Gentle acne brand The Breakout Hack finally launches in the UK

Rachael Wilde was fresh out of university and working at a medtech company when she came across technology designed to help manage bacteria in medical settings. This technology, it turned out, was also great for helping to keep breakout-causing bacteria under control and would go on to become the basis for the two hero products – Spot Cream and Spot Cleanser – of Wilde’s skincare brand The Breakout Hack.  

While many acne products use actives like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which can be drying or irritating for sensitive skin, the patented technology in The Breakout Hack offers a more gentle option. “It’s also something we hold exclusive rights to, so it’s not a formula customers will have tried before or can find elsewhere,” says Wilde. After becoming a breakout success in Australia, last month the brand launched in the UK, where Wilde is hoping her mission of changing how people feel about their skin, not just how it looks, will be just as fruitful.  

“For too long, acne care has been clinical, shame-driven and disconnected from the emotional toll that breakouts can take,” she says. “We know what it’s like to deal with breakouts, to try every product under the sun, and to just want something that works and makes you feel good using it”. Alongside the Spot Cream and Spot Cleanser, the launch in Boots will also offer a range of barrier care products, including Skin Milk, which has been hailed by the internet as an affordable dupe for Rhode’s Glazing Milk Toner.

As winter approaches, our perfume choices start to mirror the season. Leaning towards more warming, spicy and woody notes, there’s no end to the scents we can reach for this month. One brand making that choice a little more intentional is Loewe, welcoming three new additions to the perfume realm with their Crafted Collection: made up of scents Iris Roots, Roasted Vanilla and Bittersweet Oud.

“The concept here is to apply an artisanal approach to perfumery,” explains Núria Cruelles, Loewe’s in-house perfumer. “For the first time, LOEWE puts the ingredient at the centre and builds around it the best accords, contrasts and affinities to make the protagonist shine. It was like doing an olfactory sculpture. The result is perfumes that Cruelles says evoke feelings of elegance, cosy warmth and gourmand. 

Artisanal, organic shapes are increasingly popular for perfume flacons – think the undulating shapes of the Bottega Veneta fragrances – and it was a guiding influence on the scents of the Crafted collection. “The flask was developed taking inspiration from the craftsmanship and the technique of blown glass to be the best frame for these crafted olfactory creations,” says Cruelles. “The concept of craft was put at the centre of the project.”

Elsewhere, brands are venturing beyond bottles and heading to the bookshelf. The erotic fragrance house Jouissance has launched an online book library, curating collectable and first editions across literature, erotic classics and art books – all intended to stimulate the senses, both within and beyond scent. Likewise, The Ordinary steps into publishing with their Ingredients book, offering a deep dive into the science behind its cult formulas and the ingredients that make up their empire of stripped-back skincare. Below, we’ve rounded up the best beauty launches of the month.