Stella McCartney Is Getting Into Skin Care

Meet Stella by Stella McCartney, a beauty brand that draws inspiration from nature.

The past few years have seen a full-on deluge of celebrity beauty brand launches, with a more recent focus on skin care in particular. But while plenty of luxury labels focus their offerings on fragrance or color cosmetics, skin-care has remained somewhat of an afterthought for many. Stella McCartney, it seems, is officially looking to challenge that norm with the introduction of Stella by Stella McCartney, a three-product line that draws inspiration from nature.

Developed in partnership with LVMH's Beauty Division, Stella is touted as a "conscious luxury" skin-care brand that purports to be an "alternative to luxury skin care" that "supports caring for ourselves and Mother Earth in perfect harmony," per a press release. It's reportedly two years in the making, and will make its debut in September via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform, stellamccartneybeauty.com.

"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 minimized our impact on Mother Earth – we kept on trying," said McCartney, in a statement. "I believe the consumer needs to know there's another way, that they have a choice."

The line comprises three products: the Reset Cleanser ($60), Alter-Care Serum ($140) and Restore Cream ($105). Based on "Stella's personal philosophy of using only what you need," they're all vegan, cruelty-free, silicone-free and refillable. According to the brand, the three formulations are also each made from a minimum of 99% natural origin ingredients, with "the remaining less-than-1% synthetic ingredients being there to preserve the products integrity over time." To ensure the ingredients meet certain sustainability standards, the brand relied upon an external partner, Quantis, to review them.

Beyond offering refillable packaging and focusing on naturally derived ingredients, Stella has also taken other measures to enhance its sustainability practices and reduce its carbon footprint: The brand has banned the use of "ingredients whose production or extraction process is considered to be polluting"; minimized the number of virgin materials it uses; maximized sea-freight for transcontinental transportation (rather than flying); and removed the use of single-dose samples. Its reusable glass packaging is itself made from recycled materials, and features airless pumps to preserve the contents (which are also reusable and made from recycled social plastic).

To further demonstrate its dedication to the environment, Stella has committed to donating 1% of its net sales to support the conservation NGO Wetlands International, which protects Scotland's peatlands, a vital natural ecosystem and the largest carbon store on earth. McCartney drew on her upbringing in Scotland to inform the products, ingredients and the brand's signature scent, which was created in collaboration with perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (of Masion Francis Kurkdjian); dubbed "High Cliff" and "inspired by elements of the Scottish landscape," the fresh, sea-air-and-pine-inspired scent includes 89.6% natural-origin ingredients.

"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," said McCartney of the driving force behind the brand. "It's 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."

In the gallery below, get a first look at each of the debut Stella by Stella McCartney products, along with pricing.

View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article

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