The beauty industry has come on leaps and bounds since the days of Instagram ‘shelfies‘ made up of hundreds of pretty, pink products that probably hadn’t been touched in months—and thank goodness. Not only did this trend encourage us to buy products that we knew nothing about (except that they looked nice on our Grids), but it was also one that was terrible for the environment, causing excessive purchasing of products that would only end up in the bin.
As time has moved on, we’ve binned this mindset entirely and set our beauty standards higher. In 2022, it’s far less about how much product we showcase and more what product we showcase. It only takes a quick scroll on Instagram to be met with an influx of chic-as-hell luxury products that are basically the bathroom-shelf equivalents of the season’s it bag. They’ve got to look good, of course, but they also have to deliver on quality. What’s inside such aesthetically pleasing bottles has to be just as exceptional as the bottles themselves if our beauty line up is going to impress—they have to ooze luxury from the inside out. And while brands such as Byredo, Diptyque, Chanel and Augustinus Bader might spring to mind, there is one beauty brand that people really love to show off—and that’s Loewe.
Loewe has long been the fashion-girl brand to be seen with. It has become such a hit in recent years that it is easily one of the most featured brands on my Instagram discover page, with the fashion set sporting everything Loewe—from basket bags and tank tops to fisherman hats and beach towels. I suppose you could say that donning Loewe is like a cool-girl badge of honour.
Needless to say that Loewe is expensive and elite. Being able to afford its products is one thing but getting your hands on the brand’s sell-out designs is another. While we’re used to this concept in high-end fashion, Loewe has managed to adopt it across beauty, too—something few designer brands have managed. You see, while super-luxe fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Gucci and Prada, offer fragrance and makeup to the masses so that everyone can experience the joy of luxury, Loewe took a different approach to its beauty offering.
Despite the fact designer beauty products are considered to be relatively mainstream, Loewe beauty has managed to keep an unstated, exclusivity to its products. For starters, you can’t just pick them up in any old beauty hall—you’ll have to peruse the aisles of Liberty, Selfridges and Harrods to see the products in the flesh. Then comes the fact the brand’s product offering is limited but considered. The whole ethos of Loewe beauty revolves around fragrance. There are the fragrances themselves but also chic lifestyle additions—I’m talking hand soaps, candles, and most recently, body care. Much like our go-to Instagram beauty aesthetic right now, Loewe beauty aims to keep things concise and cool.
Beyond all of this though is the packaging. Besides the brand name, I personally think it’s the way the products look that keeps fashion girls lapping it up. As an editor who takes the efficacy of beauty products very seriously, I don’t get a huge sense of joy in saying that a brand’s main selling point is the way its products look—but this is Loewe. I would be foolish to deny that Loewe beauty products look like works of art. Much like the brand’s fashion pieces, its beauty products are understated and svelte in an entirely effortless sort of way. They sit on shelves like fashionable ornaments that radiate expense and taste.
But because I am a beauty editor that refuses to recommend products on aesthetics alone, it’s important to note here that Loewe beauty products are also really special. The scents are unlike others out there—they’re light, zesty, and airy (keeping true to the brand’s effortlessly chic roots) but have a richness that leave them lingering on the skin all day. Unlike so many other zesty scents, they smell expensive—and don’t actually prove as costly as others from competitor luxury brands.
So, if like me you can’t afford the luxuries of Loewe in your wardrobe to the levels you’d like, keep scrolling for the best Loewe beauty products money can buy.
Key notes: lemon, Italian mandarin, ylang ylang, green galbanum, petit grain, jasmin, lily of the valley, jasmin sambac, vetiver, amber, sandalwood, musk. Probably Loewe’s most iconic and well-loved fragrance, Aire is an airy (believe it or not), earthy take on a citrus scent. It doesn’t possess even a hint of warm stickiness to it but instead gives off a powdery, just-washed sort of vibe making it an easy go-to year-round.
Key notes: mandarin, bergamot, clover, tea leaf, jasmine, Indian rose, red pepper, cedar, musk, oak moss. Consider this a softer, sweeter (but still not sweet, mind you) take on the original Aire. If Aire is going for an invigorating forest walk, A Mi Aire is getting home from said walk, making yourself a brew, and snuggling up under a cashmere blanket.
Key notes: pomelo, yuzu, mandarin, lemon, grapefruit, tomato leaf, mint, lily of the valley, jasmine, neroli, cedar, amber, vanilla, musk. Think beachy, summer vibes but make it rich. Forget suncream-like, sun-soaked scents, Mar de Coral is citrusy at first, with teasings of grapefruit and lemon, but has a woody base to it that makes it a true grown-up fragrance. While your standard luxury citrus might be reminiscent of soaking up rays in St Tropez, Mar de Coral is more like sipping wine in Formentera at sun-down.
Key notes: pink peony, cotton candy, vanilla, praline, dragon fruit, passionfruit, amber, sandalwood. I’ll admit, looking at the notes of this makes me wince—which is why I never recommend buying perfume off notes alone. Vanilla, cotton candy, and praline might make you think this perfume to be sickly sweet but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s warm, sparkling, and floral with a zingy hit that tickles the nose and makes life feel wonderfully carefree. One whiff of this and I’m strolling the lanes of Puerto Banus, spending all of the money I wish I had.
Key notes: coconut water, galbanum, mandarin oils, driftwood, sand lily, frangipani flowers, ambergris, patchouli, Madagascan vanilla. Loewe’s carefree nature is intensified through its ‘collaboration’ with Paula’s Ibiza. I use the term collaboration loosely here, as Loewe essentially brought the iconic, bohemian Ibizan institution of Paula’s boutique back to life through its joint collections. The products, which span across the brand’s fashion offering too, embody everything that Ibiza stands for—a carefree, rich (in every sense of the word) life that’s shrouded in colour and fun. This perfume has it all. It’s sun-soaked and warm but loud enough to make people ask after it. While Loewe’s other scents are grounded in subtlety, Paula’s Ibiza is itching to be heard.
Key notes: Madagascan mandarin, orange flower absolute, Madagascan black pepper, jasmine sambac, incense essential oil, olibanum, coconut, vanilla, Madagascan ylang ylang, Australian sandalwood, musk. The most recent edition to the Loewe Paula’s Ibiza fragrance offering, Eclectic is, well, just that. It has a depth to it that the original scent lacks (for better or worse). All of those warm, floral, Mediterranean aromas tap dance across the top of a dry, woody base on the skin.
Imagine my joy when Loewe announced earlier this summer that the Paula’s Ibiza beauty offering was branching out into body care. And imagine even more the joy I felt when I first set sights on the beauty of the packaging. Housed in a heavy-duty glass jar complete with a wooden lid embossed with Loewe’s logo, this body scrub is worth every penny for its aesthetic alone. I would be happy to leave this on my bathroom shelf knowing I’d never use it, but that wouldn’t be very professional of me, would it? Luckily for you, I have used it, and it’s divine. With Ibizan salt crystals and ground olive stones, it gives dry skin a sufficient buff and suitable sheen.
Yes, there is a matching body lotion. Scented with the same fragrance as Eclectic, something about the scent of this cream feels fresher and more skin-like than the actual perfume. It’s almost clean smelling despite its floral woodiness. As far as its moisturising abilities go, it’s a good’un. Is the price worth the nourishing results? Of course, not. (Same goes for the scrub, FYI.) But you’re not paying for the moisturiser, you’re paying the scent, the look, and the general feeling of being a Loewe girl (or guy).
Is a Loewe soap on a rope the single most ridiculous beauty product I own? Probably. But do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. Available in a variety of different Loewe home fragrance scents, the brand’s bar soaps are the pinnacle of luxe bathroom buys. I have owned my bar with this Marihuana scent (it’s green, earthy, and hemp-like) for nearly a year and I haven’t use it once. Instead it hangs pride of place in my bathroom, smelling wonderful and looking even better. I’ll use it one of these days, I’m sure.
If buying ridiculously priced beauty products isn’t your jam (truthfully, I wish I were you), then this hand soap might suit you better than the aforementioned bar. The bottle speaks for itself and is just crying out to be refilled with something cheaper after you’ve finished what’s inside. That being said though, don’t overlook the beauty of this soap. The liquorice scent is deep, fresh, woody, and will have you smelling your hands all day.
Loewe’s candles are perhaps the brand’s most-loved fragrance products out there. Personally, I’d invest in a perfume or a bathroom product if I was looking to get bang for my buck, but I can’t deny just how pretty the pots are. And the scents aren’t too shabby either. This oregano scent is sweet and understandably green, like walking through a herb garden at the start of spring.
I could use this space to talk about the ivy scent of this candle but let’s be real, no one’s really burning this work of art are they? The perfect addition to any mantelpiece, these wax candles have become Insta icons in their own right.
If you consider yourself less of a candle person, a room spray might suit you better. Not only do they last longer but the scents themselves tend to be more intense. This one, Luscious Pea, is (again) invigorating and earthy, leaving the air around you smelling undeniably fresh.
