As you are all very aware by the name of the website I am someone who is utterly obsessed with beauty products and have been from a very young age, as long as I can remember in fact. I have had this website for over six years now and although it's part of the gig to review beauty products, I still get excited when new products land on my desk and I am always keen to add something new into my routine.
I am always on the lookout for what's new and what's trending online and on social media and one of the brands I keep seeing pop up is Emma Lewisham and I have been lucky enough to of been sent a few of the products from the range to trial and chat to Emma herself about the brand.
Emma on her background and inspiration for the brand:
Emma Lewisham was founded with a single purpose: to make a meaningful difference in the beauty industry. For us, achieving a meaningful difference means setting a new standard in skincare.
I live in Auckland New Zealand with my husband and 1 year old daughter. I have over a decade of business experience and turned down a CEO role for a Japanese multinational, in order to pursue Emma Lewisham Skincare as I’ve always had an interest in cosmetics and chemistry and problem-solving. I’ve also been a member of Zonta International for 10 years and served on their board, they’re a leading global organisation of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy.
Within a very short timeframe, I lost my mother to cancer and became pregnant with my first child. It was a pivotal time in my life and put me on a path of thinking deeply about my lifestyle and the things I did every day.
I started to change the way I ate and replaced my personal care products with 100% natural and clean alternatives. I’d always used luxury skincare lines formulated to deliver real results, and when I went looking for a natural and clean version that offered the same science, I couldn’t find it. I was used to buying very high performance, premium crèmes and serums. Suddenly I found myself at organic health shops trying to find a natural equivalent. Nothing was going to deliver the results I was used to – I stared at products with 100% argan oil and shea butter and thought, “this is not going to give me the results I need.”
One of the products I see pop up regularly is the Skin Reset Serum which is a serum that helps to even skin tone, add an overall glow to the skin whilst being hydrating and nourishing. The serum contains a blend of Phytonutrients, Plant Stem Cells, Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, Aminos and Omega Fatty Acids.
As I am someone with paler skin and freckles my skin can sometimes look a bit blotchy and uneven, I have incorporated this serum into my routine and have found that it has helped to even out my skin tone and I do notice that when I use it consistently my skin has a definite glow to it. It feels very luxurious on the skin and leaves my skin feeling instantly smooth and hydrated, as it's a serum consistency it absorbs well into my skin and sits beautifully under my other products.
When I asked Emma about how she chose what products went into the range she stated that they stemmed from her own needs.
"Our Skin Reset serum for evening skin tone, for example, was borne out of my frustration at not being able to find a solution for my hyperpigmentation. Growing up in New Zealand, I spent a lot of time in the sun without understanding the impact it could have on my skin later in life, and the consequences of not wearing sunscreen. By my mid-twenties I had brown patches on my face (hyperpigmentation) and was trying everything I could to get rid of it as it really knocked my confidence." -Emma Lewisham
If there is one thing that I have learnt over my years of writing and having an obsession with skincare is that sunscreen truly is one of the most important parts of our daily routines, I always make a habit of using an SPF on a daily basis as the last step in my skincare routine.
"The number one essential is wearing sun protection daily. It is hands down the best product we can use for our health and to slow down the signs of aging. I am very active in promoting this as a core product in our customer's skincare routines." -Emma on the importance of sunscreen.
The range currently has two sunscreens, one being the Skin Shield Daily Face Antioxidant Protect + Repair SPF30 which whilst protecting your skin from daily sun exposure also contains ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid which works as a humectant that draws moisture into the skin, Sea Buckthorn helps to stimulate collagen production and even skin tone and Organic Prickly Pear is well known for its antioxidant properties.
The second SPF in the range is the Skin Shield SPF30 which contains Hyaluronic Acid, Organic Prickly Pear, Organic Kakadu Plum, Raspberry Seed Oil and Zinc Oxide which offers protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Whenever I get to chat with a brand founder I always like to ask them what are the key essentials they look for in a skincare routine, here is Emma's response:
"I look for products that are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, which are powerhouses for the skin. That’s why one of our signature oils is Organic Kakadu Plum. Vitamin C is one of the most research-backed skincare ingredients, and Kakadu Plum oil has the highest concentration of vitamin C in the world – 100 times more than an orange. It brightens skin tone, reduces dark spots, and encourages cell renewal and collagen growth. Another signature oil is Sea Buckthorn, which has Vitamin A at a concentration that’s 3x higher than carrot, which sits alongside other naturally derived high-tech sources of next-generation highly stable retinol."
The brand has recently added two new products to the range, one being the Supernatural Triple Vitamin A + Face Oil which contains a blend of Vitamins A,B, C and E alongside antioxidants, amino acids, fatty acids and lipids and omegas. The luxurious oil contains three sources of Vitamin A with Bakuchiol which I have heard a lot of about lately and is an ingredient I am very intrigued by. It's well known for its ability to be as powerful as retinol whilst being less irritating.
I have been incorporating this product into my routine since I first got it and I love the way it makes my skin look and feels, my skin feels smoother and the overall texture and tone of my skin appears more even-toned. As it's an oil I find that it's very nourishing on my skin and always leaves my skin with a glow, I only apply it at night after I have cleansed and toned and before my moisturiser. When using a product with Vitamin A I would always recommend using an SPF during the day no matter the weather or season to make sure your skin is protected.
Along with the above-mentioned face oil, the brand also launched the Supernatural Night Crème, I am always looking for a new moisturiser to add into my routine and this one has been an absolute joy to use. As I have an oily-combination skin type I still need a cream that gives my skin the hydration it needs whilst absorbing well into my skin and not leaving my skin greasy and this one fits the bill.
It absorbs beautifully into my skin and gives my skin all the nourishment it needs, it contains an ingredient called Pentavitin that aims to keep the skin hydrated for up to 72 hours. I love the glow that this product gives to my skin and it looks just as beautiful on its own as it does under makeup.
The brand is very focused on sustainability and recycling, here is Emma on their partnership with TerraCycle:
"We’ve partnered with TerraCycle® to launch New Zealand's first sustainable beauty initiative for all brands of facial skincare products, called the Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle. It’s a free, incentive-based recycling programme to ensure beauty products are kept in circularity. It offers returns, rewards and recycling for not only our own facial products’ packaging but for all brands. People simply hold onto a minimum of four products at a time, return these for recycling via Terracycle, and they’ll receive a $15.00 Emma Lewisham voucher for their efforts and recognition of the value of this material. And the recycled packaging will be turned into items of use, such as picnic tables for the community. "
For more information on the brand's sustainability practices and on TerraCycle Click Here.
" Emma Lewisham’s goal is to be a zero-waste, 100% circular brand. We believe this is the future of beauty and we want to drive this change."
Thank you to Emma for taking the time out to chat with me and for more information on the brand Click Here.
Simon x