Fab Find of the Week: Grown Alchemist
Photo: © Jo Fairley
Sometimes, a brand seems soooooo super-cool that you reckon it can’t be worth the hype. So forgive us for having been the teensiest bit cynical about Grown Alchemist , whose list of celeb fans is reputed to include Lenny Kravitz, Shawn Mendes and Jennifer Lopez.
Well… now we understand what all the fuss is about, having recently received a bumper fun pack of Grown Alchemist products (ranged above), and been – well, more than a little taken with them, actually.
Founded in 2008 by a couple of Aussie brothers – Keston and Jeremy Muijs – Grown Alchemist briefly sat under the L’Occitane Group’s umbrella, but is now back in private hands. According to the brand, it’s an alchemy of ‘science, nature + creativity’ – and so often, that’s just a yada-yada claim, or greenwashing to cover up the fact there are lots of synthetics in there.
But having scrutinised Grown Alchemist ingredients lists (that’s why we keep a magnifying glass on our desks!), this really is a principally botanically-powered brand – albeit harnessing biotech and ‘biomimetic’ ingredients, to enhance performance. (What does that mean? Well, sometimes it might mean stem cells cultured from plants, or other ‘tweaks’ to natural products, such as fermentation, which boost the action of that ingredient, but essentially qualify as ‘natural’.) In addition, several of the products have refills available – and we always love that.
But as ever, what we’re really interested in is performance. And honestly, we truly enjoyed working our what through everything pictured above. (Note: there’s also a rich and unctuous, perfect-for-winter Hydra-Restore Lip Balm, which went straight into Jo’s handbag and is definitely no longer photogenic, having put in some very good work over these centrally-heated months.)
So, thoughts…
Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser – as gentle as the name suggests, an ideal second cleanse in your double cleanse, or for oily/combi/younger skins. It didn’t irritate even our famously touchy skins, thanks to complexion-friendly ingredients like chamomile and aloe vera. Really enjoyed the rose and geranium scent, too.
Skin Renewal Facial Oil – we’d slightly argue with Grown Alchemist’s description of this as ‘lightweight’, finding it to be a seriously rich and nourishing blend – of vitamin E, sea buckthorn, rosehip, borage and vitamin E oils that leaves skin very velvety. Scent-wise, a touch of geranium, mandarin, lavender, clary sage and pepper, lightly infused into the blend.
Skin Renewal Serum – now this is much lighter, a gel formula with lovely ‘slip’, setting out to counter the damage from environmental aggressors by strengthening skin’s barrier. Ashwagandha, echinacea and niacinamde feature, with the moisture power of hyaluronic acid and glycerine. Probably our hero from the whole range.
Hydra-Repair Day Cream – non-greasy, and perhaps not quite rich enough for our dry skins – but a drop of the Skin Renewal Facial Oil changes that. Delicately scented with geranium, chamomile, mandarin and orange peel extract – fresh, but dainty.
Exfoliating Hand Wash – gently cleansing, gently grainy (rounded pumice and ‘eco beads’, alongside soothing aloe). It’s a luxe gel texture, fragranced lightly with orange peel and vanilla – and oh, this is really going to come into its own when the gardening season properly kicks off.
Restorative Hand Cream – we’ve been reaching for this last thing at night for a good slather, enjoying the gently rosy scent and the repairing blend of argan, rosehip and sea buckthorn. It takes a minute or so to sink in, making it too rich for daytime use for us – but as an overnight deep treat? So silkifying.
Grown Alchemist actually has a pretty big range, now – but we’re delighted that as of late last year, there’s a flagship store on Beak Street, in London’s West End, where you can not only dip and dab your way through the range, but even enjoy Grown Alchemist facials. (We are SO looking forward to trying one of those…)
Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser/£33 for 200ml
Skin Renewal Facial Oil/£46 for 25ml
Skin Renewal Serum/£58 for 25ml
Hydra-Repair Day Cream/£46 for 100ml
Exfoliating Hand Wash/£29 for 500ml
Restorative Hand Cream/£18 for 65ml
Hydra-Restore Lip Balm/£16 for 12ml
