Beauty and nature go hand-in-hand in Denmark. Known for their minimalist aesthetic and Hygge lifestyle, the Danish follow suit in their approach to beauty by combining natural, organic ingredients with personal beauty experiences.
Rudolph Care
When Andrea Elisabeth Rudolph was pregnant with her first child in 2006, a blood test revealed that she had many harmful chemicals in her body accumulated from use of beauty products. Unable to find any luxury skincare products of high quality and visible effectiveness and free of toxic ingredients, Andrea sought to create her own. In 2009, Rudolph Care launched as the first skincare brand in the world to combine organic certified with environmental certification. At the heart of its formulations is the açai berry, a superfood ingredient sourced from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest rich in vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which is used to create various multi-award-winning products, ranging from the acai anti-aging facial oil to the Hint of Summer tanning drops.
Kjaer Weis
Like the Cartier of the clean makeup world, Kjaer Weis harnesses every aspect of luxury beauty from its jewellery-like refillable packaging to its premiere certified organic ingredients. Above all, however, are the formulas’ sublime colour payoff and performance, which rivals (or tops) that of its mainstream counterparts without the use of synthetic ingredients. Take, for example, its Cream Foundation: a moisturising, age-defying formula that melts into your skin with buildable sheer-to-concealer-level coverage, leaving a natural matte finish that feels light-as-air. Or the cult-favourite Cream Blush, which grants divine luminosity in a variety of chic colours. Natural, organic, and free from parabens, silicones and synthetic fragrances, Kjaer Weis is the holy grail of luxury organic makeup and the ultimate converter for any clean beauty skeptic.
RAAW By Trice
After moving from Copenhagen to New York and experiencing a horrid face rash, Trice Angie Christiansen endeavoured on her own holistic beauty journey by studying herbal medicine and the healing properties of plants. She created her first product, an eczema-healing “Miracle Oil,” which then lead to a full line of organic skincare for family and friends that eventually turned into RAAW By Trice. Today, the Danish beauty brand features a robust range of facial oils for various concerns including the Blue Beauty Drops (an azulene-rich oil especially healing for acne-prone skin), the charcoal cleansing Black Moon Drops, and the caffeine-packed Eye Love eye serum.
St. Pauls Apothecary by Frama
In 2016, independent Danish creative studio Frama launched its skincare and scent product range St. Pauls Apothecary Collection as a nod to the historic St. Pauls Apotek — the circa 1878 wood-lined pharmacy located at the heart of Copenhagen that now serves as Frama’s home base. An extension of Frama’s meditative design philosophy, every product in the collection is developed in Copenhagen using natural, hand-picked ingredients and sophisticated gender neutral scents hitting on notes of sandalwood, cedar wood and ylang ylang. Their custom-coloured Italian glass finds the perfect balance between modern purity and time-honed elegance, making a perfect addition to even the most minimalist vanity.
Tromborg
Professional makeup artist Maria Tromborg founded her eponymous makeup and skincare brand Tromborg based on her “less is more” philosophy and over 20 years of industry knowledge. The ingredients are natural, organic, hand-picked and cold-pressed, and developed by the brand’s in-house team of biochemists at its laboratory in Denmark. Its innovative approach to beauty science has lead to some ground-breaking products in the field of anti-aging, while its mineral makeup range boasts a spectrum of universally flattering colour palettes that have become Danish It-girl staples.
Ole Henriksen
Known as the “facialist to the stars,” LA-based Danish cosmetician Ole Henriksen draws from more than 40 years of experience in the skincare industry to create his eponymous line of powerhouse products. Each formula is packed with potent actives, natural botanicals, and essential fatty acids to exfoliate, treat and soothe skin for a red carpet “Ole glow” at home. While a recent rebranding has streamlined his product range into four colour-coordinated categories, his most-loved products such as the Vitamin C Truth Serum and Banana Bright Eye Crème remain constant favourites, while new additions such as the Glow Cycle range offers a plant-based retinol alternative.
Editor
Joanna Fu
