Emma Lewisham is undoubtedly a skincare industry trailblazer. As the founder of the beloved — and namesake — skincare brand, Emma Lewisham, Lewisham has set a new precedent for skin care. Lewisham started the brand with a profound commitment to skincare innovation and sustainability. Rooted in her personal journey and driven by a desire for evidence-based, natural skincare solutions, Lewisham redefines beauty by introducing a revolutionary approach to formulation. “I believe what sets Emma Lewisham apart is two-fold. Firstly, we have bridged the gap in the market for evidence-based and natural skincare, with each product undergoing independent biomedical testing to validate its performance,” Lewisham reveals.
Secondly, with the Physiology Synchrony Unlock Method™, the brand embraces the innate wisdom of the skin, harnessing up to 25 evidence-based ingredients to work in harmony with the skin’s complex pathways, delivering exceptional results without compromising skin health. Yet what truly has set the Emma Lewisham brand apart is its unwavering dedication to sustainability, becoming the world’s first certified Climate Positive and 100% circular beauty brand. Through the Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle, the brand offers a pioneering initiative for refills, further highlighting its commitment to a greener, more sustainable beauty industry. Emma Lewisham’s story is a journey of transformative skincare, scientific innovation, and environmental stewardship.
Photo Credit: Simon James
This October, Lewisham set another first by unveiling the first-ever acne-breakthrough serum that leverages two decades of cutting-edge scientific research to unveil a world-first patented live skin probiotic, originally found thriving on healthy human skin. This specialized strain is a natural inhabitant of and a vital supporter of the skin, and the brand’s rigorous scientific investigations have unequivocally showcased its remarkable capability to hinder the growth of harmful bacteria, notably C. acnes, a pivotal contributor to the emergence of acne and skin blemishes. Ahead, Haute Living sits down with Lewisham to better understand the new serum and her incredibly unique perspective on the beauty industry.
HAUTE LIVING: Starting with your background; can you chat through how you got started in the beauty industry?
EMMA LEWISHAM: Prior to founding Emma Lewisham, I was working as a senior executive at a global technology company. The seed for Emma Lewisham was planted when my doctor warned me against using certain skincare ingredients. Having recently lost my mother to cancer and hoping to become pregnant, my health was on my mind. However, it wasn’t until this conversation that I had considered this to include skincare.
I began looking for evidence-based and natural formulations, so I didn’t have to compromise. I was used to using high-performing, luxury products and quickly discovered that natural, evidence-based skincare didn’t exist. After discovering the work of Nobel Prize Winner, Frances H. Arnold, who recognized that nature was “the best bioengineer in history”, I became determined to unlock the efficacy of nature in skincare. Having simultaneously discovered the unprecedented level of waste the beauty industry is responsible for, I knew that from inception Emma Lewisham would take responsibility for everything we produce, both offering refills for every product as well as bringing back empty packaging to be refilled through our circularity initiative, the Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle.
Photo Credit: Simon James
HL: What was most important to you when starting Emma Lewisham / What was your biggest goal for the brand?
EL: I founded Emma Lewisham to create products that were evidence-based and natural, so people wouldn’t have to compromise, and to forge a circular, climate-positive, and transparent future of beauty. I genuinely believe that the level of efficacy behind our products can change people’s lives, especially when it comes to helping skincare concerns such as acne that so deeply effect people’s self-confidence.
HL: You’re now in major retailers, what has that meant for your brand in the US?
EL: Having a presence in these very well-known and respected retailers has been incredibly valuable in introducing Emma Lewisham to US customers. Our growth in the US has been very organic to date, however, it has been wonderful to see momentum growing and this has primarily been through a community of customers who are really championing and advocating for the brand. There is nothing more powerful than word of mouth.
HL: Now, you’ve added another impressive product to your collection. Can you walk us through the new serum?
EL: Absolutely! Our Supernatural Blemish Serum harnesses 20 years of patented science to deliver a world-first LIVE skin-strain probiotic. Discovered on healthy human skin, this specialized skin-strain probiotic delivers more than 235 million live probiotic cells per dose which are proven to colonize on contact with the skin*, inhibiting the bacteria that cause acne and blemishes (C. Acnes) while balancing the skin microbiome for optimal skin health and condition.
We developed this product as a pioneering solution to the efficacy versus tolerability trade-off of most acne treatments. It uniquely targets blemishes at their source, delivering highly efficacious results while actually improving the health and condition of the skin. It has the safest USA Biosafety classification (Level-1), which means it can be safely used while pregnant and nursing. I truly believe this product is going to change people’s lives. If you have experienced acne or blemishes, you will know how deeply this can affect your self-confidence. And for those who don’t experience acne or blemishes, this probiotic is also proven to balance the skin microbiome which is essential for optional skin health and condition. A healthy microbiome is at the heart of clear, balanced, and radiant skin and I have noticed such a huge difference in my skin health since using this product.
HL: What is the significance of working with a live probiotic with acne?
EL: Achieving a probiotic product that contains truly live probiotics is incredibly rare due to the technical challenges of maintaining probiotic viability during shelf life. Our Supernatural Blemish Serum has been extensively tested to confirm that its patented probiotic, Micrococcus luteus, remains live throughout its 2+ year shelf life, as well as during and after application, with no refrigeration required. This is the only skincare product in the world to contain this patented, skin-strain probiotic, meaning it is a probiotic that lives naturally on human skin. Most probiotic strains are natural to places such as the dirt or the gut. Being from the skin, for the skin, means that this probiotic can colonize and work most effectively when applied back to its natural environment.
HL: How do you suggest working it into a skincare regime?
EL: For the best results, we recommend applying the Supernatural Blemish Serum in both the morning and evening directly after cleansing. You can then follow this with your moisturizer, serum, SPF and/or makeup. Applying it as the first step after cleansing ensures the probiotic microbes have the easiest access to the skin.
HL: Is this only for acne-prone skin? Or does it have other benefits as well?
EL: Yes, the Supernatural Blemish Serum has so many benefits beyond blemishes. While it powerfully targets acne and blemishes, its pioneering ability to balance the skin microbiome (which is essential for optimal skin health and condition) means it delivers a host of additional benefits beyond clear skin. A healthy microbiome is at the heart of clear, balanced, and radiant skin and I have noticed such a huge difference in my skin health since using this product. Independent testing has shown its ability to improve skin hydration, and reduce flaky and rough skin, blackheads, excess oil, age spots, and sun- spots.
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