The New Natural: Emma Lewisham's Revolutionary Skincare Philosophy
Meet the woman contradicting everything you thought you knew about natural skincare
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The New Natural: Emma Lewisham's Revolutionary Skincare Philosophy
Meet the woman contradicting everything you thought you knew about natural skincare
By: Shannon Peter
There was once a time when you’d be forgiven for casting aside the very concept of ‘natural skincare’ with a cynical eye roll. But times haven’t just changed, they’ve been completely revolutionised. Long gone are the weak and wishy-washy formulations of yesteryear; in their place sits a new guard of natural skincare which, via the power of cutting edge technology and extensive research, is just as (if not, in some cases – more) powerful than its synthetic counterparts.
The woman leading the charge? Emma Lewisham, founder of the eponymous skincare line based in New Zealand. Her product line-up is solid proof that – when formulated well – the natural world is capable of completely overhauling the complexion.
Here, Liberty sits down with Lewisham to unpack her founding philosophy, and unveil the myth-busting truth about natural skincare, once and for all.
A Genuine Gap in the Market
As is often the case with brilliant beauty brands, Emma Lewisham was borne from frustration. “I began looking for formulations that were evidence-based and natural. I quickly discovered that this didn’t exist,” she explains. “At the time, natural formulations fell short in efficacy, and simply didn’t work in the way I wanted them to.”
The contemporary trend was to create products with one or two buzzy active ingredients, more concerned with the beauty bandwagon than truly tending to the skin. “The skin is incredibly complex, with multiple pathways – each consisting of numerous steps – creating a dynamic, interconnected web of activity. I could see that [the single ingredient] approach was limiting what skincare could achieve, as this is not how the skin’s physiology works.” So, like all great entrepreneurs, Lewisham took matters into her own hands, working with scientists and physiologists from outside of skincare to first better understand the inner workings of the skin – and then craft cutting edge formulas to optimise its natural processes. In 2019, Emma Lewisham was born.
A Path(way) Forward
Every Emma Lewisham formula is designed to work in synergy with the skin, rather than contradict its natural tendencies. “We like to say our formulations are designed by the skin’s physiology itself,” she explains. “[It’s what] led us to develop the Physiology Synchrony Unlock Method, our proprietary formulating methodology.”
Through this, the brand’s scientists first identify a skin challenge (hyperpigmentation, redness, acne, perhaps), and then map out the cellular processes that are involved in its manifestation. Next, they figure out how to intersect these processes. “We combine extensive combinations of active ingredients to trigger multiple processes in synchrony [with the skin] that both prevent and reverse different skin challenges.” The idea is that no single ingredient can do it all; Emma Lewisham’s use of multiple natural ingredients help create ‘concert-like responses’, orchestrating a series of dermatological directives that lead to more efficacious results.
“What’s more common in skincare is a focus on ingredients, trends, and competitors, which is how the skincare industry has ended up with many products in-market that either don’t have measurable results or aren’t tolerable to the skin,” she asserts. “Through our skin physiology-first approach and independent scientific testing, we’ve validated that our reversed approach to formulation design has delivered products that have shown an ability to outperform leading brands.”
Challenging Misconceptions
“There are still misconceptions surrounding natural skincare, particularly the idea that natural and efficacious formulations are mutually exclusive,” Lewisham admits. “We’ve always believed that these two qualities can, and should, coexist. This is precisely why we rigorously test our finished formulations both in vivo and in vitro, to prove that nature and science work hand in hand to deliver unparalleled results.”
Case in point: Supernatural Vitale Elixir, one of the most recent inductees to Liberty's coveted Beauty Hall of Fame. “It is a next-generation non-invasive treatment that immediately plumps and fills, relaxes and smooths wrinkles, and rebuilds the skin’s structure,” Lewisham explains. We conducted independent in vitro testing on a 3D reconstructed human epidermis, measuring the [formula’s] ability to reduce the frequency of muscle contractions – the micro-movements of muscles that contribute to fine lines and wrinkles.” The results? Muscle contractions were reduced by up to 62% after 4 hours, 91% after 24 hours, and 96% after 48 hours. An impressive formula indeed.
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The Biggest Natural Skincare Myths, Busted
Thought natural skincare couldn't compete? Think again. Lewisham sheds light on the truth about this exciting arena
The Myth: Natural skincare isn’t as efficacious
The Truth: We banish this myth by validating that nature is the world’s most powerful bioengineer. Our formulations work in harmony with the skin, leveraging multiple biological interactions – just as the skin naturally does – to achieve a new era of efficacy.
Our ingredients are sourced from nature; often perceived as gentle, yet home to some of the most potent and transformative discoveries, rivaling even the most advanced synthetic innovations. A key example is our use of Human Tripeptide-1 derivative, used in Supernatural Vitale Elixir and Supernatural Face Creme Riche. This powerful bioactive mimics the skin’s natural wound-healing molecule. This peptide serves as a messenger and one of its functions is to be released by damaged tissue to trigger production of repair proteins like collagen.
We uniquely invest in both in vivo and in vitro studies to validate the performance of our finished formulations. Time and again, these results demonstrate that our products outperform category leaders, solidifying nature’s ability to deliver superior results.
The Myth: Natural skincare isn’t as enjoyable to use
The Truth: We create skincare that redefines what natural luxury feels like, proving that you don’t have to compromise to achieve both performance and experience. While many brands use ingredients like silicones purely for a silky feel, they provide no real skincare benefits. Instead, we formulate with high-performance natural alternatives such as premium organic waxes and butters, which not only deliver a luxurious texture but also deeply nourish the skin.
The Myth: Natural is always better
The Truth: We believe that the most powerful way to interact with the skin is naturally. We harness both bio-identical compounds found within the skin and specialised, scientifically proven plant extracts. That said, not all natural skincare ingredients are created equal, nor does 'natural' always mean 'better'.
What truly matters is how an ingredient is selected, formulated, and balanced for efficacy and safety. Some natural ingredients, such as certain essential oils or potent botanical extracts, require careful formulation to ensure they benefit rather than disrupt the skin. If used incorrectly or in excessive concentrations, they can cause irritation or sensitivity.
Our ingredients are thoroughly vetted to the highest standards and all our products comply with the Regulation (EC) N° 1223/2009, which is the main European regulatory framework, to ensure the safety of finished cosmetic products. This involves having all our products reviewed by an independent safety assessor who runs a toxicological analysis on each formulation to make sure there are no expected adverse reactions.
Shop Emma Lewisham
Emma Lewisham
Illuminating Exfoliant 100ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Emma Lewisham
Sunceutical SPF 50 Mineral Face Crème 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
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