from medieval monks to modern skincare:

the world's oldest pharmacy still glowing after 800 years

May 31, 2025

Hi angels!

I’m trying to keep this one short -update: I failed- ‘cause i’m working on a few very exciting deep dive posts at the same time.

One is the ultimate sunscreen guide (including google sheet with my thorough SPF vetting system) where I talk about how to choose the right one for you + where I shine some light on the most often shared sunscreen misinformation. The other one is the post with everything about lasers, where I ask professionals about their knowledge and compare laser treatments so you can plan these in after summer. The third one is a wellness guide to Paris, where I was last week, drinking collagen smoothies sitting on a radiating pad while wearing an LED mask, quietly guarding my bag full of lactonic fragrance samples from one of the most iconic fragrance stores in France, while contemplating Rhode’s insane exit.

But first!

BEAUTY NEWS

Can a face cream replace falling in love? A new wave of skincare, called neurocosmetics, claims it can. Freshly launched GlowCytocin, an ingredient that mimics the effects of infatuation, promises users not just radiant skin, but the brain-tingling euphoria of being in love. While some see it as a fun way to hack your mood, this Dazed article is a bit more sceptical, exploring this being part of a growing trend that sells emotional connection as a product.

How to make sure your make up won’t budge in the heat, Vogue

Bieber’s billion dollar business - you’ve probably seen it already: after a tumultuous period for Hailey with her abusive husband lashing + crashing out on several occasions, I’m just very happy to finally see some amazing news for her. Headlines stated that Bieber has sold her beauty brand Rhode for a staggering 1 Billion dollars, three years(!) after launch. That is a huuuuge achievement and finally some good news to give us some hope in a stagnating global beauty industry. But this doesn’t mean she’s a billionaire. Here’s how that works.

girlsthatinvest

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Bottega Veneta launched a STUNNING new travel spray set. 5 of their signature perfumes are available in the 15 ML size. I was in the store to observe the set in person and the packaging is luxuriously heavy, as expected from Bottega. My favourite scent was the salty and fresh Acqua Sale and it honestly feels like purchasing a huge piece of jewellery more than perfume. I wouldn’t be surprised if this sells out pretty fast! €290, Bottega Veneta

my eczema protocol

Sigh. I have been battling an unfortunate eczema flare up around my nose, but the good news is its going steady now so I want to share my personal eczema protocol, in the hopes it will help you or your eczema prone friend as well. For some people less is more, but this routine really works for me!

When I have a flare up I avoid: all products with essential oils, plus all heavy fragrance in products, allergens, hot water on the skin, high percentage of alcohol denat in products, every product that stings or irritates in any way (and I write them down to know my personal triggers), physical scrubs, high percentage of strong actives like retinoids, vit c, aha’s. I do use gentle chemical exfoliation but that is a personal choice that works well for me, and in all cases, please discuss every skincare choice you make with your dermatologist:

products + routine

morning: This creamy Effaclair cleanser by La Roche Posay (I prefer this one over Toleriane and its great for the skin barrier), hypochlorus acid + Madagascar pure centella asiatica serum OR LRP cicaplast, topped with SPF

the SPF’s in question: either this very watery Korean Suntique SPF50 for sensitive skin or La Roche Posay Rosaliac SPF30 (eczema is not rosacea obviously but this sunscreen is very gentle and great for dry skin) & I top up during the day with my Benton mineral stick. On another note I also do my upper eye lids with that stick, zero eye stinging.

When I feel like my environment isn’t the cleanest I spray more hypochlorus acid on my face, and I also use this before reapplying the SPF stick.

evening: Beauty by Joseon Ginseng oil cleanser on dry skin, massage for 20 seconds then add water to massage for 10 more seconds and rinse off. Second cleanse: LRP Effaclair cleanser. As the latest step, I found this AMAZING eczema cream by LRP. I must warn you its meant for eczema only, I got some acne around the skin of my eczema because it’s not made for normal skin.

other amazing products that can help you out (also for sensitive skin in general):

BEAUTY BRAND APPRECIATION

the world's oldest pharmacy: Santa Maria Novella's 800-year legacy of beauty

I discovered this brand in my own apartment, where my friend Duran lived for a few months when I was mostly in Barcelona. I took a bath and found a shampoo with a beautifully designed label that smelled like the purest form of soap imaginable, with a hint of history. I’m going to be honest: the formula wasn’t the most modern one (it dried out my brittle, post bleach hair lol) but I was deeply intrigued by the scent. It smells like soap found at your grandma’s house, the good kind, taken from a hotel bathroom during a secret night decades ago in the Ritz, hidden in a clothing drawer as a reminder of a past lover that she couldn’t write about in her journal, a scent, like the memory, that remained strong and extremely clean throughout the years.

I kinda forgot about the shampoo, but to my delight I stumbled upon the brand in Paris last week. I was inspired by the detailed graphic design of the packaging and the whim of true legacy and authenticity that comes with it.

Regarding branding, I personally think we are in the last stage of minimalism for beauty + wellness brands and we’re going to more detailed, more escapist, more baroque or art nouveau-esque brand universes with deeply layered story telling. Just like some of us are very tired by coffee shops that look like they could be in Denmark, Bali or literally any gentrified destination, really - diluted versions of Japandi style minimal spaces, often fully plastered in one colour and absent of both spirit and vision- , I am almost certain that more and more of us are kinda over minimalism in branding. Let me know in the future if I’ve clocked it right or not!

Luckily there are some brands that are already choosing a different route. Like the authentic 19th century pharmacy brand Officine Universelle Buly 1803 (in short: Buly) that was purchased and brilliantly relaunched in 2014 by Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami. You may know them from the viral personalised brushes and lip balms, let me show you mine. Again, love the packaging but i’m underwhelmed by the seemingly old formula. It’s fine, but would’ve been so much nicer if it worked better:

Anyways back to the brand I was talking about with the soapiest of soapy scents. The name is Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. In short, Santa Maria Novella.

There's something undeniably romantic about beauty products with history - especially when that history stretches back nearly a millennium.

And few can compete with Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Founded in 1221 (yes, 1221!), it's considered the oldest pharmacy in the world, predating most modern countries and certainly every beauty brand in your medicine cabinet.

The story begins with Dominican friars who cultivated medicinal herbs in gardens outside Florence. In those gardens, they cultivated medicinal herbs and plants to create remedies, ointments, and balms for the monastery's infirmary. Their reputation grew steadily, and by 1334, the pharmacy had treated a wealthy merchant from one of Florence's most powerful families.

What fascinates me is how their preparations evolved from purely medicinal to what we'd now recognise as luxury beauty products. Their first perfumed waters appeared in 1381 during the Black Death pandemic. The friars distilled rose water as a purifying agent for rooms and as a healing preparation. Imagine explaining to these medieval monks that their medicinal concoctions would someday be coveted luxury items.

In 1533, Catherine de Medici made Renato Bianco (who had been raised by the Dominican friars) her personal perfumer when she became Queen of France.

Catherine's signature scent, Acqua di Santa Maria Novella (also known as "Water of the Queen"), remains the oldest perfume in the pharmacy's collection and is still produced today.

I bought the amped up soapy soap scent that I found in my bathroom in the form of a.. solid soap lol. I also got a sample of the fragrance version, it’s called Melograno.