New Zealand is home to many amazing natural skincare brands, but not all reach international shores. Emma Lewisham is the latest to catch the beauty world’s attention as the world’s first carbon-positive beauty brand with a 100% circular designed product range. They make sustainability look effortlessly luxurious and utilize green science and innovation to create natural formulas that strive to defy stigma. These green tech formulations are free from fillers, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances and synthetic preservatives. Emma Lewisham even commissions independent laboratories to perform in vivo (on people) and in vitro (in the laboratory) testing. Emphasis on independent labs and not their own. One of my favorites from the line, the Emma Lewisham Illuminating Oil Cleanser is formulated with 23 of the world’s most nutrient rich phyto-actives that work together as part of a triple-action ingredient system to deeply cleanse and nourish. The brand is also available at goop, Space NK and Net-A-Porter. Read on for my Emma Lewisham review!

About Emma Lewisham’s formulas

• Includes Plant Stem Cells, Saccharide Isomerate (72-hour hydration super ingredient), Ceramides and Lipids
• Includes green tech ingredients that are a result of over 5 years of research by the Swiss Institute of Agriculture
• Every ingredient undergoes rigorous clinical and scientific vetting and research prior to being used their products
• Organic extracts prioritized
• Working towards sourcing all ingredients from regenerative farms

Besides offering refillable products, Emma Lewisham also runs their global circularity programme, ‘Beauty Circle’, whereby they take back all of their used packaging to be refilled or recycled. This hasn’t ever been done before by a brand, and you wonder why because it’s brilliant!

If the queen of liquid lunches Ms Gwyneth Paltrow herself has taken notice of a brand from way down under, I simply can’t ignore. I had to find out for myself and Emma Lewisham generously sent over some of their bestseller products. Immediately you notice their bold purple packaging and I appreciated that their jars were airless pump jars. Their cleanser packaging reminded me of Tata Harper’s cleansers bottles, which is about as luxe as you can get.

Supernatural 72-hour Hydration Face Creme Riche

This is the line’s hero product. I have tried many a luxe face cream that incorporates dozens of beautiful organic oils, but there are a few key differentiating factors in this cream. It contains collagen-boosting Alaria Esculenta Seaweed and Saccharide Isomerate which works to lock in hydration for up to 72 hours. It also contains Edelweiss Stem Cells, Prickly Pear Seed Oil, Murumuru Seed Butter and has a rich consistency that still feels very hydrating.

This feels similar to the $300+ creams I’ve tried, but goes for much less.

 

Ingredients: Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Water, Glycerin , Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Esters , Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Ethyl Esters , Organic Camellia Oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil , Glyceryl Stearate Citrate , Cetearyl Alcohol , Organic Astrocaryum Murumuru (Murumuru) Seed Butter , Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes , Brassica Alcohol , Tridecane , Undecane , Bakuchiol , Citrullus Lanatus (Kalahari Melon) Seed Oil , Saccharide Isomerate , Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil , Sodium Hyaluronate , Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil , Organic Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil , Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Seed Oil , Organic Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil , Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil , Organic Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil , Organic Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil , Organic Leontopodium Alpinum (Edelweiss) Flower/Leaf Extract, Alaria Esculenta (Seaweed) Extract , Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Oil , Prunus Avium (Sweet Cherry) Seed Oil , Corylus Americana (Hazelnut) Seed Oil , Organic Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Oil , Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Seed Oil , Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil , Organic Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil , Organic Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil , Organic Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil , Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil , Lavendula Augustifolia (Lavender) Oil , Xanthan Gum , Sclerotium Gum , Glyceryl Caprylate , Pullulan , Silica , Caprylhydroxamic Acid , Lecithin , Dehydroacetic Acid , Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum (Natural Fragrance, Derived From Flowers), Citral , Citronellol , Geraniol , Limonene, Linalool

Illuminating Oil Cleanser

I really enjoyed this oil cleanser – it’s so liquid-like I almost didn’t even realize it was an oil cleanser at first. It has the perfect balance of phyto-lipids and emulsifiers, including Vitamin E rich Organic Chia, Rosehip, Macadamia and Neroli Absolute. This is an oil cleanser for people who don’t like oil cleansers or have never oil cleansed before. It doesn’t feel heavy or greasy and rinses off easily, though you must always follow up with the second cleanse using a water-based cleanser. This has a refreshing citrus scent.

 

Skin Reset Serum

This serum is meant to fade hyperpigmentation and dark spots, but I just didn’t feel it was strong enough to do so. To me, this was more of an antioxidant boosting and hydrating serum to feed skin nourishing nutrients. Skin Reset Serum contains Niacinamide and Edelweiss Stem Cells along with Prickly Pear Seed Oil, Sea Buckthorn Fruit oil, Kakadu Plum seed oil and plenty of herbs and extracts. It has a silky cream-gel serum consistency and comes in a thoughtful airtight pump jar.

 

Niacinamide is the main active in this product and it’s not an ingredient that works for everyone. Niacinamide helps brighten, smooth, tighten pores and reduce redness IF it works for you. It does not make much of a difference to my skin personally. If you’re looking for something similar in terms of a holistic formulation but more affordable, I recommend checking out Blissoma’s Aura Phyto Brightening Serum which is $75 for 30% more product at 1.3 oz.

Ingredients: Organic Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) leaf extract , Water , Glycerin, Niacinamide , Coco-caprylate , Cetearyl olivate , Glyceryl stearate Citrate , Organic Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil , Sorbitan olivate , Cetearyl alcohol , Glyceryl caprylate , Organic Opuntia ficus-indica (Prickly Pear) seed oil , Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) fruit oil , Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) seed oil , Organic Calophyllum inophyllum (Tamanu) seed oil , Organic Leontopodium alpinum (Edelweiss) flower/leaf extract , Organic Camellia oleifera (Camellia) seed oil , Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil , Organic Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) kernel oil , Glycyrrhiza glabra (Liquorice) root extract , Organic Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) extract , Organic Rubus idaeus (Raspberry) seed oil , Organic Alchemilla vulgaris (Lady’s Mantle) extract , Organic Malva sylvestris (Mallow) extract , Organic Rosa canina (Rosehip) fruit oil , Organic Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) leaf extract , Organic Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil , Macadamia ternifolia (Macadamia) seed oil , Organic Mentha piperita (Peppermint) leaf extract , Organic Primula veris (Cowslip) extract , Organic Veronica officinalis (Speedwell) extract , Sodium hyaluronate , Organic Salvia hispanica (Chia) seed oil , Caprylhydroxamic acid , Xanthan gum , Euphorbia cerifera cera (Candelilla Wax) , Dehydroacetic acid , Benzyl alcohol, Parfum (natural fragrance, derived from flowers), Benzyl salicylate , Citronellol , Eugenol , Geraniol , Linalool

US: Shop Emma Lewisham here

International: Shop Emma Lewisham here