Loewe Crafted Collection4 Images

Rachael Wilde was fresh out of university and working at a medtech company when she came across technology designed to help manage bacteria in medical settings. This technology, it turned out, was also great for helping to keep breakout-causing bacteria under control and would go on to become the basis for the two hero products – Spot Cream and Spot Cleanser – of Wilde’s skincare brand The Breakout Hack.

While many acne products use actives like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which can be drying or irritating for sensitive skin, the patented technology in The Breakout Hack offers a more gentle option. “It’s also something we hold exclusive rights to, so it’s not a formula customers will have tried before or can find elsewhere,” says Wilde. After becoming a breakout success in Australia, last month the brand launched in the UK, where Wilde is hoping her mission of changing how people feel about their skin, not just how it looks, will be just as fruitful.

“For too long, acne care has been clinical, shame-driven and disconnected from the emotional toll that breakouts can take,” she says. “We know what it’s like to deal with breakouts, to try every product under the sun, and to just want something that works and makes you feel good using it”. Alongside the Spot Cream and Spot Cleanser, the launch in Boots will also offer a range of barrier care products, including Skin Milk, which has been hailed by the internet as an affordable dupe for Rhode’s Glazing Milk Toner.

As winter approaches, our perfume choices start to mirror the season. Leaning towards more warming, spicy and woody notes, there’s no end to the scents we can reach for this month. One brand making that choice a little more intentional is Loewe, welcoming three new additions to the perfume realm with their Crafted Collection: made up of scents Iris Roots, Roasted Vanilla and Bittersweet Oud.

“The concept here is to apply an artisanal approach to perfumery,” explains Núria Cruelles, Loewe’s in-house perfumer. “For the first time, LOEWE puts the ingredient at the centre and builds around it the best accords, contrasts and affinities to make the protagonist shine. It was like doing an olfactory sculpture. The result is perfumes that Cruelles says evoke feelings of elegance, cosy warmth and gourmand.

Artisanal, organic shapes are increasingly popular for perfume flacons – think the undulating shapes of the Bottega Veneta fragrances – and it was a guiding influence on the scents of the Crafted collection. “The flask was developed taking inspiration from the craftsmanship and the technique of blown glass to be the best frame for these crafted olfactory creations,” says Cruelles. “The concept of craft was put at the centre of the project.”

Elsewhere, brands are venturing beyond bottles and heading to the bookshelf. The erotic fragrance house Jouissance has launched an online book library, curating collectable and first editions across literature, erotic classics and art books – all intended to stimulate the senses, both within and beyond scent. Likewise, The Ordinary steps into publishing with their Ingredients book, offering a deep dive into the science behind its cult formulas and the ingredients that make up their empire of stripped-back skincare. Below, we’ve rounded up the best beauty launches of the month.

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Courtesy of The Nue Co

The Nue Co Nostalgia Collection

The Nue Co’slatest collection plays directly into the ability of scent to transport you. Their Nostalgia Collection reimagines memory through three fragrances: Past Time, a warm blend of amber resin, coconut milk, and rhubarb; First Milk, soft with tonka bean, almond milk, and French vanilla; and Otherwhere, a grounding mix of caramel, oud, and incense. Take us there!

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Courtesy of Lush x Wicked

Lush x Wicked For Good

Lush takes a Wicked approach to their latest For Good launch. The 10-piece collection includes fan-favourite characters, including the iconic witches of Oz, Glinda and Elphaba along with a few visitors from the Yellow Brick Road. We never knew we needed a floral-scented Glinda’s Wedding Dress or peppermint Tin Man Bubble Bar – but here we are.

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Courtesy of Liberty

Liberty London LBTY

Liberty London celebrates a big one (150 years), and they’re celebrating with the launch of 1875 Eau de Parfum. In a nod to the brand’s Tudor heritage, you’ll find smoky tobacco, warm vanilla, and earthy spice mingle in bottles inspired by a hand-knitted tapestry.

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Courtesy of Le Labo

Le Labo Geranium 33

Adding to their collection of cult fragrances, Le Labo offers up a Middle Eastern exclusive: Geranium 33. The warm and earthy scent blends geranium, rose, bergamot, and black pepper.

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Courtesy of Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta Mezzanotte

Named after the Italian word for midnight, the brand’s latest scent Mezzanotte comes in glass-blown bottles that look as mysterious as the fragrance inside. Similar to a stroll through some magical forest after dark, their notes include chestnut, vanilla, hinoki wood, and strawberry.

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Courtesy of Joiuissance

​Jouissance Online Erotic Book Library

In pursuit of pleasure, fragrance brand Jouissance curates rare and collectible editions of erotic literature, artist books, and classics that inspire its scents. Founder Cherry Cheng invites readers and scent lovers alike to explore the pleasure that can be found within pages.

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