Beauty-tech combats blackheads
Swedish global beauty-tech player Foreo’s latest innovation, Kiwi, features Kiwi and Kiwi derma. The devices are designed with advanced diamond microdermabrasion and vacuum suction technology to offer skin-rejuvenating and deep-cleansing treatments and work against stubborn blackheads, uneven skin texture, and visible signs of aging. Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that uses a handheld device with fine crystals or diamonds to exfoliate the skin’s outer layer. Combined with microdermabrasion, vacuum suction optimises the efficiency and benefits of the treatment. It accelerates the exfoliation process by immediately suctioning away dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and extracting impurities that have accumulated in the pores. The launch also includes the drop of a special skincare collection to optimise the treatment.
Bodycare for each and every one
In 2021, Katja Rosasco founded Meishai, aiming to provide Asthma Allergy Nordic-certified high-performance haircare to everyone. It’s perhaps the hardest certification to receive, with the most strict demands on a product’s ingredients list. The Copenhagen-based brand’s line of products is not only certified but also free of perfume — yet with a premium feel — and hormone-disrupting ingredients. The same goes for last month’s addition — the Shower Gel, where a creamy lather not only cleanses but also nourishes and softens the skin. Key ingredients include glycerine, Vitamin B5, aloe vera juice, and Pentavitin, a natural and plant-derived active ingredient for hydration. It’s a carbohydrate complex — similar to the skin’s own natural moisturizing factors — which also reduces Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL). Lastly, the aloe vera juice is packed with polysaccharides, enzymes, and vitamin A, B, C and A, to further enhance its soothing and softening properties.
”I want the makeup to be a visible medium of emotions”
The words are Lucia Pica’s, Creative Image and Makeup Partner of Byredo, on the premium brand’s April launch in the segment, Mineralscapes. The eyes are central in the large, striking palette of 18 eyeshadows and 5 shades of the Ultra Definer Brow Pencil. For the lips comes a hint of liquid colour and the shimmer of water in the singular, gold-flecked Frozen Memo, a Liquid Lipstick Vinyl. They’re all inspired by the colouration and materiality of Byredo’s native Sweden and its natural, rural landscape. They’re all delivered in the sleek silver packaging that has become characteristic for the brand, designed by founder and creative director Ben Gorham.
— Colour is profound. You can never quite explain why we are attracted to certain colours – we just are. I wanted to reflect that here, Pica explains.
Moisturising sun protection
Lumene’s new Fresh Hydration Moisturizer SPF50 is a lightweight moisturizer to provide sun protection against UVB/UVA rays while delivering intense and long-lasting hydration. It is powered with organic Nordic Birch sap, tapped locally from organic certified forests in the Ostrobothnia region, and 2 molecular weights of hyaluronic acid for its moisture-binding effect. After trying for a few weeks, it’s clear that it absorbs instantly without greasy or sticky residue or white cast. Also included in the inci are Nordic algae — even more efficient than hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, according to studies — and, as always, the Arctic spring water.
Acne Studios by Frédéric Malle
In a new collaboration, Acne Studios and Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle meet at the intersection of fashion, perfumery, and art. The perfume has a singular allure. Aldehydes comprise the backbone of the composition, unfolding in the first instance in a pure and crystalline breath, matched by the softness of floral notes with hints of rose, violet, and orange blossom. At the heart of the floral bouquet, a hint of incense appears together with the aldehyde echo. Next comes vanilla alongside creamy sandalwood and a note of peach skin. A softness caresses the skin ”like a comforting mohair sweater” thanks to the note of white musk.
How to maintain skin’s integrity
Manasi 7’s range of premium makeup has become a clear favourite among beauty aficionados across Scandinavia and beyond. Last year saw the launch of the Swedish brand’s first skincare products, and last month, Botanical Face Cream Furora hit the market. It’s formulated with natural, wild harvested and certified organic grape seed oil, marula seed oil, hydrating organic aloe leaf extract, shea butter, and anti-inflammatory biotech-derived Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate and prebiotics. It’s launched with what the brand describes as a commitment to maintaining the skin’s integrity, moisture barrier, and pH balance, to deliver intense hydration without compromising the skin’s natural defences.
Conscious travelling
Premium vegan materials and resistant nylon fabric, metal zippers, and hardware have taken Bon Voy’s toiletry bags — with a detachable and machine-washable inner bag — to a bunch of prestigious retailers. Right in time for the travel season, the brand joins forces with Peace Parks Foundation to support responsible and sustainable travelling. 10% of profits from the bag featuring a print with a South African-inspired craftsmanship directly supports Peace Parks Foundation. One of the foundation’s significant initiatives is the support to the SA College for Tourism, which equips women from nearby communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the tourism industry. This to empower these women, providing them with opportunities for education and economic independence.
A taming oil
Conscious haircare brand Björk’s latest product, Tämja (Swedish for tame), is a nourishing oil for all hair types. It has a fruity fragrance with hints of watermelon and is enriched with shea butter, sunflower, and jojoba oil that moisturises, softens, and tames frizz. It also contains oat oil — rich in ceramides — that prevents wear and provides shine. It has UV and heat protection, blocks humidity, and includes vitamin E and rosemary leaf extract, for stronger hair against external pollution.
The secret of Madagascar’s Bourbon vetiver
For this spring and summer, British fragrance maker Molton Brown brings Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver, a new citrus-woody creation, to market. It’s created with high fragrance concentrations and refined woody notes are described to extend the scent trail. Senior Perfumer Julie Massé has taken inspiration from the natural joy that clementines evoke and recreated it as an accord by combining several citrus notes, such as clementine and lime, together. They’re joined by fig leaves and roasted hazelnut, moss, and deep Bourbon vetiver, to bring smoky depth while drawing out leathery-suede accents. The Bourbon vetiver is a type of vetiver from Madagascar with a smokier scent compared to the more widely used Haitian variant. The farmers grow the organic vetiver sustainably and are also working on a project to convert waste from the vetiver distillation process into compost or fuel for powering the distillery.
— Clementine to me is sunshine all year long. It’s an instant injection of optimistic energy and warmth, inspiring me to connect with nature and reclaim a sense of peace, says Massé.
The shaving routine reimagined
For several years, Estrid has been a driving factor in removing stigmas and sparking a new, more modern conversation in Scandinavia around shaving. Last month, the brand introduced a new, 3-step body care routine. The first step in the shower and shave routine, The Essential Exfoliant, tackles ingrowns, irritation, and bumps in a cleansing, lathering vegan formula that can be used every single day. The Ultimate Shave Gel’s gel-to-cream formula comforts, nourishes, soothes and hydrates skin while shaving, leaving the skin smooth and irritation-free. The final step, The Everyday Body Lotion, nourishes and adds a dewy finish to post-shave skin. The series also comes with a new signature scent with neroli and notes of green tea, musk, and bergamot.
A spring cocktail of actives
One of the most renowned Swedish skincare brands, Acasia, has been acquired by Lyko, and continues to expand the product range. Just the other week, the Bright-C Super Serum was introduced. It’s formulated to brighten and even out the skin tone while promoting collagen production for a radiant, healthy glow. The active ingredients include 15% ascorbic acid and 0,5% of ferulic acid, a powerful antioxidant that maximises the benefits of Vitamin C.
The ”golden hour glow”
Fenty Beauty’s newest foundation aims to deliver that suddenly softened, evened-out, lit-from-within finish that only a golden hour can create. Soft’Lit Naturally Luminous Longwear Foundation comes with medium, high-performance coverage and additional skin-enhancing benefits to bring all skin types and tones that natural radiance and all-day hydration, without the appearance of shine. Key ingredients include Kakadu plum extract, rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants to brighten skin and improve skin tone overtime, and cyperus papyrus leaf cell extract which helps to provide all-day hydration.
— We spent a long time perfecting the formula for Soft’Lit. To get that perfect amount of luminosity that’s not too greasy, we needed to make sure that the formula not only delivered the right amount of coverage but delivered skin-enhancing ingredients to brighten and hydrate and mimic the beauty of skin to create that special level of radiance mixed with the high-performance wear, Rihanna comments.
Sun protection enhanced
Dermaceutic’s renovated Sun Ceutic 50+ offers a cleaner, more scientifically refined composition. The French brand has dedicated three years to extensive research and development to create a more effective, environmentally friendly formula. The in-house R&D team has reduced the INCI list by removing 17 ingredients, making the product suitable for a wider range of skin types and by having controversial substances removed being able to deliver efficacy and safety. Organic filters, known for their lightweight and transparent qualities, enhance the product’s appearance, making it less prone to the white cast associated with some mineral filters. Among them are liposoluble filters that do not dissolve in oceans. It also features a tenfold increase in hyaluronic acid concentration for moisture retention, limiting dryness-related aging. The stem cell stimulator is a potent anti-aging active, giving the product advanced age defence properties. It stimulates the production of epidermal stem cells to reduce signs of aging and damaged skin, combined with anti-inflammatory, soothing, and repairing properties.
