From personalised, technology-driven skincare to highly pigmented, moisturising lipsticks that are both sustainable and inclusive, these are the brands flying the flag of Singapore beauty out in the global arena.
This article first appeared in Harper’s Bazaar Singapore.
This beauty start-up is ushering a new era of personalised, technology-driven skincare into Singapore. Started by two locals, Tuyen Lamy and Constance Mandefield, who have years of experience at Clarins under their belt, all of Alche{me}’s products are manufactured locally and designed to target the skin concerns of Asian women. The brand utilises skin analysis technology to create customised serums and emulsions from 24 earth-friendly ingredients with science-backed track records, from suppliers who can ensure quality and traceability. Plus, all products are fresh, on-demand, and come in recyclable packaging, significantly cutting wastage. The brand recently launched the world’s first personalised eye serum, and you can witness how they use a machine to put your specific blend together, from start to finish.
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Ania founders Mehdi and Fern worked for several years on some of the largest skincare brands. Over time it became increasingly clear to them that the skincare industry is in the midst of a deep moral and ethical crisis, as animal testing, synthetic ingredients and confusing proprietary formulas increasingly faced considerable negative publicity and have since solidified consumers’ negative perceptions of chemicals. A skincare company that is inspired by Africa’s ancient wisdom. they provide luxurious skincare products using a bespoke blend of science and Africa’s most powerful and unique natural ingredients.
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Founded by Nicolas Travis, Allies of Skin changed the beauty game with its new generation of clean, multi-functional skincare. It has successfully targeted the increasingly discerning consumer who expects to know what goes into these formulations – down to precise ingredient percentages. With a streamlined but supercharged approach to beauty, it has come up with cult products like 1A All-Day Pollution Repair Mask of Skin and the world’s first waterless 35 per cent vitamin C serum. What the Singapore-born brand has been relatively quiet about, however, is its plan for global domination. Besides being stocked in stores like Sephora, Barneys New York, Net-a-Porter and Lane Crawford across the world, you can also find its products included in the American Airlines International Flagship First and Business Class Kits.
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Singapore-based skincare brand Crystal Tomato first started producing supplements from a unique breed of non-genetically modified white tomatoes – the Crystal Tomato® Carotenoids – with proven benefits such as improvements in skin tone and skin texture, increased suppleness and lightened pigmentation. It has gone on to offer a Skin Clarity cream for the treatment and management of skin spots, pigmentation patches and imperfections; as well as a Beyond Sun Protection cream to protect our skin against the harsh climate and environmental conditions. The products underwent clinical studies with the National Skin Centre, were rigorously tested and are backed by medical science, so you can be sure that they are free from any adverse effect.
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Established in Singapore in 2015, this 100 per cent certified organic skincare line specializes in luxury facial oils, sponge treatment masks, and rose quartz Gua Sha tools to massage, boost circulation, and reduce bloating from water retention in your face and neck. Small-batch preparation of cruelty-free and non-GMO ingredients ensures every item on their shelves are of the highest quality. With their ode to organic and ethos steeped in believing that healthy, radiant skin is a luxury – Frank Skincare is the luxury skincare line for everyone.
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Embracing the concept of #CleanBeauty, with a twist of modern boldness and cheeky fun, homegrown skincare label, Handmade Heroes, is an all-natural, vegan skin and body care range made with botanical oils and extracts. The brand believes in making skincare away from a chemical lab and using the simplicity of the finest natural ingredients to create products that are nourishing and gentle on the skin. Helmed by beauty entrepreneur Lynsey Lim, who started out in her own kitchen, the brand is now stocked in prominent department stores and is a bestseller on Amazon. Lim’s knowledge of organic skincare comes from extensive reading and the experience of making her own mineral makeup and natural skincare when she was just a teen. One of their top sellers, the Cocolicious Lip Scrub, is designed to gently exfoliate and rehydrate with virgin coconut oil and has won numerous awards.
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Founded in 2017, Iren is the brainchild of Mr Eric Tan, the CEO of Ikeda Group. A homegrown vegan skincare brand, these serums were specially formulated to ensure that only the cleanest and safest ingredients are used. Formulated in Singapore and made in Japan, Iren prides herself in the strict standards in both formulation and production process. Spending over 10,000 hours in the lab, the scientists developed seven serums, each type tackling a certain skin concern. Each bottle contains the maximum dosage of active ingredients and super fruits, beneficial for skin.
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Local beauty brand Kew Organics is the brainchild of beautician Lily Kew, who takes inspiration from nature to deliver only organic and natural ingredients for smooth, glowing skin. As Singapore’s first water-based organic skincare label, her products cater to locals, targeting specific Singaporean skin woes such as clogged pores, pigmentation and dehydration. Free from chemicals, parabens, and preservatives, the brand’s dedication to quality is apparent, especially in its packaging – all solutions are encased in European Miron violet glass to only allow the desired spectral colours of light to pass through so that ingredients stay activated.
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Organic cosmetics brand Liht (the abbreviation for ‘Living In Her Time’ and pronounced as “light”) Organics was born out of Nerissa Low’s personal need for quality makeup suitable for acne-prone skin. Liht products are formulated with up to 90 per cent organic ingredients and 100 per cent natural content, and does not contain synthetics, parabens, or nano-particles. Made from flower petals and mineral rocks, its range of products are available in a wide variety of shades that are pigmented and long-lasting. Vegan and cruelty-free, Liht Organics is not only great for your skin; it is also committed to sustainability with refillable options.
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Mmerci Encore prides itself in fresh, luxuriant and globally-sourced ingredients that promise to benefit skin and psyche. Handcrafted in its studio in Singapore, the brand’s artisanal aromatherapy goods are an indispensable part of any sensorial self-care regimen. Each small-batch preparation is infused with 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils of the best quality – little luxuries that offer weary souls that much-needed spark of zen and happiness.
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From the ingredients to the packaging, Pera pays homage to the Peranakan culture in the most thoughtful and sweetest of ways. Try their award-winning Bedak Sejuk Fusion Mask, which pulls from the 600-year-old Peranakan process of using a powder made from rice and pandan leaf to rejuvenate skin. Or, get your hands on their award-winning, anti-ageing Deep Nourishing Multi-Nutrient Serum Oil to soothe and soften your skin. Pera also takes its social responsibility seriously, encouraging younger Peranakan generations to learn about their heritage, donating part of their global revenue to Peranakan Association and other NGOs in the region to support various social and cultural activities.
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Founded in Singapore in Sep 2017, The Lab Fragrances offers a range of unique scents freshly hand made in small batches with the wearer’s name printed on the label. With a selection of 10 fine fragrances, all available both in eau de parfum and perfume oil forms, the collection covers all the main olfactive families: fresh (earl grey, ginger, bergamot and musk); woody (agarwood, oud); floral (tuberose, lavender, rose, oud); spicy (pepper and tobacco) and fruity (peach and musk). In 2018, the brand also introduced a range of scented candles that create a beautiful ambiance, infusing any room with wonderful uplifting aromas.
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Singaporean ethical beauty label W.ant Skincare championing the growing movement towards sustainable and socially-conscious skincare. Local founder Winona Tan sources organic, fair-trade ingredients from communities in Bali and Africa to develop a range of handmade products that are all-natural, sustainable and cruelty-free. The result is a fuss-free, non-toxic and multi-tasking skincare range, perfectly suited for any jet-setting urbanite. And true to its beauty-with-a-conscience ethos, a portion of sales goes towards Baliwise, a foundation dedicated to empowering marginalised women in Indonesia.
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Both this brand and its founder, Sabrina Tan need no introduction. Having recently marked its 10th anniversary, Skin Inc has married technology and disruptive beauty from the get-go, with its proprietary Skin Identity – an online skin diagnostic quiz – database boasting over a million skin profiles. So when they say data-driven skincare innovations, they mean it. Their game-changing My Daily Dose, concocted with 100 per cent pure and active serum, flies off the shelves of their boutiques and counters in over 150 cities, and one can only guess what their online sales area is like, what with their millions-strong, digitally-advanced clientele. Their newest data-driven “skin-novation” is the My Daily Dose for Bright Eyes, a whipped, serum-infused eye cream formulated with rare stem cell extract from the Uttwiler Spatlauber, a rare “super apple”. Zooming in on fine lines, puffiness and dark circles, this packs a luxuriously invigorating punch.
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This home-grown beauty label has found the solution to making highly pigmented, moisturising lipsticks that are both sustainable and inclusive. Sen Natural’s lipsticks are infused with non-toxic, cruelty-free natural ingredients, such as rose oil, shea butter, vitamin E and beeswax, resulting in buttery, moisturising formulations with incredible staying power. Plus, the six lip shades were designed to enhance all types of Asian skin tones, making them the champion of natural beauty in more ways than one.
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Sigi Skin is the skincare label for any time-strapped urbanite. Developed and formulated by 24-year-old local Xenia Wong, the range comprises three multitasking essential products – the cleanser, sunscreen and eye cream. For instance, the Kaleanser doubles as makeup remover and cleanser, while the Morning Glow sunscreen doubles as a moisturiser. Each product is made from nutrient-rich superfoods paired with scientifically-backed ingredients, such as avocado and acai extracts with niacinamide to moisturise, brighten and strengthen. Coming in lightweight textures with no nasties and completely cruelty-free, Sigi Skin is truly one to watch in the local beauty scene.
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Homegrown skincare label The Skin Firm is helmed by former fashion and beauty journalist May Yip – she’s also the founder of Bolt Communications, a public relations and content marketing company. Unlike many before her, Yip was never particularly interested in entering the beauty industry with her own label – working with and managing beauty brands in the past gave her an insight on how competitive the industry is, and it didn’t really appeal to her. So, when the opportunity presented itself to her on a silver platter, Yip decided to do it right. She did so by ticking off beauty consumers’ biggest concerns and created an entire line comprising clean and natural ingredients via sustainable practices and presented in recyclable plastic packaging. Currently, the label only offers five products: a micellar water cleanser, a gel cleanser, an essence, a serum and a physical sunscreen – quintessential products for every skincare routine. The entire range is formulated for combination to oily skin types. If your skin is on the drier side, you might want to steer clear of the gel cleanser. And the best part? Nothing is above $35.
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