Simone Gannon: 8 Irish beauty products to try now and love forever

Irish-made beauty products are leading the way - here are some of our writer's picks of the bunch

Wed, 13 Jul, 2022 - 09:00

Beauty Editor

Our small yet sassy nation is knocking it out of the park when it comes to beauty. Top-tier, innovative, sustainable skincare, high-performance makeup, and effortlessly cool haircare have become par for the course from Irish-owned brands, both at home and abroad. These are just some of the products from Irish-owned brands, some well-known, some up and coming, that I truly love - and think you will too.

1. Seabody Aquasurge Day Serum

One of many high-performance products in Seabody’s impressive marine plant-based range, this lightweight, intensely hydrating day serum has an all-star line-up of ingredients, including niacinamide, sea buckthorn, glycerin, and the brand’s hero ingredient, fucoidan – a bioactive derived from brown seaweed, a powerful source of minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. This is hydrated, glowy, glass-like skin in a (fabulous) bottle.

€50 from Seabody.com.

2. Sculpted by Aimee Second Skin Dewy Foundation

A makeup brand that has taken over my makeup bag in recent years, Aimee Connolly’s affordable range has a host of fantastic products, including one of the best foundations I’ve used, Second Skin. Available in both matte and dewy formulations and packed with skin-hydrating ingredients, this medium-coverage foundation is the epitome of your-skin-but-better. It melts leaves a luminous, comfortable finish and has great staying power, too.

Available in 30 shades, €27 from Sculptedbyaimee.com.

3. Ground Wellbeing Peat Mask

Designed for use on the face and body, this organic peat mask from Peigin Crowley’s award-winning wellness brand is a treatment like no other. The texture is luxurious but mud-like, in the best possible way, and feels cold and rejuvenating on the skin. It cleanses without irritation, reduces inflammation, and leaves the skin feeling smooth and refreshed in just 10 minutes. It’s fantastic for when you need to soothe and depuff after a flight.

€20 for 60ml from Groundwellbeing.com

4. Bare by Vogue Face Tanning Serum

A skincare-faux tan hybrid, this gradual tan serum from Vogue Williams’ popular range is jam-packed with good-for-your-skin ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, oat lipids, vitamin E, and a rich peptide complex that collectively work to protect, smooth, balance, and hydrate the skin while adding a delicate bronzed glow. Williams’ product offering to date has been impressive and this new serum is no different. I can’t wait to see what she brings out next.

Available in three shades, €29 from barebyvogue.com.

5. Up Cosmetics Lipsticks

Pippa O’Connor Ormond and Una Tynan’s cosmetics line has an impressive line-up of products, but the lipsticks are a real standout. Pigmented, creamy, with great staying power, and housed inside a sleek golden tube, the four-shade offering has something for everyone and will take you from day to night and back again (they’re fantastically priced at 20 each, too).

€20 each from UpCosmetics.com.

6. Pestle & Mortar Exfoliate Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Solution

Founded by Sonia Deasy eight years ago, Pestle and Mortar’s products have become a staple in many a skincare routine, and for good reason. Offering simple, effective skincare products that cater to all skin types, this is a range that delivers what your skin needs without fanfare. Exfoliate is one of my favourite products in the range. Formulated with glycolic acid and niacinamide, this gentle toner sloughs away dead skin cells leaving the skin brightens and smooth without irritation.

€16 for an 80ml bottle, from Pestleandmortar.com.

7. Sásta Skin Health Microbiome Serum

One of the newest brands on this list and the brainchild of skin therapist Michelle McDonald, Sásta Skin Health is making waves with the launch of its Microbiome Serum. Designed to support and nurture your skin’s natural eco-system, this light, hydrating serum is a daily topical supplement for your skin.

Suitable for all skin types (but particularly great for dry and/or sensitive skin), it helps to restore and balance the skin’s pH, and reduce inflammation and sensitivity, among many other benefits. I started using it a few months ago (morning and evening after cleansing and before other products) and can’t recommend it enough.

€45 from Sastaskinhealth.com.

8. Andrew Fitzsimons MODEL Volume Boosting Wave Spray

I love many of the products in Andrew Fitzsimons’ excellent range, but Volume Boosting Wave Spray is my latest obsession. For use on towel-dried hair, this adds natural texture, bounce, and non-frizzy definition to my slightly wavy hair, without adding crunchiness or weight. I’d imagine it will elicit even better results very wavy or naturally curly hair (it smells great, too).

€14.99 from Boots.

Prices are subject to change and may differ across retailers.