In business, you need a sense of humour to get you through the dark days (of which, inevitably, there are plenty in any start-up). And we’ve got to say: we admire any beauty brand founder who is prepared to be photographed with fruit on her head (scroll right down for a shot of founder Danielle Close, doing just that).

But while My Skin Feels has a fun feel and colourful packaging, this is proper skincare with a serious mission. This start-up takes takes high-quality ingredients from the food chain which would otherwise go to waste – for instance, the nutrient-dense water from Mediterranean mandarins, packed with antioxidants, and used for brightening the skin. (It also happens to smell zestily fab.) 

Olive oil is another repurposed ingredient – again, by-products from the industry are used. And again, this is an ingredient packed with skin-protecting antioxidants. Ditto breakfast oats, and (somehow this really pushes our buttons), My Skin Feels also use tomato skins, waste from the ketchup industry, the equivalent of a ‘skin superfood’.

Of course, those aren’t the only ingredients (overall, the products are 99%+ natural), but it’s a wonderful example of clever thinking, to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint. In the same vein, the aluminium packaging for the two debut products is lightweight and recyclable. (They’re working on an even better alternative to the recyclable Polypropylene Plastic (PP) caps; meanwhile, you can send those back to My Skin Feels, if you can’t recycle them any other way. 

This is all well and good, though – but however virtuous, products have to perform – and these really do. There are just two, for now…

My Skin Feels Clean Fruity Foaming Face Wash can be used morning and evening (you’ll need a separate eye make-up remover, though). It has an interesting gel-to-foam texture, and rinses away; while it’s good for blemishes and breakouts, it’s not too stripping for our dry complexions (albeit we probably wouldn’t use it every day).

My Skin Feels Moisturised Healthy Hydrating Moisturiser is lightly skin-quenching, blending organic shea butter, rosehip and ‘rescued’ ingredients including oats, which help to balance the skin’s microbiome and soothe inflammation. Moisturising, yes, but not rich or greasy.

As we’re highlighting female founders this month on Beauty Bible, a little bit about the motivation for creating this streamlined range, from Brighton-based founder Danielle. As she says, ‘When creating My Skin Feels I knew it needed to more than just sell products, it has a voice and I wanted it to be a way to help others no matter how small. I’m a big believer in community. It’s an integral part of life here in Brighton and I want to give back to the city that I love. I also think that the best way to make change is to start on a level that makes a real tangible difference.’ Thus, 1% of My Skin Feels’s sales will go to help fight food waste, via the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership.’

https://bhfood.org.uk/

So, you know what? Using this, you’ll also be able to say: ‘My Conscience Feels… clean.’

My Skin Feels Clean Fruity Foaming Face Wash/£36 for 50ml – buy here

My Skin Feels Moisturised Healthy Hydrating Moisturiser/£28 for 125ml –  buy here

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