Calling all fellow Scandiphiles! New Nordic natural skincare brand NUORI has just landed exclusively in the UK at Content – and it will set natural beauties’ pulses racing.
True to Scandinavian form, NUORI is the perfect fusion of form and function. Hailing from Denmark, the range is modelled around the concept of ‘freshness’ – a feeling which is evoked instantly by the minimalist yellow and white packaging (with a purpose), down to the contents of the range, which challenge the status quo of shelf-life, efficacy and purity in the beauty industry. In fact, all NUORI products are freshly blended in small batches every twelve weeks before being bottled up in protective packaging which minimizes exposure to air, light, bacteria and mould before and during use to help preserve maximum efficacy.
Intrigued? Find out what founder Jasmi Bonnén had to say below. Or better yet, come to the store on Tuesday the 8th of September for our launch event and be one of the first to try the range and meet the founder! Click here for details.
- What inspired you to create the range?
I got the idea for my own range of fresh skincare already while I was working at L’Oréal. This was over eight years ago, and at the time we were implementing the new EU rules regarding the labelling of cosmetics. One of the new requirements was that all cosmetic products should have a visible expiry date. But there was an exception to this rule, which stated that, if a product had a minimum durability of more than 30 months (i.e. 2,5 years or more) it did not need to have an expiry date, but only the small ‘open jar’ symbol. This symbol tells the consumer how long a product will stay safe after it has been opened, but it says nothing about how long ago the product has actually been made. Not surprisingly, these 30 months became very quickly the big-industry standard for shelf life. As I started reading more about the effect of time on cosmetic formulations, I became convinced that there was a need for a fresh skincare alternative on the market.
- Your concept is centred around ‘Freshness’ – could you tell us more about that? Why was it so important to you?
When I was researching the chemical stability of cosmetics, I found numerous studies documenting that commonly used active ingredients such as vitamins start losing their beneficial properties in just a matter of a few months due to oxidization. Another downside of long shelf lives is the use of synthetic preservatives and other additives, which are required to preserve and stabilize the formulas over time. By making product freshness our mission at NUORI we can offer consumers two distinct benefits: higher efficacy of ingredients and purer formulas. In other words, fresh skincare makes sense to me the same way fresh food does – it’s more nourishing and has less additives.
- What technology do you use to create the products and how are you able to preserve their freshness?
Our approach to creating the products is quite straightforward.
- First, we define which desired benefits we wish a product to have and then we identify ingredients that have been tested and proven to offer these benefits for the skin.
- The next step is to source natural variants of these ingredients, as opposed to synthetically manufactured ones. For example, we use a very newly developed natural variant of pentylene glycol in our creams – this ingredient has fantastic hydrating properties, creates a lovely texture and as an added bonus, that naturally preserves our creams against bacteria and mould. The old, synthetic variant of pentylene glycol was found to be toxic in old animal studies in the 70’s. More recently some studies have shown synthetic pentylene glycol to be a skin irritant and thus a potential cause of contact dermatitis. The new, natural pentyelene glycol used in NUORI products is extracted from corn and sugar cane, as opposed to petrochemicals, and is both ECOCERT and COSMOS approved.
- Another important factor in preserving our formulas is the packaging. For example, all our creams come in bottles with airless pumps, which prevent molecule oxidization. Even our hand cream comes in a really innovative, protective packaging: a multi-layered tube made of pharma-grade plastic and aluminium, which is combined with and airless pump.
- Where do you source your ingredients?
We source ingredients from all around the world. It is often much more difficult, and expensive, to find natural variants of ingredients, since their availability is dependent on the outcome of crops, and thus climate changes. Also, natural variants of ingredients often come from smaller manufacturers who are not as good at promoting themselves as larger, chemical companies are. So finding them sometimes takes some detective work.
For example, I wanted to procure an organic, steam-distilled rose water for our Supreme-C Treatment and all the rose waters I was offered by suppliers were ‘man-made’ by mixing water with rose oil. Finally I located a family-run business that has been producing Bulgarian rose oil since 1909. Their company name is impossible to pronounce and their website impossible to find. But their product is excellent: a 100% pure organic rose water manufactured by double distillation (cohobation) of the oil-bearing rose (Rosa Damascena P. Miller). It is a food-grade product, which does not contain any additives, preservatives or synthetic substances. So a truly fantastic ingredient, but quite well hidden from the world!
- We love the minimal design of your packaging – and the fact that they have a ‘start using by date’. What does this mean?
All our products are stamped with two dates: a Start-Using-By Date and an Expiry Date. The first one tells consumers when to start using a product, at the latest, in order to benefit from the optimum freshness and efficacy of the formula. The second serves as a reminder of when a product should be replaced by a new, fresh one.
In more specific terms, the Start-Using-By Date is set to 12 weeks after a product has been made – after this day the product will no longer be sold from the store. If a consumer buys a NUORI product any time before or on the Start-Using-By date, she can be sure that the formula is still fresh and potent. The Start-Using-By date has also been calculated to ensure that you will have sufficient time to use up the product at home before the Expiry Date.
- With trying new ranges it’s always difficult to know which product to choose first, so what would you buy first from the range?
I think the NUORI Vital Foaming Cleanser is a great introduction to our range. You really feel the difference on your skin from the first time you use it, and the small 100ml size is ingenious for frequent travellers.
Also, NUORI’s Supreme-C Serum is a great addition to any existing skin care regime. It’s an intensive 20-day skin brightening and revitalizing treatment, which can be used under any day and/or night cream. The fact that you activate the formula by mixing it at home, will give you a first-hand experience of what a difference a freshly blended formula can do.
- Do you have any special tips about using the products that you can share?
I love using our Vital Foaming Cleanser on dry skin. This allows the foam to become really creamy, and you can gently massage the skin on your face for 30-60 seconds without the cleanser running all the way down your neck or into your eyes. These extra seconds ensure you get the full benefit of the gently exfoliating fruit enzymes and hydrating botanical glycerine.
The NUORI Perfecting Facial Oil is a great add-on to any skincare routine. If you have dry skin, you can add a few drops to your favourite day cream for extra nourishment, and if you have oily skin you can use the oil alone at night to naturally balance the skin’s sebum production.
I have also discovered that our Lip Treat is a perfect for conditioning dry cuticles and brittle nails. I often apply a really generous amount of Lip Treat before going to bed, and then massage the rest onto my cuticles. In the morning I wake up with soft, plump lips, and healthy looking nails!
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