Value beauty brand Skin Academy has unveiled its first premium products – which it claims is the UK’s first mass-market, sustainable and 100% natural skincare range.
Called Skin Academy Zero, it comprises six SKUs, with rsps from £9.99 to £12.99 (25ml to 100ml): Eye Cream, Facial Scrub, Night Cream, Day Cream, Facial Wash and Hand Cream.
All are made with only natural, plant-based ingredients such as coconut oil, shea butter and sweet almond oil. Fragrance is derived from the likes of geranium, chamomile and jasmine, while the preservative is a blend of basil, star anise, sugarcane and rapeseed. Scrub particles are made from apricot seed.
Aimed at millennials of all genders, Skin Academy Zero took around 18 months to create, with the biggest challenge being finding a plant-based preservative to prevent bacterial growth and ensure an 18-month shelf-life.
“We really, really struggled to get this to 100% natural,” said Richard Jorden, MD of Skin Academy owner Quest Personal Care Global. “The thing that everyone else has in that’s synthetic is the preservative. Ours isn’t.”
Zero’s Eye Cream, Facial Scrub, Facial Wash and Hand Cream are packed in a bio-plastic tube with recycled plastic lid. Night Cream and Day Cream come in a glass jar with a bamboo lid and recycled plastic inner thread. All six are further packaged in a cardboard box featuring 15% recycled card.
While Zero was Skin Academy’s highest-priced range to date, it was still aimed at offering “affordable beauty” said Jorden. “We’re selling £30 products for £12.99.”
Zero’s closest comparable brand is Herbivore Botanical Skincare, which retails at a starting price of around £37. Such brands were “not mass-market or affordable to most people” he added.
Skin Academy launched in late 2017 centred on a range of basic face masks. It now comprises the likes of mud and jelly masks, gel eye patches, lip balm and nail masks. As well as Zero, it has a number of other sub-brands, including Pure for sensitive skin, Ink’d for people with tattoos, and Clear for tackling spots.
No comments yet