Lumene has been a forerunner of Nordic beauty, much thanks to the use of pure, wild natural ingredients.
— We combine pure Arctic spring water with wild Arctic and Nordic ingredients that are from rare and wild berries, and other natural plants, tells Tiina Isohanni.
Lumene also approaches circular economy by examining the entire life cycle of their products: starting from the concept to development, sourcing, production, and logistics. The products are up to 99% naturally derived ingredients — and counting — and all the skincare and face makeup formulas are vegan and cruelty-free.
— They’re also crafted with wild-harvested native natural ingredients. In comparison to using plants from organic, fair trade, or conventional agriculture, wild harvesting — the practice of harvesting plants from their natural or wild habitat, typically hand-picked — for us as a Nordic brand, stands out as healthier, more sustainable, and more relevant.
The company’s had SPF products in their assortment for a long time but last October, they launched the very first product with mineral SPF, Stay Weightless Foundation with mineral SPF 30. This spring, they continue, dropping three new mineral SPF day fluids NORDIC-C [VALO] Brightening Day Fluid Mineral SPF30, NORDIC BLOOM [LUMO] Anti-wrinkle and Firm Day Fluid Mineral SPF30, and ARCTIC HYDRA CARE [ARKTIS] Protecting Day Fluid Mineral SPF30. All of them developed and manufactured in Espoo, Finland.
Isohanni shares that there’s been a growing interest in natural mineral alternatives to chemical SPF products.
— Consumers are also waking up to the importance of sun protection as recommendations nowadays are for daily use, year-round. We didn’t want to bring only one product but three that suit different skin types with different needs. NORDIC BLOOM [LUMO] is for aging skin and helps to diminish the appearance of wrinkles and make the skin look firmer thanks to Nordic berry pre-retinol and patented Nordic lingonberry extract; NORDIC-C [VALO] is for skin that needs more radiance glow infused with vitamin-C-rich wild Arctic cloudberry that brightens the skin, and ARCTIC HYDRA CARE [ARKTIS] for sensitive and dry or dehydrated skin soothes and protects it due to its Nordic oil blend, Beta complex, and Arctic spring water, she tells, continuing,
— I’m especially proud of the vegan formula that applies easily, without residue, and suits all skin types. Our R&D worked a lot to create it since formulas containing mineral SPF are quite often difficult to create and slightly unpleasant to use. The mineral SPF filter is the natural mineral zinc oxide. It works as a physical UV protection that disperses and reflects the sun’s UVA and UVB radiation away from the skin, protecting the skin from the sun’s harmful effects. This is very different from chemical UV filters that absorb UV rays.
We see a growing concern on SPF products, and how it affects the water. Can you tell us more?
— The deterioration of coral reefs around the world is a major concern. The factors that contribute to it are very complex and it is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that extreme climate events and warming sea temperatures are the major contributing factors.
— Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution available and some of the ingredients in sunscreen may damage delicate coral reefs. Because most chemical UV filters are lipophilic, they tend to bioaccumulate in aquatic environments. The accumulation of organic UV filters in living organisms is a concern since, for example, oxybenzone and octinoxate are suspected to have potential endocrine-disrupting properties and have shown effects on coral reefs due to the bleaching of corals at low concentrations.
How do you work to minimizing the damage?
— We’re in the process to formulate away the mentioned UV filters and use more and more non-nano zinc oxide since it’s not suspected to be an endocrine disruptor. In that perspective, it’s a safer choice based on current scientific research. Concerning of effect on corals, there are some studies available showing that zinc oxide can also be a similar type issue, but more studies are needed to understand the real difference between chemical UV filters and mineral sunscreens better.
— However, we do know that over exposure to the sun has detrimental effects on human health. In any case it is important to use broad spectrum sun protection as a part of you sun protection regime.
What else do you have coming?
— We have quite interesting launches coming up this year and another big thing is continuing the work with a more inclusive shade range. We have already started some years ago and continue this year. We’re following up this spring’s launch with a new shade on our skincare infused makeup range, INVISIBLE ILLUMINATION, by expanding the shade range of our most popular foundation range, CC Color Correcting Cream SPF 20.
