I don’t know about anyone else, but my skin has been having an interesting old time these last few weeks. This time of year in the UK leads to some quick changing weather, and the constant change between humidity and dryness also leads to more unpredictable skin than I’d prefer. It becomes difficult for us to keep track, or keep that self confidence up, when we don’t know what to expect each day (especially when this winter seems to have been going for around 7 months now).
Enter BY SARAH, a London-based brand kindly gifted to me by a friend to remedy all my woes through these volatile months. After over five years in development the company was founded in November 2017 by sister duo Sarah and Lauren, with the goal of bringing transparency and simplicity to skincare. The natural and organic products they create were inspired by Lauren’s recovery from Leukaemia in 2012. Lauren’s skin was very sensitive during this time, and they struggled to find gentle, natural products with ingredients and labelling they could understand. Instead, Sarah decided to hand make her own products from selected organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. She became an expert in blending exact balances of plantbased oils for her sister, and soon her friends and family started asking for her hydrating, nourishing creations too. Today the finest of her blends have become BY SARAH‘s range.
BY SARAH‘s priorities fall into three categories:
Labelling
BY SARAH want it to be easy to understand what goes on your skin. They believe in bringing clarity and understanding to skincare by using recognisable ingredients and creating coherent, transparent labels that people can actually understand. Each product always carries a a full ingredient list on the front and scientific names on the reverse, so you get everything you need to know up-front, without having to fear chemical names. After all, everything is a chemical, but this approach to labelling helps to break down what things actually are, and replaces fear mongering and anxiety with simple, straightforward explanations.
Ethical Ingredients
BY SARAH select a variety of high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients from around the world. They use all-natural and certified-organic ingredients, and balance them in delicate, bespoke blends designed for anyone to use. For oils, they use only the highest-quality, cold-pressed varieties. Cold-pressing preserves quality and purity in a way that heat-treating can’t, making the oils easier to absorb for skin. Their plantbased ingredients are also certified by The Soil Association which means:
- each one has been grown under the strictest requirements of organic farming
- their cultivation protects the soil, respects animal welfare and minimises pollution
- the quality of the ingredient is not compromised
Their products also don’t contain any synthetic or artificial chemicals, additives or preservatives, and are cruelty free and vegan friendly (except their lip balm which contains beeswax). With no added fragrance or essential oils, all products are neutral, universal blends that can be used by people of any gender with any skin type.
Sustainable Design
Every blend has been has been formulated by Sarah herself (who has over 10 years industry experience) and is manufactured, packaged and shipped in the UK. Their products are housed in amber glass bottles, which both help to preserve the ingredients inside and are easily recyclable or reusable.
What I’m using
Since the beginning of the year I’ve been using the organic facial oil and the organic body oil. The body oil is a great all rounder, providing care to all dehydrated and damaged skin, as well as being ideal for mums-to-be, softening skin and helping to prevent stretch marks. Its blend of almond, apricot, primrose, jojoba and vitamin e oils is an incredible combination for deep hydration and glowing skin, and it makes me feel thoroughly royal with each use.
That being said, while I’ve been enjoying both of these products, it’s the facial oil that I really want to focus on. It is a complete game changer. With a wonderful mix of almond, apricot, pumpkin seed, argan, primorose and vitamin e oils, it’s jam packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids, and is incredibly calming and nourishing. If you have oily skin it can seem counterproductive to use a facial oil, but this oil actually has a balancing, clearing effect. While synthetic products will strip the skin of its natural oils, which only makes it produce more oil as it tries to compensate, the oils BY SARAH uses are able to be easily absorbed, and signal to the sebum glands to slow down, leaving your skin more balanced. I’ve been using mine every morning and night after cleansing, applying to damp skin as the oil helps hold on to that hydration, no more moisturisers necessary! My all time favourite feature, however, is how little you need. Each application only requires 2-3 drops of oil, making this ideal for anyone wanting to keep it simple and minimal, as this small bottle goes a heck of a long way. No more skincare routines with thousands of bottles, just cleansing and BY SARAH oil is all I need.
So if you’re looking for simplified, transparent and easy skincare, look no further than BY SARAH. And though Valentine’s day is over (read my sustainable love letter here), their facial oil comes with a limited edition pink rose facial steam for all of February! Sustainable luxury has never felt this fun.
Photography by Christian Kinde
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