Latest skincare, makeup, hair products launching this month in May

We’re soon approaching the middle of 2021 – how time flies. Traditionally in the beauty industry, these few months leading up to the vacation summer months of June and July will be filled with bronzer launches, self tanner launches, and lots of summer perfumes and hair texturising sprays etc.

This year, however, we’ve got nothing of that (thanks to a Covid-19 refresh on the local beauty industry). Instead, we’re witnessing a brand new set of skincare and makeup brands finding their way and trying their luck on Singaporean shores.

In a nutshell, we have two large categories – one, existing Western skincare brands that have been around (in their own countries) for a long time now, but finally introducing their ranges to Singapore. Two, niche and cult Korean skincare and hair products .

Ready? Here we go:

1. BITE Beauty

The Canadian brand, BITE Beauty, founded by Susanne Langmuir in 2012 will be launching in Singapore on May 13 over at Sephora.sg.

It’s best known for its lipsticks that are formulated with food-grade superfoods. Whether you have sensitive skin, are halal or vegetarian, you’ll be glad to know that all of its products are clean, vegan, gluten-free, and animal cruelty-free.

Hero products include:

• Power Move Creamy Matte Crayon ($38). A matte, creamy lipstick that contains the nourishing pomegranate and wild African mango.
• Daycation Whipped Blush ($50). A lightweight, fade-resistant and multi-tasking (can be used as an eyeshadow) blush that contains papaya extract for a light and natural-looking flush of rosy cheeks.

2. Ole Henriksen

Another new skincare brand that landed on our shores – Ole Henriksen. Founded by a Danish man named Ole Henriksen, the brand started as a spa in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles with a three-pronged philosophy: exfoliate, treat and soothe. For starters, here are two of its hero products:

• C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème ($68). A lightweight gel-like cream which contains pure vitamin C to combat fine lines and wrinkles, and the daily effects of stress, fatigue, and pollution.
• Wrinkle Blur Bakuchiol Eye Gel Crème ($69). A two-in-one eye cream which blurs those fine lines and wrinkles around your eye while caring for your eye’s delicate skin – specifically improving the firmness, elasticity and reducing dark circles.

3. K-Sisters

If you’ve been following the wave of Korean shampoos and haircare products, this may sound familiar to you – Phytopecia+ Hair Boosting Shampoo ($45 for 250ml).

The former Phytopecia Hair Boosting Shampoo was loved and raved for its…. but has since gained a “+” sign with its formula update. Now, the shampoo includes Salicylic Acid (to remove impurities), Niacinamide (nourish scalp), and an ingredient called P1P to promote cell-regeneration for healthier and thicker hair.

ALSO READ: 10 new skincare products launching in March 2021

4. K-Sisters

You may have noticed this yellow sheet mask that’s been appearing on your Instagram and Facebook feed. It’s the South Korean skincare brand, I Woke Up Like This (IWLT)‘s Boosting Face Up & Eye Patch ($58 for a box of four sheets) which targets double chin and dark circles at once. Key ingredients include:

• A synthetic peptide Acetyl Hexapeptide-8: Made from a protein found in Botox
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Birch Sap
• Centella Asiatica Extract: You might know it as Cica

5. Charlotte Tilbury

Over in the makeup department, Charlotte Tilbury dropped a brand new Brow Fix ($50) – a clear brow gel that’s long-lasting and waterproof (after it sets in five minutes).

On her new Brow Fix, Charlotte Tilbury herself said, “Brow fix is my new innovation to set your supermodel brow shape in place all day & night. It’s a long-lasting 24h clear brow gel with a silk thread brow fixing formula for elasticity + gloss! It never leaves a white cast, looks stuck down or dried out. Never stiff or sticky, instead brows are full, feathered & fixed in place!”

Suitable for those of us with shapeless brows, or thick and messy brows that need some instant lifting or tidying.

6.  ALLIE

There are two new colour tuning sunscreens with SPF50+ and PA ++++ in town by the Japanese skincare brand, ALLIE.

Formulated by Kanebo, you can expect these two sunscreens (comes in purple or apricot for different purposes) to be lightweight, waterproof, and offers light coverage with priming effects. How to choose between the purple or apricot version?

• ALLIE Ennui Purple sunscreen: For dull skin and visible pores. Corrects dull skin with its purple tone. Comes with a fresh and calming hydrangea and sage scent
• ALLIE Sunny Apricot sunscreen: Blurs away dark circles and pores with its apricot-pink tone-correcting shade. Lightly-scented with apricot and osmanthus

Going for $30.90 at Lazada, Shopee, and Don Don Donki.

7. Neutrogena

In the past month, Neutrogena launched a brand new range to their skincare line called Bright Boost. The three-piece product range aims to boost your skin metabolism and brighten your skin.

Here’s a little fun fact: the range was formulated by four millennial female scientists from Singapore, France, United States and Brazil. You will find the Neutrogena Bright Boost Re-texturising Serum ($29.90), Bright Boost Gel Cream ($27.90) and Bright Boost Overnight Cream ($39.90) at all leading supermarkets, Guardian, Watsons, and Lazada.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.