Everything
Little known fact: Australia is one of the biggest producers of sandalwood in the world. Specifically Indian sandalwood, which has for centuries been prized for both its aroma and its alleged healing properties where it was used for everything from cleansing wounds and treating inflammation to helping soothe sunburn and acne.
Sandalwood’s long list of benefits for your biggest organ are now being tapped by new skincare brand, About Time We Met.
Gender-neutral, vegan, cruelty-free and hypoallergenic along with being entirely Australian made, straight off the bat About Time We Met ticks some of the primary needs for people who prefer their skincare served ethically. But the most important element, of course, is the efficacy and potency of its products.
“There’s lot of research that exists [that points to sandalwood’s benefits in skincare],” says About Time We Met’s CMO Vanessa Ligovich. “The studies have shown that sandalwood helps with pigmentation, it’s anti-inflammatory and its anti-microbial. It really is multifunctional, which is one of the most unique things about sandalwood.”
According to Ligovich, one of the studies conducted compared sandalwood’s effectiveness to that of Vitamin E and their resistance and support when stressors like pollution and blue light were applied to the skin. “The results show that sandalwood actually outperforms Vitamin E,” says Ligovich.
Featuring only nine (“For now,” says Ligovich) products, About Time We Met takes a less is more approach to taking care of your skin. There’s no need for countless products – a good cleanser, moisturising system and a booster in the form of a mask and you’re good to go. Where the tweaks are made – a foaming cleanser versus cream cleanser, for example – keeps the minimal line agile enough to accomodate for various skin needs. A cream cleanser, for example, is great for the morning but a foaming one at night. Also, for men, the cream cleanser can double as a shaving cream.
The other appeal is the brand’s intersection between traditional, natural and current science in its formulations. About Time We Met neatly combines the information garnered from sandalwood’s traditional uses, from Ayurvedic practices and TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine which are applied alongside the ingredient’s more material benefits.
“The part that I think is really important is what it does holistically,” she explains. “Sandalwood is a wellbeing ingredient. We’re not just talking about skincare when you think about your mind and body – and you can even go into spirit because sandalwood has a long history of spiritual uses.
It’s this holistic approach, says Ligovoch, that makes About Time We Met a complete ritual for skincare, nourishing not just the skin but the mind and emotional state as well. “We’ve got studies that show that upon topical application, [sandalwood] helps calm the mind and can even reduce anxiety. So that multifunctionality, particularly in today’s world and what consumers are looking for, is absolutely on trend,” she tells ICON.
To sum it up – if you feel good, are more relaxed, your skin will naturally begin to look better and healthier.
“When you look good, you feel good,” she adds.
