We all love a little bit of simplicity don’t we? Sometimes I do feel that we do tend to overcomplicate things whether it be life situation, a routine, what someone has said to us or even in what we decide to use in terms of products we use. With so much knowledge and understanding that we have as humans, we sometimes make a somewhat simple solution or answer a very complex and complicated one. This has also extended to the realm of beauty and skincare, with many of us sometimes using more than ten products in one routines (yes, guilty!) or applying and blending face products to get cheek bones like our favourite celebrities. No matter how complicated things can get, it is absolutely okay to keep things simple and strip things back to the basics. It is from there that we build on these basics to find solutions to the original problem, right?
In the month of April, the brands that I have come across have a very simplistic take on skincare and beauty. This is shown both in their aesthetics, in their product lines and even their brand or founder philosophies. Each and every brand aims to make our lives easier, whether it be using less products in general, simply finding a solution for all or perfectly tailoring a product to suit one’s particular needs. April’s Skincare Discoveries has been a real eye opening one and I have discovered both some really interesting brands and others who are just a little bit more cutting edge than the rest! I introduce to you: new Australian line Equal Beauty, simple and effective Peet Rivko, innovative and game changing ALLÉL and finally, transparent and luxurious Whyld Skincare. Enjoy!!
Equal Beauty
Equal Beauty founded by Jessica Gomes was a really pleasant surprise find for me whilst trawling the Explore feed on Instagram. The range is the brainchild of gorgeous Perth model, Jessica Gomes and is a fragrance free line with a huge focus on two key factors – hydration and protection. Currently the range is quite small, with 5 products in the Equal Beauty line up but each and every one of these products are aimed to give the skin a boost of hydration, protect the skin and also aid in improving the skin’s general health, appearance and texture. The ingredients and the technologies that have been utilised in the Equal Beauty range have been sourced from all over the world.
The brand has stemmed from Jessica’s own experiences and passions in skincare. In a career which has exposed Jessica to lots of skincare advice, both from professionals and insiders, as well having the privilege to play with all sorts of skincare products, there is no doubt that Jessica has had a lot of experience in the area of skincare. “I realised what worked for me and what didn’t. I thought, ‘Why can’t I create a simple skin care line that I trust and know works not just for me but also for other women as well?’ That’s really how the idea of Equal Beauty came to birth” Jessica is quoted saying in an interview. The journey to get the brand up and running from a concept to its final launch in March has in no way been glamorous, with Jessica herself being pushed to tears when writing up her initial business plan. “I hadn’t written an essay in over 10 years and suddenly I was writing a business plan for my business – it was very confronting and the risk suddenly became real” she says in an interview with Gritty Pretty. The passion showed from the model turned beauty entrepreneur is obvious, as she is involved in every part of the brand’s creative process, whether it be formulations, ingredient selection to general brand aesthetics.
Personally, I am just impressed with the attention to detail in the Equal Beauty products and its clear that these are made for not only performance but practicality. The Cleansing Cloths with Hydra Glow made it to my monthly favourites due to its effectiveness but also for its actual design. Each of the specially woven clothes have a little concave dip in them to make it easier for the fingers to remove them from the plastic tub, plus my skin look glowing afterwards. Another example is in the brand’s face masks, each mask has little attachments that hook on to the easr to help keep them in place. Finally, when I did manage to have little play with the serum and mist, I noticed that the both come in airtight bottles that disperse the right amount of product. These small little features in each of the products just enhances the user experience. I also love the uplifting message that the brand shows, with Jessica herself sharing, “I’ve come to learn that beauty is less about how others perceive you and more about how you perceive yourself and how you carry yourself. To me the most beautiful are those with confidence, strength and a sense of self”, something that I couldn’t agree with more.
Equal Beauty can be purchased directly from the Equal Beauty website or at David Jones Department Stores.
Peet Rivko
I stumbled upon Peet Rivko recently, whilst I was doing my usual Instagram trawling (*cough* procrastination) and loved the simple yet fun packaging that they use on their skincare products. Founded by Johanna Peet, the brand is all about skincare that not only performs but is also natural, safe and has zero irritants. The Peet Rivko line is simple (only three products), clean, plant based and can be used on the most sensitive of skins as there are no fragrances and essential oils.
Johanna’s interest in skincare creation came about in her early 20’s, whereby she found her skin rejecting the harsh actives and synthetics in her own skincare products. She began to learn a little bit more about the ingredients in these products and made the conscious effort to switch to plant-based skincare and educate herself on safer and more effective ingredients. When Johanna found out that her best friend swore by a natural face oil in which she just couldn’t afford, she started to make her own simple, natural skincare concoctions. She says ‘through trial and error, I discovered that not all natural ingredients are created equal. Just like the food you eat, it matters where ingredients are sourced and how they make it to your bathroom shelf’. Perhaps what I love most about Johanna and her journey to create Peet Rivko is that she also believes ‘that harsh things do exist in nature. Many plant ingredients commonly used in natural products – like essential oils, limonene, or floral extracts – are also well-known irritants and problematic for those with sensitive skin’. A fact that perhaps many natural skincare companies do not point out and should.
As mentioned earlier, the Peet Rivko line is small and simple, the philosophy behind the brand is that ‘fewer product – with fewer ingredients – mean a simpler, more effective routine’. Whilst I know that keeping routines simple is a little difficult for me, I love this philosophy for those who just do not have the time or patience. The pricing is so affordable, with their Daily Moisturiser retailing for USD$48 for 100ml. It is supposed to be quite a lightweight, yet nourishing formula.
All products from the Peet Rivko can be purchased directly from their website.
ALLÉL
ALLÉL is a super cool and interesting concept, one that I feel may be the future of skincare and beauty. The basis of ALLÉL is to create and recommend products to match our DNA. ALLÉL aims to create an evolution in the $130 billion skincare industry by creating and formulating products matched to specific, individual needs and yield actual resulst, making world class skincare accessible to all. Founded by two doctors and leaders in their field – Dr Anne Wetter and Dr Elisabet Hagert were both intrigued that the knowledge about the key drivers in aging can be found in our genes. These two women started to apply gene aesthetics into skincare, which ultimately lead to the birth of ALLÉL.
So how does it all work? In a nutshell it can be summarised into three steps. Step One requires an order of the DNA test from ALLÉL, which is sent to a preferred address. In this sample kit, a simple and quick swab of the inside of the cheek is all that is required and this sample is sent back to the ALLÉL DNA Laboratories. The second step is basically a waiting game whilst DNA is being analysed to develop a skin profile, unique to the client. This personalised report takes about 5-7 days to complete, giving information about skin profile, skin age, defence systems and tone. The third and final step is recommendation of personalised skincare products and supplements that would be best suited, based on the skin profile. All of the ALLÉL products are made in Switzerland include a minimum of 2-3 active ingredients which are all patented and have clinical trials to shop optimum results.
The whole concept of ALLÉL is very new and very exciting. Whilst the service and the products are not yet available, I cannot help but be really curious about this whole model and how seamless it will be. It would also help many people simplfy their routines as they would have a product that is perfectly tailored to them and their concerns. I also cannot help but be curious about how well each and every product will work! Technology is going at a crazy pace and breakthroughs in science are happening everyday.
According to their website, ALLÉL is due to launch globally in September, so watch this space – I think interesting things are to come!
Whyld Skincare
Whyld Skincare is a newly launched indie brand which caught my eye a little under a month ago for their transparency and no BS attitude towards skincare and beauty…oh and their packaging is also super sleek (which always helps!). Lauren Couture, founder of Whlyd Skincare founded the line in the hope to create a truly ‘luxurious natural brand’ that aligned with her ‘values, ethics, standards for quality, and style’. With an impressive background in the beauty industry, Lauren was a product developer for many well known brands found at Credo Beauty, Goop, Sephora, Nordstrom etc. Her experience allowed her to work with some leading formulators and cosmetic chemists in the green beauty industry and in her work she found that she was left a little disappointed with what she was seeing. Lauren explains that “misleading marketing, green washing, overall unethical business practices, and wildly exaggerated claims that miseducate customers and create unrealistic expectations are some of the issues I saw” which lead her to quit what she was doing and tackle this on first hand with Whyld Skincare.
“My mission at Whyld Skincare is education, honesty, high performance ingredients, style driven aesthetic, and a truly natural, approachable, luxury skincare line” says Lauren. She prides herself on the fact that all of her formulations contain high concentrations of performing botanical actives in which she has carefully selected for the ‘preventative and multi-functional anti-aging and repairing abilities’. Lauren goes on to explain that “we select our ingredients carefully from all over the world, from sustainable sources, including many Certified Organic ingredients and also an emphasis on wild-harvested botanicals from small family owned farms”.
What I love about Lauren and her company Whyld Skincare is that there is an undeniable passion to make quality skincare affordable. She wants to create ‘affordable, approachable luxury that is of the highest quality, without inflating our prices just to “place” themselves in the high end luxury bracket like most brand do’ and her Youth Activating Elixir is a testament to that being priced at USD$76. Lauren explains that “the quality is the exact same as a serum/oil you may find on the market for $180” and features luxurious oils such as Marula, Pomegranate, Watermelon, Crambe, and Chia Seed Oil which ‘all help maintain moisture, provide nourishing essential fatty acids, critical antioxidant protection against free radicals, and a bevy of unparalleled anti-aging vitamins and minerals.’ The products that I am most curious about however is Whyld Skincare’s Dynamic Defense Lotion which Lauren describes as “a heavenly formulation that is super nourishing and protective yet not too heavy for everyday use. It is formulated for both men and women due to its unisex scent profile which makes it amazingly versatile. It is infused with power house antioxidants, vitamins A, C, and E, omega fatty acids, as well as super hydrating and moisturizing botanical oils to nourish and protect the skin”. With an ingredient line up of Tamanu oil, squalene, rose water, chamomile and tea tree, this lotion sounds more than perfect for my combination and sometimes pretty sensitive (damn you eczema!) skin.
Whyld Skincare can be found and purchase on the Amazon and prices range from a super affordable USD$32 to $76 for their products.
Have you seen, used or heard any of the brands mentioned above? What have you found interesting in this month’s skincare discoveries? Please feel free to comment in the comments section below!
