It’s positive that more beauty companies are considering their impact. For example, Jennifer Rock’s Skingredients has just relaunched with less packaging and with refills across the entire line. It’s the way forward, and while nothing is perfect, brands that are ignoring the challenge are looking seriously out of step – for example, it’s my own personal opinion, but a new Giorgio Armani Eccentrico palette for winter, with 28g of product in an oversized plastic case with integral mirror, priced at €110, just does not signal luxury to me. I love a glam palette as much as anyone, but just don’t love this big slab of plastic (on the back in tiny writing it admits: “[Recycling] Instructions may vary locally”). It feels wasteful – now the opposite of glamour – as well as overpriced, and impossible to justify.

So a new initiative from Nunaïa beauty is refreshing. We’ve been dedicated admirers of Nicola Connolly’s Nunaïa since she first launched her Nourishing Radiance Serum in 2018. It’s always interesting to see a new Irish beauty brand – one that’s genuinely made here, with love and care, rather than simply shipped in from China (read the labels – this is the case with more brands than you think). Nunaïa really stood out, and continues to do so, for many reasons.

Connolly’s passion and clear vision for “high-performance green beauty” really shone through from the outset, from the origins of the ingredients to the beautiful natural benefits for your skin. Connolly has been considering sustainability right from the beginning, and is edging closer to carbon-netural certification. Nunaïa has Cosmos organic certification as well as cruelty-free and vegan credentials.

The beautiful serum/oil and the cleansing balm are made in Ireland with key ingredients sourced with care from South America, where Connolly lived and worked for many years. And both are a pleasure to use, and give your skin natural support in a way that feels luxurious yet understated. Your skin will glow, no question: the serum/oil is every bit as good as any top-priced luxury brand version I’ve ever tried. As I’ve said before, it’s the Irish equivalent of the (gorgeous but far pricier) Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum (€200 for 30ml at www.Floraison.ie).

Nunaïa continues to quietly forge its own considered path. An example is a new partnership with sustainable lifestyle store reuzi, Pat Kane’s minimal waste store in Foxrock, Dublin, also opened in 2018. Here you can buy Nunaïa’s excellent products without the external packaging, meaning that they have less impact on the environment (and you save a few euros at the same time). Because the duck-egg blue box is undeniably pretty, and good for keeping jewellery in afterwards, but you don’t need more than one. The packaging-free option is available at reuzi.ie and nunaia.com now, with the Nourishing Radiance Serum at €75 (with packaging €79), and the Superfood Cleansing Balm – richly effective and restorative with nourishing sacha inchi oil – at €56 (usually €59). Another tip: Nunaïa’s lavender and tea tree hand sanitiser spray is one of the nicest you can use, and it’s currently reduced to €4.86 at Brown Thomas.

If you are yet to try this peerless Irish beauty collection, we firmly recommend that you do. Good for all skin types, both the cleanser and the serum are especially good for mature skin, gentle yet moisture-restoring. A firm favourite.

www.nunaia.com
www.reuzi.ie