From the perfect serum to wear under SPF to the styling mousse ideal for protective summer hairstyles and a new Byredo candle that smells of summer rain, these are all the new buys you need this summer
It’s almost the start of the official summer holidays so that may mean that you need to add a few new products to your existing skin, body and hair regimes to help cope with the heat, humidity and undoubtedly the rain too! We have put together our round-up of some of the newest beauty launches that we’re relying on to keep our skin protected, our limbs looking glowy and our hair nourished. There’s a brilliant new SPF from Peter Thomas Roth that drenches the skin in hydration, a shampoo from Biolage that will keep hair soft and prevent it from snapping as well as the gradual tanner that doubles up as an aftersun. Enjoy!
The best-smelling self-tan of all time: Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Self-Tan Gelee, £29
"This has to be the chicest and best-smelling self-tan of all time. It’s infused with Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche fragrance, a blend of vanilla, amber, sandalwood and coconut, which is simply 'summer holidays in a bottle'. There's absolutely no wet-biscuit tan smell. It is a tinted gel cream that gives an instant golden glow, with just a hint of shimmer, that then develops over a few hours into a longer lasting tan and zero streaks." SJ Corfield-Smith, GTG Beauty Director
The new cleanser from Caroline Hirons: Skin Rocks The Cream Cleanser, £32
"For those of us who wear only light makeup and SPF, a cream cleanser is the perfect texture to choose, as opposed to thicker cleansing balms, more superficial micellar waters, or astringent foaming cleansers. It’s the first cleanser out of the stable from Caroline Hirons’ Skin Rocks range. The beauty expert who made double cleansing mainstream says this is perfect for a first or second cleanse; I actually use it for both. Just like the Skin Rocks moisturiser, it's brilliant at softening and conditioning the skin - and an absolute winner on skin feel - and protects the barrier with light oils and amino acids. Choose from fragranced and fragrance-free versions." Victoria Woodhall, GTG Editorial Director
The 'it-girl' skin perfector: Nudestix Nudescreen Daily Mineral Veil SPF 30, £28
"This new SPF tinted veil from Nudestix comes in four stretchable shades and is a perfect swap for foundation in summer, with medium to full coverage, giving a sun-kissed, beachy-tanned look. It evens out skin tone, leaving you looking flawless. If tinted SPFs aren't your thing, it comes in a clear option called Dewy Cool. Plus, 'It-girl' Sofia Richie, beauty director at Nudestix, swears by it." Amy Rostas, GTG Beauty and Social Media Assistant
The dark summer candle: Byredo Summer Rain, £64
"Summer rain can be beautiful, right? That's exactly what the latest candle from Byredo aims to capture with a blend of fresh, cool green fig and ginger scents, evoking the essence of rain-soaked leaves and trees and petrichor the earthy fragrance created when rain falls on dry soil on a hot summer's day. It's soothing, sexy, and oh-so chic. With its burn time of up to 60 hours, I'll be keeping this candle lit all summer long." Jemma Thompson, GTG Design and Social Media Manager
The cooling summer serum: The Natural Africa Cape Aloe Serum, £95
"This is the perfect serum to apply under your sunscreen with cooling, quenching, weightless and antioxidant aloe vera juice and aloe vera extract, plus a host of other African antioxidant botanicals, It disappears instantly into your skin without any oiliness or stickiness and it forms an extra line of antioxidant defence against UV-generated, skin cell-monstering free radicals. By night, it’s a brilliant facial aftersun product, so it’s your does-it-all holiday rescue remedy." Ingeborg van Lotringen, Contributing Beauty Editor
The super smoothing primer: Stila All About the Blur Blurring & Smoothing Primer, £32
"This blurring primer magically smooths away imperfections by minimising the look of pores and diffusing fine lines. Its special soft-focus effect has been formulated with a ton of skin nurturing ingredients including hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and niacinamide. I love a makeup/skincare hybrid product and this one gives long lasting hydration, perfect for wearing under makeup, to keep makeup in place on long hot summer days or on its own for bare-faced perfection. " Marie Louise Pumfrey, GTG contributor
The bargain perfect-for-summer masks: Blink Brow Bar Brow & Eye Mask, £4 for a Single Mask or £10 for a box of Three
"I can’t believe what good value these biodegradeable eye and brow masks are for the quality. I’ve already used two of my £10 three-pack. After 20 minutes wearing one, which stayed put during my dynamic yoga practice, it had noticeably plumped out my lines, soothed soreness from hay fever and relieved my dry, itchy eyes. It comes drenched in a hydrating rosewater serum (leaving plenty left over for the rest of the face) and goes on like Wonder Woman mask right over the brows and well as on the under eyes. If you’re travelling put one in your hand luggage - this is perfect for flights too. BBB London also does a lovely an Indian Rose candle, £30 to go with this if you want to go all out for the spa experience at home." VW
The family-friendly SPF balm: Seventy-One Sun Kissed SPF30, £17.90
“Created by two surfer friends, this new SPF brand Seventy One is all about protecting the earth, the sea and skin. This balm is the stand out for me as it’s so convenient, it's water resistant (perhaps as you’d expect with a surfing heritage behind it) and really easy to quickly spread over noses, ears, backs of necks, lips or anywhere else that needs a quick and easy SPF top-up without feeling greasy and sticky. The packaging is made from recycled material and it is completely recyclable. You can use it on kids from three upwards so I shall be slathering it over every member of my family this summer.” SJCS
For model cheeks: Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Colour Balm, £27
"This new blush stick from the legendary Pat McGrath is ideal for the summer season. Its creamy formula provides a healthy, radiant and sunkissed look that suits all skin tones. The highly pigmented blush - you only need a little - blends effortlessly, whether applied with your fingers or a brush. I like to swipe it just above my bronzer and across the bridge for a slightly 'sunburned' effect (with none of the skin damage). It also works beautifully on the lips." AR
The braid protector: Creme of Nature Pure Honey Avocado Styling Mousse, £6.79
"Whenever I wear braids, canerows, or any protective style during the summer, I rely on a trusty styling mousse to maintain them and combat frizz. Enriched with nourishing ingredients such as avocado oil, pure honey, coconut oil, and shea butter, this mousse not only enhances the smoothness and reduces frizz, but also deeply moisturises my hair, leaving it soft, shiny and healthy. With its remarkable ability to provide hold and control for a range of hairstyles, define curls, add shine, and eliminate those pesky flyaways, this styling mousse has become an essential part of my hair care routine." JT
The tan accelerator: Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion, £55
" I’m off to the South of France next week and have been preparing my body with this deeply hydrating cream that is formulated to kick start the tanning process before you see the sun. It contains a melanin-activating peptide plus skin-loving ingredients including vanilla extracts and grape seed oil for hydration and protection. I’m looking forward to getting a quicker, deeper tan next week and although this isn’t an SPF product, it is a great after-sun too and has been proven to extend your tan by four weeks. It smells good too, so win-win!" MLP
The refreshing SPF: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench SPF30 Hyaluronic Cloud Moisturiser, £55
"Broad-spectrum so shielding against UVA and UVB, this also provides a hit of hyaluronic acid and other oil-free hydrating humectants alongside four ceramides and cholesterol to create a barrier-boosting complex and antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and anti-irritants and you have an all-round age-prevention moisturiser so light and silky (and fragrance-free), even the boys will love wearing it." IvL
The summer hair strengthener: Biolage Strength Recovery Shampoo, £13.86
“Biolage is one of those brands I don’t think gets the credit it deserves. Perhaps because the packaging and marketing is on the low-key side, but the products are brilliant and worth your attention. If you put your hair through a lot or like me have bleached hair that lifts in the summer and needs extra TLC then this shampoo (there is a co-ordinating conditioner) is a great option. It contains vegan hydrating squalane to help minimise damage and breakage, has a gorgeous green scent and left my hair looking and feeling better. I’ll take products that deliver over loud noise any day." SJCS
The luxe oil for summer glow: Kama Kumkumadi Facial Oil, £122
"As of this week, one of India’s premier Ayurvedic brands is available in the UK, and if you’d dismissed the ancient Indian ‘science of life’ as a bit woo-woo and ‘hempy’ then Kama Ayurveda will open your eyes. This is ancient biodynamic plant wisdom (they take the most powerful part of the plant at its most potent growth phase) supported by consumer and lab testing with a luxury feel. Yes, the price tag for this ‘kumkum’ or saffron-based and antioxidant-rich oil is premium (it’s the hero product) but I’ve been using just three drops on cleansed skin for brightness and radiance – it’s been studied to reduce pigmentation by 17 per cent. The lovely golden brown colour gives an instant flush of tan too." VW
The sweet summer fragrance: Akro Bake Eau de Parfum, £80
"Akro's latest launch, a bright lemony, creamy fragrance, is the perfect summer scent. It is inspired by lemon cupcakes and opens with zesty citrus notes. As it develops, a luscious blend of creamy vanilla and brown sugar emerges. It's light, fresh and zesty and feels like you're wearing lemony sunshine. It has amazing longevity and guarantees compliments wherever you wander this summer." AR
The holiday nail saviour: Margaret Dabbs London Nail Strengthening Treatment, £16
“Margaret Dabbs was the first to bridge the gap between medical nail and feet treatments and spa type pedicures and manicures. And all of her products are formulated to boost the integrity and health of your nails and the skin surrounding them. The latest is this nail strengthener that contains a celery seed extract to help strengthen weak nails as well as boosting hydration. It has a very slight pink hue to it and can be used on it’s own or as a base coat. I tend to go gel-free during the summer so will be using this to allow my nails a slight reset and reboot.” SJCS