Holistic and natural skincare has an extensive history throughout the region. Our ancestors have always used natural ingredients for self-care purposes, and more often than not have turned to age-old natural remedies to treat problematic skincare issues. But with the development of technology, the way in which we tackle beauty and skincare has shifted too, and chemically ridden products have become the norm.
Thankfully in recent years, the harmful side effects of chemicals use has come front and centre, causing another shift—this time back towards the very same old-world ingredients once used by our ancestors.
Beauty brands like Bahrain’s Green Bar and the UAE’s Shiffa are signalling a new wave of natural and organic beauty brands emerging across the region – a movement that’s constantly growing. Much like how Reem Al Khalifa sought inspiration from the region’s rich holistic history for Green Bar, Amal Elbahnasawy took a few cues from her Egyptian ancestors when she developed her skincare brand ARTISANskin .
With 100% natural ingredients, ARTISANskin vows to be a game-changer. And from the looks of its success in the American market, the Florida-based brand might just be fulfilling their promise.
“We want to spread a skin revolution as far as possible, as quickly as possible” their website reads before adding, “It’s all about transitioning people into an organic and natural skincare routine. It’s about the understanding that even though skincare products are applied topically, they can still affect us internally, even if we are unconscious of it”.
After over a decade working in the beauty industry, Elbahnasawy was eager to break barriers and launch her own brand. During a holiday in her native Egypt, the beauty guru had an epiphany of sorts. As she read The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, Elbahnasawy became inspired to create ARTISANskin.
“Anyone who’s read The Alchemist will understand the connection to the location.” She says before adding, “[The] holiday is what kickstarted the birth of ARTISANskin. Researching the history of Egyptian alchemy led to the discovery of old translations of a ‘medical’ papyrus from Cairo publishers that fueled the fire for new experimentation and ingredients,” Elbahnasawy wrote on their site.
Since the launch of her brand in 2015, Elbahnaswy has stayed true to her philosophy of delving deep into her Egyptian roots to create multiple skincare and beauty lines under her brand, ranging from all-natural face serums and salt scrubs to lip and cheek tints.
Packaged in simple and minimal designs, ARTISANskin has taken the American market by storm, with their products sold both online and at various spas all over the nation. Elbahnasawy has now set her sights on Bali to revamp her brand. The beauty guru is spending the next few months sourcing ingredients from the Indonesian island to mix up with her ancient Egyptian recipes, and we’re excited to see what she’s got in store.
