Beauty: Radiance, freshly delivered…
Milk provides a gentle exfoliation and is kind to your skin
With these milk-based complexion boosters
Using milk in beauty is not exactly new. After all, legend has it that Cleopatra was on to the benefits, supposedly keeping 700 lactating donkeys on tap for her daily bath. Thankfully, we’ve no such concerns, especially since milk (of different varieties) seems to be a seriously fashionable beauty ingredient right now, largely as it provides a very gentle chemical exfoliation. This makes it great for boosting radiance while being kind to skin.
Milk Makeup has used oat and fig milk in its Vegan Milk Cleanser (£14, cultbeauty.co.uk) to smooth, soften and calm the complexion. Plus, on damp skin, the cleanser turns into an appropriately milky lather. Also on the cleanser front is Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser (£32, spacenk.com).
It’s a cult classic and one that skincare expert Caroline Hirons handpicked for her recent beauty box in collaboration with Space NK.
Korean-inspired Erborian has gone down a similar route with its Milk & Peel Mask (£34, uk.erborian.com). ‘Our starting point was sesame milk as it has been deeply anchored in Korean traditions for centuries,’ explains the brand. ‘It is a true nutritional treasure, rich in lipids and fatty acids, proteins, vitamins and minerals, making it a super ingredient for skin with proven efficacy. We specifically developed a sesame milk for its softening power. It exfoliates efficiently but gently, making it possible to smooth and enhance skin daily without fear of irritation.’
Meanwhile, Kiehl’s Daily Refining Milk-Peel Toner (£52, kiehls.co.uk, available from early May) uses almond milk to help clear the complexion. Dr Jart Dermaclear Micro Milk Peel (£28, cultbeauty.co.uk) deploys coconut milk alongside lactic and salicylic acid to exfoliate deep into pores and deliver a dose of radiance. Herbivore Coconut Milk Bath Soak (£16, spacenk.com) smells delicious – not too sweet – and smooths skin. On the classic bath front, Susanne Kaufmann Herbal Whey Bath (£33, net-a-porter.com) is deeply luxurious and leaves skin feeling tiptop.
Milk is also being found in unexpected places, specifically in fragrance at Molton Brown with its recently launched Milk Musk Eau De Toilette (£85 for 100ml, moltonbrown.co.uk). Milk, they say, is a very nostalgic smell because it’s one of the earliest scents we discover as children – as well as conjuring up a sense of intimacy. Mixed with musk, pear, peach and cedarwood, this is a very cosseting aroma.
If you just want to go kitsch on this trend then head to Lush where you can buy the milk-bottle shaped Milk Bath Bubble Bar (£3.95, uk.lush.com) made with soya milk.