If your 2022 ethos is “quality not quantity”, celebrity favourite Vintner's Daughter skincare is a good place to start.
Launched in 2014, the brand has a devoted fan base yet the range comprises just two products. This deceptively simple double act is a high-performing two-hander of hydration and moisturisation with an emphasis on quality from start to finish.
Founder April Gargiulo is from a winemaking family in Napa Valley, California and grew up in a world very much centred on craftsmanship. “That was how my definition of luxury evolved,” she says. “It’s really about the raw materials and you don’t cut corners or take shortcuts.”
Having struggled with skin issues for much of her life, Gargiulo took a closer look at skincare ingredients after having her first child. The industry trend towards low amounts of actives paired with mostly ‘filler’ ingredients went against everything Gargiulo valued so she was prompted to make her own product.
“None of that sat right with me,” she explains. “I thought of luxury and how you should start with the finest raw materials and honour those materials through meticulous craftsmanship. So that really became the genesis of Vintner’s Daughter.”
Years in the making, with each product taking between three and five weeks to produce, the brand launched with the Active Botanical Serum, a multi-correctional moisturising face oil packed with phytonutrients, antioxidants, fatty acids and brightening vitamins which works to repair, protect, and tone. It was joined by the nutrient-rich Active Treatment Essence – the hydration step – a few years later.
“We only make two products,” Gargiulo says, “We’re skin driven and we believe in pure and better products that are able to deliver more benefits to skin in fewer steps. That’s not only better for your skin but better for the environment and better for the world.”
THE REVIEW:
The multi-tasking Active Botanical Serum (€200/30ml) offers a lot of skincare bang for your buck. Just five to six drops of the serum are needed at a time and the scent alone would be worth handing over cash for. It practically insists you take a minute or two to calm down and breathe deeply (always a good thing at the start/end of the day).
My forty-something skin found enough nourishment in the serum for me to skip my usual night cream. In fact all other oils, serums and masks were studiously ignored while I had the Active Botanical Serum on the go. And when teamed with the Active Treatment Essence (€245/50ml), my skin felt hydrated, cared for and very happy indeed.
Vintner’s Daughter is available from floraison.ie
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