Karen Cummings-Palmer is the visionary founder and driving force behind the highly acclaimed 79 Luxe skincare brand. With a deep passion for skincare and a commitment to creating luxurious and effective products, Karen has established herself as a prominent figure in the beauty industry. Guided by her belief that beauty should be a holistic experience, she meticulously crafted each product, ensuring the perfect balance of science-backed formulations and indulgent self-care rituals.
Having followed Karen even before the release of her first product, I’ve always admired her ‘beauty from the inside out’ approach and how she simply radiates vitality and energy. I’ve also had the opportunity to try a few of the products and have been very impressed with the textures, fragrances and results. I was keen to get to know Karen more, especially about her background and how she decided to create the body skincare brand 79 Luxe.
Karen, can you share with us the inspiration behind starting your luxury skincare brand 79 Luxe?
In my health and nutrition practice focusing on age-management and beauty from the inside out I had exceptional supplementation and facial topicals to recommend but couldn’t find anything exceptional for the skin beneath the neck – I was fuelled by a need.
What led you to pursue a career in the skincare industry?
I see health and beauty as a holistic endeavour and skin is our largest organ and the first thing we see. I also had terrible eczema as a child and whilst it is much improved with the correct nourishment both internally and topically my skin is still sensitive and prone to the occasional flare up so skin is both personal and professional for me.
What unique qualities or ingredients set your skincare products apart from others in the market?
We use exceptional ingredients, typically the preserve of facial care and crucially in quantities that count to nourish protect and illuminate all of the skin on every body.
How do you ensure the highest quality standards in the production of your luxury skincare products?
With so much stuff out there in the world we committed very early on to only develop products that we genuinely felt were best in category that I had tried – this principle means that this capsule collection is consciously considered and multi-award-winning.
Could you tell us about any significant milestones or achievements in your career as the founder of this brand?
Getting on our first retail shelf was a proud moment, organic endorsements from incredible women like Tracee Ellis Ross and Trinny Woodhall and every single expression of love from our loyal client base brings joy.
What guiding principles or values shape your brand’s approach to skincare?
Luxury intentional body care for the skin beneath the neck.
How do you stay innovative and adapt to changing trends in the skincare industry?
We are small and therefore agile – Cream for the Hands was launched mid-Covid and the original formula tweaked to add more natural anti-viral protection to serve the collective needs of our time.
What steps do you take to ensure that your luxury skincare products are environmentally friendly and sustainable?
We house our products in black violet biophotonic glass to help preserve the efficacy of the precious ingredients not only does it allow us to use minimal or no preservatives but it is easy to repurpose and recycle and whilst we are obsessed with how the product looks on your shelf we do not use unnecessary packaging you’ll just throw away for mailing so products arrive in recycled boxes or padded envelopes.
How do you envision the future of 79 Luxe, and what new products or initiatives can we expect to see?
We want to help elevate the conversation around body care, to encourage both men and women to nourish all of the skin from the inside out. We have just launched our Cleanser which offers real skincare benefits – purifying and stimulating – we wanted to go beyond the standard luxury formulas of sodium and scent in lovely packaging. Watch this space for product number six early next year.
You can follow Karen and 79 Luxe on Instagram and head to the website to find out more about 79 Luxe products.
[Photos taken from 79 Luxe Website]
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