This article first appeared in our Organic September 2024 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
Weleda Skin Food – the original iconic backstage beauty secret at London Fashion Week – is now a favourite ‘prep and prime’ product in the world of film and television, and a staple with makeup artists who keep a tube of the multitasking hero in their kits.
Weleda has been supporting theatre, film and TV productions for decades, providing Weleda skincare for the cast and makeup crews of big-screen blockbusters and small independents.
Leading actors regularly request Weleda when they start filming, knowing they can rely on the range to bring out their natural beauty while being skin- and planet-friendly.
There’s a whole armoury of products to protect and nourish, or calm irritation after the removal of stubborn stage makeup, prosthetics and special effects.
Weleda Skin Food Original provides the perfect base for both ‘barely there’ and elaborate looks, and makeup designers credit Weleda’s all-natural ingredients for giving skin a natural-looking, healthy glow when filming in high definition.
The versatility of Weleda’s original iconic Skin Food means it is now a staple in the kits of over 500 British makeup artists.
With over 70,000 five-star reviews, a tube now sells every eight seconds. That means 4 million tubes of this skin saviour are sold every year.
A firm favourite of models and A-list celebrities as well as being loved by makeup artists, Skin Food’s efficacy and affordability make it popular with us all.
Weleda Skin Food intensely nourishes dry skin with the power of nature and leaves both body and face naturally soothed and protected.
The refreshing fragrance is from pure essential oils including sweet orange and lavandulae, and all products are free from artificial preservatives, parabens and additives of any kind.
With a nourishing, smoothing base of organic almond oil and sunflower oil, organic beeswax and the purest, protective hypoallergenic lanolin, it’s the natural way to feed your skin.
In 2018 Weleda introduced Skin Food Light for naturally oilier skins; this formulation has also enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom, with over four packs selling every minute.
Makeup artist Tahira Herold always has Skin Food and Skin Food Light in her kit. ‘I am never without a tube of Weleda’s Skin Food’, she shares. ‘It’s a classic, multi-use product that can be used to hydrate, prime or boost glow. The Light formula is my favourite – especially for the face. It’s a great base for any makeup, especially if you have more mature skin.’
Makeup designer Sophie Slotover also recommends this duo. ‘I am a huge fan of Weleda Skin Food’, she says. ‘The Light moisturiser is such a perfect base for any actor or actress in the chair, to prime the skin ahead of a day filming. It provides such a great barrier to lock in the skin’s natural hydration which ultimately makes our job so much easier! However the real gem to me is the Original formula. It’s perfect for the end of the day, especially after filming in tough weather conditions. I have used it throughout my career and have found that it resets the skin, plumps and restores what harsh weather conditions can take away from the skin, and provides a lovely, deeply hydrated canvas to start working on the very next day.’
Makeup artist Sophie King agrees: ‘Weleda has always been a staple in my kit, from Fashion Week to working in film’, she says. ‘I’m always reaching for it time and time again. Weleda Skin Food – in particular Skin Food Light – is in my top five products I use for every single job. Not only do I love this after cleansing, to create a gorgeous hydrated canvas to apply makeup on, but I love using it as a highlighter on high points of the cheeks, shins and collar bones – it’s beautiful.’
Makeup designer Lesley Brennan started using Weleda Skin Food on herself around 10 years ago, then introduced it into Sheridan Smith’s makeup routine on a drama called Cilla – and thereafter on every production they worked together.
‘The lighter moisturiser, Skin Food Light, worked well as a base under foundation with hot lights and long filming days’, Lesley says. ‘Sheridan’s skin was always hydrated and looked radiant with Weleda.’
Another makeup artist favourite is the new Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil, a fast-absorbing and lightweight multipurpose oil. It has been formulated to naturally moisturise, intensively nourish and instantly hydrate, with weightless care and a beautiful glow.
The Ultra-Light Dry Oil is a dynamic oil-in-water formulation; give it a quick shake to mix the ingredients before spritzing the fine mist on skin and effortlessly smoothing in.
Naturally fragranced with pure essential oils, the spray leaves a satin sheen and the signature Skin Food scent of refreshing rosemary, aromatic lavender, vibrant sweet orange and balsamic benzoin.
Ideal for normal to dry skin, this is the perfect way to give skin some intensive Skin Food TLC in a hurry.
The dry-touch, sheer texture absorbs instantly without leaving a greasy film. It can be used anywhere on the body or face and delivers a luxuriously indulgent softness to skin, instantly reducing dryness or tightness and adding a beautiful shimmer to shoulders and shins.
Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil is a favourite for makeup artist Jean Carlos De Blas: ‘I love the Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil. It absorbs into the skin really fast and doesn’t leave too much residue. It hydrates the skin and is great for all over the body!’
Makeup designer Jules Chapman agrees: ‘Why is Weleda a must-have in my makeup kit? Effective skincare makes for the best makeup foundation. We love the benefits of the essential oils in the gorgeous Weleda products to balance, relax, rejuvenate, soothe, restore – and glorious fragrances improve the mood. These products smell amazing, everyone wants some!’
‘All our cast start their days with their skin prepped with Weleda Skin Food or the Skin Food Ultra Light Dry Oil’, Jules continues. ‘We sometimes mix a little Skin Food or Dry Oil into their makeup bases which makes a wonderful tinted moisturiser. At the end of our day’s filming, all our cast enjoy cleansing the day away with Weleda’s luxury skincare for their different skin types.’
SKIN FOOD: THE ULTIMATE MULTITASKER
Daily prep: to nourish dry skin on the face or anywhere on the body
Primer: apply ahead of your base for a long-lasting, natural dewy look
SOS moisturiser: to instantly improve dry patches such as elbows
Highlighter: apply on top of makeup for a natural shimmer and sheen
Face mask: a restorative, deeply nourishing treatment for tired, lacklustre skin
Hand cream: an intensive overnight hand cream to protect and replenish
Eyebrow tamer: tame unruly brows with a little Skin Food and a spoolie
Beard balm: replace dusty-looking beards with glossy hair
Travel essential: to protect skin from drying effects while flying
Clean beauty pioneer Weleda has become Europe’s first UEBT-certified beauty brand.
Award-winning Skin Food Body Butter relaunched to mark Weleda’s 100th anniversary.
In its centenary year, clean beauty pioneer Weleda has become a certified B Corp.
We spoke to Weleda MD Jayn Sterland about organic beauty – and how a once niche sector is now inspiring mass-market brands.
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