Welcome back, dear friend! Have you tried Nordic skincare before? Today I’m sharing a few of the winners of the exciting Nordic Natural Beauty Awards! I know you’re going to want to find out more!
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The yearly awards showcase the finest beauty products from Nordic and Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
The 50-strong judging panel comprises renowned Nordic stars from music, cinema, and fashion.
I’ve had the pleasure of following along with the awards on Twitter and Instagram. The winners were announced on October 28th. I was totally bowled over to hear from the founders of the award and invited to try some fabulous Nordic skincare!
So, why is there so much love for Nordic skincare?
Let me explain.
Nordic skincare is truly inspired by nature and often contains locally sourced ingredients you cannot find elsewhere – think extracts from marine algae, nourishing tree sap, and antioxidant rich berries.
In order to endure conditions so far north, plants must adapt their defences – making for more potent skincare.
Nordic countries believe in the healing power of nature and live an outdoor lifestyle that contributes to better wellbeing. And true to a love of nature, minimum waste and recyclability are often a big feature.
I tried 7 fascinating skincare products. Let’s learn more about them now!
Nordic Natural Beauty Awards winners
Frantsila Herbal Facial Scrub
First up is this gorgeous scrub from Finnish brand Frantsila. The Herbal Facial Scrub marries the manual action of marine diatom powder with the enzyme action of papaya extract to dissolve dead skin cells. Frantsila promise that the organic herbal extracts, seed oils, and essential oils in the scrub will rejuvenate, nourish and smooth the skin.
This scrub is one of my favourites of all the products I received – it’s easy to see why it won “Best Exfoliator” in the Nordic Natural Beauty Awards.
Firstly, I love Frantsila’s elegant minimalist but slightly folksie branding. Housed in a metal tube, the beautifully rich creamy consistency gives way to a super fine polishing texture. The fragrance is so mild and natural.
Massaged gently into the skin, the scrub leaves no sensation from the enzymes it contains. However, my skin was left a little pink after first use. I probably massaged a little too hard!
As for results, my skin was silky and soft after use. It was extra glowy too, which made me happy!
This product truly captures the spirit of the North. I can imagine using it in a hot tub or spa in a log cabin in the woods!
Frantsila Herbal Facial Scrub
Honningperler Lip Balm Naturel
A completely plastic free natural and eco-friendly lip balm from Danish brand Honningperler. This lip balm is based on certified olive oil, beeswax, and honey. It’s fragrance free and contains no essential oils. The chunky lip balm can be used on other dry areas, too. This handy little stick is a true guilt free companion! No wonder it won “Best Lip Balm”!
Honningperler Lip Balm is a soft and silky balm that’s super easy to use. It’s nice and soft at room temperature, melting into the lips. Its consistency would probably be firmer in colder environments.
Since I’m not spending a lot of time outdoors at the moment, I’m not sure how well the lip balm performs against the elements. It doesn’t feel very waxy so perhaps I’d need to apply it quite frequently for adequate protection from the North East wind!
I love how kind to the environment this product is. The packaging is a total win.
Honningperler Lip Balm Naturel
Taika Moisturising Cleansing Gel
As soon as I saw the forest inspired packaging of this gentle gel wash, I knew I would love it! The cleanser, from Finnish brand Taika, is said to work well for all skin types. It won the “99% Natural Cleansing Product” category in the Nordic Natural Beauty Awards.
I use it as my morning cleanse or as my second cleanse in a double cleanse. It’s so refreshing! What makes it different? It contains three types of xylitol and organic birch sap for a boost of moisture. I also love that it’s vegan and COSMOS certified.
It comes in a plastic bottle with a flip cap lid. The soft watery and slippery gel delivers a thorough cleanse with a delicate citrus fragrance. My skin is really enjoying how mild and gentle the wash is. It never stings the eyes and my skin is never taut after washing. My skin feels so soft and hydrated.
This is probably one of my favourite gel cleansers to date. Luckily it’s available in the UK from The Arctic Pure!
Taika Moisturising Cleansing Gel
Buy Now – €7.96 at The Arctic Pure
GREVINNANS RUM Salt Water Soap No:1
Winner of the “Best Soap” category, this liquid soap is a little different! It is said to work for the whole body, for all skin types. As well as its unique watery texture, it also contains nourishing dead sea salt. It’s organic and vegan and comes in this stylish black plastic bottle that’s easy to squeeze.
Although it is supposed to work all over the body I found it best for my hands. It smells absolutely divine, and very refreshing – with peppermint and may chang.
The very fine watery texture lathers surprisingly well and cleans effectively without leaving my hands dry and stripped. The natural scent lingers and feels so refreshing after tasks like nappy changes.
This salt water soap is so gentle and not at all irritating like traditional soap. If you’re a frequent hand washer, like me, this will work great.
The price given below, although high, is for the 1000ml bottle which would last a long while.
GREVINNANS RUM Salt Water Soap No:1
Buy Now – £45.59 at Grevinnans Rum
ROSENSERIEN Rose Cream Anti Wrinkle
Touted as an “intensely moisturising and softening cream that counteracts skin ageing”, ROSENSERIEN Rose Cream contains paracress, which is thought to have an anti-wrinkle effect on the skin. Along with its cosmetic benefits, the cream contains plenty of antioxidants and fatty acids from vegetable oils – which slow down skin’s ageing process.
This is a really enjoyable cream. It’s on the richer side, so it’s fabulous for the colder months. I love the instant and long term effects of the ingredients it contains.
The cream comes in a traditional looking plastic pump bottle. The dispenser probably uses a fair bit of plastic but is super convenient and hygienic. Applying the cream, the texture is rich but not overly greasy. Rose Cream has a sweet powdery rose scent which I can’t say smells as if from essential oils, but is very nice and not overwhelming nonetheless. The scent lingers for a little while, which is welcome.
After using ROSENSERIEN Rose cream, my skin is slightly shiny and tacky to the touch, but super soft and well moisturised throughout the day.
I’ll definitely reach for this often during winter. And it’s easy to see why it won the “Best Moisturiser” category!
ROSENSERIEN Rose Cream Anti Wrinkle
Buy Now – £55.81 at Beauty of Scandinavian
HUMLE Orange Care Balm
This wonderful little balm from Swedish brand HUMLE won “Best Care Balm” and “Favourite of the Jury”, and for good reason! It’s so good to use for very dry and chapped skin and is working wonders on my hands and feet.
The balm is delicately fragranced with orange and contains shea butter, mango butter, castor oil, and Swedish organic beeswax along with anti-inflammatory organic hop oil.
The texture of HUMLE Orange Care Balm is thick, waxy, and ever so slightly grainy, but using just a dab leaves a comfortable feeling without too much greasiness.
I love how seasonal this product is, it’s so good for Christmas! My hands and feet are really thanking me for it.
It’d make a fabulous and well considered stocking filler!
HUMLE Orange Care Balm
DrBRAGI Age Management Moisturiser
Finally, this interesting oil free gel moisturiser from Icelandic brand DrBRAGI. It won the “99% Natural Hydration Product” category and the “Top 5 Innovation” award.
The unique ingredient in this formula is a “super active” marine enzyme, which together with hyaluronic acid promises a moisturiser that both mitigates the effects of ageing while hydrating and plumping the skin.
Finding this moisturiser in the package brought a great deal of delight. The packaging has a clinical feel to it, but it’s also very clean looking. Tiny bubbles suspended in the moisturiser add to the pleasure!
There are a several ingredients in this moisturiser that seem harsh, including alcohol, although I’ve experienced no irritation. The gel-like texture is a breeze to apply over the skin, and only a pea sized amount is recommended. The brand state if the face feels sticky, too much has been used. Unfortunately, my face felt sticky and was a shiny for 12 hours during the day, and it wasn’t the nicest sensation.
My face did feel hydrated throughout the day. However, I’ll need to give this moisturiser more time, as I feel that its results need to be good to offset the disliked texture and after feel!
DrBRAGI Age Management Moisturiser
Final thoughts on Nordic Natural Beauty Awards winners
My heart is truly captured by Nordic skincare, and the Nordic Natural Beauty Awards is an amazing collective to share the love for Nordic skincare and increase the popularity of Nordic brands.
To find out more, visit nordicnaturalbeautyawards.fi or see @nordicnaturalbeautyawards. I can’t wait for next year!
Have you tried Nordic skincare before? Let me know in the comments! And remember to subscribe and follow me to stay in touch.
Until next time!
7 Comments
Loved reading Your thoughts on the products! Nordic skincare intrigues me to no end too, the use of berries, algae and pine & other unusual ingredients are calling my name. Must check more x
The herbal facial scrub sounds amazing. I love a nice, gentle exfoliator on my face. It makes it feel so fresh and clean!
The scrub and the lip balm sound amazing, I like to reapply lip balm so that would’t be a problem for me
I want to try that lip balm! I am an addict!
The Honningperler Lip Balm sounds divine for dry winter months.
These sound like amazing stuff, I need to check out nordic skincare seems great. I have been looking so a exfolatoir
I so love a great face scrub. I’ve been doing a bit of 12 days of face masks and scrubs this holiday season.