It launched this week in the UK to make our beauty regimes into self-care rituals with skincare, body care and air care (that's candles, to you and me)
This week sees the long-awaited arrival of Alicia Keys' wellness brand Keys Soulcare on UK soil, with the nine-piece collection landing exclusively on Cult Beauty. The range, created in collaboration with drugstore beauty brand E.L.F features skincare, body care and 'air care' encouraging us to see beauty as self-care, creating rituals in everyday routines. Don't call them products, they are 'offerings' according to the singer. This is not just transactional beauty, it's caring for your soul. Expect a mix of performance skincare, affirmations and (thanks to E.L.F) accessible £10-£35 prices.
Keys Soulcare taps into a wider trend of emotional (or emo) beauty, as highlighted by Cult Beauty's founder Alexia Inge, when she spoke to Alicia on Instagram live ahead of the UK launch. "Emotional beauty is about products that we choose for their spirit-enhancing, sensory and emotionally supportive effects rather than for their external purpose, such as removing dry skin," Alexia explains. The rise of the ritual is set to continue in 2021 according to Boots' Beauty Trends Report 2021, released this week, with consumers looking for products and treatments to provide heightened levels of calm and relaxation. When we can't go to the spa, we bring the spa to us.
Indeed, the nine Soulcare offerings, including the Golden Cleanser , £20, Skin Transformation Cream , £30, Comforting Balm , £10, Harmony Mask , £28, Be Luminous Exfoliator , £22, Fragrance-Free Skin Transformation Cream , £30, Reviving Aura Mist , £22, Obsidian Face Roller , £25, and Sage and Oat Milk Candle , £35, are here to elevate the everyday, turning mundane acts into self-celebratory moments. "We're so busy all the time that I don't think we create these small rituals for ourselves," says Alicia, 39. "Even the five minutes it takes to wash my face — when I’m able to create that space for myself I feel more beautiful, more powerful, more possible. That’s soulcare."
Alicia has divided up her offerings, which are clean, cruelty-free and developed with New York dermatologist Renee Snyder, into six soul-nurturing rituals to suit what you need when you need it, including The Comfort Ritual, comprising of the candle, cleanser, mist, moisturiser, face roller and balm, designed to soothe stressed skin and restore emotional balance, strength, and calm for an enhanced sense of well-being. The ritual advises you to light the candle before using the skincare collection to lift your spirits, cleanse your complexion and restore your radiance.
The Goddess ritual sounds equally lovely, designed to be performed daily to hydrate the skin and create a feeling of empowerment with the candle, moisturiser and roller. Alicia wants us to carve out time for ourselves each day and it's easy to be motivated to when the products are this inviting. Read on for your full introduction to the collection and get ready to add them all to your online basket...
Keys Soulcare Golden Cleanser, £20
So-called thanks to the turmeric and manuka honey in the ingredients list, this golden anti-oxidant rich cleanser calms and refreshes the skin, with activated charcoal to purify. It lathers into a soft foam with a spa-like scent that will make you look forward to washing your face.
Keys Soulcare Skin Transformation Cream, £30
Ceramides, hyaluronic acid and natural retinol alternative bakuchiol all come together in this plumping cream that delivers long-lasting hydration with subtle aromatherapeutic scent. It also comes in a fragrance-free iteration , also £30, if you prefer. Alicia wants us to say the mantra 'I welcome all circumstances as catalysts for change' while using this, but we're mostly preoccupied with the inclusion of malachite in the ingredients, a stone known as the stone of transformation, which dials up the dewiness and purifies the skin.
Keys Soulcare Comforting Balm , £10
This soothing salve can be applied to lips, elbows, cuticles and heels or anywhere that needs an extra bit of TLC, leaving a luminous shine in its wake – apply it to the high points of your face for a highlighter effect. It has brightening camelia seed oil, elasticising avocado oil and barrier-boosting shea butter in the ingredients list and it subtly scented with vanilla for a cocooning feel. The mantra for this one is 'I surround myself with things that are good for me' which is pleasant in itself!
Keys Soulcare Harmony Mask , £28
This hydrating mask is laced with gold foil for an ultra-luxe face mask ritual – Cleopatra herself loved the ingredient for its radiance-boosting properties, apparently, so you just know it's going to be decadent. Manuka honey deeply hydrates while activated charcoal purges impurities. It's scented with warming sandalwood for a perfect end of the day treat.
Keys Soulcare Be Luminous Exfoliator, £22
This water-activated powder exfoliator helps reveal your glowiest skin ever, buffing away dead skin cells. Adding a few drops of water transforms the powder into a soft foam laced with micro-granules that work gently yet effectively. Ingredients include exfoliating lactic acid, green-tea and oats for a softer texture.
Keys Soulcare Reviving Aura Mist, £22
A ritualistic take on face mists , this balances the skin with witch hazel and promotes a sense of calm with a natural rose scent. A couple of spritzes instantly awakens the skin and lifts your mood thanks uplifting rose .
Keys Soulcare Obsidian Face Roller, £25
An essential in making your skincare regime feel extra special, this sultry black roller depuffs the skin and encourages blood flow while making your routine feel extra special. Squeak free to ensure the ritual remains zen, the roller is made from volcanic glass and lava to smooth skin and soothe worries.
Keys Soulcare Sage and Oat Milk Candle , £35
No ritual is complete without lighting a candle and this is one of the loveliest we've tried. It has a smooth, smoky scent to banish stresses with sage cleansing the air and oat milk creating a sense of calm, no matter how stressful your day. Lighting this signals the start of your wind-down routine, we just have to resist lighting it earlier in the day...