AR Beauty Beat, May 2024: Best Beauty & Grooming Releases

Mecca Max, the affordable in-house line by Australian cosmetics retailer Mecca, has added a new skincare product to its comprehensive lineup. The Mecca Max Melt Down Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm is a fragrance-free nourishing balm cleanser that combines ceramides with emollients like squalane and jojoba and grapeseed oils to create a formula that removes makeup and impurities without stripping the skin of moisture.

No-nonsense skincare brand The Ordinary isn’t one for superfluous product lineups with dozens of SKUs in any given category. Case in point: until this month, the only toner in its range was the Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner. Now, The Ordinary has launched the Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner, with the somewhat wordy toner working to gently exfoliate the skin to reduce textural irregularities and decrease the appearance of dark spots. Formulated with n-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and squalane, it works to strengthen the skin barrier as it exfoliates and is suitable for all skin types, including dry and sensitive.

Aesop’s beloved hand cream formula welcomes a new scent, with the launch of the Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm. Housed in a purple tube, the woody, herbaceous scent boasts notes of cedarwood, patchouli, and clove which delicately scent the skin as the formula works to soothe and replenish dry and distressed hands.

Fenty Skin has launched a new tinted mineral SPF. Available in ten adaptable shades, the Hydra Vizor Huez Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen teams zinc oxide, a physical sun filter, with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich plant extracts to hydrate the skin and reduce the appearance of pores and dark spots as it protects.

Ole Henriken’s Banana Bright+ Eye Cream has long been a favourite amongst beauty editors and makeup artists alike, for its ability to instantly brighten the undereye area. Now, the Danish skincare brand has applied the same principles in moisturiser form, with the Banana Bright+ Instant Glow Moisturiser enriched with vitamin C to brighten as well as the signature pearlescent pigments that work to subtly blur and brighten the complexion. Performing double duty as a primer, the new moisturiser is designed to sit well under makeup.

Benefit Cosmetics has added two new lip tints to its lineup. Joining the brand’s famed Benetint formula are Splashtint (pictured) and Plushtint. The former provides a dewy, translucent wash of colour while the latter boasts a soft matte opaque finish. Both formulas are designed to moisturise the lips and smoothen the appearance of lip lines for a smoother effect when worn.

Clean beauty brand Kosas has added a hydrating tinted moisturiser to its arsenal, with the BB Burst Gel Cream promising light to medium coverage with a smooth, natural finish. Enriched with skin-loving ingredients like copper peptides, zinc, saccharide isomerate, and sodium PCA, it offers a hefty dose of hydration and skin-soothing benefits.

French beauty brand Clarins has added a duo of niacinamide-infused creams to its lineup. The Clarins Multi-Active range is designed to address eight visible signs of ageing (including uneven skin tone, large pores, wrinkles, lack of luminosity, fatigue, and water loss), with both the day and night creams employing niacinamide and sea holly and strawberry tree fruit extracts in their formulas to encourage elastacin synthesis and visibly plump the skin. Each formula features a bespoke scent created in collaboration with Japanese perfumery company Takasago. Multi-Active Day features a light, energising blend of white flowers and rose, while Multi-Active Night employs a comforting and relaxing scent of rose, jasmine, iris, musk, and cedarwood.

Another addition to the ever-popular lip stain category, the Mecca Max Lip Lock Balmy Lip Stain is designed to feel like a tint, stain like a balm, and have a gloss-like finish. The formula is available in six pigmented shades.

An exfoliating toner designed to be gentle enough for daily use, The Jojoba Company Daily Glow Exfoliating PHA Tonic sees polyhydroxy acids meet niacinamide, finger lime, hibiscus, and jojoba leaf extract to exfoliate the skin while providing deep hydration and supporting the skin barrier.

Taking a wholly unique approach to reducing the appearance of wrinkles, the Emma Lewisham Supernatural Vitale Elixir houses a revolutionary facial muscle relaxant that has been shown to reduce muscle contractions by up to 91% after 24 hours. A blend of 11 natural active ingredients (including a neuropeptide relaxant complex) send signals to multiple cellular pathways of the skin and work to inhibit the activity that leads to the expression of wrinkles and fine lines while also plumping the skin for an instantly ‘fuller’ effect.

Paula’s Choice has reformulated one of its hero products, with the new C15 Super Booster adding ergothioneine, an antioxidant that boosts the efficacy of vitamin C, into the mix. Ferulic acid also aids in improving the efficacy of the formula, while peptides work to smoothen and lightly plump the skin.

A hydrating toner enriched with panthenol and niacinamide to hydrate and even out skin tone, as well as mucor miehei extract, a gentle enzymatic exfoliant. Boasting a light watery texture with a floral woody fragrance, it’s suitable for daily use.

A unique addition to the body oil space, the Bioderma Atoderm 2-in-1 Oil performs double duty; moisturising dry skin while exfoliating. In addition to usual suspects like squalane, jojoba oil, karanja oil, and ceramides, the formula also contains malic acid ester, an alpha-hydroxy acid that works to exfoliate the surface layer of the skin.

A lighter, more youthful take on the brand’s ever-popular Vanilla 28 fragrance, the Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar 42 is a delectably sweet scent inspired by founder Mona Kattan’s love of candy. It sees notes of glazed pear and bubble gum surround a heart of vanilla, underscored by warm notes of tonka bean, patchouli, and sandalwood.