During Fashion Week last month, I had the opportunity to work backstage at several shows and met with lots of influential beauty professionals. NUDE was there as part of their “re”-launch of their line. After they were acquired by LVMH in 2011, NUDE invested in developing a new line of products (ProGenius) along with a more aggressive marketing campaign. I was at their hotel suite where their aestheticians taught us about their line and provided us generous samples and full sized products to take away.
For those who want some background on this line, the following video is a quick glimpse into the founders message and an overview of their products:
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/47604478 w=400&h=300]
I definitely think that Ali Hewson was a great partner to bring on board. Not only is she a known environmentalist (her clothing line Edun is completely ethical and fair trade), but her reach has definitely secured them a lot of buzz. The products are 98% natural, the packaging is biodegradable, and the formulations stress probiotics and omegas. I found this fascinating because I’m not too sure what Probiotics really do for the skin. I’ve seen Probiotics used in skincare from Eminence Organics, NUDE, and even Clinique’s medical line but there is little evidence out there that supports benefits of their topical application.
The star of the line is the new NUDE ProGenius Treatment Oil. A Facial Oil rich in Omega 3,6,7,9. It is their signature treatment that is said to provide nourishment for the skin. At $72/1oz the price isn’t too bad but I wish they would have thoguht more about overall skin health. Although the oils pack more than just omegas, all other nutrition seems to be an afterthought and the truth is although omegas are good for skin health, they are not necessarily the only thing skin needs. I felt this was perhaps more of a marketing thing that made it easy to communicate what made this oil special. That said, this isn’t a ‘pure’ facial oil in the clean beauty sense, there is a preservative and alcohol but the rest of the ingredients are clean, botanical oils. The oil is on the thicker side and is definitely not something I would use during the summer. But I can see myself using this during the colder months later this year to add a boost of hydration. There is a light scent that is quite pleasant and the oil itself is a dark yellow/orange color which I thought was pleasant as well. Overall, recommended for drier skin types.
Another product I was curious to try was the Perfect Cleansing Oil ($36). I was pleasantly surprised that not only was it effective in removing makeup, but it formed a milky texture when added with water. Upon looking at the ingredients list, I deduced that this was because of a chemical called polyglyceryl-4-oleate, a special type of emulsifier, so it is important to note that this is not a “clean 100% oil cleanser” however, this isn’t a “terrible” type of emulsifier, and is less of a “big-bad chemical” than lecithin which is found in lots of products that purport to be natural. So use based on your own skincare philosophy, I didn’t really get bad reactions from this and found it to be effective in removing makeup. Although I do have to follow with a ‘normal’ cleanser just because I am wired that way.
The last product I got was the Cellular Renewal Moisturiser, another ‘hero’ product in their line. I didn’t know whether my skin really needed all that “anti-aging” technology but I love the formulation. It utilizes 3 key componants to target aging: antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and probiotics. Antioxidants are know to repair and replenish skin, and fight free radical damage. Hyaluronic Acid is a natural plumping agent used in many anti-aging products that draws in moisture. Probiotics is the one I’m a little skeptical about in terms of topical application. But I think their probiotics come from the ingredient “Yeast Extract” which itself is a very nutritious active. The only major complaint I have is that NUDE decided to put ‘parfum’ and phenoxyethanol in this otherwise wonderful moisturiser.
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the performance of this line. The packaging and bottles are sleek and beautiful, the ingredients are not the cleanest on the market but are a step above most mainstream brands, and the using the products were a wonderful experience. The main qualms lay in personal skincare beliefs, if you are okay with certain iffy ingredients, and are okay with products that use what I consider an over-reliance on probiotics and omegas- then this is a line worth checking out.
Products available in Sephora and Nude Skincare.