We are really rather excited to be here for the debut of a brand new BRITISH beauty line that’s tapping into the power of grape-derived ingredients in the vineyards of Kent – one particular vineyard, actually, at Westwell. 

Some years ago, we were in at ground level as beauty editors, hearing all about how the Caudalie brand harnessed the amazing power of grape-derived antioxidants and other skin-loving elements  in their skincare, from the lips of founders Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, so it feels rather like that moment – but on British terra firma.

Pelegrims takes its name from the word for pilgrim, and the Pilgrim’s Way borders the vineyard where the grapes are harvested. The cosmetic expertise comes from Alex Verier (below), who was previously Director at Haeckels (quite a pedigree and your clue that the products smell just GREAT), and the charming Jerome Moissan, a former tech executive who is sommelier-trained and has a fascination for all things ‘grape’. 

For now, there’s a quartet of products, three of which can be enjoyed in trial sizes – always SUCH a good idea for a start-up brand that nobody knows and doesn’t have a Lauder-like advertising budget, and certainly in this case, ‘trying is believing’. Here’s what you can enjoy…

• Pelegrims Facial Oil/from £14 for 10ml. Showcasing polyphenols from Westwell’s Pinot Noir grape extract, combined with four powerful, nourishing but swiftly-absorbed seed oils, from raspberry, hemp, pumpkin and grapes, lightly scented with rose, fig and grass (NB The mini is a REALLY useful size for travel.)

• Pelegrims Facial Balm/from £11 for 10ml. A rich overnight treatment that could be layered under the oil on a super-dry skin.

• Pelegrims Hand Pomade/from £7 for 10ml. Very much enjoying this last thing at night for a really rich slather (and don’t ignore your cuticles - great for those!) It features English Ortega grape extract in a rich pomade-style base that also incorporates hyaluronic acid and Provitamins B5, fragranced with rosemary leaf, amber and fig. Lovely, lovely stuff.

• Pelegrims Exfoliating Hand Cleanser/£19 for 270ml. This hefty pump-dispenser jar landed on our desks a couple of weeks after the launch and it’s proving a godsend after gardening or for clean, fresh-feeling hands (and we all want them, don’t we). Fab scent, again – this time rose, laudanum and a whisper of tomato – and with spherical, gentle exfoliating grains that really do the business.

As Alex says, ‘Our intention is to formulate low intervention, active skincare formulations that work in harmony with the skin supporting it to heal and rejuvenate itself. Sustainability is hugely important to us, so using waste products from the wine making process and harnessing the powerful grape extracts are at the core of our brand and our future research.’ We really like the idea of taking elements of the grape that would otherwise be thrown away or composted, and upcycling them into powerful skin-loving ingredients. It’s another sign of the shift towards sustainability that is (to our delight) taking place across the beauty world.

An exciting addition to the beauty landscape. And a landscape that is – wonderfully – close to home…

PS Just to explain: the ‘Harvest’ date on the front of the label explains that the ingredients were harvested and extracted in 2020 – but the products themselves are fresh-made with those potent extracts, this year. 

£7-49 – buy here

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