Australian owned nail polish and makeup brand, Kester Black has announced the launch of its highly-anticipated cosmeceutical range.
The complete skincare range had been in development for five years, and serves as a significant side-step away from the brand’s signature line of cosmetics.
Today, the brand launches with three products: Overachiever Balm Cleanser, Skin Drench Moisturiser, and The Caretaker Vitamin E Serum.
The new range echoes Kester Black’s existing ethical production practices and fun, flamboyant packaging.
Why skincare?
Kester Black founder, Anna Ross’ motivation for launching into skincare came from her personal experience of sun exposure. “I had just turned thirty and started to really take an interest in skincare after having a skin assessment and realising how much sun damage was hiding under the surface layers of my skin,” Anna told Professional Beauty. “Outwardly my skin didn’t look damaged, however under the blue light it was a mess! After thirty years of not wearing sunscreen though, it was no surprise!”
Anna launched a survey to her existing customer database of 1138, and conducted in-person interviews to learn more on skincare buyer habits. She discovered that 86.4 percent had used cleanser, 85.1 percent had used moisturiser, and 66.4 percent had used serums in the seven days prior.
“The survey data made a compelling case to pivot the brand and to follow my passions once again. So off I went to begin research, product development and testing,” Anna said.
Anna says the range was ultimately born out of a desire to craft a more holistic skincare ritual for users. “While [competitor skincare brands] had great clinical data, I found my routine hard to stick to because there was no joy in applying product after product that smelt strange and didn’t have a nice skin feel,” Anna said.
The ingredients
Kester Black cosmeceutical skincare combines effective formulations with sensory self-care. “I became obsessed with trying out all the latest brands and trying to understand which ingredients did what,” Anna said.
Ingredients are natural or naturally-derived wherever possible, and are combined with clinically-backed actives that are traceable, ethically-sourced and sustainable.
Products’ ingredient menus span everything from peptides and adaptogens, to ceramides and salicylic acid.
Anna shared the top three ingredients she was most inspired to incorporate in this range to be:
- Snow Mushroom, found in the Skin Drench Moisturiser. “It’s a staple in traditional Chinese medicine and a powerful moisturising ingredient. It draws humidity from the atmosphere to the skin and provides 500 times the hydrating power of Hyaluronic Acid, leaving skin supple and hydrated.”
- Babassu Seed Oil, used in the Overachiever Balm Cleanser. “Extracted from the Brazilian Orbignya Oleifera plant, it’s known for its hydrating, antibacterial and antioxidant benefits. It works to soften and hydrate skin, and remove impurities without clogging pores, while offering environmental protection and microbiome support.”
- and Sea Buckthorn Oil, used in The Caretaker Vitamin E Serum. “It’s extracted from the pulp of the sea buckthorn berry, it contains powerful antioxidant vitamin E and is rich in beta-carotenes, rare fatty acid omega-7, omega-3 and omega-6, to moisturise and soothe skin to leave it healthy and glowing. It provides nutrition for healthy skin and ageing.”
Skincare fragrances are COSMOS certified 100 percent natural, and were carefully selected to elicit feelings of nostalgia in users. Each product is packaged in a different, pop-colour shade for maximum impact.
An additional eight products in the range will roll out between June and October this year, and will be stocked via the Kester Black website.
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