Stella McCartney unveils new luxury clean beauty line

British fashion designer Stella McCartney is entering the luxury clean beauty market with her new skincare line called Stella, created in collaboration with LVMH Beauty Division.

Stella by Stella McCartney has been two years in development and aims to offer a “responsible alternative to luxury skincare,” explained the designer, with her vegan and cruelty-free principles at its heart.

The collection consists of three essential products, a cleanser, a serum and a moisturiser, designed to “not to over-stimulate the skin,” by prioritising long-term vitality over short-term results with formulas utilising natural active ingredients.

Commenting on the beauty launch, McCartney said in a statement: “I was raised to see things from a different perspective to question and challenge conventions, to seek out another way. Growing up in Scotland, I learnt to smell nature, hear her, learn from her and most importantly respect her. I believe she has it all and if we see that, we can feed our body and our soul inside and out.

“It is now my wish to create a family and community outside of my own that feels the same need for a mindful alternative in beauty. Desirable products that truly work and reflect my values and commitment to living in harmony with nature.”

New clean beauty line, Stella by Stella McCartney launches in September

Rooted in nature, Stella by Stella McCartney offers a minimalistic yet conscious approach to skincare, with products that use consciously selected active ingredients with clinically proven results that work in harmony with the skin to support its key functions of regeneration.

The line is based on McCartney’s personal philosophy of using "only what you need," with the vegan and cruelty-free line focused on three essential and refillable products that promote long-term skin beauty and vitality. There is a two-in-one Reset Cleanser that melts away makeup and impurities including pollution particles from the surface of the skin whilst respecting the PH, alongside a lightweight Restore Cream moisturiser that helps strengthen the skin’s protective barrier. The restorative cream also claims that after a month of use lines and wrinkles are visibly reduced and elasticity is improved.

Rounding off the collection is the Alter-Care Serum that McCartney states took two years to perfect. The serum has been designed to support the skin’s key function to visibly improve tone and texture by nourishing and visibly renewing the skin whilst reinforcing the barrier. The multi-tasking serum, which the brand adds is so effective it can also be used as an eye cream, has delivered "outstanding clinical results" such as skin vitality and luminosity improving by 134 percent, reducing dark circles by 50 percent and wrinkles by 38 percent.

Stella by Stella McCartney formulated with 99 percent natural-origin ingredients

Each product is formulated with at least 99 percent natural-origin ingredients, with the remaining less than 1 percent being synthetic ingredients used to preserve the product's integrity over time. McCartney also adds that each ingredient has been graded by an external partner, Quantis, to review its sustainability standards before being selected.

The formulas centre around active, natural-origin extracts to deliver clinically proven results, using key ingredients including organic rock samphire, which offers a retinol-like action that is rich in unsaturated and saturated fatty acids and phytosterols to smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

Biotechnological lingonberry extract, a superfood with polyphenols is used to help restore an even complexion and support elasticity and firmness, while wild organic birch sap was selected to help hydrate and restore firmness and minerals, sugars and Vitamin C, and wild harvested dulse algae extract, rich in polysaccharides helps reduce the appearance of dark circles and restore an even skin tone.

Other ingredients include naturally derived olive squalane to help reinforce the skin’s protective barrier, natural-origin hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture for smoother, plumper-looking skin, and cherry blossom extract with polyphenols and glucosides to help restore even skin while supporting the skin barrier.

McCartney added: “The line-up is a culmination of two years’ worth of innovation and exploration with LVMH’s research and development teams. We set out with an idea, and because we didn’t want to compromise – on results, the origin of our ingredients, and, of course, ensuring we minimised our impact on Mother Earth – we kept on trying.

“Constantly evolving and aiming for what I felt was possible: rooted in nature, truly effective and responsible skincare. I believe the consumer needs to know there’s another way, that they have a choice.”

Stella by Stella McCartney clean skincare line focuses on three essential and refillable products

The line is also very personal to McCartney with the designer drawing inspiration for the product’s ingredients and scent from her love of the Scottish landscape and early memories of her childhood. Each Stella product has a unique ‘High Cliff’ scent, featuring notes of clove leaf, pine resin and mentholated eucalyptus created in collaboration with renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. The scent is composed of 89.6 percent natural origin ingredients with the beauty line adding that it has been shown to support a sense of wellbeing and confidence.

On the scent, McCartney added: “Of all my early memories, none have the same unique freshness to them that my mind conjures up when I think of Scotland. The sea air circulating through the pine trees, falling off my horse when riding bareback into the bracken, that crack and the scratch – those are priceless moments in my memory bank. And it’s all in these products.

“At the very start of the process, I asked myself, what was the cleanest, freshest, purest feeling moment of my life? And I kept returning to how I felt every time I dove into the loch in the Mull of Kintyre. Whenever I was there, I knew something good was happening… It was probably a challenge, but I wanted Scotland in a bottle. I was honoured that Francis accepted that challenge and created this scent.”

Beauty with a conscious, Stella McCartney looks to minimise its impact with new skincare line

McCartney has also worked with an external eco-design partner to minimise the impact and scrutinise every stage of the product lifecycle to ensure that its skincare line works in harmony with nature. This included banning ingredients whose production or extraction process is considered to be polluting, minimising the number of virgin materials, and developing recyclable packaging and a unique refill.

In addition, the line also maximises sea-freight for transcontinental transportation, as shipping instead of flying products to the US the carbon footprint of Stella is lowered by over a third. It has also removed the use of cotton pads and single-dose samples.

“The truth is that everything we create has an impact, the choice we have is how much,” adds McCartney. “It’s our responsibility to minimise this as much as possible, and, as an industry to be honest and transparent about it.”

As well as being refillable, the collection also utilises a reusable bottle made from recycled glass, a reusable pump kit that includes recycled social plastic, and an airless pump to ensure every last drop can be used.

When using the refill inside the glass packaging, the first refill lowers the product’s environmental impact by a third, explains the brand, while the second refill lowers the impact by half and when the refill is used on its own, the impact on climate change is two-thirds lower.

McCartney is also supporting the global not-for-profit organisation Wetlands International, dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands. The long-term partnership will see the brand donating 1 percent of the net sales of Stella skincare to the charity to support its ongoing regeneration projects and restoration efforts.

The collection will be available direct to consumers on Stellamccartneybeauty.com and at the Stella McCartney UK flagship on Old Bond Street store from early September. The Reset Cleanser costs 50 pounds for 150ml, while the refill is 38 pounds. The Alter-Care Serum is available for 110 pounds for 50ml, with the refill priced at 90 pounds, and the Restore Cream costs 85 pounds for 50ml and the refill is 70 pounds.