If it's new and you need to know about it, it'll be in our weekly round-up of the latest beauty and wellness drops
Cult brands have been busy this week, with everyone from Cerave to Huda Beauty to The Inkey List unleashing new products on us. Here we share our thoughts on the newbies worth adding to your skin, body and hair care regimes.
Lixirskin Universal Oil, £39 for 100ml
Loved by: Catherine Fullwood, commercial partnerships manager
"This is Lixirskin’s first venture into body and it’s yummy. It's the ultimate all-in-one for body, hair, bath and shower. Formulated with squalene and camelia, evening primrose and raspberry oils, Universal Oil leaves the skin glowing with a subtle sheen and perfectly hydrated – everything I need for my skin this summer. I loved applying to my hair for a delicious scalp massage and then popping a capful in the bath for that double whammy!"
Ilia Super Skin Tint SPF 40, £40 for 30ml
Loved by: Ophelia Froud, GTG contributor
"Do you need a new SPF for those outdoor social gatherings you’ve got booked in? Say hello to Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint. It’s a clever mash-up of skincare, makeup and sun protection. The SPF40 is a tinted non-nano zinc oxide that protects from UVA, UVB, blue light and infrared rays so if you are sunning yourself in the local pub garden or Zooming in front of a screen all day your skin is protected. The formula blends hyaluronic acid, plant-based squalane and niacinamide to even tone, soften fine lines and blur those pesky imperfections so as well as protecting it’s also perfecting. Genius. And if that wasn’t enough it’s silicone-free, fragrance-free, chemical screen-free and non-comedogenic so won’t cause spots. There are 18 shades in the range but they do sell out fast. A little goes a long way but I loved not having to layer on my usual library of serums followed by an SPF and the finish was super dewy."
MORE GLOSS: The best skin tints for sheer, glowing coverage
The Body Shop Avocado Body Butter, £16
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
"I’ve been using The Body Shop’s Body Butter since I was at school and I’m not the only one. A Body Shop Body Butter sells one every three seconds and they’ve just had a 2021 revamp; the newest iteration is made with at least 95 per natural origin ingredients, is registered by The Vegan Society and housed in fully recyclable packaging with aluminium lids, with the tubs made from 100 per cent recycled plastic, much of it collected from the streets of Bengaluru in India through The Body Shop’s partnership with Plastic for Change. This avocado edition is a brand new member of the family with a fresh scent that combines apple, almond and green vegetables with avocado, coconut milk and vanilla. The formula itself is just as rich and creamy as you'd expect from The Body Shop too, leaving skin soft and nourished."
Florence by Mills Hit Reset Moisturising Mask Pearls, £28.85
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, design and social media manager
"This tube houses countless teeny-tiny mask capsules ; crush two in your hand and apply as you would any other face make. They pack a real punch when it comes to hydrating and are a great way to reset tired, dry and dehydrated skin. I use them three to four times a week as an overnight mask and the nourishing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide , shea butter and apricot kernel always leave my lacklustre skin transformed and glowing in the AM. They couldn’t be easier to use either; just crush the pearls and apply them to skin completely mess-free!"
Huda Beauty Power Bullet Cream Glow Sweet Nudes lipstick, £22
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, GTG columnist
"Huda Kattan and the team at Huda Beauty have released the new spring must-have in the form of the cream glow bullet. In an array of colours to suit every complexion, they are an amazingly hydrating, soft yet rich and intensely pigmented collection of lipsticks. For those of us that like to add a touch of balm on top of our colours these are an all-in-one. Perfectly combine them with the brand's new Lip Contour 2.0 Pencil , £17, to create dimension and give your pout an ultra kissable appearance."
Cerave Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £17 for 30ml
Loved by: Catherine Fulwood, commercial partnerships manager
"I’m a big fan of the creamy serum formulation of Cerave’s latest launch. Hyaluronic acid is one of my non-negotiables when it comes to my daily routine. It can be used alone, layered under moisturiser, or as a makeup base, but I’ve actually been applying post-bath as a moisture hit pre-bed and then topping up in the morning before I apply the rest of my skincare. Just a little goes a long way for that ultimate hydration hit."
E Cooking 50+ Serum, £49 for 30ml
Loved by: Marie-Louise Pumfrey, GTG contributor
"My face has been loving this serum which I’ve been using at night. It contains stem cells from wild olive trees which help repair and develop new cells plus there’s CBD from citrus peel to renew and fresh the skin. It’s gentle and ideal for sensitive and irritated skin. E Cooking is a Danish natural skincare collection with a refreshingly straight forward approach and cool branding. It was founded in 2015 by a skincare expert using the best organic and natural ingredients. The 50+ serum is allergy certified, vegan, fragrance free, plus, the packaging is recyclable. Consider me impressed."
Escentric Molecules M+ Molecule 01+ Iris, Mandarin or Patchouli, £95 each
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
"These three fragrances from cult genderless perfumer Escentric Molecules flew off the shelves when they launched last week and are currently waitlisted on Cult Beauty – and we urge you to get yourselves on there. The original Molecule fragrance (which you can’t smell on yourself but drives others wild. It works on your pheromone receptors, not one for social distancing!) has a huge celebrity following from Jake Gyllenhaal to Jennifer Aniston. It’s consistently a bestseller on Cult Beauty (in fact it was the first product the website ever stocked). Now perfumer Geza Schoen has added one natural fragrance note to the original single molecule of Iso E Super scent of the original. If you love softer florals go for the sophisticated Iris (my favourite), the Mandarin is super-fresh and Patchouli woody without being fusty."
Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow Foundation, £34
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, GTG columnist
"I take umbrage with foundations usually, as I find them to be drying or cakey. Personally, I opt for a tinted moisturiser or a serum-based product, however, Givenchy's Glow Foundation has me seriously reconsidering my life choices. Not only does it provide a glowy, light yet buildable coverage, it doubles up as skincare due to its non-comedogenic (doesn't block pores) and hydrating formula. So you are left with a dewy and radiant finish, perfect for this seasons much loved no-makeup makeup look."
Bloom and Blossom Legs Eleven Cooling Leg Serum, £29 for 100ml
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
"Like everyone I know, I've taken up walking in a big way this year. The weekends mainly consist of 20km walks and when I get home my legs sure are weary. So I'm rather taken with this cooling serum which uses peppermint leaf oil and aloe vera leaf juice to relieve tired legs and swollen ankles. It feels refreshing and zingy and my legs instantly feel lighter. I'm yet to try out being pregnant , but I imagine this would be a godsend to the swollen ankles I hear come with being with-child. Just smooth it on from ankles and to knees and feel heavy legs float away."
Scientia Green Supreme CBD Vegi-Tox Smoothie Serum, £28 for 40ml
Loved by: Catherine Fulwood, commercial partnerships manager
"The texture of this new launch from Scientia is gorgeous; it feels hydrating, thick and like it's about to do your skin the world of good. You can deliver the magic of a morning smoothie straight to your skin with the blend of antioxidant green goodness including avocado, kiwi, pistachio, broccoli, aloe and sea kale – honestly, I wish they could bottle it up for me to drink too! As a bonus, it looks super chic in the bathroom too - perfect for that shelfie."
MORE GLOSS: What Scientia's founder actually puts on her skin
Palmers Olive Oil Leave-In-Conditioner , £5.29 for 250ml
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, design and social media manager
"Olive oil hair products were a childhood staple for keeping my textured locks hydrated and shiny. However, it’s come a long way from the greasy heavy formulas it was once known for, in exchange for a plethora of sophisticated choices and this new range from Palmer’s is just that. I’m a fan of the whole collection but for me, the best out of the bunch is this leave-in-conditioner. Typically, I opt for cream products and avoid spray leave-ins at all costs because usually they leave my hair feeling matted and on the sticky side, but this was a breath of fresh air and is great for frizz-prone hair like mine. Enriched with Jamaican black castor oil, 100 per cent pure olive oil, vitamin E, keratin and silk proteins this lightweight spray is incredibly nourishing, moisturising and left me with silky smooth hair. Plus, it did a stellar job at taming my flyaways."
The Inkey List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser, £10.99 for 150ml
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
"I've got quite into peat skincare recently (blame Bog Skincare's sheet masks ) so when I learned The Inkey List's latest cleanser has 0.5 per cent nordic peat, which is high in brightening fulvic acid, I was keen to give it a go. It's a gentle gel formula that transforms into a light, soft foam on contact with water. Fulvic acid is known for exfoliating, brightening powers and in this cleanser it works to revive a dull complexion, helped out by Kakadu plum extract to boost radiance and improve skin tone and aloe vera to calm and hydrate. Despite being an exfoliating cleanser, this is gentle enough for sensitive or eczema-prone skin. I found it very soft on my face and a real joy to use for the price. If you're feeling dull, this is one to add to your basket."
Flōa Backcountry Base Layer Leggings, £89
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, GTG columnist
"I think the majority of people these days have taken their workouts outside, even if it's only the designated hour-long walk that Bojo has been prescribing. For outdoor pursuits the right gear is essential. Enter Flōa, known as experts in mountain performance gear. When I received the brand's backcountry base layer set (they do the best half zip top , £99, too) and told that it didn't necessarily need to live under ski gear, I took it for a spin on my daily amble. All I can say is I was blown away and not just by gale-force winds. This incredible fabric is both breathable and warm, lending itself perfectly to an array of sweat-producing activities from yoga, to walking, to running, to cycling, to home office working and even getting cosy on the sofa. The body mapping technology not only makes you look fabulous but you feel incredible too. For me, it took the stress out of layering up as I normally would just in case on my sunny hike the heavens opened and it decided to snow (that happened last week) and allowed me to focus on performance. With sweat-wicking merino wool and four-way stretch, I was able to conquer whatever the steep hills of the Devon countryside threw at me. It's official I'm obsessed, I can't wait to try them on the mountain when we are allowed."