Style & Beauty Treat
Style & Beauty Treat Yourself I N S I D E A N D O U T Whether it’s optimising your skincare routine, finding a new favourite fragrance or planning that much-needed spa-cation, wellness today is all about balancing body and soul MULTIPLE CHOICE Above: the Osmologue, Ex Nihilo’s perfumemixing robot; right: NKM’s microbacterial toner A L L A B O U T Y O U Note-perfect personalisation is the next big thing, both online and in-store. By Adriaane Pielou W omen come in with an adored lipstick that’s not made any more, or with millimetres left in a beautiful casing they can’t bear to throw away. They’re so thrilled when we re-create it in front of their eyes!” So says Nadine Ayache of London-based cosmetics company Code8 (codeeight.com). At its Colour ID Lab in Burlington Arcade, you can watch – in person or via Zoom – as a Colour Maestro gets to work amid moulds and palette knives, in 45 minutes producing an exact copy of any shade. It’s a weirdly hypnotic process to witness, and thanks to the high (Italian-made) pigment content – from 50 to 65 per cent, compared to the mass-market standard of eight to 20 per cent – the original may be back in production before the lipstick’s finished. Re-creating a favourite but discontinued fragrance, on the other hand – the dream of many a perfume lover – has to remain a dream, until, with luck, technology corrects this situation. With Look Labs in Berlin launching a “digital scent”, perhaps that time isn’t far off. Meanwhile, at Ex Nihilo in Paris (ex-nihilo-paris.com), one can at least personalise a perfume. In the lab-like boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré, dominated by the ceiling-high glass Osmologue, the fragrances can be personalised with the addition of absolutes of, for example, Iris Pallida, Vanilla Bourbon, or Rose Centifolia from Grasse. The glass bottle can be laser-engraved and the top customised with mother-of-pearl, buffalo horn or onyx. Et voilà. Technological developments have also enabled the skincare industry to throw itself into personalisation. Online dermatologist consultations and sophisticated online interfaces that allow customers to upload PHOTOS FROM TOP: © EX NIHILO, © NKM 38 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: LIFEDIE, ALEXIS DUPONT, © PALAZZO FIUGGI, DAN WELLDON photos of their skin for professional scrutiny underpin the offerings of digital newcomers such as Atolla (atolla.com) in the US and Dermatica (dermatica. co.uk) in Britain. Both then prescribe individually formulated products for a corrective, monthly subscription-based skincare journey. In Germany, Munich’s NKM (nkmatelier.de) takes things further by introducing customers to the pleasures and practicalities of BIY, or Blend It Yourself. Launched in 2020, the all-natural, plant-based NKM has quickly become one of the country’s leading influencer companies, with customers in the light- and plant-filled Munich atelier invited to mix their own serums, moisturisers, toners and sunscreens on the spot, ingredient by organic ingredient. Inflamed, sensitive skin propelled founder Mareike Peters to launch the brand, first honing her self-taught skills with a Formula Botanica course and engaging a network of farmers in Bavaria to organically grow her raw materials. “I do not see an end to reinventing how we harvest, manufacture, bottle and ship cosmetics and ingredients,” she says. “Anti-inflammatory foods and habits – as well as products – are vital in making skin look great. Antioxidants are my new best friend now.” Her forthcoming book will include recipes for, “120h moisture creams with peptides, a CBD-retinol super-serum, a probiotic spray to soothe eczema – not your usual DIY!” Or BIY. The Code8 Colour ID Lab in London’s Burlington Arcade SANCTUARY CENTRAL S P A N E W S Wellness retreats are popping up around the globe Clockwise from left: the phytobar at Château de Fiac; a treatment at RAKxa; Palazzo Fiuggi’s opulent Roman bath After the year we’ve had, it’s no surprise that extraordinary wellness retreats are opening the world over. In Europe, two historic palaces have been converted into sanctuaries of note: Palazzo Fiuggi (palazzofiuggi.com) is a €30m medi-spa cocooned by nature less than an hour outside Rome, while Château de Fiac (revivoresorts.com) is the first European addition to the Revivo portfolio, a 16-bedroom converted castle not far from Toulouse in southwestern France. In Asia, where Revivo began, there are multiple newcomers with global appeal. Banyan Tree is introducing a new health-focused concept with Buahan (banyantree.com), a thoroughly grounded retreat in Ubud, Bali. Bangkok, meanwhile, has recently welcomed RAKxa (rakxawellness.com), a fully integrated medical and wellness destination on an island in the Chao Phraya River, where privacy is paramount and the villas and residences feature sequestered slices of the surrounding jungle. It’s a different sort of isolation at Kagi Maldives Spa Island (kagimaldives. com), as the endless oceanic horizons complement the therapeutic ethos of the first-of-its-kind, all-villa hotel, which features a full selection of stress-reducing watersports and a charming circular overwater spa. In Qatar, Thai powerhouse Chiva Som fuses holistic healing with Middle Eastern traditions at Zulal Wellness Resort (zulal.com), an expansive destination that, when it opens later this year, will feature 64 different treatments rooms. Ancient Rome is the inspiration for the more intimate Aurum (theaurumn.com), a 36-room hotel centred on an expansive hammam, which is set to open this autumn in the forested Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. – BN CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 39
