The Beauty Digest: Is XERF Worth the Hype? Plus, Amouage’s New Body Collection & The Beauty Beat Returns
A Beauty Director’s weekly edit of the launches worth knowing, treatments worth trying and industry talking points you’ll want an opinion on.
The Beauty Digest is my Beauty Director’s edit of what’s actually worth your attention. Each week, I’ll be sharing the new launches I’m using and loving, the viral treatments I’m putting to the test (and what I really think of the results), plus my take on the industry conversations everyone’s talking about.
The New Launches on My Radar
Pigmentation is one of those skin concerns that becomes increasingly difficult to address with age, not least because dark spots rarely appear in isolation from changes in firmness, texture and hydration. La Roche-Posay’s latest launch attempts to tackle all of these concerns in one formula, combining Melasyl, an ingredient developed to target pigmentation, with Proxylane, which is used to support the appearance of firmer skin. It’s a welcome evolution of the brand’s Mela B3 range, and at under £50, it’s more accessible than many of the luxury serums making similar promises.
As mornings get darker and colder, I need more and more convincing to get out of bed and into the shower. Fortunately, Amouage’s new Luxury Body Line provides serious persuasion, translating six of the Omani perfume house’s most celebrated fragrances into body lotions, shower gels, hand creams and hair perfumes. Each formula complements its corresponding scent, but I’m particularly drawn to Purpose, a complex, woody, incense-rich fragrance that makes a compelling case for treating your daily shower as an extension of your perfume wardrobe.
One hill I will die on? The best bronzers are liquid. Unlike powders, which can sit visibly on the skin, liquid formulas mimic a natural tan rather than looking like makeup. Haus Labs’ new Bronzing Veil promises exactly that, with a waterless formula that delivers a soft, shimmer-free wash of warmth rather than an obvious layer of colour. Available in 11 shades, it contains a reported 70% skincare ingredients, including hydrating hyaluronic spheres and marine algae to protect the skin barrier, and claims 12-hour wear with a weightless finish for a convincingly sun-kissed effect. Just in time for the sunless season ahead.
Spotlight On: The Beauty Beat
Luxury beauty hasn't always done a particularly good job of making everyone feel welcome. Donna Dia, a luxury events specialist, recognised this when she founded The Beauty Beat in 2022, creating a dedicated luxury beauty experience that puts Black women and women of colour firmly at the centre, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Now in its fifth year, the festival returns to London's QEII Centre on Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1st November, bringing together some of the biggest names in beauty, including Fenty Beauty, NARS, MAC, Estée Lauder and Sephora, as well as masterclasses, expert discussions and appearances from Mel B, Sabrina Elba and Candice Brathwaite. But what makes The Beauty Beat particularly interesting isn't simply its impressive line-up. It's the attention paid to creating an experience where women of colour can expect genuine expertise, appropriate product offerings and the level of service that should have been standard all along. Get your tickets now.
Beauty Buzz: XERF
Everyone is talking about XERF. In over 15 years covering beauty, I can't remember an in-clinic treatment gaining this much traction, this quickly. The promises are certainly enticing: firmer, tighter skin, improved facial contours and minimal downtime, all without needles or surgery.
But from the outside, it sounds like another radiofrequency-based treatment, a technology used in aesthetic medicine for years. The difference seems to be that XERF uses dual-frequency monopolar radiofrequency energy to heat tissue at different depths, aiming to stimulate collagen remodelling and improve skin firmness. The technology may deliver energy differently, but does that translate into noticeably better results? And, crucially, is there robust clinical evidence to justify the excitement?
I'm intrigued, but not quite convinced. But this is Marie Claire, and in-depth testing is our mantra, so I've booked myself in to find out whether XERF is really the next big thing in aesthetics, or just radiofrequency with a really good marketing strategy. Watch this space for my full, unbridled review.
