After two years of development, there is now a new champion in the world of holistic skin care: Supermood, a Finnish brand created and founded by Anne Kukkohovi.
The conquering of the Finnish market will start with Sokos and Emotion stores, where the products should be available any day now. The products are already available in Jolie’s boutique on Uudenmaankatu, as well as at Jolie’s webstore.
When Anne told me about her concept for Supermood a few years ago, I instantly felt that this was a natural cosmetics makeup range with the potential to be sold in stores like Net-A-Porter, Lafayette and Le Bon Marché in Paris – never mind being featured in Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and what have you.
It is an ingenious idea: a 360-degree type of holistic approach to skin care. The products for external use are complemented by internally used (that is – ingestible) products (such as raw chocolate with collagen, and a beauty powder containing chaga mushroom and collagen), as well as an anti-wrinkle beauty pillow, that can be sprayed with an aromatherapeutic and relaxing pillow spray.
I’ve been following Suopermood’s story since that meeting, and knowing the amount passion, spirit, and love that Anne has put into the creation of this range had me blinking away tears of joy at the launch party, held about a week ago.
The first range, or mood, from Supermood is called Egoboost, and it is based on the antioxidant-rich chaga mushroom extract. Teas and tinctures made from chaga mushroom have been used for centuries to reap the benefits of the mushroom’s healing properties. In skin care, it can be used to repair the skin and even out pigmentation. All of the Egoboost products also contain Finnish birch sap.
Although Supermood’s products are made by an Ecocert-certified manufacturer in Helsinki, they are not officially certified as natural cosmetics. Consumers are increasingly aware about the existence of natural cosmetics, but also confused by them; there is a lot of so-called green washing going on, and products from outside the EU are especially susceptible to this – European natural cosmetic certificates being relatively unknown to the rest of the world.
I’ve always hoped for more transparency, even from the certified ranges – after all, the use of certain approved synthetic ingredients is allowed. Although the amount of synthetic ingredients in these products is usually less than 1%, I feel the INCI should state which of the products are organic, which are natural and which synthetic. When I suggested it to Anne, she ran away with the idea; ingredients in her products are now marked with clear symbols to indicate these qualities. I hope other natural cosmetic brands will soon follow suit.
I have now thoroughly tested each product from the Egoboost range, and found some true gems. Supermood is effective but also technical, and we all know how I love that. The formulas used in Egoboost are ideal for me, personally – the products are very moisturizing, but not too thick, and they absorb easily.
My absolute favorites are The Perfect Day Cream and Eyes Wide Open Serum. My bottle of the day cream is almost empty, and the serum isn’t fairing much better, either.
Menthol extract gives the day cream a moisturizing, refreshing and awakening effect. I love products with peppermint or menthol because, besides combining perfectly with fruit acids, they’re also ideal for minimizing pores and gently cleansing oily skin.
The ingredients of the day cream include Finnish birch sap, chaga mushroom extract, and red alga (Porphyridium Cruentum), which could be called a microalga or natural phycocolloid. Phycocolloids are compounds extracted from the cell walls of algae. It is worth noting that algae are known for their high antioxidant content, and their ability to bind moisture.
The olive, almond, and jojoba oils used in the cream are wonderfully light and absorb very quickly. The cream is enriched with a small amount shea butter, known for its repairing qualities. The cream is suitable for all skin types, but coarse or dry skin would benefit from a layer of Moisture Kick Serum applied under the cream itself. Besides chaga mushroom and birch sap, the serum contains hyaluronic acid, which binds moisture to the skin; argan oil, which contains repairing fatty acids; and fig extract, which is high in antioxidants.
The most potent serum from the Egoboost range is One Minute Facelift, which is almost true to its name. In fact, I would go so far as saying that the product “lifts” in less than a minute. Again, I love the technicality of this product. It lifts and tones the skin, and the consistency is lovely. In addition to birch sap and chaga mushroom, it contains the same micro alga as the day cream, as well as argan oil. The brown color of the serum comes from the mushroom extract.
The serum is very thin, which I personally love. I’ve noticed that the best skin care ritual for me is a generous splash of toner, followed by a thin serum, a thin fluid, and an oil in the evening to round it all off. Minimizing the use of comedogenic products on one’s skin this way prevents blockages and impurities, while still providing the necessary amount of fatty acids in the form a light oil.
Together with Absolution’s corresponding product, Eyes Wide Open has quickly become my favorite eye serum. Awakening and eye-opening are perfect descriptions for the product. The last year has left some tell-tale signs of tiredness around my eyes, which makes these cooling, refreshing and puffiness-reducing under-eye products extra lovely. Birch sap, chaga mushroom extract, and micro alga help to repair the skin, while hyaluronic acid binds moisture and smoothes out lines.
The foam wash is creamy enough for me to recommend it even for dry and sensitive skins. The formula leaves behind not a trace of tightness or dryness. One of the biggest hits from the range, however, has got to be the foaming toner. The foam toner (or micellar foam, as it is properly called) is something completely new, not only to natural cosmetics, but cosmetics in general. If you know of any other brand with a product like this, let me know. Iroisie does a great micellar gel makeup remover, but this foam toner in all its ingenuity is in a sphere of its own.
And if you’re suffering from rosacea or sensitive skin in general, listen up. The micellar foam on its own is an excellent makeup remover for sensitive skin. To use it as such, simply take a cotton ball and skip the water – but remember to add a toner afterwards. For any other skin types, I recommend using the micellar foam as a toner after your normal cleanser.
Finally, let’s turn 360 degrees and go inward. As happy as I am getting my cosmetics in a jar, this beauty chocolate containing collagen almost had me shaking apart from excitement when I first heard about it. The taste testing did not disappoint, either. Since then, I’ve launched a new breakfast concept called “Coffee and Collagen.” But the first thing I do upon awakening is mixing myself a pink drink using the Inner Beauty -beauty powder.
What are your thoughts on Supermood? My gut-feeling is that this brand will not stop at conquering the Finnish market, but will end up taking over the entire world. Let’s show them that we, as Finnish women, know our business. Woohoo!
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
