There has been a 22% increase in the number of Soil Association certified beauty companies in the past year. Joining that list is KINN Beauty, a brand new, lifestyle brand launched last month offering an oh-so-clean, in looks and ingredients, range of products. Founded by a team of kith and kin – a mother daughter duo alongside a family friend, the range was inspired by recipes from a renowned aromatherapy expert in the family.

KINN is one of the first companies I’ve seen sporting the new Soil Association COSMOS certification. Since January 2017, the Soil Association has joined forces with four other European certification bodies – BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert and ICEA) to develop the stringent, new international COSMOS label for organic and natural beauty products. Read more here why organic beauty certification is necessary.

All KINN ingredients are organic or natural, vegan and cruelty-free, as well as being ethically and sustainably produced. The exact amounts of organic and natural ingredients are shown on the label of all products. I know that certification can be an expensive, lengthy, involved process so getting that logo shows KINN is truly committed.

So much for the credentials do the products hit the spot or not?

KINN BEAUTY COLLECTION*

The collection consists of four body care items – a body wash, oil and lotion and a bath oil with a mid-level luxury price tag.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS?

Chic, clean, hint of Scandi design vibe with sophisticated colour accents that are more from the Farrow & Ball palette than Crayola. White bottles that won’t disgrace themselves on your #topshelfie if the style police do an inspection.

PACKAGING?

Packaging is in PET recyclable plastic. There’s a general perception in green beauty that glass is always best which I thought too but I’ve looked in to it and turns out that it isn’t always the least environmentally impactful option. PET plastic is a safe option for products that contain less than 5% essential oils. It doesn’t contain any BPA, leach potentially hormone disrupting chemicals or degrade.

I was concerned the labels were going to disintegrate when water hit them so put the bottles to the test.  They passed with flying colours so the packaging is shower friendly and shatter proof for a klutz like me.

Ingredients are listed on all the bottles but I’d like to see them listed on the website too.

AROMATHERAPY

All the products smell exactly the same with one signature KINN scent consisting of a delightfully comforting  and uplifting blend of ylang ylang, lavender and tangerine. First I’m hit by the sweet citrus that reminds me of roasted orange then a brief burst of lavender followed by a subtle smokiness. We live in stressful times and I’ve found myself reaching for this soothing scent most days. I like to use the range in the evenings to unwind and calm my mind, and on mornings when I have time to luxuriate. It’s like a great big hug in a bottle.

I find the scent lingers on my skin longer when I use the oils rather than the lotion. The range is labelled “for her” on the KINN website but I don’t find the scent super feminine so no reason for it not to be unisex.

Fessing up that I don’t do baths. Between us I haven’t had one in over a year!  I am a Shower Queen that demands my products feel every bit as pampering as for the bath, which KINN delivers by the lather full. I actually couldn’t bear the strong coffee aroma of my usual body scrub coming between me and the KINN scent so I ended up DIYing my own scrub using the KINN bath oil and pink himalayan salt!

PERFORMANCE

• Body wash – lovely soft lather, non-stripping sensation on my dry skin thanks to added aloe vera
• Body oil – light but nourishing blend that absorbed quickly and kept croc skin at bay. Will probably need something a bit richer in the winter.  
• Body lotion – I normally discard lotions as they are not up to the task of dealing with my Sahara dry skin but this is surprisingly moisturising. In the winter I’d mix with the body oil
• Bath oil – felt slightly richer than the body oil, I made a pink salt scrub with it as mentioned above

There is also a KINN home collection with eco-friendly home cleaning products range which I plan to check out. Who say’s eco can’t be chic? Noone I hope anymore!

KINN prices from £14 for body wash to £28 for the bath oil kinn-living.com 

*Disclaimer: products provided for review purposes. I hope it goes without saying that I always give my honest opinion.