What A Global Beauty Director Uses In Her Clean Beauty Regime
As the global beauty director of Net-A-Porter, and 30 years of experience in the beauty industry, it’s safe to say that Newby Hands certainly knows a thing or two about beauty. And with the rise of conscious consumption, today’s beauty climate has certainly given us plenty more to choose from.
NET SUSTAIN, a curated platform on NET-A-PORTER, has just recently expanded into beauty this year. The platform offers women the choice to invest in products that have been consciously crafted and have met at least one of eight attributes which takes into account human, animal and environmental welfare.
We got to speak to the woman responsible for this change and to spill her wealth of beauty knowledge, from skincare tips, starting a sustainable beauty routine, to some of the standout products from the NET SUSTAIN collection, and more. So if you are looking to kickstart a clean or sustainable beauty routine while getting great skin: take notes.
With clean beauty on the rise today, are there any common misconceptions of sustainable and clean beauty that you’d like to dispel?
The idea that organic ingredients are more harmful than synthetic ingredients - natural does not always mean ‘good’. In recent years this awareness has certainly made brands look at the ingredients they use and how they produce products, which has all been for the better.
However, today many brands know the value of being sustainable, organic or natural, so we have to look beyond the bottle. The more transparent a brand is the better. This discernment gives us a wider choice of what we can buy into and pushes for brands to be more open. I think most women, myself included, combine both elements of natural and high-tech products, with a natural face oil layered in with a high tech serum, or an organic cleansing balm before an AHA peel or hydrating sheet mask.
Where should one start when looking to switch to a more clean/sustainable beauty regime?
I would recommend looking for a small selection of products packed with active ingredients, whether that be a serum or moisturizer that can replace other products within a routine. Vintner’s daughter, Dr. Barbara Sturm, and Ilapothecary are amongst some of the many great examples of beauty brands under NET SUSTAIN as they address multiple concerns with one product.
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Could you give us a run-through of your current beauty routine?
My morning skincare routine is very simple. I love using Dr. Sebagh Foaming Face Wash, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Serum, and La Mer face cream in the winter or their lotion in the summer. Plus, added serums, masks, sheet masks, peel pads, face rollers or whatever “new” products I am trying out at the moment.
For my nighttime routine, I prefer to do just one proper cleanse. My skin is quite dry in general, so I love a good cleansing balm and I am now using Omorovicza’s Cashmere Cleanser. It takes everything off but leaves my skin feeling so soft. Also, I am a late convert to eye creams, but the Dr Sebagh Supreme Eye Serum has a chilly roller ball applicator that’s just brilliant.
I also love using sheet masks in the evening, those from 111Skin and Joanna Vargas are some of my favourite brands as they both do such a wide choice of masks for peels to firming to hydrating. I always use Augustinus Bader’s The Body Cream at night, and for the day I now always apply Legology Air-Lite – it’s just amazing!
And the last beauty product I use every night is This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray which helps to calm my mind to prepare for a restorative sleep.
Are there any skincare tricks you’d like to share?
A good sheet mask usually comes soaked in a lot of excess treatment serum (do scoop out all of the extra left in the bottom of the sachet), so once the sheet is finished on my face, I scrunch it up and wipe it over my arms and legs to moisturize.
What are some of your top favourite products from NET SUSTAIN Beauty?
Pai Skincare’s products are perfect for individuals with sensitive skin. Their Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating cleanser contains Omega 9 and Vitamin E-rich Camellia Oil with helps retain natural moistures and restore radiance, while lifting away makeup and daily toxins.
Produced from organically and sustainably farmed plants, Cosmydor truly believes that “nature provides everything we need.” Their nourishing masks helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Handmade in a barn in the English Cotswolds, Ilapothecary’s protective day aura cream deeply nourishes and regenerates the skin while shielding it from pollution, environmental and digital stressors. Their products are made from organically certified ingredients and medicinal with no unnecessary additives.
The NYC based brand contains natural ingredients sourced from native soil to craft its products, allowing for ecosystems to thrive without unnecessary intervention. The detox face mask contains exfoliating green clay repairs and protects your complexion without clogging your pores.
What skincare trends do you foresee the beauty world to take in the next five years?
Sustainability. This growing movement has helped pave the way for more transparency in the industry with certain ingredients no longer being commonly used, and a closer examination of production methods. How a product is made is now just as important as what the product does for you, and we are noticing that women want to be aware of this more.
We are thrilled with the brands that will be launching under NET SUSTAIN beauty for the first time in 2020, as I love how they cover such a wide range of considered approaches, from clean to vegan. It inspires me seeing how these companies are really working so hard to achieve sustainable goals and in meeting this criteria. In the years to come, we will continue to evolve what we’re doing now to strengthen the section.
Shop the NET SUSTAIN beauty collection here.
