From the niche new beauty brands doing something different, to the industry’s evergreen icons, Sophie Bew opens up AnOther’s dream vanity. Up this week – a serum balancing yin and yang to soothe skin
- Who should use it? Anyone in search of healthier skin
- How long until I love it? The distinctive scent of this serum makes it an instant joy to use. Improved skin texture and bounciness within two weeks of daily applications will have you hooked
- How planet-/people-friendly is it? Reome bottles are made from recycled glass and boxes from recycled coffee cups, formulations are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and two per cent of the brand’s total revenue is pledged to charities that offer safe spaces to women and children
- How do I use it? Pat onto dry, clean skin and give it a few minutes to penetrate before applying any creams on top
Skincare expert Joanna Ellner took a jump from her 15-year strong career as an award-winning beauty journalist into acupuncture in 2016. Once board-certified, she began a beautifying acupuncture practice at 180 Health Club, offering lifting, brightening facial acupuncture alongside a traditional, holistic full-body practice. Beloved for her soothing voice, calm and caring interrogation during her consultations and her elegant application, Ellner makes being needled feel like going to the spa (her warm gua sha facial massage certainly helps).
But with Reome, Ellner’s own skincare line launched in January this year, the beauty expert combines her science- and product-driven past with her healing present. The Active Recovery Broth marks the brand’s maiden voyage: a serum balancing the yin and yang of bio-ferments and bio-mimetics. The former is the botanical yin – including fermented ingredients such as probiotic-potent minerals, plumping high beta-glucan oats, softening sacred lotus flower (a traditional ingredient in Asian medicine), soothing radish root extract and hydrating snow fungus. The latter offers the lab-created yang, including vitamins B5 and E, tone-evening Niacinimide P3, a cubed form of ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid (with a multi-layer penetrating spectrum of 50-2500 kDA) and free radical-fighting custard apple adaptogens. Restoring skin barrier strength, this yin-yang recipe serves to tackle multiple skincare complaints – calming, nourishing, smoothing, hyper-hydrating, heightening radiance and glow, firming and re-densifying, softening, plumping and supporting the metabolic function of the skin.
This attention to balance is, of course, rooted in Ellner’s training in traditional Chinese medicine, in which it’s believed both the grass and the soil must be tended to for the flower to bloom. And while the ingredients are impeccably sourced and balanced, the attention to pleasure is key, too. The serum concentrate’s signature scent is difficult to describe: a little earthy but chic, not hippie; there’s a touch of the La Mer about it, spa-like but not over-perfumed. Then, the packaging and pipette: minimalistic but with attention to detail – the teeny totem is sculptural, the rubber stopper pleasing to administer.
Able to slip into both long-winded or low-key routines alike, Reome’s Active Recovery Broth is no doubt already a staple for many.
Reome Active Recovery Broth is available at Space NK.
