New Zealand Brand Emma Lewisham Is the Name on Everyone’s Face

How do you cut through the noise in a market as competitive as the skincare industry? You could create natural products that are elegantly effective and actually deliver on their claims. Make sure they’re contained in eye-catching yet simple packaging that is modern and feels luxurious. Or you could count on the impact of throwing one of the most talked-about parties of the year with a private performance by Florence Welch.

New Zealand-based Emma Lewisham has done all three. (The Welch performance took place in Sydney last year to thank the brand’s Australian fans for their support.)

The story of Emma Lewisham ’s eponymous skincare brand, and its eye-catching purple packaging (which has appeared in nearly every beauty editor’s Instagram story and even had a cameo in the most recent season of Heartbreak High), begins back in 2016.

Having served as one of few female senior executives at a global Japanese tech company for eight years, Lewisham saw her trajectory shift after two life events. While struggling to fall pregnant, the death of her mother rocked the family. “I lost my mother to cancer, and it was crushing," says Lewisham. These battles were catalysts for Lewisham to prioritise her health.

But it was a doctor's visit, after she became pregnant, that set her on the path towards the world of skincare. She was advised to avoid using hydroquinone, an ingredient commonly used in beauty products for hyperpigmentation, due to its potential risks during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

“While he advised me to stop using hydroquinone, he could not honestly recommend a natural alternative that genuinely worked,” Lewisham tells Broadsheet. While doing her own research, Lewisham found much of the natural skincare market compromised on innovation and scientifically backed results.

But where others might have just given in and used what was available, Lewisham saw an opportunity to create a brand that would bridge the gap between science and nature. “I firmly believe that natural ingredients are better for your health and my driving force has always been to prove that they can deliver superior results to traditional skincare,” she says.

The first product born from this vision was the Skin Reset Serum. “I developed this formulation in direct response to not finding a science-backed, natural product that would repair and prevent my hyperpigmentation,” says Lewisham. It took three years of research and development to create a product that not only addresses hyperpigmentation but prevents its recurrence. “It has been independently proven to outperform the most recognised brightening skincare products.”

In 2020, Lewisham cracked the Australian market, bang in the middle of the pandemic. But it wasn’t long before every beauty editor was raving about the brand, which now offers a range of products including exfoliants, face creams and sleeping masks, all with the luxurious feel of upscale brands – an element often missing in the natural skincare realm.

What has made Emma Lewisham stand out from other brands is two-fold: its unique approach to formulation, and how its products have been designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing routine, acknowledging the reality that very few of us practise monogamy when it comes to our skincare regimes.

“We take a skin physiology-first, rather than ingredient-led approach,” says Lewisham of how her products work with the skin’s natural functions, rather than trying to tackle individual issues with specific ingredients. “As our formulations are uniquely designed to mimic the cellular pathways of the skin to return it to its most optimal state, all our products are multi-functional.”

This groundbreaking approach to formulations was what caught the attention of pre-eminent Sydney facialist and skincare expert, Melanie Grant. “I love the comprehensive yet streamlined approach of the brand,” says Grant, who is also a favourite facialist of Victoria Beckham. “Reaching for products that support the skin’s own innate functions is half the battle, so finding a collection like Emma’s that does it all in just a few easy steps is a no-brainer.”

The other area where Lewisham and her eponymous brand are light years ahead of the competition is in sustainability and circularity. “Our complete range is designed to be refilled, with our refill SKUs having a 74 per cent lower carbon score than their original vessels,” she says. This commitment to circularity has saved more than 80 tonnes of carbon emissions. “We understand the inherent value in the materials we have created, and we want to harness this.”

emmalewisham.com.au

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