking about authenticity in relation to beauty treatments, especially plastic surgery, seems like an oxymoron, but it may stem from the cultural tide moving away from a generic ideal towards a more subtly restorative form of beauty that retains people’s unique features. The emphasis is on looking symmetrical and ‘snatched’ enough to translate well to camera, but unique enough to stand out from the crowd.

On the one hand, this shift can be seen as a positive thing, pointing to a more individual understanding of what beauty is. As more people under the age of 30 report getting injectables and even facelifts, the rise of treatments that place skin health above altered features seems a welcome alternative. But it also presents a darker vision of the future – one in which, in order to look ‘natural’, one must alter one’s face; a future where the line between what is real and what is fake becomes ever harder to identify.

The existential questions embedded in this development are vast and complex, particularly as this trend is emerging at a time when advancements in science and the rise of longevity culture has led to us living longer than ever. It’s worth asking: what does this mean? Will looking younger transform our perceptions of beauty? And what will be the physiological consequences?

At best, this means we might soon live in a society of Benjamin Buttons (everyone looking younger but older and wiser on the inside) and, at worst, we’ll live in a world populated by Dorian Grays (our youthful faces belying a troubled interior). Chances are, we’ll probably end up somewhere in between – living at a time in which the technology we have to alter our faces is more advanced than ever, when AI is changing our perceptions of those faces, and medical advancements are allowing us to live longer than ever. How our future will play out is always hard to tell, but how we look is unlikely to change for a long time – at least, for those of us who get the work done.

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A version of this story appears in the March 2026 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + now. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Model: Lisa Hageman at Women Paris. Casting: Suun Consultancy. Hair: Sachiko Yamashita at Agence Saint Germain using Phyto Réparation. Make-up: Mayumi Oda at Bryant Artists. Manicure: Marieke Bouilette at Calliste. Set design: Coline Robert. Local producer: Clara Perrotte. Digi tech: Arnaud Scheid. Photography assistants: Yiouli Itskou, Peggy Theodorogianni. Fashion assistant: Julie Stueven. Hair assistant: Hiro Yahune. Make-up assistant: Justine Sirabella.

Today, pop star Dua Lipa unveils her own skincare brand – DUA – powered by the science of the beauty world’s equally stellar Dr Augustinus Bader.

Lipa worked with the Augustinus Bader brand for over three years to develop her own line of ‘everyday essentials’, the core products she could use on the road or at home to maintain her skin health. These products comprise the new DUA Balancing Cream Cleanser, Supercharged Glow Complex, and Renewal Cream, all formulated with TFC5, a new version of the brand’s signature TFC8 complex.

As any beauty enthusiast reading this already knows, TFC8 was born out of Professor Augustinus Bader’s medical-grade cream for burn victims, developed to heal skin by ‘triggering’ stem cells to repair the damaged area. The translation of that technology into commercial skincare is the key to Augustinus Bader products’ transformative anti-ageing properties and the reason behind their overwhelming success (the brand became a billion-dollar business within just four years of launching).

For DUA, the Augustinus Bader team reworked the same repairing properties with a reduced signalling intensity, making TFC5 better suited to skin between the ages of 18 and 35, an audience younger than the brand’s typical market. That TFC5 complex is combined with biomimetic peptides, moisture-enhancing proteins, and protective antioxidants to protect skin from ageing and extend the appearance of youth, while also addressing problems of younger skin, such as blemishes, acne scars, oiliness and pigmentation.

The DUA products

First up in the routine is a cream-to-foam cleanser designed, in Lipa’s words, ‘to work hard but still feel gentle on my skin’. In addition to the TFC5 for enhancing elasticity, the cleanser is formulated with a unique prebiotic blend to support a healthy skin microbiome and reduce blemishes, as well as algae extract to control oil, a biolipid complex to lock in moisture, and tsubaki oil to remove make-up and impurities. In short, this silky cleanser offers a deep cleanse you can instantly feel, without any drying.

The next step is the Glow Complex, Lipa’s favourite product in the range, which she uses to ‘instantly revive my skin – even after long days or late nights’. The vitamin-rich complex is designed to brighten and smooth skin from the first use, while also providing long-term pigment reduction and anti-ageing benefits. It is formulated with a gentle marine bio-retinol to reduce wrinkles without causing sun-sensitivity; Vitamin B3 to help refine pores; and ectoin to protect skin from environmental stressors and improve moisture retention. These ingredients, combined with the TFC5, make for a product that is particularly good at reducing post-acne marks and dark spots. And it is so instantly brightening that Lipa even sometimes puts it on top of her make-up as a subtle highlighter.

Finally, there is the Renewal Cream, Lipa’s own interpretation of ‘The Cream’ that shot Augustinus Bader to stardom a few years ago. A multi-tasking daily moisturiser, it offers rich hydration with a lightweight feel. In addition to the TFC5 it is formulated with a pre- and post-biotic blend that reduces redness, as well as an amino-acid complex to rebalance skin and help prevent blemishes.

It’s a clever collaboration for both Dua Lipa and Augustinus Bader, opening the latter to a younger demographic that is ever-more interested in skin health, while also offering an alternative form of preventative ageing to increasingly popular ‘baby botox’ or similar treatments. As for Lipa, it allowed her to ‘not start from 0’, and instead work with a skincare line she used for years and knew could deliver the results she was looking for. The result is a high-impact, low-maintenance skincare collection that promises to win over fans of Lipa as well as Augustinus Bader in equal measure.

duabyab.com

I hadn’t heard of Dr. Macrene before I arrived for the UK launch of her skincare line, but for some of the editors sitting around the breakfast table with me, the chance to speak to the New York based dermatologist evoked an excitement that equalled a teenager meeting a pop star. ‘I’ve been waiting years for the chance to try this brand,’ one told me before we sat down.

Rumor has it that Dr. Macrene’s dermatology practice maintains the skin of some of the world’s most famous actresses and models, and although she’s discreet enough never to share names, she certainly has the credentials to warrant the claim. She is a Fulbright Scholar with three Harvard degrees, the author of two textbooks and the rare status of being board-certified in the EU and US (to name just a few of her accolades).

It was impressive to hear about how the forty plus years of research Macrene has done in plant sciences, molecular genetics, and dermatology led her to identify the plant-based ingredients that form the foundation of her products; but I really knew there was something to her skincare after a few weeks of using it for myself. ‘You look…younger or something’ one friend told me over dinner. ‘Are you taking some kind of new supplement,’ another asked. ‘You look so well,’ one PR told me with a disconcerting amount of surprise. ’So many people are telling me I look better, I’m starting to worry about what I looked like before,’ I messaged one friend. ‘You just clearly got a little botox or something,’ he responded. But I hadn’t gotten botox. The only thing that has changed was that I was using Dr Macrene’s cleanser, cream and serum twice a day.

So to get to the bottom of Dr. Macrene’s magic, I asked her to share more about what sets her skincare apart and share her insight into getting, and maintaining, the best skin of your life.

A conversation with Dr. Macrene

What makes your skincare work so well?

Every formula is built on decades of my own dermatologic, scientific, and clinical peer-reviewed research. Every product contains the maximum number of active ingredients delivered with my patented liposomal system for maximum penetration – without occlusives. It’s plant-based, scientifically validated, and results-driven. Instead of marketing trends, I’ve put up to 55 active ingredients into each product – delivered by a patented liposomal system – so they penetrate deeply and work for durable long term results. The formulas are free of occlusives, so your skin can actually breathe and absorb. That’s why they perform like nothing else out there.

Is there a “holy grail” skincare step that most people overlook?

Consistency. A daily regimen with well-formulated actives is far more powerful than chasing trends or quick fixes. People chase trendy products but overlook disciplined, daily application of a high-quality regimen that targets all the pathways of skin health. Layering can be beneficial, but so does using products that deliver numerous actives and are designed to penetrate rather than sit on the surface. That’s why I designed my formulas to maximise actives delivery without occlusives, using my patented liposomal system.

As a dermatologist, what is the biggest mistake you see people making with their skin?

The biggest mistake is neglecting daily repair and protection. Injectables or procedures can’t substitute for a solid skincare foundation. Thinking quick fixes, such as lasers, injectables, or the newest fad, can substitute for a real skincare foundation is like expecting the dentist to save your teeth when you don’t brush. Skin health is cumulative. Neglecting daily repair and protection is the single greatest mistake I see.

Do different areas of the skin deserve different types of treatment and different times of life? Can you give some insight into what people should be focusing on in their 20s, 30s, 40s etc.

Yes. In your 20s, focus on protection – SPF and antioxidants. By your 30s, add repair for early lines and pigmentation. In your 40s and beyond, collagen support and renewal are key. Delicate zones like under-eyes, neck, and chest often age faster and need tailored care.

Are there any questions your patients frequently come to you with that you wish everyone knew the answer to?

People constantly ask me, 'What’s the one product I need?' The truth is, skin health is multi-dimensional – and in the past, no single product could do it all. This is why I formulated the High Performance Face Cream, Extra Rich and Tinted Moisturizer with 45-55 actives, for each product to stand alone as the one product to address all aspects of skin health. While in most instances, you need a complete system to target repair, protection, collagen support, and pigment regulation simultaneously, such multi-tasking is now achievable with my One Step Skincare formulations, such as the Face Cream or the Tinted Moisturizer.

Do those who have fillers, Botox and plastic surgery have different skincare needs? If so, can you offer more insight into the specific needs of people who are regularly receiving such treatments?

Yes they do. Injectables may address volume and lines, but skincare is what keeps the surface healthy, radiant, and natural-looking. In fact, skincare is what makes these procedures look natural and enduring. Without it, you just look 'done.'

Are there any skincare fads you want to warn people against trying? Any that you think are positive? How much of skin health is genetics vs. daily habits?

Avoid aggressive routines – such as over-exfoliating or using DIY acids – and steer clear of heavy occlusive trends like slugging or layering oils, petrolatum, and waxes popularised on TikTok. Positive trends include SPF awareness and microbiome balance. Genetics set your baseline, but habits and skincare determine how you age.

What innovations or scientific breakthroughs do you think will transform the way our skin looks and ages in the next 10–20 years?

My work as a MD Dermatologist and PhD geneticist is focused on identifying the genes that are responsible for skin aging using biobanks and DNA analysis. My work on DNA repair and regenerative medicine will transform skincare. We are developing topical treatments that truly reverse damage, not just slow it. Combining biotechnology with plant science is going to push the boundaries of what’s possible for skin health and longevity.

macreneactives.com

Hard Sun is a New York City-born sunscreen brand that rethinks sports sunscreen from the ground up with a mineral SPF formulation that’s actually comfortable, and flattering, to wear. For athletes, it's a revelation – a sunscreen that offers high-intensity UVA and UVB protection, has 80 minutes of sweat- and water-resistance, and is breathable enough that it doesn't leave a mask-like layer on the face, unlike many mineral sunscreens. For people who confine their outdoor adventures to city streets, it’s equally useful, with a glide-on texture and tinted, mattifying formulation that leaves a pore-free finish. On top of it all, there’s the ever-appealing factor, for athletes and aesthetes alike, that the product just looks cool.

For co-founders and friends since high school Will Kortum and Will Jarvis, creating a sunscreen wasn’t an obvious choice. Professionals in graphic design and advertising by weekday, and hobbyists in cycling and rock climbing by weekend, the pair knew they wanted to create a product in the outdoor recreation space when they started formulating ideas for their own brand during Covid.

‘From the very beginning, it was important that what we made was ultra-functional,’ they say over email. ‘Maybe coming from brand world, having seen the sausage being made (or having taken part in making the sausage ourselves), we were super-allergic to the idea of just doing a cooler X, or slapping a brand on an existing product. It was also important to us that we made something that at least had elements of being new or unexpected. It seems simple, but we just said to ourselves: What do we not look forward to using? We never got excited to use sunscreen – and we were sort of like, yeah… this is it.’

Hitting on the idea was only the beginning of the process, what came after was years of research, trials and reworking to create a fully custom formulation. The duo worked with a chemist – who had more than four decades of experience in developing products solely for dermatologists and plastic surgeons – to create two SPF 50 tinted sunscreens: Tint 401 for very light to medium skin tones and Tint 4725 for light to deep skin tones.

‘We tried every sunscreen out there and tested every version we made with athletes and dermatologists – and on ourselves outside on long rides, surf trips and around town,’ say Kortum and Jarvis. ‘It wasn’t a situation where we went to a lab and asked to change one or two ingredients from an existing product to get it out the door. We created a fully custom formulation, which is why it took so long to get to market.’

Hard Sun recently launched online after an initial debut at the Capsule Plaza showcase during Salone del Mobile earlier this year in Milan, a testament to the impressiveness of its design. The brand worked with a team of collaborators over the past five years to develop the final aesthetic, including Radim Pesko for the typeface, Jungmyung Lee for the logo, and architect Sam Chermayeff, who informed the brand’s minimal, although slightly out-there, identity. Other inspirations include countercultural magazine Whole Earth Catalog, the work of supergraphics pioneer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, ‘some Ulm School/Vitsoe-adjacent stuff’ and design studio M/M (Paris).

Functionality and sustainability were also key when developing the packaging design. Realising that refillable containers often use more materials than their non-refillable counterparts and are often treated as single-use anyway, Hard Sun sourced an airless pump that's fully recyclable without disassembly, making it easier for people to recycle properly. Once they hit on that, they worked with friend, and avid cyclist, James Caruso to develop sport-friendly design elements such as smooth surfaces with a wide chamfered edge to prevent any dirt or debris from getting wedged in, and a twist cap that is easy to turn with gloves on or when you're on the move. The cap also locks in place to ensure it won't fall off accidentally when the container is jostled around amid other belongings.

In a market crowded with sunscreens, Hard Sun stands out as something different. Up next, Hard Sun is expanding to a line of SPF skincare products targeted at providing protection while also solving common skin issues among outdoor athletes; expect moisturisers, balms, and lotions formulated with SPF, as well as some new experiments in packaging and industrial design.

hardsun.com

Mushroom beta-glucans are a powerhouse in hydration and healing, according to Sonia Gaillis-Delepine, founder of new French skincare and supplement brand Verdoie.

From alternative fashion materials to the literal building blocks of tomorrow’s cities, mycology (the study of mushrooms) is driving a new wave of innovation across industries. One key area is wellness, where, between Dyson’s mushroom-powered Beauty Tech, bio-based perfumes, and the projected $2.98 billion mushroom cosmetics market, there’s a growing consensus on the popularity and myriad benefits of fungi. But mushrooms are not just ‘the moment’ for Gaillis-Delepine. In fact, they have been an integral part of her family for five generations.

The benefits of mushroom beta-glucans can be found in hydrating French skincare by Verdoie

The Delepines have a long history with mycelium, with Sonia’s great, great, great grandfather Pierre-Louis growing Champignon de Paris in the 1870s on a subterranean plot beneath the streets of the French capital. Eventually, the Delepine catacombs were shuttered in the 1900s when the city began working on its iconic metro system and concerns over structural integrity took precedence. Though mycology ceased to be the primary family occupation, it remained a pivotal force, with Sonia’s father spending childhood summers in Breisach am Rhein near the German Black Forest, foraging for chanterelles and girolles, later imparting the dietary benefits of fungi. ‘Mushrooms have always been a culinary staple in our home,’ says Gaillis-Delepine. ‘We’ve long understood how immuno-supportive they are, as well as an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.’

Gaillis-Delepine’s route back to mycology was circuitous. Born in France, she moved to America as a child and studied communications before returning for her master’s degree. While working a 9-5, she took time off to visit Plum Village, Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Buddhist retreat near Bordeaux, where she fell in love with modern agriculture. ‘I was inspired to help on their organic and regenerative farm – learning about cover crops, seasonal eating, soil health.’ From here, she gravitated toward perfumery, taking a role at DSM-Firmenich, where she deepened her understanding of organic suppliers and their craft. ‘I loved learning about Firmenich’s relationship with our farmers – the terrains, where the ingredients come from, the supply chain – being so close to the source,’ she says. ‘It felt so human and emotional.’

Gaillis-Delepine had always suffered from stress-induced skin sensitivities and was reactive to often harsh topical treatments. She had previously experimented with organic cures, but through her work at Firmenich, realised she could bridge her family’s legacy with real-world medical benefits. She began studying organic skincare formulation, learning about anhydrous formulations, emulsions, surfactant systems – the nitty gritty behind developing a beauty line – as well as ingredient compatibility and functions and preservative systems.

From there, she surveyed the beauty landscape and tinkered with how to address skin concerns while developing product ideas, later recruiting an ex-Clinique and Soft Services formulator and the former herbalist for Moon Juice for what would become Verdoie. The brand launched this week (27 January 2025) with a luxurious, nutrient-rich moisturiser, La Crème Hydratante. Containing three different types of mushroom with different properties (chaga is calming and tremella hydrates, whilst shiitake clarifies) the cream also includes SymRepair to boost barrier function. An accompanying supplement, Le Complément Alimentaire, features more tremella, alongside the apoptogenic reishi mushroom, plus Ceramosides and antioxidants such as vitamin E.

‘I was taking mushrooms to support my immune system and saw it was doing wonders for my skin,’ says Gaillis-Delepine, reiterating that mycelium’s powerful beta-glucans have incredibly potent abilities to retain moisture and are a rich antioxidant that can support skin and prevent oxidative stress. (Since fungi require less water, land, and human resources than many other ingredients, they’re also quite sustainable). ‘I realised that the mushrooms I had always loved were magical, not only because they can proliferate without adding excess complexity to the environment, but also because they are power-packed ingredients that truly do more with less.’

Verdoie’s mushrooms are hand-harvested in an underground parking garage, attached to a social housing complex. As a public benefit corporation, Verdoie is on track to achieve B-Corp certification after one year in business. ‘My great, great, great grandfather selected the catacombs for their perfect microclimate – dark, humid with a stable temperature – and what it meant for underground production and year-round farming,’ she explains. ‘Working in an urban farm feels like a wink to that legacy.’

Verdoie is also designed to support immediate needs while serving a preventive purpose. ‘Your skin is an incredible technology, and it's evolved to protect you against a changing climate and the outside world,’ says Gaillis-Delepine, noting that topicals can only go so far and that building skin health from the inside out is a necessity, hence her desire to also create a supplement. (The cream and supplement can be bought and used together as the Le Shroom Stack).

‘Mushrooms are incredible organisms that sustain ecosystems and challenge our understanding of individuality. They illuminate interdependence,’ Gaillis-Delepine continues, speaking of fungi’s innate ability to create regenerative micro-communities. ‘Our vision at Verdoie is to redefine people’s relationship with mushrooms and elevate them as an everyday choice for natural health and vitality.’ And perhaps, along the way, even change the template of what a 21st-century beauty brand can look and feel like.

verdoie.com

Chanel beauty has created a gua sha-inspired face massage tool as part of its sustainable skincare line, No.1 de Chanel. The accessory is made from 85% bio-based materials, such as camellia seed husks, and wood by-products sourced from FSC-certified supply networks.

Designed by in-house experts to work in tandem with products such as the peptide-rich Revitalising Serum (also now available as a limited edition duo alongside the Revitalising Eye Serum), its also an ideal accompaniment to the Red Camellia Cream, a new iteration of the original No.1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream formulation.

Chanel Beauty’s No.1 de Chanel facial massage tool

No.1 de Chanel launched three years ago (January 2022). Armelle Souraud, international scientific communication director at Chanel Beauty, says it was developed ‘by gaining understanding of the mechanisms that drive senescence [aging] in the skin’. This is how, through research conducted at its open-sky lab in Gaujacq, France, Chanel was able to identify the benefits of red camellia extract. By harnessing this active ingredient, the brand claims to be able to ‘preserve cell vitality for skin that is healthy-looking and youthfully radiant’.

Camellia extract has a high concentration of polyphenols and protocatechuic acid, which Chanel says can target the first stage of senescence, increasing skin vitality. (The ingredient can also protect skin from oxidative stress, addressing things like wrinkles, pores, elasticity and radiance). The new No.1 de Chanel Red Camellia Cream is also enriched with a camellia ceramide, which provides a plumping boost of moisture whilst protecting the skin barrier.

Below, follow Chanel’s specific techniques for using the No.1 de Chanel massage tool, both before and after applying the serum and moisturiser.

How to use Chanel Beauty’s No.1 de Chanel face massage tool

• Before applying the the No.1 de Chanel serum and Red Camellia cream
• To target pores, position the notched edge of the accessory on the nose and cheeks and rub up and down, then perform horizontal, outward smoothing strokes.
• To target elasticity, use the two points of the V-shaped end to twist the skin on the lower part of the face, working outward.
• To target wrinkles, place your index finger and the massage accessory on either side of each wrinkle and stretch the skin. Then, use the pointed tip of the accessory to perform zigzag movements along each wrinkle.
• Apply the serum, then apply small dabs of the cream. Then, perform a series of outward smoothing movements using your hands.
• After applying the the No.1 de Chanel serum and Red Camellia cream
• Using the V-shaped end of the accessory, perform deep strokes along the jawline, from the chin up to the ear.
• To boost skin’s radiance, perform smoothing movements using the concave part of the massage accessory.

chanel.com

The skincare business is booming as never before. But Aesop’s B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel, which recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary, still stands out as one of the best moisturisers there is – even in a beauty market with an unquenchable thirst for the new and the next cult product.

For those who are already fans of the gel moisturiser, why it holds up as a classic need not be explained. Anyone who hasn’t thought to try it yet should give it a whirl as part of their summertime regime. Its intensely hydrating yet mattifying effect is a tonic to heat and humidity, which can ramp up the skin’s oil production to a less-than-desirable effect. (Although, oily and acne-prone skin types should reach for its signature amber glass jar all year round).

Aesop’s B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel deserves cult classic status

The brand name Aesop is a direct reference to the ancient Greek fabulist; a wry dig at hyperbolised cosmetics marketing. In the race of the Tortoise and The Hare, Aesop is firmly in the lane of the tortoise, having built its empire over three decades on the core principles of simple, elevated design, effective product performance, and sustainable production.

The B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel was partly created as a riposte to the loud proclamations of early noughties skincare advertising, which more often than not, failed to live up to their hype. ‘At the time, within the skincare industry, the Aesop formulation represented a generational change in texture,’ says brand Founding Associate and Chief Customer Officer Suzanne Santos, recalling its 2003 launch. Santos – who still lives in Victoria, Melbourne, the Australian city in which Aesop first came to be – has nurtured the brand since 1987, all the way through to the 3.7 billion AUD acquisition by the L’Oreal group in 2023.

Despite these monumental changes, many of Aesop’s products, including the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel, have barely altered. ‘With just two minor adjustments in the formulation since then, it has proven a timeless and consistent source of both replenishment and sensory pleasure,’ Santos adds.

The scientific secret to the product’s success is its finely balanced ratio of approximately one part panthenol (a humectant that binds water to the skin also known as Vitamin B5) to three parts stabilised Vitamin C, which is renowned for its collagen-stimulating and complexion-brightening properties. The addition of Sodium Lactate equalises wonky PH levels. These key ingredients are mixed with an all-natural cocktail of antioxidant-rich extracts, including aloe, chamomile, and lavender.

‘Once applied, the panthenol element converts into pantothenic acid (or Vitamin B5), while magnesium ascorbyl phosphate becomes ascorbic acid (Vitamin C),’ explains Samy Hamada, Aesop’s director of research and development, who worked on the moisturiser for three years before it went on sale. ‘More broadly, B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel embodies Aesop’s rigorous approach to product development.’

The texture of the gel is luxuriously dense and nourishing and can be used at any time of the day or night. Although the product is almost honey-like in both texture and colour, don’t be fooled by its syrupy appearance. Once warmed between your palms and massaged into freshly washed skin (about a half teaspoon-sized amount of the moisturiser is best) it has a slightly cooling effect, before absorbing in double quick time, eliminating excess shine and leaving not a trace of cloying stickiness in its wake.

Aesop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel, £97 at aesop.com.

Neuraé is a new French skincare brand that harnesses the constant dialogue between the skin and the brain through the pathways in our nervous system. Christine and Philippe d’Ornano (the brother-and-sister duo at the helm of storied Parisian beauty house Sisley) worked on this project for just over ten years, with the first products launching last month (March 2024).

‘We became interested in the relationship between neuroscience and skincare when our scientists at Sisley suggested researching how the brain communicates with the skin,’ says Christine d’Ornano. ‘Being sad, tired, tense or stressed affects our skin, having an impact on wrinkles, firmness and radiance.’ Neuraé products have thus been developed to harness the power of inner emotions and improve wellbeing – which, in turn, produces positive effects on the outside.

Neuraé skincare uses its signature NA3 technology to boost your mood

‘What do we think of when we think of good skin?’ she continues. ‘It’s skin that’s homogenous, that’s calm. So, we tested all our products at both a cosmetic and cellular level, to ensure that what we have created has a positive effect on all of these things, through our patent-pending NA3 technology.’

This technology works to target neural pathways, through neuro-textures, neuro scents, and neuro ingredients (such as alpine skullcap and eperua extract) which work in tandem with the following: β-endorphins, emblematic of positive emotions; gaba, the relaxation agent; cortisol, which can produce negative emotions; and CGRP, the pain communicator.

The Harmonie serum is the hero product of Neuraé, and is lightweight with a dewy finish. The serum is complemented by one of three creams: Énergie has been designed to improve firmness, Joie to revive glow, and Sérénité to soften lines. Finally, travel-sized roll-on Emotion Boosters, crafted with ‘neuro perfume’ oils and semi-precious stones (jade, pink quartz, and amethyst) in the tips, allow for small interludes of self-care throughout the day.

All of the products contain 97 per cent natural ingredients, including the packaging, which features tops carved from wood and ridged matte surfaces to further enhance the sensory and tactile experience of applying them. In addition, it is all recyclable, and the jars are refillable, in bringing Sisley’s sustainable ethos to its new venture.

‘It’s the beginning of a new field; a new angle for looking after your skin,’ says Christine d’Ornano. ‘We’re only just getting started.’

neurae.com

A version of this article appears in the May 2024 Milan Preview Issue of Wallpaper* , available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Gezeiten is a new skincare brand that takes its name from the German word for the ebb and flow of the sea tides. It is a fitting name, not only because the German-born brand uses marine extracts and mineral-rich, sub-oceanic water concentrate to create its products. But also because they are tailored to work harmoniously with the body’s natural rhythms for optimal results.

Gezeiten uses biotechnology to create skincare for the ‘new age’

The brand was founded by two families: husband and wife Michaela and Michael Hiltebrandt, who work on research and product development with scientists and academics, and creative brother and sister duo Charles and Claire Zurheide Bals. Collectively, they were drawn together by a belief that the skincare market is oversaturated with products, few of which deliver the results they promise. So they joined forces in the hopes of hitting on the secret that other brands were missing. ‘We are interested in exploring human origins and revisiting how our skin functions as an organism,’ says the team over email. ‘And also where we are headed, as human kind. This is precisely what has really driven our scientific journey with Gezeiten.’

The result is a range of five products: a day cream, a night cream, a protecting serum, a rejuvenating serum and a seven-day treatment set. Each is formulated with the brand’s patented Earth Marine Celltech Complex, which is designed to prevent skin ageing at a cellular level by replenishing the skin barrier, supporting the skin’s natural healing process, detoxifying and hydrating.

The brand worked with biotech and marine biology experts to ensure that the formulation works; but they also recognised that to create truly cutting-edge and effective skincare, they had to ensure the ingredients were delivered to the skin at the most opportune moments. To do that, they developed daytime and nighttime formulations with time release functions to support the skin’s specific needs during the daytime ‘stress phase’ and the nighttime ‘regeneration phase’.

By incorporating chronobiology (the study of the body’s rhythms) into the formulations, Gezeiten ensures that the products work to fill in the gaps a demanding, urban life creates, particularly when it comes to our disrupted sleep cycles. ‘A major problem of our modern lifestyle is a disturbed circadian rhythm, which leads to skin disorders such as hypersensitivity of the skin, inflammation, eczema, and ultimately premature skin ageing,’ say the Gezeiten team.

‘We are focusing on synchronising disrupted circadian rhythms to maintain overall skin health,’ they continue. ‘Sleep is important, but so is the quality of sleep and the stress we are exposed to. Cortisol levels also harm the skin, as does our lifestyle. The world has changed so much over the thousands of years and the skin is still the same. It is the interplay of different components that determines the quality and health of the skin. We take them all into account in the development of our current and future products.’

After a month of use, the skincare starts syncing with the skin’s natural 28-day regeneration cycle, with a noticeable reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation, as well as an increase in moisture.

‘Our approach has led us to look at skin from a 360-degree point of view,’ says Gezeiten. ‘So observing how the body works, active ingredients, the latest technologies on the market, and taking sustainability into account at every step, we have created a skincare range, but also the blueprint of skincare for the new age.’

gezeiten.com

Fjör is a science-led skincare brand that believes in stripping your routine right back to (almost) nothing. And, during a time when the beauty and skincare industry is becoming more and more saturated, it manages to stand out from the crowd by taking this ‘skinimalist’ approach: that being, less product, more efficacy.

In the case of Fjör, this means just two products to be exact. Namely, the Hydrolytic Serum and Hydrolytic Moisturiser. ‘The word fjör is Icelandic, meaning “life” and “vitality”. But it’s also a very Scandinavian word, and I’m half Swedish and half Chinese Malaysian,’ founder Natalie Enslow says. ‘It was important to me to incorporate and communicate that Nordic minimalism through the brand.’ Enslow, who left her job on the marketing team at Rolex for this entirely new beauty venture in 2021, was clear in her vision from the outset. ‘I knew what I wanted to create: something science-led that would have a real impact.’

Fjör blends biotechnology with the principles of ‘skinimalism’

Enslow worked closely with biotechnologists in the development of these two products. ‘The biotechnologists I work with are enzyme engineers,’ she explains. ‘They pioneered an enzyme that helps to prevent you from getting sick to be used in a nasal spray. In the process, they found out that it has an incredible effect on the skin, and had been looking for someone to partner with to bring it to the market.’ Serendipitously, Enslow got in touch with them at just the right time. Soon after, Fjör was born as the world’s first skincare brand to incorporate this specific discovery.

So how does it work, exactly? The Hydrolytic Enzyme not only strengthens the skin barrier and its natural defences but also balances its microbiome. ‘It creates a biofilm on the skin,’ says Enslow. ‘So it prevents adhesions from bacteria, viruses, free radicals… Things that you sort of interact with daily that you need to protect yourself from.’ If that weren’t enough, it also acts as an exfoliant to remove dead cells from the surface of the skin. (This activates the skin's natural renewal process and allows other ingredients to penetrate deeper layers of the skin, for intense hydration and anti-redness). The serum combines this magical enzyme with world-class peptides (M-prolyl Palmitoyl and Tripeptide-56 Acetate), collagen and hyaluronic acid; the moisturiser also contains Japanese blood grass root extract and xylitol, which both act as humectants to trap in moisture.

Yes, that’s a lot of information to digest. But, I tried the products for two months and I can attest that everything makes a lot more sense, upon seeing the results. My dehydrated skin, which can be clog and break out prone if I get lazy with my routine (something that Fjör also helped to rectify as it is a joy to apply with its scent-free, silky yet highly moisturising texture), was brighter and more hydrated. I also had significantly fewer breakouts: a miracle over the Christmas period when sugar consumption was at an all-time high.

Enslow has plans to expand Fjör with a body moisturiser and an SPF. But she’s keen to stress that nothing that it does will ever be gimmicky or exist without purpose and delivering what it promises. ‘We're not doing things for the sake of it,’ she says. ‘I want to help people navigate the world of skincare. One of the things that I saw very early on in the development process is the idea that people use skin care right now as sort of an instant gratification to replace the skin's function, which I think is a very delicate line to dance on. It’s not about thinking just of tomorrow and next week, but also ten to 15 years down the line. Skin health is a lifelong journey.’

fjor.life.

Stella McCartney launched her first skincare line in 2022 with three items: a gentle cleanser, a regenerative serum, and a restorative cream. The heart of McCartney’s work as a fashion designer has always centred on responsible production methods, using ethically sourced and recycled materials, without compromising on luxury. The same, then, remains true for her beauty offering, which is billed as ‘an alternative to luxury skincare’ (and is called Alter-Care to indicate as much). And this month (January 2024), joining the roster of Stella by Stella McCartney products is an edible skincare supplement that works in tandem.

‘I wanted to create a supplement that focuses on the importance of nourishing your skin from within,’ McCartney tells Wallpaper*. (Taking a holistic ‘inside out’ approach is also central to McCartney’s philosophy when it comes to beauty.) ‘My edible supplements are packed with a patented active called Ceramosides, which prevent collagen destruction,’ she continues. ‘They help to prevent premature ageing. This was blended with natural-origin antioxidant Vitamin E, Omega 3 derived from micro-algae alongside Omega 6 and 9 from evening primrose oil to provide the skin with essential fatty acids.’ All of these ingredients are 100 per cent natural-origin, gluten- and GMO-free, and vegan. ‘It really is nature at its best,‘ says McCartney.

Stella McCartney on her new Alter-Care supplement

Whilst technically nothing new (we all know that what we eat and drink affects how we look and feel), in the past few years, a focus on gut health and ‘edible skincare’ has come to the fore. It follows a trend for stripping back skincare routines (sometimes referred to as ‘skinimalism’) in a backlash to overconsumption in the beauty industry. So it makes total sense that McCartney would tap into this. ‘The core values I maintain, not only for my beauty business but for all my endeavours, were rooted in and inspired by my upbringing,’ says McCartney. ‘I spent a lot of time in Scotland, roaming around the highlands and swimming in the natural lakes. This is where I realised that nature has all we need and that we need to live in harmony with Mother Earth. My mother [Linda McCartney] was a vegetarian way before it was a mainstream way of life, so that really made me reconsider my relationship with animals and food – it’s where I realised that true beauty starts from within… How you care for yourself, nourish yourself, and in the nutrients you feed your body.’

But science also backs philosophy here, and the brand worked closely with Louvagny Lab, a pioneer of nutricosmetics based in France, to create the unique formula for the Alter-Care Supplement. ‘They are amazing and have more than 15 years of experience within the nutricosmetics industry,’ says McCartney. ‘My team and I worked with them to identify the best selection of ingredients. Then, we created a formula which was clinically tested to prove visible results and benefits for your skin,’ she says. 

These results include increased elasticity, a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and increased hydration. And, they should be seen within as little as 30 days of taking the supplement (directions are to swallow two with a glass of water, ideally at night).

Taking the Alter-Care supplement alongside a topical application of the Alter-Care Serum, which contains ingredients such as olive squalane, wild harvested dulse algae extract (this contains polysaccharides, a biomolecule that has antioxidant properties when used in skincare), marine spring water and hyaluronic acid, can further boost these results. ‘I’m proud of what we have achieved,’ says McCartney. ‘My edibles work from the inside to support plumper, smoother and more radiant skin. The perfect complementary product, our serum works from the outside on the upper layers of your complexion to improve tone and texture. When both the serum and supplements are used together, results are intensified – I couldn’t have asked for more!’ And, neither could we.

The Stella by Stella McCartney Alter-Care Supplement is available now on stellamccartneybeauty.com and at Space NK (£60 for 1 month’s supply of 60 capsules).

The new Chanel Sublimage L’Extrait de Nuit is a skincare dream come true: a night serum that practically recreates the appearance of getting eight hours of sleep (even if you’ve had none at all).

The secret is the brand’s innovative use of vanilla, which is a natural protector against free radicals. It also has moisturising and anti-inflammatory properties. Chanel grows its own vanilla – a variety called Vanilla Planifolia – at an open-air laboratory in Madagascar to ensure these beneficial properties reach optimal potency. They are then intensified further through a process Chanel calls ‘PolyFraction’, whereby the fruit’s extracted elements are combined into a complex that has a 40 times higher concentration of active molecules than the raw plant material – to supercharge the skin’s cellular repair mechanisms and actually reverse fine lines and dullness.

Chanel Sublimage L’Extrait de Nuit: where skincare meets sleep

Chanel has been studying the relationship between circadian rhythms and skin health since 2001, and L’Extrait de Nuit is the most impressive culmination of that research yet. Chanel scientists have noted that day-to-day aggressors (such as UV rays, pollution, and even make-up) accelerate the process of senescence, a term for the breakdown of cells that occurs as we age. When we sleep, our skin naturally works to eliminate toxins and combat the signs of senescence. When we get poor or irregular sleep, that natural senescence-fighting process can be irrevocably damaged. To put it simply: the less sleep you get, the worse it is for your skin.

With L’Extrait de Nuit, Chanel also combines Sublimage’s unique vanilla formulation with the restorative power of Himalayan swertia, a rare plant that blooms just once every three years in Bhutan. These ingredients work together in harmony to exacerbate the cellular repair process that happens during the evening, resulting in plumper, more radiant-looking skin.

The serum itself is silky and lightweight, making it breathable for bedtime application. Or, if used in the morning, it works as a smoothing primer for make-up. I tested out L’Extract de Nuit for the first time after a 14-hour flight and my skin looked noticeably healthier, brighter, and more hydrated than it had before the trip. So, for the night owls among us, the verdict is in: incorporate L’Extrait de Nuit into your regime now.

Chanel Sublimage L'Extrait de Nuit serum is available at harrods.com alongside the rest of the Sublimage range.

chanel.com

Haider Ackermann and Augustinus Bader are both brands that have inspired cult followings from the outset. The former, for impeccably tailored designs and androgynous silhouettes, the latter for skincare that uses stem cell science to achieve drastic anti-ageing. They also stand for the same thing – in Ackermann’s words, ‘luxury, attention to detail, results-driven [outcomes] and a dedication to craft’.

All those factors come into play for the brands’ first collaboration: the Haider Ackermann x Augustinus Bader vessel. The limited-edition launch is designed by Ackermann for Bader’s most famous product, The Cream, and its more intensely moisturising sibling, The Rich Cream.

Haider Ackermann and Augustinus Bader align

For Ackermann, the most essential part of the design was to create a mirrored finish. ‘The packaging needed to reflect its owner,’ he says. ‘To have a mirror where you could look at yourself, and apply your cream wherever you are and have it be a reflection of yourself. I also wanted to have something very pure to mirror the purity of skin, as well as the intimate moment when you are applying your daily ritual. It’s also very calming to touch and to look at, which is vital, because it's about trying to find peace with yourself in that moment of application.’

The Ackermann launch follows on from Bader’s previous collaboration with Victoria Beckham, which has now become its own subcategory of Bader products with serums and priming moisturisers. For Beckham, the collaboration made it possible for her to incorporate skincare into her successful beauty line with a brand she had long publicly praised and trusted. For Ackermann, the collaboration is a way to make his first move into beauty, following the recent debuts of other luxury fashion brands in the field (Prada Beauty, Dries Van Noten Beauty and Hermès Beauty are just a few). And for Bader, these projects are no doubt a way to accelerate the growth and reach of what is already one of beauty’s most impressive success stories.

While there are many reasons behind the brands’ working together, the Haider Ackermann x Augustinus Bader vessel is ultimately intended to be a showcase of their shared dedication to quality, and a collector's item for lovers of one or both names. 

As Ackermann puts it, ‘there's a lot of alignment here in the respect of the “metier” of hands-on luxury craftsmanship in the work that we both do as brands: whether it’s creating a collection by hand or creating a cream to be massaged into the skin - it's a very beautiful thing to do. I always come back to this idea of working around imperfection to elevate something to be the best that it can be.’

augustinusbader.com

The story behind Lesse, an uncomplicated skincare range rooted in essentials, probably sounds familiar. Neada Deters, a former beauty editor, spent years struggling with her skin before taking matters into her own hands. Motivated to create a simple, organic skincare line that is uncompromising in its ingredients, efficacy and packaging, Deters rigorously researched and formulated a single product, with which she launched the brand in 2018. The Ritual serum – which counts on ingredients like turmeric root extract, calendula, rose and hibiscus extracts and a cocktail of sea minerals – is designed to repair the skin barrier, decongest pores to treat and prevent acne, boost natural collagen production, and fade dark spots to even skin tone.

It’s a big ask, but this lightweight oil truly works. It leaves skin feeling nourished, balanced and clear. ‘Though our minimal offering is ostensibly simple, these are complex formulations that bring together rare and rigorously researched active botanicals from around the world; natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to be effective and safe on skin,’ says Deters. ‘Through innovation and years-long reiteration, we are able to elevate these formulations to such concentrated heights that fewer products are needed. Our intention has always been and will always remain to offer only what skin needs, through a focused, comprehensive, and efficacious regimen.’

Since launching the serum, Deters has slowly added to the line in an equally considered fashion. ‘The formulations themselves are incredibly complex, with a concentration of active botanicals – known for their scientifically proven efficacy – in every blend. I spend anywhere from two to four years formulating each one, to perfect the final product,’ she says. ‘Before I even begin the research and development phase of a new product, I usually sit on the idea for at least a year. I want to ruminate on it, allow time and space to explore different applications and key ingredients that may elevate our formula and ensure it is thoughtfully supportive of diverse skin needs. I always start with a simple question: is this product essential? Then I move onto the benefits.’

This philosophy has proven to be especially true for the brand’s recent coup, the Every Tone SPF 30, a non-nano zinc sunscreen that easily blends into all skin tones without leaving that dreaded white cast. 100 per cent natural, non-comedogenic, and reef-friendly with an SPF 30 rating that filters out 97 per cent of UV rays, it features berry extract from Deters’ native Australia and is the culmination of four years’ worth of hard work and development.

‘As someone who was raised in Australia, sun protection was paramount. I have worn sunscreen every day of my life – sun or snow – and have always known zinc to be the gold standard in UV protection, especially for my sensitive and acne-prone skin,’ she says. ‘But with my darker skin tone, I have never found a non-nano zinc SPF 30 that blends in without leaving a white cast. After four years of development, we were able to create the zinc sunscreen I had always dreamed of and it blends to invisible on all skin tones.’

Deters’ ingredient index, which she has cultivated for the past nine years, features some of the most potent active botanicals from Australia and other parts of the world. An upcoming launch in October 2023, which ‘will complete the Lesse ritual’, she teases, ‘contains Kakadu Plum, the richest source of natural Vitamin C in the world, so it is incredibly reparative, regenerative, and brightening’.

‘I’m Filipina-Australian [and] the blend of these origins is evident in our formulations, as we use mushrooms and herbs most commonly found in Eastern medicine and Australian native ingredients, which have evolved over time to fortify, regenerate, and brighten sun-damaged skin,’ she continues. ‘Lesse has always been informed by the teachings passed down through generations in my family; my grandmother, in particular, had an immense impact on the way I think about beauty. Her secrets are distilled into the philosophies and formulations of Lesse.’

lesseofficial.com 

Save your skin, and help the planet with our inclusive edit of the best vegan skincare brands, complete with options for all skin types, genders, and price points. 

Try these vegan skincare brands from around the world.

Herbar

Herbar is a Berlin beauty line for all ages and skin types that harnesses adaptogenic mushrooms and plants for its products, and local artists for its branding playful branding. Their Skin Pearls are one of our favourite products of the moment with their blend of adaptogenic and fungi extracts with vitamins B3, B12 and C to improve the appearance of skin and, more impressively, noticeably boost mood and reduce fatigue. 

Equally exciting is their newly launched Face Nectar, which combines fungi, adaptogenic extracts, probiotics to hydrate and tighten skin, and providing a silky, glowing look to skin after just one use. 

The Nectar can be used in conjunction with the brand's Face Oil and sweet mushroom shaped gua-shas. 

herbarofficial.com

Humanrace

Pharrell Williams’ skincare line, Humanrace, was developed in collaboration with his dermatologist Dr. Elena Jones, who has helped Williams maintain his famously youthful appearance for over 20 years. 

The line consists of three hero products, the Rice Powder Cleanser, Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator, and Snow Mushroom Humidifying Cream all of which are vegan and specifically formulated to work on all skin types.

‘The Rice Powder Cleanser and Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator provide gentle exfoliation and are rich in hydration,’ Dr. Elena told us when the line launched last year. ‘The Humidifying Cream provides essential moisture and hydration to nourish and plump the skin. We wanted to share with the world his simple routine and his belief that we must pause to take a moment to focus not only on your skin but also on your health and wellbeing.’

As of this November, Humanrace is available in UK from Selfridges. 

selfridges.com

Bourii

Bourii is a new line of multipurpose body oils that draws on Ayurvedic principles to create its three signature oils–Vata, Pitta, or Kapha– each designed to target the skin care needs of the doshas they are named after. So Vata is grounding and warming, Pitta is calming and cooling, and Kapha is stimulating and energising. 

Developed with experts in the fields of Ayurveda, ethnobotany, and aromatherapy, each oil is  hand-blended in small batches at Bourii’s London studio, using ingredients from family run suppliers in the UK and France. 

bourii.com

Stella by Stella McCartney 

Stella McCartney’s recent foray into skincare comprises a cleanser, serum, and moisturiser all delicately perfumed with signature fragrance designed by Francis Kurkdjian. Ingredients are of principal importance, with all vegan formulations that include no extraneous additives (in keeping with McCartney’s ‘only what you need’ philosophy) and do not over-stimulate the skin. 

The lightweight formulations are especially well-suited to dry and/ or mature skin types with ingredients like hydrating organic birch sap, lingonberry extract to increase firmness, and rock samphire to smooth fine lines. 

spacenk.com

Herbar is a Berlin beauty line for all ages and skin types that harnesses adaptogenic mushrooms and plants for its products, and local artists for its branding playful branding. The signature face oil uses three hero adaptogens in its formulation: tremella, or the ‘beauty’ mushroom, which is known for detoxifying and hydrating properties; the reishi mushroom, which is used to reduce skin inflammation, puffiness, signs of ageing and free-radical damage, while also promoting cell regeneration; and da zao (or Chinese jujube dates), which is rich in iron and vitamin C, and is proven to treat acne, blemishes, and scars.

Royal Fern 

Royal Fern is vegan skincare brand developed by German dermatologist Dr. Timm Golueke. As its name suggests, every product is formulated with royal fern extracts- a 400 million year old plant that has withstood dramatic climate changes through its unique ability to retain water, resist UV radiation, and protect itself from environmental pollution. 

The Royal Fern skincare line utilises those resilient aspects of the royal to create effective anti-aging formulations that encourage collagen production and protects the skin’s surface from environmental aggressors. 

royalfern.com

Haeckels

Superhero of sustainable skincare, Haeckels vegan formulations are a safe bet for anyone looking to invest in a natural skincare regime. 

The brand uses seaweed hand-picked in Margate as the basis for its products which span skincare, haircare, deodorant, and its popular range of fragrances and candles. 

We recommend trying the brand’s Eco Marine Cream for a lightweight but super  hydrating daily moisturiser; or their game changing Bio Restore Membrane, a 'grown-to-order' prebiotic under-eye mask that is formulated with seaweed, aloe vera, and cucumber to reduce signs of tiredness.  

haeckels.com

Olivanna 

Olivanna’s a great vegan option for those who have sensitive skin but want skincare that is tough on ageing. The line’s hero ingredient is bakuchiol, a potent antioxidant that serves as a natural alternative to Retinol. 

For those new to the brand, we recommend trying The Bakuchiol Miracle Night Serum which pairs bakuchiol with hydrating hyaluronic acid and active plant extracts to smooth and repair skin overnight. 

olivanna.com

Pure+ by Switzerland

Pure+ by Switzerland is a skincare brand that, as its name suggests, is made from natural ingredients harvested from the Alpine region of Switzerland. The entirely vegan range of products uses ingredients like Alpine Arolla Pine to protect collagen and the Alpine Gentian herb as an astringent, with all of its ingredients bottled at their highest possible concentration for assured effectiveness. 

Of their range, we recommend the Pore-Refining Serum for those looking for tighter, smoother skin, and the Glowing Serum for those looking for a brightening boost of Vitamin C. 

doverstreetparfumsmarket.com

Dr Frances Prenna Jones

Dr Frances Prenna Jones is the cosmetic dermatologist behind some of London’s most famous faces. Her secret? An impeccable understanding of how only minor cosmetic tweaks can radically revitalise the face and save it from looking off-puttingly artificial. 

Luckily, even those who aren’t lucky enough to experience the Prenna Jones treatments in-person can still  benefit from her unparalleled knowledge of anti-ageing techniques. 

Her exclusive skincare line is deceptively simple looking range of transformative products, all of which are vegan. Try the HSB6 super serum for instant hydration that can be used fantastic base for make-up or to use with prescription retinols. While the famed Formula I is a new beauty product in and of itself- not quite a toner or exfoliant, but a bit of both- that can be used day and night on any skin type. 

drfrancesprennajones.com

Rowse

Rowse is a new plant-based brand that wants to simplify skincare for a minimal beauty regime. Depending on your skin concerns, the brand curates a tight edit of products to be used for a morning and evening cleansing and moisturisation, as well as a weekly mask or scrub treatment. 

Whether you want to try the entire regime or not, we recommend Rowse's plant clays. Available in powder form, each clay can be mixed with natural oils and floral waters at home to create a creamy at-home facial. 

The Matcha Powder Mask mixed with rose water and antibacterial lemon essential oil is great for a weekly skin refresh. The Charcoal Mask mixed with sage water and tea tree oil is ideal for those with acne or blackheads. 

rowse.co

Le Labo 

Beloved the world over for its instantly recognisable fragrances, Le Labo also has a range of skincare that is just as addictive as its scents. 

The entirely vegan range contains a number of winners, but we suggest trying the aromatic Basil face lotion or the cooling Camphor Balm that is formulated with eucalyptus and black pepper to offer an instant hit of stress-relieving aromatherapy. 

selfridges.com

Neighbourhood Botanicals

Neighbourhood Botanicals’ oil-based skincare places a premium on premium ingredients. The brand’s vegan product range uses cold-pressed and raw oils that are packed with vitamins and nutrients to provided the most effective results. Everything is made in small-batches at the brand’s east London lab and packaged in recyclable, post-consumer waste plastic (ie, plastic sourced from kerbside collections). 

Notable products include the make-up removing Face-Off cleanser and the Simmer Down serum for calming acne-prone and irritated skin. 

beautybay.com

Loopeco

All of Loopeco’s products are vegan, organic and plastic free. Sustainability is key for the brand, which has pledged to offset 100 per cent of its carbon emissions and use as little water as possible in all of its products. 

Key items include a detox face mask which uses chia seeds to retain moisture, kelp and potato starch extract for smooth skin, and matcha green tea for an antioxidant boost. It’s particularly well-suited to those with acne, using tea-tree oil to naturally rid skin of bacteria and inflammation. 

The Salubrious Serum is another winner, with Kojic Acid, Turmeric  and Vitamin C to brighten skin and Licorice to improve the appearance of dark spots. 

loopeco.com

SBTRCT

SBTRCT (pronounced Subtract) is a new solid beauty brand that aims to address some of the biggest environmental challenges facing the beauty industry today, namely plastic pollution, water waste and over-reliance on palm oil. It does this by creating products that are 100 per cent plastic-free, palm oil-free and contain less than 0.5 per cent water. 

Keep your eyes peeled for they’re soon to be launched solid retinol bar, which is one of the first of its kind and offers a more eco alternative to one of beauty’s most beloved products. 

sbtrct.com

Temple 

Temple is a new vegan skincare brand designed specifically for men of colour. The brand aims to keep skincare easy with a three-step starter system which includes a cleanser, toner and moisturiser. 

Key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, avocado oil, aloe vera and rosehip oil are formulated to address skincare issues commonly faced by men of colour while also being suitable for other skin types. 

jointemple.com

Colekt

‘We have had K-Beauty and J-beauty, now it’s time for S-beauty,’ says Ellen af Petersens, co-founder of the beauty brand Colekt. That ‘S’ stands for Scandinavian, and af Petersens has certainly created a brand that is a unique expression of her native homeland, working with fellow Stockholmer Susanne Vennerstrand and the design team at Acne (which launched Byredo a decade ago). 

All Colekt formulations are vegan, take their inspiration from the natural ingredients of the area – think Oak Root Face Oil and Mulberry Leaf Face Mist – and come in recyclable packaging with grey colouring that’s inspired by the Swedish archipelago. 

For those still struggling with drab WFH skin, we recommend the brand’s Face Mist, which offers a refreshing spritz of natural antioxidants and hyaluronic acid. The Rosehip Seed Body Oil is another favourite, especially during the drying winter months. Its lightweight formulation instantly hydrates skin without leaving behind any of the greasy residue or drippy mess of some body oils. 

colekt.com

Augustinus Bader

Augustinus Bader’s beloved The Rich Cream has gone vegan. As the brand’s founder and stem cell scientist Professor Bader told us last year, The Rich Cream’s particular genius lies in its ability to trigger skin’s regenerative cells. Unlike most skincare, which just changes the outside surface of the skin, Bader’s skincare is designed to work from the inside out, transforming the body’s internal, cellular communication for exterior changes. 

‘There’s something super, super sensitive inside of you, which are these cells that sense the microenvironment and respond to the need. So the cream, in a way, is only a toolbox, which helps your stem cells when they sense this need to interact more appropriately,’ Bader says. ‘Skin is a living organism, which has to be remodelled, meaning repaired a little bit every day. But you can accelerate this repair lead.’

The new vegan version of Bader's ‘miracle cream’ makes it possible for a whole new audience to experience its transformative properties, evidencing that skincare brands both big and small are increasingly branching into vegan formulations. 

net-a-porter.com

Aesop 

Aesop is a brand so synonymous with quality design that just placing one of its soaps next to a sink is an instant ambiance-booster. From its instantly recognizable brown bottles to its stores designed by Snøhetta, Fernando and Humberto Campana, and more, Aesop has constructed a skincare empire on the principle that aesthetics and effective formulations are of equal importance. A lesser know tidbit is that all of the brand’s products are vegan, making them an easy and reliable go-to for those looking to build a plant-based skincare regime.

spacenk.com

Melyon

Melyon is a Swedish skincare brand ‘made with people of colour in mind’. Its vegan formulations use a combination of acids (salicylic, hydrochloric) natural ingredients (ginger root extract, papaya extract) and vitamins to that target conditions commonly found in darker skin tones while still being suitable for all. 

Meylon is an expression of founder Roger Dupe's Swedish and West African heritage. The shape of the bold brown bottles with prominent blackcaps is inspired by Baobab trees, with labels in the clean typographic style that has become synonymous with Scandinavian graphic design. For Dupe, is was important that the brand’s vegan formulations were equally as good for the earth as for skin. ‘We wanted to create products that we can be proud of and make the consumer feel good about buying,’ says Dupe.‘ [For us] using natural ingredients from Africa was super exciting, especially most of the skincare products they have been using for ages are vegan.’

melyon.co

Typology 

Like The Ordinary, Typology seeks to offer transparent skincare formulations that contain only ingredients essential for product effectiveness, and all at an affordable price point. Yet the French-brand has a notably more eco-conscious bent than its competitors, with a range of exclusively vegan products that are produced entirely in France with ingredients from the region. 

Typology offers everything from chapstick to perfumes, but the brand’s routine-based skincare sets are its most notable offerings. A free diagnostic test on the Typology website asks questions concerning three main areas–skin aging, oxidation factors, and sebum production– to judge which of 24 skin types you are, and then breaks down which products will work best for your concerns and why. We’re especially fans of the brand’s four periodic serums for those whose skin concerns are closely linked to their hormonal cycles.

typology.com

F. Miller 

Oils have been gaining a lot of traction in beauty lately, and rightly so. They can instantly brighten skin with a nutrient-packed punch, create a hydrated base for cosmetics that won’t alter the texture of your products (unlike many cream moisturisers), and are an ideal touch-up tool for a day's worn-in makeup.

We recommend Canadian brand F. Miller to those interested in adding oils to their beauty regime. Its tight edit of products includes a face oil, oil cleanser, eye oil, shave oil, and hair oil all of which are vegan and packaged in the brand's ultra-chic bottles.

Those who are extra eco-conscious will be glad to know that all of those bottles, and the boxes they come in, are made of recyclable material and printed in a facility powered by Bullfrog – a green energy provider dedicated to reducing the environmental footprint of production in Canada. Best of all, the vegan formulations are highly effective, transforming split ends and irritated skin within a few applications.

fmillerskincare.com

Superegg

Founded by former VP of digital design at Barney’s, Erica Choi, Superegg is a new skincare line with a novel main ingredient- vegan eggs. In Korea, where Choi’s family hails from, eggs have been used as a skincare cure-all for centuries.

Hoping to reformat the age-old trick for a more eco-conscious audience, Choi developed a vegan egg substitute from a unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and proteins. The result is a moisturiser and cleanser that promise dewy and flawless skin.

superegg.nyc

Our spring beauty edit places a premium on dewy skin, unconventional floral perfumes and face-refreshing tools for looks that are as bright and beguiling as the season’s sunny weather. Here are the products we’re buying into.

Spring beauty: this season’s essential products

Le Labo's Violette 30 perfume

Le Labo’s speciality is to transform a single, common enough ingredient – matcha, rose, lilies, and, of course, santal – into a fragrance that gets strangers stopping you on the street to ask what you’re wearing.

The brand’s latest launch centres around violet, a note that can be particularly divisive in perfumery because of its particular powdery sweetness, but Le Labo’s take on the ingredient plays off that powdery quality with the addition of earthy and woody notes. Meanwhile a fresh touch of white tea gives it that signature, head- turning Le Labo quality.

Omorovicza's Midnight Renewal serum

For most people, a change of season means a change of skin quality too, with the transition triggering an increase in drying and breakouts as skin adjusts. Omorovicza’s Midnight Renewal serum is an ideal tool to help ease the impact. With an encapsulated retinal, which produces visibly faster results than typical retinol, it kills breakouts and smooths skin without drying. An infusion of Bio Retinoid Mediterranean Microalgae, meanwhile, helps firm and brighten.

According to clinical trials provided by the brand, the serum visibly reduces wrinkles by up to 28 per cent after one use, increases skin firmness up to 44 per cent after four weeks and skin elasticity up to 25 per cent after the same. Our own trial of the product confirms the claims. Skin looks clear and brighter, without the hydration-sucking downside of most retinol products.

FaceGym Pro tool

Speaking of transitions, few things will have a more transformative impact on skin then FaceGym’s new Pro tool. Once only available to professionals at FaceGym’s clinics, the new tool is designed to give you the lifted, brighter, tighter skin the brand’s treatments are known for.

Whereas most microcurrent devices work at epidermis level, the Pro goes deep to work your facial muscles and help you look more contoured after one use. Use for a minimum of once a week to maintain good muscle strength, or, for best results, use 3 to 5 times per week for 10 minutes on the face and neck.

Augustinus Bader's Geranium Rose Body Cream

The arrival of spring means that skin that’s spent months being hidden under sweaters and coats is about to see the light of day. The new Geranium Rose Body Cream from Augustinus Bader will help prepare skin for the reveal with a hydrating and brighten formulation that leaves behind a fresh geranium and rose scent. Best of all, it harnesses the brand's famous anti-aging TFC8 technology to reduce the appearance of cellulite with a few uses.

Rationale SPF make-up

Over 30 years, the skincare brand Rationale has built a devoted following in its native Australia thanks to its impressive ability to prevent and reduce skin ageing caused by sun exposure, and now, the products are finally available in the UK and the US too.

Its expansive range of SPF-infused products includes a number of highlights, but our favourites are the SPF makeup balms, which include a blush, bronzer, highlighter and lip tint. Lightweight and creamy, each balm offers buildable colour and shine with a powder-like finish. Best of all, they are formulated with 30 SPF to offer extra protection on top of your everyday sunscreen.

Chanel N°1 revitalising fragrance mist

Chanel’s N°1 skincare line uses red camellia extract to create its most effective anti-ageing line yet. The revitalising fragrance mist is a toner and perfume in one that can be carried in your bag or kept on your desk and applied throughout the day for a refreshing burst of scent. Formulated with 97 per cent naturally derived ingredients, it provides a fresh, dewy glow perfect for spring beauty.

100ml Solo Traveller beauty bag

Those who are taking advantage of the warmer weather with a holiday would benefit from packing 100ml’s Solo Traveller pack along for the journey. Designed to make packing your beauty essentials a no-brainer, the Solo Traveller features everything you’ll need for a week away in a chic, TSA approved pack. Inside you’ll find a Maude mini vibe and organic lube, an Ere Perez colour pot for cheeks and lips, an Ere Perez Vanilla highlighter and Korres facemask.

Nothing is as fundamental to a healthy mind – and healthy skin – as a good snooze. 

So what’s the trick to a good night's sleep? Our bedtime edit is here to help you make the most of your nightly shut-eye, with everything from high-tech body monitors to aromatherapy tinctures and soothing supplements. 

Accessories to help you sleep 

Offhours robe

Offhours is a self-titled ‘inactive-wear’ brand, creating clothes specifically for indoor wear. At least that’s what it calls itself since it's adamantly not activewear and more inspired than ’sleepwear.’ Their 'Homecoat' is an ultra-comfortable quilted robe that feels like wearing a duvet but looks a lot better. The fact that it's unisex, machine-washable, and pocket-filled makes it all the more practical. 

offhours.com

Kate Mcleod sleep stone

Kate Mcleod’s ‘stones’ are solid moisturisers that instantly melt when they come into contact with heat from skin. The stone types vary, with a Mama stone for children, a Naked Stone for intimate use, and a General Stone for everyday moisturisation. The stone’s vegan formulation of refined cocoa butter and sweet almond oil is ideal for irritated or ultra-dry skin. 

The brand’s Sleep Stone is subtly perfumed with a calming mixture of chamomile and lavender. It can be used all over the body for pre-sleep moisturisation or simply dabbed on wrists for instant aromatherapy. 

katemcleod.com

Aesop Aganice candle

Nothing sets the mood faster than a good candle, and so what better to set the mood for a good night's rest than a candle inspired by Aganice, the Ancient Greek astronomer known for her knowledge of the moon and its cycles.

One of the three candles from Aesop’s candle collection, Aganice is a dreamy blend of cardamom, mimosa and a light hint of tobacco.

selfridges.com

Gingerlily silk pillowcase

Silk pillowcases are an age-old beauty trick. By absorbing less moisture than other fabrics, silk naturally combats hair frizz, reduces the appearance of fine lines, and works wonders for acne sufferers by preventing additional skin irritation and dirt build-up. Gingerlily’s pillowcases are made of mulberry silk which contains the same naturally occurring protein that exists in skin and hair, meaning the frictionless fabric keeps hair follicles flat and skin blemish-free.

gingerlilylondon.com

Chanel nighttime fragrance

Heighten the luxury of a silk pillowcase with a spritz of Chanel’s nighttime fragrance, Coco Mademoiselle L’Eau Privée. Almost twenty years since the creation of the original Coco Mademoiselle, L’Eau Privée offers a warmer, subtler interpretation of the classic fragrance, particularly formulated for nighttime wear.

chanel.com

Anatomē sleep oil

Wallpaper* Design Award winners, Anatomē creates sleep-inducing products that cover everything from its signature supplements to sleep masks and candles. We recommend them all, but particularly the aromatherapy tinctures designed with different scents that aid overactive minds, light sleepers, and insomniacs. Pair them with a cup of the brand’s ‘Recovery + Sleep’ loose leaf tea, a cosy blend of chamomile, lemon balm, and passionflower.

anatome.com

Technology to help you switch off 

Hästens sleep app

The transfixing glow of a phone screen is the most unhelpful kind of nightlight, and yet it’s a familiar presence for many in the hours before finally falling asleep. Yet now, the Hästens Restore app transforms technology into an aid, rather than a hindrance, of good old-fashioned shut-eye. The luxury Swedish bed company has translated its sleep expertise into a series of instrumental soundtracks designed to enhance different moments of the day, from the first moments of waking up to the last seconds before you fall asleep.

hastens.com

Oura sleep monitor ring 

The recently launched Oura ring offers an even more high-tech antidote to sleep problems. The ring’s unassuming metal exterior conceals a complex network of micro-sensors that monitor body signals like body temperature and respiratory rate to generate an in-depth sleep profile. Upon waking, users can check the Oura app for a breakdown of their sleep time, sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep), and sleep efficiency. After a few weeks, the ring offers insight on your optimal sleep time and ‘readiness’ scores that estimate how the previous evenings’ sleep will impact your day.

ouraring.com

Bedtime rituals for a good night’s sleep

The Seated Queen cold cream

Cold creams might seem like a beauty practice of the past, but there’s a reason your grandma used them and there’s a reason you should too. The Seated Queen seeks to upend common perceptions of cold cream with its trendy visuals and sustainable production practices. This one-product-only brand creates its signature cream with a combination of essential and cold-pressed seed oils, to provide a relaxing, cool-to-the-touch sensation upon application. Just like the cold creams of yesteryear, it’s a versatile product that can be used as a make-up remover, facial mask, or overnight mask.

theseatedqueen.com

Dreem Distillery x Sarah Bradden ear seeds 

We’re big fans of Sarah Bradden's ear seeding treatments out of Hershesons salon in London and even bigger fans of her ear seeding crystals, which can be applied at home and pressed throughout the day to activate the benefits of auricular acupuncture. 

Now, Bradden has collaborated with Dreem Distillery on a kit specifically created to improve sleep. Use by applying ear seed crystals to specific points around the ear that directly correspond to specific organs and emotions to promote sleep; and apply the Dreem Distillery Bed Balm to active pressure points like the ears and temples to support relaxation and a deeper sleep. 

dreemdistillery.com

 The Nue Co magnesium spray

The Nue Co Magnesium Ease spray combats the common problem of magnesium deficiency with a blend of high-concentrate magnesium chloride, calming lavender, and anti-inflammatory arnica oil. Magnesium deficiency has been connected to poor sleep quality, muscle cramps, and nerve pain. A simple spritz of The Nue Co’s spray delivers 45mg of magnesium that is instantly absorbed through the skin, relaxing tension and preparing the body for rest.

thenueco.com

Supplements designed to encourage sleep 

Votary sleep supplements

English skincare brand Votary knows that a healthy complexion is impossible without some quality shut-eye. For those who struggle to achieve beauty sleep, the brand has created a ‘Super Sleep’ supplement with serotonin-producing L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine, as well as lemon balm and magnesium for natural relaxation.

votary.com

Mineral sleep CBD

For a plant-based option, Mineral’s Sleep tincture blends CBD with notes of cedarwood and Californian pine to conjure up the sensation of sleeping among the Redwoods from the comfort of your mattress.

standarddose.com

Skincare for space is no longer the stuff of science fiction, with the emergence of space tourism prompting companies to develop cosmetic products fit for life at microgravity. ‘Consumers are increasingly interested in space travel as it starts to become a reality, creating a new destination and application for beauty, particularly high-performance skincare,’ says Clare Varga, director of beauty at the trend forecasting agency WGSN.  

Grooming in space is, unsurprisingly, complicated. Showers and baths are impossible. As is doing a load of laundry, brushing teeth with running water, or even washing your face under a tap. Beyond that, cosmic radiation and lack of gravity have a dramatically detrimental effect on the skin, so that going into space, in effect, ages you at lightning speed.

‘With the possibility of space travel becoming as ubiquitous as aviation, the beauty industry will have to adapt to new requirements,’ says Varga. And some brands already have. London-based skincare brand 111Skin has long used astronautical research to fuel its own examinations of skin ageing and repair under extreme conditions. 111Skin began when its founder, cosmetic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides, started working with two scientists from the Soviet space programme to develop a cream that could help his patients heal post-surgery and reduce the appearance of scarring. Being in space causes the skin to age at a hyper-accelerated rate and, by understanding how scientists were protecting the skin of their astronauts, Alexandrides was able to develop a formula that produced the same intensely reparative results here on earth. 

‘The scientists were in charge of the wellness of the astronauts,’ says Alexandrides. ‘So they were in charge of the food, the supplements, and protection from any harm to health. Space is a very hostile environment and it's very detrimental to the skin. The absence of atmosphere means that the cosmic radiation is very intense and causes immediate ageing of the skin.’ It makes sense, then, he adds, that the scientists were best placed to counteract these effects, as they had ‘access to information that no one else did’. 

‘It's not just the cosmic radiation that damages skin, it's also the lack of gravity,’ says Alexandrides. ‘This is an area of intense research right now. A lot of medical breakthroughs take place because of these experiments and it was the reason why we created our first patented complex of ingredients called NAC Y2.’

The brand’s Reparative Collection of skincare creams, serums, and masks uses the NAC Y2 formula to dramatically reduce the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation. 111Skin’s Skin Reparative Beauty Dose supplements are based on capsules given to astronauts to help impede rapid ageing, and are formulated with vitamins A, C and E and a multitude of antioxidants.

Similarly, newly launched skin-mapping app Revea uses Nasa imaging technology to measure your skin physiology layer by layer through the camera in your phone. A team of Revea's in-house experts and AI models then select the optimal ingredients, combinations, and levels to tackle the root cause of your skin needs. Each smart formulation is made to order in the brand's San Francisco lab and evolves with you over time, adapting to your changing needs.

While 111Skin and Revea use the science of space travel to create products for use on earth, a number of other companies are investing in formulations designed specifically for use in space. Japan’s Pola Orbis has reportedly teamed up with Ana Holdings to develop what will be the first-ever space-friendly cosmetics line. Meanwhile, American laundry company Tide is working with Nasa to create laundry solutions for space, with astronauts testing stain-removal wipes and pens at the International Space Station. Colgate-Palmolive group even sent waterless oral care solutions to outer space last year. 

Solutions for space beauty already exist here on earth, with skincare technology brands like Foreo have created products for effectively cleaning skin without the use of water. Its popular range of Luna devices uses massaging silicone bristles to remove up to 99.5 per cent of impurities with little to no water. Meanwhile, classic sheet masks offer a liquid and cream-free way to moisturise skin beyond the earth’s orbit.

Varga even suggests that companies should start looking into space-friendly fragrances that can be used to combat travel sickness or light-headedness.

INFORMATION

111skin.com

LED face masks and electronic skin massagers have their benefits, but sometimes the best skincare results come from the most deceptively simple tools. Case in point, the gua sha, an architectural stone used in traditional Chinese medicine to transform the appearance of skin through gentle massage. 

Facialist Su-Man Hsu has been using the gua sha for years to achieve her famous ‘facelift in an hour'. Hsu grew up in rural Taiwan, where she began experimenting with natural skincare formulations and non-invasive techniques. She has since channelled those methods into practices in London and Paris, where she has amassed a legion of devoted clients (the seemingly ageless actress Juliette Binoche is among them).

Below, Hsu answers common questions about the gua sha and the fundamentals of how to use one. 

Gua sha: the basics 

Wallpaper*: What are the benefits of gua sha?

Su-Man Hsu: ‘Gua’ means scraping and ‘sha’ means bruises or petechiae. It literally means ‘to scrape away the pain’ – medically, it can be used to alleviate muscle pain, for example. Within a facial, a rather different application, gua sha can be used to promote blood circulation and dredge the meridian (natural energy) channel, and in general the technique used is much gentler than for medical applications. 

A gua sha facial stimulates vital energy points around the face to release toxins, whilst reducing sagging skin or any discoloration. It also eliminates any stagnation of chi, tones up the facial muscles and minimises the appearance of pores and fine lines. In general, it gives a brighter, healthier-looking complexion.

W*: What are the different types of gua sha tools?

SMH: There are many different shapes of gua sha tools and they all aim to do the same thing. Generally speaking, smaller shapes are for smaller areas, for example around the eyes and mouth. Bigger shapes are for bigger areas, like the cheeks, forehead and other body parts. Small pointed round shapes are great for pressure points. However, one can be creative with the tool and it also depends on your preference.

W*: Are there different benefits for each stone type (jade, rose quartz, nephrite, etc)?

SMH: I know for marketing reasons they are all made to sound amazing, but I'm sorry to say that there are no additional benefits to using a diamond-encrusted tool! It’s really all about the knowledge of how to use it correctly.

W*: Should a gua sha be used every day? And do you recommend using it in the morning or evening? 

SMH: Yes, you can incorporate your gua sha into your daily routine. Either in the morning or the evening works fine as long as you take the appropriate time to do it. I always do my facial gua sha in the morning, as it is a fantastic way to reduce puffiness and wake up your facial muscles at the beginning of the day.

However, to prevent damaging your skin, you should only scrape each area 5-10 times – definitely don't scrape the skin more than 15 times if you do it every day, as it can overstimulate the skin and cause inflammation. For example, the skin around the eye is very thin so I would only scrape it every three days.

W*: Any other tips to get the best results?

SMH: It is important to make sure the pressure is firm enough whilst also having a gentle approach. It’s about a quality treatment not focused on quantity.

W*: Is there anything about using a gua sha that people often don't know but should? 

SMH: You shouldn't do it too often if you have sensitive skin or if you suffer from rosacea, as it can lead to redness when not done properly.

W*: Should a gua sha be used with any product? 

SMH: Yes, you need to have extra moisture in order to do long, short, press, or circular motions. Whichever strokes you use, you need to make sure your skin has enough oil or cream to allow you to perform the technique. I recommend my Cleansing Gel/Oil cleanser for this as it glides onto your skin, in order to avoid overstimulating the tissue with the strokes. 

How to use a gua sha

• First, apply a moisturiser or oil to the skin.
  
  
• Forehead: take your supporting hand to one side of the forehead and hold. With the other hand, take the flat side of the gua sha and run it along the forehead to the hairline. Give the gua sha a small wiggle to encourage lymphatic drainage. Repeat on the opposite side.
  
  
• Eyebrows: if using a gua sha with a heart-shaped edge, take that side to the top of the nose and rub along the eyebrow line to the temple. Give a small wiggle and repeat on the opposite side.
  
  
• Under eyes: hold the nose with your supporting hand and rub one of the curved edges underneath the eye line to the temple. Wiggle the gua sha as before and then repeat on the opposite side.
  
  
• The cheekbone: place your supporting hand above the mouth. Take the flat side of the gua sha so that it covers the length of the cheek and rub upward towards the ear. Then give a gentle wiggle back and forth before repeating on the other side.
  
  
• The jawline: place your supporting hand in the centre of the cheek. Take the two-pronged side of the gua sha and angle the centre of your chin into the curve of the gua sha so that there is a prong on either side of the jawline. Rub along the jaw to the end of the ear. Give the gua sha a small wiggle and repeat on the other side.
  
  
• The neck: place your supporting hand on the collarbone. Take the long curved side of the gua sha and rub upward to the jawline. Give a small wiggle and repeat along the rest of the neck.

You can find a video of this process on Hsu’s Instagram, @sumanskincare. 

Finding the best gua sha for you 

Pencil gua sha

Body comb gua sha 

The investment gua sha 

Multi-purpose gua sha

The deodorant gua sha 

High-intensity gua sha 

If getting a facial is equivalent to doing a yoga routine for your face- relaxing and restorative- then Face Gym is equivalent to a high-impact cardio workout. The brand’s facial massage technique and tools are designed to work the muscles in the face for a transformative toning in appearance. 

Face Gym’s Cryo stainless steel gua sha is our favourite of the brand’s tools as can be placed in the fridge for an extra-boost of fast firming action. 

Catarina Oliveira and Rui Liu’s friendship took root because of a mutual fascination with adaptogenic mushrooms, and their new beauty brand Herbar has grown out of that connection.

The pair meet in a Berlin café when Liu overheard a conversation Oliveira was having about mushroom coffee. Liu, who grew up in China and learned about adaptogens through traditional Chinese medicine, interjected and began a conversation about medicinal herbs, skincare, and natural healthcare that the pair are still having five years on. 

How do adaptogens work in Herbar skincare?

The types and uses of adaptogens are varied but, simply put, they are plants and fungi that respond to physical and toxic stressors – from pollutants in the air to the anxiety of everyday life – by modulating the release of stress hormones from the adrenal glands.

Their particular magic is their ability to adapt to the specific demands and deficiencies of the individual body and, as a result, effectively combat feelings of stress, anxiety, fatigue and more.

When applied to skincare, adaptogens are equally versatile. Herbar’s first product, the Face Oil, uses three hero adaptogens in its formulation to soothe inflammation, enhance elasticity and fortify skin.

They are, tremella, or the ‘beauty’ mushroom, which is known for detoxifying and hydrating properties; the reishi mushroom, which is used to reduce skin inflammation, puffiness, signs of ageing and free-radical damage, while also promoting cell regeneration; and da zao (or Chinese jujube dates), which is rich in iron and vitamin C, and is proven to treat acne, blemishes, and scars.

Herbar’s launch range also includes mushroom-shaped gua shas, which can be used in conjunction with the face oil and are, frankly, adorable (see other gua sha options in our guide, how to use a gua sha). 

Artist-designed branding

While Herbar’s adaptogen-laden formulation is impressive, it is the aesthetics of the brand that really makes it stand out. Oliveira and Liu have recruited a group of their friends in the visual arts, music, and more to contribute to the brand. To kick things off, the founders sent bottles of the Face Oil to artists Laura Le Gal and Lea Woo and asked them to create whatever they wanted in response. The results are a kind of fairy music box from Le Gal and a 1960s-inspired illustration from Woo. 

The brand is also promoting its launch with an ad campaign shot by Nuno Vieira that stars Oliveira’s grandmother and her best friend.

It is a sweet and playful nod to the age-inclusive beauty ethos of Herbar, which is designed to work for all skin types, tones and ages.

INFORMATION

herbarofficial.com

This season we encourage you to embrace the jolie laide appeal of tan lines with some creative self-tanner application. Slip on your swimsuit and start slathering on some cream to create a deliberately botched look that is delightfully cheeky and even surprisingly, subversively sexy.

Perfect your tan lines

Use a product like Omorovicza’s Glam Glow for overnight, sun-kissed colour with added skincare benefits. The Budapest-based brand derives all of its formulations from Hungary’s famed thermal waters, which have been used for centuries to cure ailments and improve general health. Glam Glow includes its patented Healing Concentrate to leave skin firmer and smoother, while added apple pectin and plum almond oil deliver hydration. It is a buildable tanner designed to suit all skin tones, and it can be paired with the brand’s Gold Shimmer Oil and Daily Vitamin C for an added glow. 

For a more dramatic tan line contrast, try Sisley Paris’ Sun Glow Gel, which is formulated with soothing lavender and regenerative sesame oil for added skincare benefits. And if you would rather not use a cream, we recommend you try Dior’s Liquid Sun self-tanning water. The spray-on tanner transforms into a milky water as soon as it hits the skin and melts into the surface to create a gentle bronze glimmer.

INFORMATION

omorovicza.com; dior.com; net-a-porter.com

A version of this article is featured in the March 2022 issue of Wallpaper*. Wallpaper* is available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today 

Operating out of a betting parlour-turned-skincare laboratory in the English seaside town of Margate, Hæckels is behind some of the most innovative beauty launches in recent years, including biocontributing mycelium packaging, prebiotic face masks, and odour-eating mushroom and kelp deodorant.

Now the brand is preparing for its most radical launch yet. Hæckels 2.0 will roll out in three phases, with Hæckels Skin and Hæckels Home coming first. Skin will see the brand’s signature skincare formulations, made from seaweed harvested on Margate’s beaches, repackaged in compostable containers, alongside two new offerings – a Prebiotic Cleansing Balm and a lighter version of its Eco Marine Cream.

The balm is a gentle, hydrating cleanser, rich in sterols, ceramides and adaptive prebiotics that allow it to adjust to the specific needs of your skin microbiota. Meanwhile, the new Eco Marine Cream, a lighter version of its best-selling original, is designed to work for all skin types – packed with the brand’s antioxidant seaweed extracts, it can be used as needed throughout the day. And although the packaging of these new products looks and feels exactly like petroleum-derived plastic, the Hæckels Skin containers are made by microbes that are abundant in soil and marine environments.

This revolutionary material, called Vivomer, can be thrown away like ordinary food waste and will decompose without leaving behind any microplastics. The most significant pillar of Hæckels 2.0 will debut in September. Hæckels Lab will introduce a range of laboratory-grown skincare products that challenge preconceived and inaccurate notions of what effective and sustainable beauty entails. Hæckels hopes to upend the misconception that 100 per cent natural ingredients are always better than lab-grown ones, as in reality, lab-grown ingredients tend to be less water- and labour-intensive.

‘I think what makes Hæckels so amazing is that we’re always self-evaluating,’ says the brand’s managing director Charlie Vickery. ‘It’s all about honouring the past, but we can’t pay such respect to the past that we’re unafraid to tear it up.’ Estée Lauder’s recent investment in Hæckels has made this reinvigoration possible and, according to Vickery, it will dramatically increase the impact of Hæckels’ groundbreaking work.

‘Everyone loves what is inside the box,’ says Vickery. ‘But before Estée, we weren’t quite sure how to get that out to more people. If we expand as we are, then it becomes impossibly complicated. Having to manually apply all the labels on the bottles, having to create packaging with lower carbon emissions – all of that becomes difficult on a larger scale. Now that we have the fiscal support to expand, the production time for making Hæckels Skin can be 50 per cent less than our previous production times.’

It remains to be seen how any beauty brand can conduct itself in a way that is truly sustainable, especially when there is much debate over what being a truly sustainable brand really means. Brands can either pack it in, hide their failings behind misleading marketing and vague buzz words like ‘clean’ and ‘eco-friendly’, or they can keep questioning, probing and pushing, admitting they need to do better and continually working towards a solution. ‘We need to present a viable alternative that’s scalable and that’s in stock, so we can succeed against our competitors when it comes to sustainable practices,’ says Vickery. After seeing what it has in store, we’re certainly betting on it for a win.

INFORMATION

A version of this article appears in the August 2022 Design for a Better World issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

For those planning on tying the knot, there are many things to consider pre-wedding – the dress (see our alternative bridal wear suggestions), the wedding rings, the wedding table decor, the accessories. But there is also you, whether bride or groom, and how you want to look and feel on the big day. Crash diets aren’t healthy or sustainable, and last-minute skincare treatments will have less effective results in comparison with a protracted, pre-wedding regime.  

With this in mind, to help you plan ahead and feel as healthy and glowing as you can on the big day and beyond, we asked acclaimed London facialist Teresa Tarmey and New York nutritionist Rachelle Robinett to give their tips on what pre-wedding treatments to try and routines to practice in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the event.

Six months before the wedding 

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey

• I love to see a client six months pre-wedding to see if they have any problems like acne, scarring, rosacea, etc. Skin takes time in terms of results; there’s no quick fix with a one-off facial.
• I recommend getting a treatment that starts by clearing any congestion and marks on the skin, such as sunspots and broken capillaries. This can take around six sessions to really get the best results, so we usually recommend going once per month for six months. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett 

• Hone in on the essentials: nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Consider cutting down (or out!) alcohol and caffeine. Aim to increase fruit and vegetables in fresh, frozen, or whatever form is accessible to you, and replace processed foods with real, whole, healthy options. Fewer packages, more produce! For a deeper dive, consider going gluten-free, or (my favourite) replacing all forms of flour (yes, even GF) with unprocessed alternatives. For carb fixes, aim for the ‘slow carbs’ and high fibre, which you can find in yams and sweet potatoes, squashes, plantains, and the like.
• Commit to a regular exercise routine (ideally one that you love!) and establish some support for sticking with it. Coaches, apps, or calendar rewrites are helpful. Make sure to balance strength training with cardio, and recovery days too.
• Sync your circadian rhythm. Sleep is one of the greatest ways to lose weight, support our bodies’ natural cleanse and recovery mechanisms, and offset any extra stress that pre-wedding planning may be causing. Making it regular, enough, and a part of your schedule that’s locked in six months ahead of the event ensures that your other efforts will be more successful, and you won’t be scrambling to get good sleep in the final days before saying ‘I do’.
• Consider adding some blood-sugar balance or sugar-craving-curbing herbs to your routine to fuel the fire. I also love endurance supports (rhodiola and cordyceps), and sleep supplements (magnesium, tryptophan, GABA and sedative herbs (like hops and valerian) for obvious reasons.

Two weeks before the wedding

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey 

• If you have very few skin problems at all, I’d suggest one facial a month before the wedding to check the skin and fix minor problems. 
• If you plan on getting a facial the day before or on the day of the wedding, it's important to test how your skin will react in advance. I recommend testing out the facial [two weeks pre-wedding] so you can see how the skin will react well ahead of time. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett

• Double your hydration! Half your body weight in ounces of water per day is what I recommend to clients. But adding an extra quart, and some electrolytes too, will guarantee well-hydrated skin, and overall fluid balance in the body.
• And double down on the great practices you’ve established in the last six months: skip refined sugars and processed food, which is also a great way to avoid excess salt. Increase fibre (30 grams a day or more is the goal) to keep things moving. Hold steady; I find that by this time, anything we do is icing on the cake. Which is exactly what we want! 
• Nervine herbs (herbs for the nervous system) are great at this stage (think lavender and milky oat, passionflower and skullcap) as well as amino acids like L-theanine for calm without sedation. I also like diuretics that are nourishing rather than depleting (dandelion leaf, alfalfa, nettle leaf).

The day before the wedding 

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey

• On the day before or the day of the wedding, we’d do what I call ‘a pre-red carpet’. This is a lactic acid treatment to brighten the skin, radio frequency to sculpt and tighten, LED to brighten, and massage to drain any puffiness and sculpt. I recommend trying a similar regime to get the best results. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett

• Keep your chill pills close by, and smile!

INFORMATION

teresatarmey.com; ursupernatural.com

The irreverent minds behind ToiletPaper – artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari – are applying their brand of vibrant surrealism to beauty with the launch of its new line of bath and body products. ‘When we founded ToiletPaper, ten years ago, both Pierpaolo and I wanted to get out of our areas of reference – art and photography – to create a space that was completely free from any constraints,’ says Cattelan of what began as a picture-led magazine. 

‘The search for this freedom, which at first we thought was only our personal need, over time has instead encountered – beyond our forecasts – other worlds, even apparently very distant from ours, giving rise to contaminations that are often unexpected for us too.’

Introducing ToiletPaper Beauty

The magazine’s latest ‘contamination’ sees the Cattelan and Ferrari collaborating with La Bottega, an Italian manufacturer of cosmetic products for luxury hotels, on a range of haircare, hand and body soaps, scrubs, lotions and oils. Speaking about the collaboration, La Bottega’s president Tommaso Pacini says, ‘to embrace this challenge – which led us outside the world of hotels – we decided to join forces with a partner with whom we could naturally share this innovative energy.

‘The collaboration with Maurizio and Pierpaolo has allowed us to fully express our industry-leader know-how on fragrances and skincare, whilst at the same time creating a collection that contaminates the world of beauty with irony and fun,’ he adds.

With typical ToiletPaper flair, all of the products feature bold, irreverent graphics, such as an image of saucy spaghetti on a soap bottle and a playing card wedged between butt cheeks on a home fragrance spray. The scents for each product have been developed by drinks mixologist Oscar Quagliarini, in a punchy take on typical beauty line fragrances. 

‘[Our] aesthetic is dreamlike and visionary, in a certain sense the exact opposite of what is usually found in beauty, which certainly prefers a more minimal mood,’ says Ferrari. ‘In our images, we often find a world in which reality is subverted, ambiguous and alienating. This is the approach that we also wanted to bring to this collaboration and which is expressed both in the products and in the packaging.’ 

‘The will with La Bottega was to create a kind of aesthetic short circuit that immediately hit the public and made ToiletPaper Beauty become something extremely different.’

INFORMATION

toiletpaperbeauty.com

Ignae is bringing exciting innovations to vegan skincare, with formulations sustainably sourced from the pristine archipelago of nine volcanic islands known as the Azores. These small islands – geographically distant from many sources of industrial pollution, and home to Marine Protected Areas – remain a bastion of rare natural ingredients and mineral-rich thermal waters. 

For the first time, Ignae is harnessing the unique resources of the islands to create transformative skincare products. The brand is the brainchild of Miguel Pombo, a native of the Azores and an expert in international ingredient manufacturing. With his inherent knowledge of the islands, Pombo was able to identify the ingredients that could be harvested from the area’s ecosystem and optimised to create exceptionally rejuvenating skincare. 

EPC factor complex

Years of research have resulted in the brand’s patent-pending EPC Factor Complex, designed to utilise plant-based liposomes to deliver rejuvenating ingredients deep into the skin’s dermis, where new cells are created. Pombo says, ‘Our EPC Factor is a breakthrough. The fact that our liposomes are plant-based, clean and vegan is super exciting. It’s not easy to stabilise and encapsulate all the ingredients into a delivery vehicle to your dermis.’ 

He adds, ‘An innovative aspect of our proprietary EPC Factor is that [it contains] phospholipids which resemble the ones present in our own cell membranes, thus enhancing the bio-absorption of the encapsulated substances. It is very hard to formulate liposomes with plant and algae extracts, because of their low stability, poor solubility and bioavailability.

‘With our proprietary liposomes, we are able to avoid these common issues affecting liposomal delivery of botanical extracts, harnessing the benefits of this promising technology for skincare.’ 

A revolution in vegan skincare 

The EPC Factor has the potential to be one of the most exciting recent developments in skincare, as one of the few clean and vegan formulations that can deliver to the same degree as most of the celebrated heritage and luxury brands. 

The science behind Ignae has been elevated on a commercial level by the expertise of the brand’s CEO, Claire Chung. A global entrepreneur with two decades of experience in the luxury sector, Chung is perhaps best known as the innovative mind behind the launch of Net-a-Porter China. 

‘We’ve seen the trend in the US market for clean and vegan skincare products,’ says Chung, ‘and we go the next step by using biotechnology to deliver more powerful results with plant-based clean ingredients. We were thinking about how we can bring innovation to a post-pandemic world [and] we concluded that the future of skincare is about leveraging biotech to increase efficacy, sustainability and looking to nature as a solution to regeneration.

‘We want to empower our customers by leveraging the latest technology to help them monitor and track their skin’s transformation,’ she continues. ‘Confident of the transformational impact of our products, the customer can take [our] AI skin analysis and track their own progress as a seamless skin wellness journey with Ignae.’ 

In addition, Chung has channelled her knowledge of luxury spas into a series of treatments that blend elements of holistic wellness traditions from China and India with European techniques. 

All in all, Ignae promises to be a breakthrough in vegan skincare and skincare more generally. If fountain of youth actually exists, perhaps it’s on the Azores – and now it can be on your bathroom shelf too.

INFORMATION

ignae.com

Brooklyn-based Soft Services co-founders Rebecca Zhou and Annie Kreighbaum, CEO and chief creative officer respectively, met at beauty giant Glossier during its early days. Zhou is a digital wizard who breezily navigates building a brand’s technical backbone to create an intoxicatingly smooth user experience. Kreighbaum has a golden touch for storytelling and product development. Between them, these early adopters have an arsenal of of-the-moment skincare, digital and consumer knowledge. ‘We are left brain, right brain, art and science,’ says Zhou. 

Launched in May 2021, Soft Services had been in development for two years. ‘We really started working on this in Jan 2020; most of the company was built during Covid,’ says Zhou. 

Soft Services: ‘Not your face’s skincare’

‘Beauty is what we are obsessed with, but we had fatigue about the industry,’ says Kreighbaum. When Zhou was having difficulty finding a wedding dress that would cover breakout scarring on her back – something Kreighbaum was also familiar with – it made them both stop and think. ‘I thought, why are we both 30 and still dealing with body acne, when I have a serum and a treatment for everything on my face?’ says Kreighbaum. ‘And once I started pulling at that thread, I realised that all through my career as a beauty editor, the stories that took off online organically were about niche body skin issues – issues that were being completely overlooked by the beauty industry.’

Tech-driven bodycare 

‘By reviewing search trend data we could see that hundreds of thousands people were searching body concerns like keratosis pilaris [when hair follicles are blocked by a keratin build-up], body acne, ingrown hairs, tinea versicolor [a fungal infection affecting pigmentation], and stretch marks, and they are ending up nowhere in terms of content and physical product,’ says Zhou.

The duo promptly started researching how best to address these whispered yet prevalent body concerns and how to create the products that would help thousands of people. Crucially, they focused on ingredients and treatments with proven data behind them: some beauty brands include only a smidgen of the active ingredient, so they can’t deliver results on certain claims. Soft Services’ star products include an exfoliating Buffing Bar, Carea Cream (which uses the ‘work horse’ ingredient urea) and a 10 per cent sulphur Clearing Clay (the highest potency for treating acne).

Perfect timing for icky body issues

A dramatic culture shift means the stage is set for a new brand that is looking to address the icky, unglamourous side of bodycare. Shame and fear-marketing associated with issues such as acne have been replaced by tell-all videos of girls broadcasting confidence about their zits on TikTok. ‘We want to be a brand that breaks down the taboo of these issues while creating effective products that solve these issues,’ asserts Zhou. ‘We are not trying to be a lifestyle brand, we just want to solve problems.’

Kreighbaum adds, ‘We noticed that Americans are becoming less prude about the human body. Hot people have these issues too! It’s not a result of not taking care of yourself.’

Fully integrated sustainability

The duo are building every part of the business so that it is scalable in an efficient, responsible way. 

‘Elastic branding’: ‘We wanted to create a system of efficiencies so that we were not giving ourselves headaches trying to maintain uniformity,’ says Zhou, of the intentionally unique look they have given to each product. ‘I’ve seen situations where tens of thousands of units get scrapped because of colour matching issues.’

Encouraging re-use: Not all components can be recycled, so certain items such as the bottle pump are treated reverentially to last and last. ‘It’s presented in a box that highlights its engineering and customers are given a money-off voucher when they buy a refill.’ 

Post-consumer recycled materials: ‘The cap on the clearing clay is a cloudy beige colour, but there’s no way to get consistency when you’re using plastics that have had a life before, so we just embraced it,’ says Zhou. 

Local first: For now, the duo are working with exclusively US-based labs. ‘A bit of insider [info] on that,’ says Zhou. ‘Often, a lot of the labs here in the US are run by Korean expats, so when you meet the CEO of the lab, they are Korean with a team they have brought over, and with them certain expertise. It’s a culture there,’ she says of Korea, which is known for its innovative formulas and textures. 

Reducing digital waste: A small website, simple product pages, not posting on social media every day, all plays into considering the power needed to drive the server. 

INFORMATION

softservices.co

When the Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming channel launched in February 2020, we had no sense of the seismic shifts the beauty industry was about to undergo. Beauty is always an intriguing lens through which to view culture at large, and over the course of nearly two years we have tried to offer coverage that examines various definitions of beauty, the technology developed to achieve those definitions, and the creatives who challenge it. 

Below is Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary’s pick of 10 stories from 2021 (in no particular order) that showcase some of the innovations in beauty and grooming over the past year, from make-up that looks different in physical and digital realities, to a new tattoo ink that lasts exactly one year, and skincare inspired by the reproductive biology of black widow spiders. 

Top 10 beauty & grooming innovation stories of the year

01. What is the future of beauty post-Covid?

Wallpaper* imagined what beauty would look like in a post-pandemic world. In this theoretical cosmetic landscape, the ubiquity of mask-wearing, increased time indoors, and an obsession with health created an interest in both clinically minimal features and expressionistic applications of colour. 

READ MORE

02. What will beauty look like in 2030? A new report investigates

We expanded our look towards the future of beauty in this article, using the insight report ‘Absent Beauty’ from Lucy Hardcastle Studio as the basis of our investigation. 

What, we asked, does beauty mean in our post-2020 world? How has this period of illness and isolation shifted our understanding of what is desirable in ourselves and others? How will individuals manifest beauty in the years to come? Hardcastle posits that as we become more obsessed with our biology and more reliant on technology, we will continue to transform ourselves into data points. As our physical health and mental wellbeing become things we quantify and measure, we will, in effect, make ourselves into machines. 

At the same time, we will also crave an escape from technology that will trigger the rise of ‘physiological nostalgia’ technology. These future devices will use tech to trigger peaceful, bodily sensations with new forms of  audio escapism and aromatherapy becoming particularly popular.   

READ MORE

03. New beauty brand challenges our perceptions of reality

For years, The Unseen has quietly been working on ingenious innovations in material science. A few years ago it created an environmentally responsive hair dye, which morphs from black to red depending on the surrounding temperature. It has also crafted a chameleon-like headpiece made in collaboration with Swarovski and a team of neuroscientists, which uses gemstones coated in temperature-sensitive, colour-changing ink that responds to the wearer’s brain activity.

In 2021, The Unseen launched the first product in what will soon become a full-blown beauty line. Called 

Spectra, it is a reflective cream eye that transforms under a phone camera’s flash so that what looks like a subtle grey in real life appears as a glittery black in photographs. Like all creation’s from The Unseen, Spectra’s dazzling appearance belies its examination of a larger philosophical question. In this case – how can we create a beauty product that caters to both our physical and digital existence? 

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04. Groom mates: innovative men’s beauty brands

While the past few years have seen a flourishing of genderless fragrances and make-up for men, innovative, inclusive approaches to male skincare and wellness have remained few and far between. 

In this piece we examined some of the most intriguing men’s grooming brands from the past year, including Tracaris, a New York brand catering to ‘a new wave of masculinity’, and Asystem, a subscription-based line of skincare and supplements designed to work in tune with men’s natural hormone cycles.

READ MORE

05. Vanishing tattoos? This is ink with commitment issues

Ephemeral Tattoo is a Brooklyn-based tattoo shop that has just changed the relationship status with your ink from a life-long commitment to a year-long fling. Opened in 2021, Ephemeral has revolutionised the industry with its unique fade-able ink that looks just like the real deal but only lasts for nine to 15 months. 

In this piece, we examine the science behind Ephemeral’s ink and explore the lasting impact this innovation will have on an industry that was once defined by permeance. 

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06. Are biomaterials the future of beauty packaging?

Sustainable packaging is one of the biggest challenges facing the beauty industry today. A report by the foresight consultancy The Future Laboratory notes that the cosmetics industry creates 120 billion units of packaging a year and predicts that by 2050 the beauty industry will have contributed up to 12 billion tonnes of plastic to landfill.

In this article addressing one of the most pressing innovations in beauty, we looked at some of the innovative plastic alternatives that beauty brands have developed in recent years – from boxes made out of mushrooms, to packaging that completely dissolves in water. 

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07. Discover nail art inspired by our September 2021 Style Issue

Our September Style issue is always a party in print, with pages bursting with the brightest talent that fashion has to offer. This year’s edition, however, was a particularly riotous affair. Shoots focused on the possibility of roaring back into life post-lockdowns with a party-ready uniform that suits the occasion. To keep the celebration going, we rekindled our nail art collaboration with Paintbox NYC with a new set of designs inspired by the looks in Wallpaper’s September 2021 issue. 

Glitter, feathers, punchy colour palettes, and bold geometries are all on show within the issue’s pages, and Paintbox’s nail designs demonstrate a complementary exuberance while still being straight-forward enough to recreate at home.

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08. Renowned architects design sculptural beauty packaging

Kengo Kuma, Oskar Leo Kaufmann, and Tokujin Yoshioka are three architects who have taken beauty packaging to new heights, applying their knowledge of structure and form to everything from skincare containers to facial rollers. 

In this article we look at what happens when minds accustomed to create monumental structures try making objects for your bathroom shelf. 

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09. Chemical romance: this is lab-made beauty at its finest

Beauty and science have long been intertwined. Most beauty products are created in laboratories by researchers well-versed in the combination of chemicals used in skincare or the molecules that make up perfumes. However, in this article we examined a few scientists who are applying their technical insight to create uniquely groundbreaking products. 

These include Wendy Ouriel, whose investigations into the reproductive biology of black widow spiders inspired the anti-aging formulations within her skincare line; and Christine Nagel, the in-house perfumer at Hermès who used her background in organic chemistry to develop a new molecule for the H24 men’s cologne. 

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10. Hairstylist Issac Poleon on finding wigs and easy up-dos

‘A perfectionist view of imperfection’ is how Issac Poleon describes the style of his work, and it’s true that this London-based hairstylist has a particular knack for creating flawlessly executed designs with an expressionist, sculptural flair.

In this article we asked Poleon – who has worked with Gucci, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Browns – to talk us through all kinds of hair how-tos, from wearing wigs to managing extensions. 

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In a serene space entered by a cobbled courtyard on rue de la Sourdière in Paris – bathed in light, and accented with plants and phosphorescent floral wallpaper by Phillippe Parreno – regenerative technology employed by Nasa is being harnessed.

It's here – through an unimposing burgundy storefront, in the building where French poet Louis Aragon once lived – that Momo Skin Studio is taking off as one of the first facial clinics in France to specialise in microcurrent facial treatments. Schéhérazade Abdelilah-Parreno is the meditative mind behind the newly opened studio, a facialist who spent two decades straddling the spheres of fashion and architecture, collaborating with Miu Miu, Prada and India Mahdavi, before obtaining aesthetic diplomas both in London and Paris and apprenticing with a doctor who focused on the role of microcurrent technology in facial paralysis.

Momo Skin Studio: microcurrent treatments arrive in Paris

A zap of microcurrent trivia: in 1980, Nobel Prize winners Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann discovered a bio-electric current of very low intensity that energises the activities of cells, tissues and organs in the human body. Microcurrent has been employed by astronauts to encourage bodily regeneration, and is feted as a treatment by facialists that is non-invasive and needs no downtime, and is used to tone the facial muscles, boost collagen and elastin, accelerate lymphatic drainage, and create glow.

Momo Skin Studio’s 30-minute signature treatment has multisensory merit. Here, microcurrent and light therapy are combined – reaching deep muscles and every layer of the face from the epidermis to dermis – as two small pulsing pads are affixed to the skin and polarised light is radiated across the face. This additional treatment is intended to boost the immune system, protect against pollution and enhance mood, as well as stimulate collagen and encourage rejuvenation. As clients relax, they are able to choose from a meditative menu of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)-inducing sounds, created exclusively by award-winning sound designer Nicolas Becker.

The final facial flourish in Abdelilah-Parreno's approach? Her microcurrent treatment has been developed with Augustinus Bader, whose products, from The Rich Cream to The Facial Oil, are used alongside it. 

Next time you're puffy eyed in Paris, and suffering from seriously lacklustre skin, perhaps take a stroll to Momo Skin Studio's burgundy storefront on rue de la Sourdière. You'll leave feeling lifted like an astronaut.

INFORMATION

momoskinstudio.com

ADDRESS

Momo Skin Studio, 18 rue de la Sourdière, 75001 Paris

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Skincare was the last thing on Margaret de Heinrich de Omorovicza’s mind when she moved to Budapest in 2001. ‘I came to Hungary because I was an American diplomat; I was chief of staff at the US Embassy and also in charge of healthcare outreach. It was just a really, really busy time.’ But when her then boyfriend (and heir to the noble Omorovicza family baths) introduced her to the city’s culture of thermal water spas, she was intrigued. 

‘I’m someone who had horrible skin since I was 13, when I was marched off to a dermatologist and put on Accutane,’ she says, referring to the drug used to treat acne. ‘But I noticed such a difference, such a transformation [when I went to the baths] that it got me going back over and over again and got me interested in finding out more about this curative culture.’ 

Fast-forward a few years and Margaret and her now husband, Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza, have created the respected Omorovicza skincare brand and opened the Omorovicza Institute in Budapest, where students can learn the age-old methods of the local spas and visitors can experience a range of treatments.

A history of Budapest’s spas

‘What makes these baths so unique is that Budapest is a geological curiosity. The Earth's crust is thinner at the Carpathian Basin than any other place in the world and that means that Budapest has more thermal water sites than any city. It’s for that reason that it’s called the “city of spas”. And the word “spa” is actually an acronym of the Latin sanitas per aquam, which means health through water,’ says Margaret.

‘And I remember when I first moved to Budapest and after Steve and I met, he, being Hungarian, really took it upon himself to illuminate all the elements of city that he felt were really the local treasures. At the top of his list, and at the top of most Hungarians’ lists, are these baths.

‘We went to what is probably the most special bath in Hungary. It’s called the Rác, where you enter huge copper doors and the first thing that greets you is a veil of steam. Once your eyes adjust, the first thing you see are these marble frescos, beautiful designs on the base of pool, open cupolas 50 ft high so the steam can come out.

‘We get in and Steven starts telling me the history. How they were discovered 2,000 years ago by the Romans under Marcus Aurelius, who noticed as he was marching through the country that any of his soldiers who were wounded would heal very quickly if they waded into these bubbling springs.

‘That really started the bathing culture, and then during the Middle Ages you had the Knights Templar come and build hospices on the site of these springs to treat leprosy. Then you had the pashas of Budapest come during the Ottoman occupation and bring the hammam culture, which is still there. 

‘Then the Habsburgs came in and then, as it turns out, you had the Omorovicza family, which is one of these old European families; they were politicians, philanthropists, industrialists. And they so believed in the curative benefits of these baths that they built [a spa] above an ancient spring that had been around since about the 1400s. They had clocks powered by water, music powered by water, and they had these big copper disks that would draw the water in and deliver it to you depending on what your needs were,’ says Margaret. 

The spas today 

‘When I started going to the baths I starting finding out more and more about [Budapest’s] curative culture. On one hand, I knew the Hungarian government subsidised healthcare, and [doctors] would write prescriptions for certain people to go to certain baths. 

‘They so believe in the curative elements of these baths that if you've had rosacea, or eczema, or psoriasis, or rheumatism, for example, they prescribe that you go to the baths first and then you’ll be spending less time in critical care or doctors’ offices.

‘So the idea with these baths is as you go to the waters and then afterwards you go immediately into a treatment room. And that’s really the other pillar [of this curative culture] – education. The education of the people in these treatment rooms comes from three years of training. The first years of which are spent understanding the science behind skin – the effects of hormones, the effects of diet, the effects of the weather and medication, all those things. There’s a real rigour to beauty there that is fundamental to the culture,’ continues Margaret.

Omorovicza skincare 

‘When we were speaking to chemists [to develop the skincare line], they told us the reason the [restorative elements of the baths] haven’t been captured in skincare is that, although it is accepted wisdom that minerals are great for us, they are large compounds and they're too large to be absorbed in the skin. 

‘When you're in the thermal baths and you’re in the heat, the minerals are absorbed and the benefits are realised, but when you get out, the water naturally evaporates and the minerals are left crystallised on the surface of the skin. 

‘So what we patented was a method to transform minerals so that they can be delivered into the deep layers of the skin, and those benefits, of increased elasticity and firmness of the skin, can be realised. 

‘And our other way of capturing the magic of the thermal baths is through our institute, where we develop our education programme for our clients, our prescriptions, and our rituals. It's how we capture the education, or the philosophy arm of the curative culture. And it’s not only inspiring, I find it enormously empowering.’

INFORMATION

omorovicza.com

When we spoke to Augustinus Bader last year, he was on the cusp of launching his first range of products since the debut of The Cream, a revolutionary offering that had skyrocketed him to skincare stardom. 

The Augustinus Bader line now includes everything from cleansing gels and balms to face oils, body creams and, as of next month, an eye cream and serum.

The background

The quick addition of so many products to the Augustinus Bader line might seem surprising to those who have been following the brand since its beginning in 2018. After all, when Professor Bader, a stem cell and biomedical scientist at Leipzig University, launched his first, and still most iconic, product –  The Cream –  it was as a cosmetic, over-the-counter version of his medical-grade cream formulation for severe burn victims. 

The end goal was to use The Cream as a way to make enough profit to get its medical counterpart backed by a pharmaceutical company, and it is still the primary aim of the company. In fact, it is part of the reason the brand is expanding its product range so quickly. As a legion of devoted fans demands ever more products for their skincare repertoire, so the chance of getting the original burn cream into hospitals increases.

From a consumer perspective, this larger range of products offers, in Bader’s words, ‘different texture and targeted application properties’, all while offering the transformative power of TFC8  technology, the brand’s patented formulation for skin repair. 

As Bader tells us from his HQ in Leipzig, ‘eye cream and serum have consistently been our most customer-requested products, so [they were] natural to develop’.

The new launches

‘The Eye Cream is an all-in-one innovation that dramatically diminishes the visible signs of ageing, damage, and stress – for renewal of the delicate eye area. It improves the appearance of under-eye circles, puffiness, dark shadows, fine lines, and wrinkles, while boosting firmness and hydration,’ says Bader.

The Serum, on the other hand, is intended to act like a booster to the other products in the brand’s catalogue, like The Cream and The Face Oil. According to Bader, The Serum is ‘formulated with ingredients that are clean, super-hydrators and nature's most effective problem-solvers. This breakthrough serum resolves skin’s most persistent challenges – from dehydration, stress, and the signs of ageing and environmental damage to the appearance of imperfections and loss of elasticity.’ 

A move towards sustainability

The launch will also see the debut of the brand’s new, more eco-friendly packaging. Made from ceramic and glass, the new vessels are designed to be refilled with fresh Augustinus Bader products when empty, or repurposed as vases for flowers, or containers for make-up brushes, pens, and other everyday items. 

‘Skin reveals our health,’ says Bader. ‘Not just individual health, but also the wellbeing of our environment, Earth. To protect our health, we need clean air, pure water and a non-toxic environment, as well as the responsible use of biodesign to preserve precious resources while optimising efficacy.’ 

The move towards more sustainable production practices is necessary for any modern skincare brand these days, and will only become more important. ‘I think looking after our health, including our skin's health, will become more of a priority,’ says Bader about skincare post-2020. ‘Wellbeing, well-ageing, understanding epigenetics and how our lifestyle relates to our wellbeing is a growing trend. Clean, science-based and sustainable skincare is fast becoming the most appreciated in the market.’

INFORMATION
augustinusbader.com

As we previously examined in our comprehensive guide on how to use retinol, the Vitamin A derivative has an unparalleled ability to smooth away wrinkles, reduce acne, and improve collagen. For many, there is no other area where they would rather see the benefits of retinol than the potentially crease-filled, shadow-heavy area around the eyes; which is why we’ve pulled together this guide to retinol eye creams.

The creams here are suited to a variety of skin types, from sensitive to oily, dry and all easily be incorporated into your skincare regime. 

Natura Bissé Inhibit Retinol Eye Lift

The Inhibit Retinol Eye Lift Serum from Barcelona-based brand Natura Bissé is formulated with retinol and four types of hyaluronic acid to promote ultra-smooth skin.

It’s easy-to-use pen applicator can be slid under the eyes to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark circles, and applied over the lid to tighten and lift the upper part of the eye. 

harrods.com

Shani Darden’s Intensive Eye Renewal Cream

LA-based facialist Shani Darden is a veritable retinol guru, so much so that we asked her to help compile our definitive guide to retinol earlier this year. 

Darden’s eye cream translates her special high-impact, low-irritation retinol formula into a silky cream that decreases the appearance of lines and shadows from around the eyes within only a few uses. 

net-a-porter.com

Tata Harper’s Boosted Contouring Eye Balm 

We recommend Tata Harper’s Boosted Contouring Eye Balm to those with ultra-sensitive skin, who want retinol’s powerful results without any chance of irritation. Transparency is a fundamental principle of the sustainable skincare brand – its products use ingredients at the highest levels of concentration to deliver maximum results without a single drop of artificial chemicals.

The Eye Balm formulation features nine ingredients to lift and firm the look of skin, 11 ingredients to depuff, 14 ingredients to minimise the look of wrinkles, and 13 vitamins and minerals – all working together to deliver a powerful, and natural, transformation of the eyes. Skin will be looking brighter, firmer, and less puffy after only a few uses.

net-a-porter.com

Verso’s Super Eye Serum

Verso’s Super Eye Serum is formulated with the brand’s signature Retinol 8 formulation. The complex has a unique ability to reinforce the communicative properties of the skin cells, producing a retinol that is eight times more effective than traditional formulations and has a reduced risk of irritating skin. 

It is a cream that manages to be light without being too oily, and one we particularly recommend for those with acne-prone or sensitive skin. 

cultbeauty.com

Omorovicza’s Gold Eye Lift

Omorovicza’s Gold Eye Lift uses traces of colloidal gold to dramatically brighten and strengthen the delicate skin around the eyes. The Budapest-based brand derives its transformative formulations from Hungary’s famed thermal waters, which have been used for centuries to cure ailments and improve general health. 

This particular formulation combines Vitamin A (retinol) and Vitamin C to reduce the depth of fine lines and increase collagen production. The colloidal gold repairs damage to the delicate skin surface. 

cultbeauty.com

Hyperpigmentation is the appearance of darker patches on skin that can occur in a variety of forms – sunspots, melasma, acne scars – and for a variety of reasons.

Ozohu Adoh started her own skincare line, Epara, as in response to her own experience with eczema-induced hyperpigmentation. The brand blends African botanicals and scientific research to treat discolouration and excessive dryness in all skin types, with a particular focus on women of colour. 

Here, Adoh talks through the causes of hyperpigmentation and offers advice on how to treat it.

What causes hyperpigmentation? 

Hyperpigmentation occurs in different ways and is caused by a variety of factors. You have melasma [blotchy brown or blue-grey spots], typically caused by hormonal changes; age spots, caused by sun exposure over time; post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, often associated with acne spots or injuries and trauma to the skin. You can also have hyperpigmentation caused by a reaction to certain drugs and as a result of some medical conditions.

What steps can we take to avoid it?

For hyperpigmentation caused by exposure to harsh elements, it makes sense to ensure you are protected against the sun as much as is practicable by using SPFs, hats and protective clothing. For people with darker skin tones, who are generally more prone to suffering from vitamin D deficiency, I believe an SPF 30 is probably adequate. 

For post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, avoid picking acne and scabs. It is more difficult to avoid melasma, since it is hormonal and mostly temporary.

Once hyperpigmentation has appeared, what can we do to treat it? 

Some hyperpigmentation will resolve over time but you can help the process by using safe restorative cosmetic creams. There are some slightly more invasive methods of getting rid of hyperpigmentation, and this should only be done after consultation with a qualified medical practitioner.

Are there any treatments that you suggest people avoid?

I personally prefer to gently get rid of hyperpigmentation using cosmetic creams that contain natural botanical actives. I feel this gentle method works with the natural restorative cycle of the skin. I would advise that people avoid harsh and dangerous chemicals, such as high levels of hydroquinone and mercury, which are found in some products and are illegal in many countries.

What ingredients does Epara use to combat hyperpigmentation and why do they work?

Epara products are made using butters and oils sourced mainly from African botanicals with very targeted, scientifically proven actives that help address hyperpigmentation and promote hydration in the skin.

Key actives that address hyperpigmentation in Epara products are licorice root extract and plankton extract. The plankton extract, in particular, acts to address just the areas on the skin where hyperpigmentation has occurred, without changing the basal melanin levels of unaffected areas.

Do you have any advice for those who are frustrated with their hyperpigmentation and feel it is having a negative impact on their self-esteem?

Absolutely. I was that person once. First, I ask that they adopt an attitude of patience and extra tenderness towards themselves.

Second, they should educate themselves in the cause of the hyperpigmentation they have and avoid exacerbating the situation. Finally, they should look for a gentle but effective product that will help resolve it.

INFORMATION

eparaskincare.com

Leave it to Europe’s oldest apothecary to create a handy sanitising formula for our health-conscious times. 

The new Cleansing Spray from Santa Maria Novella deodorises and sanitises everything from fabrics to surfaces and skin with a simple spritz. It can be sprayed on any type of fabric – from the couch to a face mask – on your desk as a quick surface cleaner, or on hands as a lightly perfumed sanitiser. 

The spray’s effectiveness is down to its unique blend of alcohol and costmary extract, a plant oil that is practically medieval medicine’s equivalent to aspirin – a remedy used to ameliorate everything from menstrual cramps to headaches, digestive discomfort, and general achiness.

Santa Maria Novella: from ancient cures to contemporary cleanses

Santa Maria Novella has been creating innovative remedies with natural ingredients such as costmary since the Santa Maria Novella monastery was established by Dominican friars in 1221. The tinctures made by these Florentine holy men experienced increased popularity during the plague years of the 14th century, when perfume, in particular, was believed to have protective qualities against the ‘bad air’ thought to transmit diseases. 

Products from that period still exist in today, including rose water, which was originally used to sanitise rooms and spaces, or mixed with wine and taken as an immunity booster.

Or take the brand’s Aceto Aromatico, a sniffable vinegar inspired by the ‘Vinegar of the Seven Thieves’ that was used in Toulouse during the local plague of the late 1620s, burned in homes to ward off infections. The name comes from a story about seven thevies who used the tincture to protect themselves from contamination as they robbed the ill. 

The Cleansing Spray is a continuation of this legacy, using traditional ingredients to create a product tailored to modern needs. We recommend keeping one in your bag to disinfect hands and sufaces throughout the day, as well as at home to easily freshen up home fabrics and clothes.

INFORMATION

uk.smnovella.com

We all know about the importance of wearing sunscreen and moisturising during the summer months. But even the most observant skincare devotees can sometimes find themselves with the dry, damaged skin that comes with the season, and in need of after sun remedies. 

Below, we share some refreshing solutions for summer's most common skin concerns – from sunburn to disappearing tans, clogged pores to general dryness. 

Sooth sunburn and combat wrinkles 

For true skincare obsessives, the only Aloe Vera worth having is Dr Barbara Strum's. 

The aloe plant's biological activity decreases rapidly after it is harvested, which is why Strum makes her gel from hand-harvested leaves that are stabilised and preserved immediately after cultivation. 

The ultra-high concentration of aloe leaf juice in the gel, a whopping 90 per cent, gives it unparalleled soothing power for sunburns or post-wax skin. 

It is also formulated with the anti-aging agent purslane for an added skincare boost. 

en.drsturm.com

Protect hair from heat

Orbie's Mystify spray is dry shampoo and hair treatment in one. The spray contains avocado oil, niacinamide, plant collagen, and caffeine to lock in moisture and protect hair from heat damage- weather that be from the sun or hair tools. 

We suggested using it both morning and evening for healthy looking summer hair. 

oribe.com

Lock in moisture

Pouring pure olive oil on skin is an age old trick for soothing sunburn. Furtuna Skin's Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil steps up the effectiveness of that old-school method a couple hundred notches with an olive oil base infused with phenols, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and magnolia oil. 

The ingredients are harvested from the brand's estate in Sicily (you can purchase their olive oil for cooking too) and work to hydrate skin while encouraging natural collagen production. 

furtunaskin.com

Relieve painful sunburn  

For painful sunburn, Dr Kerklaan's Natural Relief Cream is the most effective of after sun remedies we’ve found. The non-greasy cream is formulated with CBD and lavender to naturally soothe damaged skin. The addition of eucalyptus and peppermint creates a cooling, tingling sensation on contact for instant pain relief. 

standarddose.com

Take a soothing oat bath 

Cool oat baths are a traditional natural remedy for sunburnt skin. To get the same calming effects without the messy clean-up try SoKind's Velvet Droplets, formulated with oat and nordic cotton oils. It's made for babies, which means it's gentle enough to use on super-sensitive, sun-damaged skin. 

sokind.com

Extend your suntan 

Sisley's After-Sun Care is designed for those looking to keep their healthy glow after they're no longer in the sun. Its formulation of andiroba oil and shea butter rehydrates skin post-sun exposure to combat dryness and peeling. The addition of low-dosage self-tanning ingredients improves your tan and extends its appearance. 

The cream is ideal for anyone lucky enough to take a holiday this summer who wants to preserve their tan when they get back home. I's equally well-suited to urban sunbathers aiming to look like they've just got back from a trip abroad. 

sisley-paris.com

Repair dryness and discoloration 

Epara's London-based, Nigerian-born founder Ozohu Adoh has channelled the antioxidant-rich and nurturing properties of African botanicals into a line of ultra-nourishing skincare. 

The brand's Brightening Night Balm is a particularly rich cream that uses sweet almond and Moroccan argan oils to soften skin, as well as the brand's signature Plankton Extract to tackle hyperpigmentation in areas of melanin build-up.

We recommend slipping this on to irritated or dry skin before going to bed, for a freshly moisturised face in the morning.  

eparaskincare.com

Refresh sweaty skin

Seed to Skin is a remarkable skincare line that operates out of a 13th-century Tuscan estate. The brand's Dew Mist is a hydrating facial spray that offers instant relief to hot skin. 

We recommend carrying this around with you on particularly warm days, as its formulation of hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and rose water soothes uncomfortable skin and reduces the chance of pores getting clogged by sweat and sunscreen. 

seedtoskin.com

Have a cooling facial 

For an at-home summertime facial try SAWAA's Refreshing Series Set. The kit includes the Taiwanese brand's Golden Algae Lip Care balm, a selection of soothing kelp-based facial masks, and a drawstring carrying pouch. 

The secret to the product's effectiveness is its use of chlamydomonas acidophila, a rare green algae that naturally hydrates and soothes skin. 

For an extra hit of refreshment, try popping the masks in the fridge for a few minutes before application. 

sawaa.com

Wondering how to stay cool in the heat? If an ice bath seems like a step too far and a cold drink just won’t cut it, then this edit of beauty products, tricks and tips is the breath of fresh air you are looking for.

Pearl Ice Cubes by Anne Semonin

Anne Semonin’s Pearl Ice Cubes are the ultimate indulgence when it comes to home ice facials. The famed Parisian facialist has long used cryotherapy treatments on her clients, and these pick-me-up sachets make it possible to see the same effects from home. 

Simply remove the ‘cubes’ from the freezer and place into the brand’s special gauze bag. As you rub the icy cold cube over your face it will release hyaluronic acid, white pearl extracts, and silk proteins to decrease the signs of ageing and improve skin radiance.

annesemonin.com

Cold Cream by The Seated Queen 

The Seated Queen is not your grandmother’s cold cream. With a cool aesthetic and an even cooler (literally) product, the brand is reinvigorating what had become an outdated skincare item. 

The cream’s effectiveness is down to its use of essential and cold-pressed seed oils that are packed with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamins A, E and C. It naturally feels cool to the touch, but we recommend popping it into the fridge for a few minutes before application to get an extra kick. 

Use as a traditional cleanser or wear it as a mask on days when skin is feeling extra tired and dry. 

cultbeauty.co.uk

Hydra Beauty Essence Mist by Chanel 

The Hydra Beauty Essence Mist is a refreshing facial spray and moisturising serum in one. Keep it in your bag and spray onto your face for instant hydration, or keep it in the fridge and apply before going out, to set cosmetics and prevent any make-up melting on particularly steamy days. 

selfridges.com

Cryo stick by Biologique Recherche

These Cryo Sticks from cult French skincare brand Biologique Recherche are designed to reduce redness and minimise puffiness within minutes. Keep the stainless steel sticks and pull them out whenever you need a refreshing, and relaxing facial massage. 

To get the best results of a cryo facial from home, we recommend filling a basin with cold water and ice, dunking your face in for a few minutes at a time, and then patting (not rubbing) your face dry. 

libertylondon.com

Cool stick by Wildflower 

Wildflower’s Cool Stick instantly infuses skin with a heavy dose of CBD for a refreshingly chilly, tingling sensation. It can be used anywhere on the body, but is particularly handy for soothing sunburns, heat rashes, or any general aches and pains. 

cultbeauty.co.uk

Cryo eye masks by 111Skin 

111Skin is the go to brand when it comes to face masks and their cryo eye masks are our personal favourite. Keep them in the fridge and pop them on for 20 minutes when you need a refreshing way to reduce dark circles and puffiness. 

spacenk.com

Social distancing may have dramatically altered our ability to indulge in facial and body therapies, but with growing numbers of vaccinated people in major cities around the world, it's no wonder that spas are re-emerging, and a visit is at the top of everyone’s list. From perennial favourites to new additions on the scene, here's an edit of blissful locations designed for a new era of beauty that are worth heading to now, or in the near future at least. 

Surya Spa, Los Angeles

Los Angeles may be known as a wellness mecca, but even by its standards, the new outpost of the heralded Surya Spa, now open at the Hotel Proper Santa Monica, is charting new territory. 

Spanning 3,000 sq ft and designed in collaboration with Kelly Wearstler, the Ayurvedic spa comes armed with six treatment rooms, a private meditation room, a custom oil-making station, and dreamy fountained patios – all the better to experience its menu of traditional therapies, such as its signature four-handed massage therapy that ends with oil infusions being streamed over the forehead to calm the nervous system and de-stress. 

Each of the spa’s mood-boosting spaces is realised in a colour that ties back to the pillars of Ayurvedic doshas, while nods to Indian design and culture are present throughout. From the hand-blocked saris that line the meditation den, where guests relax after their treatments, to the kitchen at the heart of the spa, where nourishing meals are prepared to complement the physical experience, this wellness hub is truly an oasis. 

suryaspa.com

Bathhouse, Brooklyn 

Nestled in a converted soda factory, under a corner in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, Bathhouse combines functional, high-performing treatments with a disarmingly social setting. Professing to be an ‘anti-spa’, given its focus on rejuvenation rather than relaxation, the invigorating space boasts communal saunas (one dry and one tropical), a steam room, three thermal pools (one hot, one thermoneutral and one cold) and heated marble hammams, which inevitably foster a social bond with your fellow bathers.

Designed by Jennifer Carpenter of Verona Carpenter Architects, Bathhouse’s sensual interiors reflect how it draws from traditional bathing cultures, be it Turkish, Korean, Finnish or Roman. Whether it’s a stretch-focused body treatment, a detoxing black salt scrub or a 30-minute mineral and herb-infused soak to promote calm, Bathhouse’s comprehensive treatment offerings will have you leaving on a cloud. 

abathhouse.com

Susanne Kaufmann, Bezau

The Susanne Kaufmann spa in Bezau, Austria, is a cult favourite for a reason. Continually one step ahead of the curve, Kaufmann, whose eponymous skincare and body range leans on traditional Alpine remedies and ingredients native to Austria’s Bregenzerwald region, is constantly refining her approach to beauty and wellness – which has kept her treatments sought after for two decades. Known for blending Eastern and Western practices, Kaufmann takes a holistic view on beauty and body treatments.

Whether it’s a traditional Chinese medicine detox therapy that aims to restore harmony and balance through tui na massage; a full-body soak; practising qi-gong; or signature natural anti-ageing skincare treatments to help to boost collagen production and stimulate tissue purification, the spa’s comprehensive menu values what lies both on and beneath the surface.  

susannekaufmann.com

Soul Realm Spa House, Hangzhou

Discreetly located on the 13th floor of a commercial building in downtown Hangzhou is Soul Realm Spa House, a serene retreat that brings together massage, meditation and learning underneath its stylish roof. Designed by the local architecture practice Right Hub, the spa is made up of a series of circular spaces – a concept inspired by traditional singing bowl sets (used in meditation). Sensitive to the distancing requirements and expectations of these current times, Right Hub used curved ceilings and walls to bring a subtle rhythm to the uncluttered, mostly white space.

A clay-like texture on the floor provides a grounding tactility, while arc-shaped windows that make the most of river views and a sunken semi-circular lounge for drinking tea further enhance the introspective experience. In such surroundings, guests can enjoy a variety of treatments, ranging from aromatherapy and sound therapy to massages that incorporate heated bamboo and lava shells. 

Biân, Chicago

Bringing together everything one might need to optimise life under one eye-catching roof is Biân, a membership-based health and wellness club located in Chicago. Armed with an approach that integrates physical health and medicine with holistic wellness, Biân offers its members personalised wellness plans with a bevy of facilities at their disposal.

The 25,000 sq ft behemoth, stylishly designed by Karen Herold of Studio K Creative, provides everything from strength and fitness training facilities to cryotherapy, acupuncture, energy healing, reflexology, IV treatments, microneedling, as well as a Hästens-equipped nap room – all aiming to combat any ailments or inadequacies its clients would like to correct. Backed by an advisory panel of medical professionals, and specialists across the board, this super-targeted approach is body optimisation of the highest form. 

livebian.com

Dior Prestige La Suite at Harrods, London

If you’re aching for a no-holds-barred luxury experience, then the Dior Prestige La Suite treatment rooms at Harrods should tick a few boxes. Champagne-coloured interiors, which include a Swarovski crystal-drenched ceiling, set the scene for a decadent, customised experience that makes the most of Dior Prestige’s full suite of high-tech, floral-backed products, which feature flowers that are grown in the Dior gardens and selected for their regenerative powers.

The signature Dior Prestige Grand Facial Treatment pairs products with a sculpting facial massage that promises to transform skin during its 90-minute duration. The spa also offers Dior Micro-Peeling, which uses a sapphire crystal microabrasion specially developed for the Dior Institute to exfoliate and rejuvenate the face in just half an hour. 

harrods.com

Aman, Kyoto 

Although it is the mission of each of Aman’s spas to help individuals achieve an integrated and holistic feeling of wellness, the dreamy backdrop of its Kyoto outpost feels particularly well-placed for the task. Due to its built-in access to natural hot springs, the spa’s ryokan concept houses both indoor and outdoor onsen baths that make the most of the mineral-rich waters. Aman Kyoto spa’s signature treatments also count on locally grown medicinal plants to soothe the mind as much as the body.

From body massages that utilise Kyoto Kitayama cedar, yuzu citrus and Hinoki cypress oils, to a gold-leaf facial, inspired by the local Kinkaku-ji Temple, each treatment opens with a sake and azuki rice bran foot bath ritual and closes with a taste of seasonal tea, masterfully blended by the renowned Koyama teahouse. 

aman.com

Retinol. The single most transformative ingredient in skincare proves that the fountain of youth is not actually a fountain but a cream, and it is not located at the far-flung reaches of the Earth but, rather, is available from… the internet. Still, for those who want to learn how to use retinol, questions abound.

You may be wondering how to start using retinol, what the side effects are, and what it actually does. When it comes to answering those questions, there is no one better suited to the job than Shani Darden. The Los Angeles-based facialist is the secret behind just about every glowing complexion in the city (have a Google and you’ll see what we mean) and an ardent proponent of retinol-based skincare regimes. 

Her own skincare line includes two variations of retinol, one for sensitive skin and one for less sensitive, and we think they are some of, if not the, best retinol products out there. 

Below, Darden breaks down the myths surrounding the ingredient and shares her tips on how to use retinol for acne, wrinkle reduction, and general skin improvement. 

The truth about retinol

Even cursory research into how to use retinol will reveal various horror stories about using too much, too soon – embarrassing redness, torturous itching, skin so dry it flakes off. While it is important to gradually work up to using retinol every day, Darden dismisses the concerns around extreme irritation as overblown.

‘I think that when most people are thinking of retinol, they're thinking of prescription-strength retinols. With most over-the-counter retinols that you buy at a store, it’s most likely you're not going to get irritated. It’s just pretty rare.’

Still, the best way to ensure positive results is to use retinol once a week and then progress from there. There is no single, must-follow way, simply judge how your own skin is reacting and work it out from there.

‘If you start with once a week and you build up slowly, you are able to prevent [irritation],’ says Darden. ‘When people start to freak out, I tell them just don't just use it every night. Start with once a week and feel it out. If you go slowly, you'll know when you're starting to feel a little irritated, and then you'll just stop.’ 

While on the topic of skincare myths, Darden has another, surprising insight – forgo the facial oils, she suggests. 

‘When my clients come in to get a facial, I will know when they switched to [using] oil because I can see they are so much more congested and their nose is covered in blackheads. But I also feel that, for a lot of my clients, they don't mind having blackheads. And think if [oil] feels good and your skin looks good, great – but that’s why you have blackheads.’ 

The retinol regime

Darden’s own everyday skincare regime is a good blueprint for how to use retinol and incorporate it into your own routine. 

‘My morning is: cleanse, vitamin C serum, then sunscreen. I’m very less is more, but if I want to add in a hyaluronic acid serum, I will use that after the vitamin C, and then [use] more sunscreen.’

‘At night, it’s: cleanse, toner only sometimes, then either retinol or once a week I do a peel. After that, it's eye cream, and then moisturiser. My toner is to reduce oil production, so because I don’t have an oily T-zone, I don’t use it every night. But someone who is really oily would do cleanser, toner, retinol, eye cream, moisturiser.' 

Burning questions 

For those concerned about starting retinol in summer, Darden says it’s not a problem if you are smart about your sun exposure. 

‘If I go to Hawaii, I wouldn't take my retinol with me. Even though I don’t really go in the sun, I wouldn't bother. But generally, in summer, I still use retinol,’ she says.

‘It just depends if you’re someone really careful. If you're not, and you're someone that likes to [sunbathe] and go to the beach all the time, then just don't use it. You're definitely more sensitive to the sun when you do use retinol, so you want to be careful with that, but it's definitely the best anti-ageing thing you can use other than sunscreen.'

INFORMATION
shanidarden.com

A recent trend has seen architects venture into the world of beauty and grooming, applying their knowledge of structure and form to everything from skincare packaging to facial rollers. 

Ever the innovator, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma made a bold statement in 2018 with his packaging design for Aman Resorts’ first skincare line. The design reflected Kuma’s mastery of natural materials and organic shapes, creating structures that integrated themselves into their environment rather than imposing themselves upon it.

His packaging for Aman is made out of a veined, black material that recalls burnt timber or black marble, and is rendered in curved, voluminous forms, a break from the linear style of most beauty containers. 

Like Kuma, Austrian architect Oskar Leo Kaufmann channelled his preference for natural materials into the black obsidian face roller he made for his sister, skincare maven Susanne Kaufmann. Susanne’s signature line of serums and body oils are made from Alpine botanical ingredients and composed in a small production facility in the Bregenz Forest, where she and Oskar grew up. 

To create the roller, Oskar sourced obsidian from nearby South Tyrol – the stone is said to help relieve muscle inflammation, strengthen connective tissue, and aid the body to better absorb vitamins C and D.

Oskar then added a wooden handle with a steel mount designed by an expert blacksmith and metal specialist Felder, in Andelsbuch, creating a fitting tribute to the craftsmanship and natural materials of the region. 

Meanwhile, Tokujin Yoshioka’s packaging designs are more evocative of modern cityscapes. Yoshioka designed monochromatic, sculptural vessels for the Vialume skincare line, one of the latest creations from luxury Japanese cosmetic brand Suqqu. 

The packaging’s tall, elegant forms and highly reflective, ultra-black surfaces, reminiscent of lacquer, make them instantly eye-catching, like a miniature skyline on your bathroom shelf.

INFORMATION

aman.com
susannekaufmann.com
suqqu.com

It's a bit of an understatement to say we have a soft spot for minimalism here at Wallpaper*. From architecture to design, art to fashion, we can't resist an elegantly pared-down creation. It should come as no surprise, then, that we're enthusiastic proponents of minimal beauty too. 

We welcomed the rise of ‘skinimalism’ last year, as lockdowns encouraged many to wear less make-up and favour a simplified beauty regime that placed a premium on natural, healthy skin. But how will the trend evolve as many of us begin to enter a new, post-lockdown reality? 

Below, we delve deeper into the concept, speak to trend forecasters about how it will continue to develop, and share the best products for building your own minimalist beauty routine. 

Minimalist skincare 

Founder of innovative wellness company The Nue Co, Jules Miller is a vocal supporter of less-is-more skincare. In her view, our current consumption habits are part of a destructive cycle fuelled by companies looking to sell as much as they can. 'Our current approach to skincare is fundamentally flawed,’ she says. ‘The 'shelfie' era has led us to have bathroom cabinets overflowing with products that we couldn’t possibly use within their expiry date,’ she explains, and suggests that in using a vast array of products we may be damaging our skin.

‘Dermatologists have identified the erosion of our skin barrier as the number one cause of skin issues, resulting in premature ageing, breakouts, hyperpigmentation, sensitivity and dryness. Most of these are addressed at symptom level, using a multitude of individual products,’ continues Miller.

In essence, the more products we use, she believes, the more we tend to damage our skin. The more we damage our skin, the more products we continue to buy to fix the problem. It's a vicious circle, and one The Nue Co, along with a few other brands, is hoping to end. 

The Nue Co

The Nue Co’s Barrier Culture is one of the most effective minimal skincare regimes on the market. The two-step routine features a cleanser and a moisturiser, each formulated with patented technology delivering prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics to rebuild the skin’s microbiome (essentially, its natural balance of microbes) and protect it from external aggressors. 

cultbeauty.com

Align

Align’s only product is a hydrating oil designed to be used on face and body for people of all ages and skin types. The Oil is a simple blend of five natural ingredients- almond oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil, vitamin E, tea tree oil- and is a handy, multi-purpose stand in for the proliferation of body creams, facial moisturisers, and the like that tend to clog up bathroom shelves. 

We recommend using The Oil with a gua sha to encourage lymphatic drainage or post-shave to prevent in-grown hairs.

helloalignskin.com

Homework 

New London-based brand Homework is an all-natural fragrance and skincare brand that uses a minimal amount of ingredients to have maximal impact. Founder Stephanie Hannington-Suen has used her background in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to develop the formulations, the most notable of which include botanical body soaks and soap bars.

Soaps like the Poppy Seed Bar use petitgrain, coriander and pink grapefruit essential oils to rejuvenate skin and poppy seeds for non-abrasive exfoliation. While the Wood Bath Soak takes a simple blend of Dead Sea and Epsom salts and uplifts it with bits of pine, Chinese cedar, ho leaf and dried nettle leaves.

homeworkstore.com

Oureme

We’re also fans of Wendy Ouriel's skincare line Oureme, which we featured in our June 2021 issue. Ouriel created the line after she developed acne in her mid-twenties and found it was only made worse by the expensive skincare she was using to remedy it. 

So, she resolved to make a skincare line of her own and used her background in extracellular matrix biology as the basis for her formulations. The tight edit of five serums can be adjusted to suit your particular skin type (oily, mature, and so on) with all configurations designed to produce transformative results. 

doverstreetparfumsmarket.com

Less

Still, ‘skinimalism’ is nothing new. Back in 2017, German skincare brand Less won a Wallpaper* Design Award for its sleek approach to skincare. Four years on, the brand still hasn't expanded beyond its original three products – two oils and a traditional Moroccan washing clay called ghassoul – proving its real dedication to the minimalist ethos. 

welcometoless.com

‘The joy of making a really good choice’

So will this trend continue past the pandemic? According to trend forecasters, the answer is yes. ‘Coming out of the pandemic, you’ll see people become a lot more frugal,’ says WGSN's head of beauty Clare Varga. ‘And by frugal, I don't mean penny-pinching, but they’ll want to know that things work, to buy something that's really effective, with proven results.

‘So the way I see skinimalism evolving is that it becomes about the joy of making a really good choice – when you buy something and you feel you're getting value for money, not because it's cheap, but because it's effective,’ continues Varga. ‘It's not just about time-saving or using fewer products, it's about that joy of making a really good, sensible decision.’

Minimal beauty

Varga and the team at WGSN predict this philosophy will extend into cosmetics with the emergence of ‘multi-hyphenate products’, or colour cosmetics that double as skincare. 

Givenchy Prisme Libre foundation 

Our favourite recent launch in this category is Givenchy’s Prisme Libre Skin-Caring foundation. Its formulated as 90 per cent skincare and 10 per cent colour-correcting make-up, meaning it doesn't clog pores and actually feels good to wear but, importantly, still offers effective coverage. 

harrods.com

Merit Minimalist stick

Merit is a vegan beauty brand that aims to cut down on amount of products you consume by combing skincare and makeup. 

Products range from tinted lip oils to eye brow pomade, but the most noteworthy is hands-down The Minimalist- a ‘completion stick’ meant to replace your foundation and concealer. The bendable stick provides breathable, light-to-medium coverage and formulated with daffodil extract that helps diminish the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots.

meritbeauty.com

Dior Lip Maximiser

Dior's popular Lip Maximiser is another example of multi-hyphenate beauty. The high-shine gloss is formulated with hyaluronic acid that offers powerful hydration and noticeable plumping. 

harveynichols.com

Sisley So Volume Mascara

Sisley Paris was one of the first cosmetics brands to use botanical essences in its formulations, so it’s no surprise that it is already ahead of the trend when it comes to multi-hyphenate beauty. Its So Volume Mascara is formulated with vitamin B5, Japanese cherry blossom extract, and castor oil intended to help strengthen lashes over time while providing voluminous everyday coverage.

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A Complexion Company

The multi-hyphenate beauty trend is also extending into the wellness category, with brands such as A Complexion Company creating a single product that promises all-around improved health. The brand uses traditional African medicinal ingredients to create its powder supplement for maintaining energy, improving focus, and reducing PMS symptoms. 

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What's good for your skin is good for the planet 

The trend for minimalist beauty is rooted in a desire for a healthy planet as much as in a desire for a healthier appearance (not to mention bank account). 

Says The Nue Co’s Jules Miller, ‘120 billion units of packaging are produced annually by the cosmetic industry, with the majority ending up in landfill. This significantly increases air pollution, [which contributes] to the erosion of the skin barrier. The cycle continues as we turn to the consumption of more products as a solution.’
 
As the beauty industry wrestles with the issue of sustainability, creating fewer products is one of the easiest, and most effective, solutions there is.

These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a skincare brand that didn’t market itself as sustainable. Yet while many brands are devising more eco-conscious product formulations and packaging, there’s still the oft overlooked problem of wasteful production and delivery practices to contend with.

And while subscription services don’t entirely solve the problem, the best make some effort towards cutting down on the environmental waste of shipping – with bulk deliveries and refills, for example. They also mean you never have to think about buying skincare again, which isn’t a bad deal either. 

Ffern perfume

Ffern is a forward-thinking perfume brand that uses a subscription-based model to ensure its production practices are as sustainable as possible. 

The brand releases four seasonal fragrances a year that  are hand-crafted from organic ingredients by 5th generation perfumer François Robert and his protege Elodie Durande. All the fragrances are gender-neutral and are never recreated past their designated season, so that once their creation period has passed they will never be made again. 

All members of the brand’s exclusive ‘ledger’ can receive a bottle of Ffern. To ensure product is never wasted, the brand makes only one bottle of the fragrance for every name on our ledger, no more. The wait list is currently open and its certainly worth the wait. §

ffern.co

KanKan body wash 

KanKan's mission is to make refills more mainstream. 'We hope that by making refills more convenient, it helps broaden the appeal and reduces our consumption for single-use plastics in the home,' says the brand's founders Eliza Flanagan and Mary McLeod. 

The brand's refill system is as charming as it is convenient, with each refill coming in a recyclable aluminium can. Unlike most brands, KanKan decided to send their refills in aluminium cans because takes 95 per cent less energy to make a can from recycled materials, not to mention 75 per cent of all aluminium produced since 1888 is still in use today. 

The soap itself is made with 100 per cent essential oils to nourish your skin and is palm oil and harsh chemical free. 

kankan.london.com

Tata Harper's skincare

Tata Harper is one of those buzzy skincare brands that, along with Augustinus Bader, Dr. Barbara Strum, and La Prairie, really does deserve the attention it receives. Harper is the pioneer of farm-to-bottle skincare with a line of 100 per cent organic skincare that is made in small-batch quantities from her farm in Vermont. 

Most of Harper's products can be purchased via an 'auto-replenish' system for automatic refills. It means you'll never have to worry about running out of skincare but, even better, you'll end up saving a good chunk of change with 15 per cent off recurring orders and free shipping. 

For those just starting out with Harper's products, we recommend trying the silky-smooth Radiance Mask or Regenerating Cleanser, both of which leave skin feeling facial fresh after one use. 

cultbeauty.com

by Humankind shower essentials

Wallpaper* Design Award nominee by Humankind is a personal care brand dedicated to reducing the prevalence of single-use plastics with its refillable and recyclable solutions. Its shower products include solid shampoo, conditioner, and body wash designed to be suitable for all hair and skin types. Each bar is entirely plastic-free, with recycled-paper and soy-based-ink packaging that can be re-recycled at home.

To ensure the bars don’t disintegrate in the shower, we recommend the brand’s sleek shower dish. Made of diatomite, a sedimentary rock formed by fossilised phytoplankton, the quick-drying dish ensures you can get the most out of your bars. Subscriptions come as a two-pack refill every 12 weeks. 

byhumankind.com

Haeckels cleanser

Haeckles has always been at the forefront of sustainable beauty with its products made from ethically sourced seaweed, grown-to-order face masks, and entirely compostable packing. Yet its latest launch, the 60%H2O Ocean Cleanse Concentrate + Allantoin, has proven to be its most innovative yet.

Almost five years in development, the Ocean Cleanse is a completely water-free body cleanser that consists of soap-producing tablets and a slate-grey milled ceramic dispenser for dissolving them in – 3 tablets will make 300ml of shower gel when mixed with water at home. 

And while waterless beauty is nothing new, Haeckels has distinguished its design by considering every aspect of its environmental impact – from production to delivery and use – and worked out a way to minimise it.

While this is not a subscription-based product, Haeckles supplies an entire year’s worth of tablets upon purchase, which means that – by the company’s math – Ocean Cleanse avoids 94 per cent of carbon emissions in manufacturing and 95 per cent in shipping compared to its water-based counterparts. 

haeckels.com

The Nue Co skincare supplements

For those who suffer from problematic skin, the promise of a simple pill that makes blemishes disappear is a tantalising prospect. For a while, that promise was too good to be true.

The Nue Co founder Jules Miller grew up watching her grandfather work in the world of supplements as a pharmacist and member of the Cambridge University team that developed B12. Yet he was averse to taking the pills himself (principally, says Miller, because he knew exactly what was in them). Seeking to find a natural alternative, Miller created a line of food-based supplements that combines clinically proven ingredients with Ayurvedic and Chinese medicinal practices.

One of the brand’s latest launches is Skin Filter, which is designed to dispel blemishes, improve skin luminosity, and reduce pigmentation. A natural alternative to ingestible retinol, Skin Filter uses Ayurvedic amla berry, the vitamin-packed Amazonian superfood camu camu, and anti-inflammatory zinc. Subscribe and your first order will come in a refillable glass jar, with refill packets of the supplement then arriving every month. 

thenueco.com

Forgo hand soap

Great design is often born from a problem with no satisfying solution. For Swedish design collective Form Us With Love, that problem was the staggering wastefulness of many beauty and grooming products.

‘When we don’t have a partner to work on a great idea with, we just start it ourselves,’ says the studio’s design manager Allon Libermann. ‘We knew nothing about the personal care industry, we just knew it was very wasteful.’ So what was their solution? Working with a lab in Canada, the studio designed a powder made of only six ingredients that, when mixed with water, creates a sweet-smelling hand wash. The powder comes in paper sachets without the un-recyclable plastic coating used by many brands, and can be mixed in frosted glass bottles designed by the studio.

Best of all? As a subscription-based service, the sachets will regularly be slipped through your letterbox to ensure you’ll never be low on soap.  

forgo.se

Akt deodorant

Akt was founded by two performers in London’s West End, frustrated that no natural deodorant could combat the smelly effects of their gruelling physical performances under hot theatre lights. Their solution? A deodorant balm that uses natural botanicals such as moisture-absorbing fossilised algae, deodorising plant powders, and antimicrobial coconut oil for effective results.

The balm comes in plastic-free, 100 per cent recyclable toothpaste-like packaging decorated with bold typographic designs inspired by theatre marquees. 

For an added element of self-care, we recommend picking up the brand’s gua sha-inspired applicator. Squeeze a small bit of the balm onto its cooling brass and massage around the underarms, chest and neck for a lymphatic massage. 

aktlondon.com

Fussy deorderant

For a more traditional deodorant format, that is still sustainable and subscription based, look no further than Fussy. The vegan deodorant uses probiotics to effectively ‘eat’ that bacteria that grows under armpits and leads to body oder. The result? One of the few natural deodorants we know of that actually works. 

The pebble-like case is made from recycled plastic and durable enough to last indefinitely.  A refill subscription will deliver top-ups in plastic-free containers that are made from waste sugarcane and, once empty, will decompose in your garden or the bin.

Topi is a new ‘climatic' or environmental skincare brand designed to protect skin from the everyday changes in our surroundings. It's true that the lockdowns of the past year or so have resulted in very few of us experiencing any environmental changes at all.

Yet Topi is a brand designed for the future; a future in which air travel will once again make it possible to travel between drastically different climates in a day, but also a future in which we will continue to expose our skin to the differences in indoor and outdoor air, artificial temperature control and natural elements, screens and sunlight, all on a daily basis. 

Topi was founded by brand curator and entrepreneur Quentin Smith, and Alia Raza, the perfumer behind the ultra-hip fragrance line Régime des Fleurs. 

‘I’ve always had an interest in medicinal botanics,' says Smith about the inspiration behind the brand, ‘and I wanted to find other ways of using them that made sense for how I like to care for my skin and interact with my environment on a day-to-day basis.'

Pursuing the idea of environmental skincare, the pair have created two vegan skincare serums, a Sun Serum and a Snow Serum, that use botanical ingredients to form a protective barrier on the skin’s surface. 

An inclusive formulation

The Sun Serum is best combined with sunscreen and worn during the day, especially in warmer and damper climates. A few drops of it contains powerful concentrations of skin-brightening and collagen-promoting vitamin C, anti-inflammatory pure cannabidiol, and cacao seed for environmental and blue light protection.

The Snow Serum works well as a night serum or worn during the day in cooler seasons and drier weather. It contains a powerful blend of skin-smoothing niacinamide, hydrating Bulgarian rosewater, and nourishing plant and seed oils.

‘We use ingredients that work for every skin type and across a range of environments,’ says Raza. ‘We don’t use anything that could be irritating, and that includes certain fragrances. As a perfumer, I've spent years studying both natural and synthetic aromatic materials and I know what’s good for your face and what isn’t.' 

She continues, 'It was also important that the products worked for both of us. We have different skin types. Mine is super sensitive and reactive; Quentin’s is more resilient. For us, it goes without saying that a well-formulated product will work regardless of skin type, age, colour, and location. Quentin lives in southern California where it’s always sunny and dry, I’m in Paris where it’s cool and rainy. The products work everywhere.' 

A unique logo

While Topi's formulations are impressive, it is the brand's design that really makes it stand out. 

Smith and Raza commissioned artist Klee van Schoonhoven to create the branding, which features a face that, according to Smith, ‘represents ancient ideals of beauty throughout the ages and across cultures'. 

‘The face, which is found in various configurations throughout our packaging, represents the Topi brand ethos of inclusion and representation of beauty in all forms,' says Smith. 'The face expands upon concepts of beauty that have existed in all cultures for centuries, and how these ideals have been expressed artistically.’ 

It's a skincare line designed for everyone, in every part of the world – now, that is the future.

INFORMATION

topibotanic.com

Environmentally focused retail project Kindred Black is revolutionising the look of sustainable skincare with a new line called Slow Beauty.

‘We started the Slow Beauty line because we felt like there was this amazing focus on making beauty natural and organic and clean but that the focus was all on what’s inside the bottle,' LA-based founders Alice Wells and Jennifer Francis told us. ‘Most of the products come in heavy plastic with too much packaging for us to feel comfortable purchasing them over and over.’ 

An artful approach to packaging 

Instead, the pair focused on finding a plastic alternative packaging that meant they didn’t have to skimp on aesthetics for the sake of sustainability. The result is a line of glass vessels hand blown by master artisans around the United States, so exquisite in their designs that they elevate beauty packaging to the level of high art.

Wells and Francis understand the demands of a creative practice, which is why they’ve done their best to ensure the glassblowers are never made to feel as though they’re working the factory line. ‘The artisans are all very different people and have different skills and strengths, so we give them a lot of leeway during that process to do what they do best,’ says the pair.

‘Each run is limited edition because we’re talking about one person painstakingly hand making each piece – it’s time-consuming and it’s a skill that we don’t want to reduce to an assembly line feel. We often switch products out of one bottle and into another for our bottle collectors, but also so that we can keep up with demand without losing the handmade feel of the line.’

Surprising natural skincare ingredients 

This considered, handcrafted approach is reflected in Slow Beauty’s formulations as well, which use clean, responsibly sourced and all-natural ingredients sourced from growers and small family-run farms around the world. 

‘We’re fascinated by what people used to harvest right from the earth to use as treatments and cosmetics,’ say Wells and Francis. ‘A lot of our problems now are because we’ve become so disconnected from the land – a slower, more mindful way of living would go a long way. ‘

‘We usually start with an ingredient and try to find someone producing the most special version of it out there. Lavender, for instance, is quite common and there are a lot of farms growing it in a mindful way. We found a female-owned farm in France that partners with a school for troubled youth.’

‘The hinoki we use is from a man in Japan who was a maker of traditional Japanese cypress tubs who, instead of discarding his leftover wood, learned to distill the oil from it. Our argan and prickly pear oils are from a women-owned and operated collective in Morocco.’

‘While our lilac and jasmine perfumes are made by a woman who grows the flowers herself and is one of the last people still practicing the ancient art of enfleurage. We try to go beyond just pretty and organic if we can.’

Inspiration for the product formulations comes from the duo’s keen study of cosmetic history. Asked if they’ve discovered anything surprising in the course of their studies, the pair responds; ‘there are a lot of surprises when you start reading about what people have been willing to put up with for beauty throughout the millennia!’

‘Wine infused with a drowned lizard as an aphrodisiac, the hair of oxen for thicker eyebrows, beetles for lipstick, crocodile dung for blush (don’t worry, we won’t go there). It’s all so fascinating. Also that so many of the less shocking ingredients from thousands of years ago are still the foundation of many modern skincare lines – rosewater, olive oil, neroli. There’s a reason these things have remained so steadfast, because in so many cases they work.'

All of Kindred Black’s products are special, but our particular favourites are the multipurpose Unicorn Oil and the Hypocrites shimmer powder made from crushed mica. Also worth checking out are the brand’s multi-purpose soap bars, which have been handmade by Navajo farmers in Arizona out of ingredients they’ve grown themselves.

INFORMATION
kindredblack.com

While the past few years have seen a flourishing of genderless fragrances and make-up for men, innovative, inclusive approaches to male skincare and wellness have remained few and far between. ‘The men's skincare business is not keeping pace with evolving cultural attitudes regarding gender and beauty,’ says Brandon Palas, founder of Beau.D, a brand that pointedly identifies itself as ‘a beauty line for men.’

For Palas, it no longer holds ‘that beauty – either in word or concept – is somehow the exclusive province of women,’ an ethos he aims to promote with an upcoming line of products that begins with a lip salve. The original formulation is filled with herbs (think: He Shou Wu, and Panax Ginseng) and embraces naturally nourishing, of-the-moment oils and waxes like sunflower seed, candelilla, and carnauba. And, naturally, the lip salve is free from GMOs, and cruelty.

Beau.D is just one of the emerging brands at the new vanguard of male skincare and wellness. New York brand Tracaris aims to appeal to ‘a new wave of masculinity’, with a Hydrating Radiance Serum formulated to protect all skin types and tones from urban air pollution and travel-induced irritation. Founder Tracaris Williams explains it was important the brand’s inclusive ethos was reflected in the make-up of its team, which works to create ‘a space for a Black-owned skincare brand in the luxury sphere.’

Another New York outlet, Saint New York, is setting its sights on being the grooming equivalent of streetwear brands like Off-White or Supreme. The brand's signature plant-derived deodorant is the first product in what will soon become a full skincare line. By pairing plant-based, cruelty-free formulations with distinctive packaging, Saint New York aims to offer a new take on male grooming, one that recognises a growing interest among men for products that are aesthetically pleasing and ethically produced. 

Californian label Asystem, meanwhile, offers a subscription-based line of skincare and supplements designed to coincide with men’s natural hormone cycles. Alongside the product line, the brand hopes to promote wellness among its male audience with The Betterment Project, a forum that offers everything from online boxing classes to tips for combatting anxiety. 

INFORMATION

beau-d.com
tracaris.com
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A host of designers have been working to make face masks as useful as possible, beyond their primary function of keeping us safe. Whether imbued with technology to monitor our breathing, hung from our glasses to prevent foggy lenses or multi-layered to keep us cool when working-out, discover the right one (or two, or three) for you.

The sustainable star

Design firm Pentatonic and entrepreneur and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova's Masuku – an innovative and sustainable face mask concept – features a design with a ‘spacer mesh’ fabric cover, made from 100 per cent recycled performance polymer and optimised for airflow. The material is heat-pressed into a shell-like shape and equipped with soft guard fabric on the side in contact with the skin. The ear-loops are also made from recycled materials, and feature four 360-degree joints for a personalised fit. 

masuku.com

The recycled masks made from plastic bottles

The Msk from Petit Pli is carefully considered to ensure optimum sustainability. Created from fabric left over from its childrenswear's collections, the material itself is derived from recycled fabric sourced from plastic bottles. Thoughtfully designed, the mask encompasses a band worn around the head, giving extra support at the neck and making it easy to slip down and wear as a collar.

petitpli.com

The face mask for workouts

While necessary in some situations, wearing a face mask while working out can get uncomfortable. Luckily, Equinox has come to the rescue with its Performance Athletic face mask, one which promises to keep you cool as the temperature rises. Made from three layers – the inner two which will keep the air circulating – it also comes with a removable silicone mask frame, if you seek out structure.

equinox.com 

The face mask to stop your glasses fogging

Glasses brand Wires has collaborated with Vivienne Westwood on a collection of face masks which hang from your glasses. More comfortable to wear, the designs also decreases the chance of your glasses fogging up. These are crafted from colourful off-cut fabric from Vivienne Westwood and have a reversible design for when you fancy a changing up his everyday essential.

maiyet.com

The face mask recommended by the World Health Organisation

The Silver Life Face Covering knits together silver-based threads for an environmentally-friendly face mask which also meets the World Health Organisation’s recommendations. Silver has antibacterial properties, making it a natural partner for the recycled materials which make up this design, which has a small mesh size, giving it greater filter abilities. Good for up to 100 washes, this is one which will last as well as keep you safe.

silverlifemasks.com

The face mask for fashion aficionados

For something with a sartorial spin, look no further than French designer Marine Serre. From half crescent moons to abstract florals, Serre brings signature prints and patterns into her face mask designs, which are crafted from technical jersey and have adjustable straps.

marineserre.com

The face mask monitoring your breathing

AirPop’s Active+ face mask works with a sensor to monitor both your breathing and air quality, and then presents the results for you to peruse on the companion app. Tracking breathing patterns – including breaths per minute and breaths per pace – and interesting information such as how many pollutants it has blocked, it lets you tweak your workout and form to achieve full potential. Softly knit and comfortable to wear, its generous pores also encourage air flow and keep you cool.

airpophealth.com 

The face masks for minimalists

For comfortable and simple face masks, there’s no beating Sunspel who crafts its face coverings from cotton lined with an anti-bacterial fabric. Available in grey, white and navy, Sunspel donate one face mask to community projects for every one purchased on the website.

sunspel.com

Korea has pioneered some of the beauty industry’s most significant trends and innovations in recent years, from ten-step skincare routines to rubber masks. So it’s no surprise that Korean sunscreen is one of the most searched for terms in relation to sun care, as consumers look for products that will simultaneously protect skin and improve its appearance. 

The benefits of Korean sunscreen 

Those on the hunt for a product that blends the benefits of Korean sun care and skincare could try Cle’s CCC Cream (or Color Control & Change Cream). The lightweight cream is similar in texture to a tinted ‘beauty balm’ (BB) or ‘colour correcting’ (CC) cream, but with more intense, foundation-like coverage.

All of Cle’s products are made with non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free ingredients. Its CCC Cream is formulated with blueberry-derived vitamin C, coconut oil, and hyaluronic acid, a powerhouse serum alleviating dry skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines. It also contains niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that is used to increase the resiliency of the skin barrier, minimise the appearance of pores, and decrease redness caused by rosacea or acne. 

As the weather gets warmer, and lockdowns ease around the world, many more of us will be spending more time outside. It also means many of us will return to wearing make-up. For those who find the prospect of both daunting, Cle’s CCC Cream is a welcome salve.

Hitting on the trend of ‘skinimalism’, the cream is an all-in-one product that eliminates the need to apply sunscreen and foundation separately. Its lightweight texture, yet high-pigment coverage, also makes it an ideal transition product for those weary of wearing foundation every day. 

Beauty-wise, the Covid-era ushered in a fascination with skincare and decreased interest in cosmetics. As we move into a new period, products that combine practical skincare benefits with subtle cosmetic enhancements are bound to be a growing trend, just in time for sunnier days. 

INFORMATION

clecosmetics.com

12 April 2021 is set to be an eventful day in England, as non-essential shops, community centres, and outdoor dining open for the first time in months. Yet, for the capital’s skincare aficionados there’s another reason to mark calendars – Dr. Barbara Sturm is opening her first London spa and boutique. 

The treatments 

Located in London’s Mayfair neighbourhood, the new spa will offer Dr. Sturm's signature, groundbreaking facials as well as a new range of treatment options exclusive to the London flagship. These include the Signature Sturm Glow Facial; a transformative anti-aging treatment that refreshes the skin surface through cleansing, exfoliation and extractions, followed by Sturm’s trademark massage for toning facial contours.

Also on the menu is the new Anti-Aging Body treatment, which uses the brand's signature blend of non-surgical technology and anti-inflammatory formulations to smooth and brighten skin on every part of the body. 

The method 

All of Dr. Barbara Sturm’s treatments are indicative of her belief that it’s possible to completely transform skin without the use of invasive surgeries.

Sturm began her career in orthopedics as part of the team that developed the revolutionary ‘Kobe Procedure’, which used patient’s own blood cells to produce proteins that reduce inflammation and stimulate the healing process.

By 2002, Dr. Sturm had translated the scientific methods of her orthopedic practice into skincare with her now-legendary ‘MC1’ cream, which used patients' own blood plasma to dramatically rebuild damaged skin. 

While the plasma-based ‘vampire facial’ that has become synonymous with Dr. Sturm’s name is not on the London menu, the new location is home to plenty of groundbreaking skincare technology and treatments.

As Dr. Sturm told Wallpaper*, the spa features ‘myolift microcurrent technology, which uses electrical currents to define the facial contours while boosting collagen, reducing puffiness and tightening pores, as well as micro-needling and microdermabrasion. My Professional Line – a new, medically-advanced skincare collection only offered in-spa after personal consultation – will also be available at the London flagship.’ 

The Space 

Although the opening of the brand’s London location was delayed by Covid, Dr. Sturm asserts that the ultimate mission of the spa has not been affected by the current pandemic. ‘Healthy skin is always the goal.' 

‘COVID does not change that, in fact, it makes it even more essential during a pandemic that creates new aggressions to the skin. My treatment protocols and product inventions are designed to create healthy, beautiful skin.’

But for those who are wary of venturing back into their typical spa routine, the London location will still offer contactless services; from courier deliveries and 1-to-1 virtual tours and private appointments with aestheticians, to consultations via FaceTime and WhatsApp to help customers find the best products and ingredients for their skin’s needs. 

INFORMATION

drsturm.com

The year 2020 altered the landscape of many industries, but its effect on beauty and grooming has been particularly revolutionary, including the demand for new skincare technology. ‘The past year has led to a steep rise in sleep loss and poor eating habits, not to mention a lack of Vitamin D thanks to stay-at-home orders – all of which has had a huge impact on our skin,’ says Jo Barnard, founder of London-based design agency Morrama.

‘At the same time, with salons being forced to close, consumers have had to take their beauty regimes entirely into their own hands, leading to a rise in DIY pampering at home.’ In response to this new reality, Morrama has created Future Skincare, a collection of three conceptual product designs that imagine the kind of skincare technology our new post-2020 world will call for. 

The most inventive of Morrama’s creations is The Patch, a facial sticker designed to combat breakouts with a unique temperature-changing mechanism. The product’s heat function releases a vitamin-rich serum into the skin and simultaneously increases blood flow to promote optimum surface rejuvenation. The alternative cool-down function can be used before or after the heat treatment to reduce redness and soothe irritation, both common effects of mask-wearing. 

Morrama’s The Masque is also designed to fight breakouts, but this time specifically around the mouth and nose. An adjustable mask designed to fit any head size, The Masque transmits heat and bacteria-killing blue light to combat the new and pervasive problem of ‘maskne’. 

The last of the three products is The Masseur, a kind of electronic gua-sha or face massager. The product’s antimicrobial copper alloy ball releases soothing vibrations that reduce muscle tension and support lymphatic drainage. 

Together, Morrama's designs address the irritation, sallowness, and acne that can be caused by persistent stress, sleep-deprivation, lack of sunlight, and mask-wearing. Although these specific designs are still in the prototype stage, products like these may soon become a mainstay of skincare regimes.

INFORMATION

morrama.com

Electronic musician Kelly Lee Owens and sustainable skincare brand Haeckels has teamed up to create a new candle.

Called Acton’s Lock no.7, the candle marks the first collaboration between Haeckels and Owens, and the first product Haeckels has created outside of its homebase in the seaside town of Margate, UK.

Haeckels was founded in 2012 when volunteer beach warden Dom Bridges started making his own skincare formulations from seaweed that had washed up along the Margate coastline. Eleven years on, the brand has become one the most respected and innovative names in natural skincare, winning a Wallpaper* Design Award for its compostable mycelium packaging and launching the world’s first grown-to-order face masks. 

The brand has also opened up its first London outlet in the city's Hackney neighbourhood, just meters away from the real Acton’s Lock no.7. The area is located along East London’s canal, an urban waterway that snakes through what used to the industrial heart of the city and today is flanked by converted warehouses and the skeletal remains of old gasworks.

It’s also home to some of the city’s most notable electronic music venues, Oval Space and EartH, places Owens used to perform before the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of all venues, clubs, and skincare store alike.

In an effort to support the hard-hit music industry, Owens and Haeckels have decided to donate 40 per cent of Acton’s Lock no.7’s proceeds to the Music Venue Trust, which is dedicated to rebuilding nightlife after lockdown.

The candle also comes with a scannable QR code which can be used to download soundscapes curated by Owens. The tracks are meant to be listened to while burning the candle, in effect creating a fully-immersive sensory experience to be had at home in the weeks and months before other venues open again. 

As Owens says of the collaboration, ‘[Haeckels] is genuinely my favourite company, whose products I use every day. Everything they do connects back to nature, sustainability and a true passion for the planet and people’s well-being. Innovation and care are at the heart of everything they create. I hope this candle and experience the QR code brings with it, allows you to experience a moment of rest and nourishment.’

INFORMATION
haeckels.com