The United Nations of Green Beauty Products: Norway

ELDE from Norway, is young and dynamic at the image of its creator Vemund Eldegard. He strives to formulate a compromise-free line with vegan, organic and
fair-trade products. ELDE initially started with seven skincare products, but a vegan makeup range featuring a gorgeous range of lip gloss, lip tints and concealers, was recently added. Since the brand offered a little discount on Instagram for the launch, I decided to take advantage of it and get a lip product (obviously lol) and ask Vemund – who’s an absolute sweetheart – a few questions along the way about his vision and inspiration for ELDE.

As an entrepreneur I was looking for products on the Scandinavian market that was clean, ethical, natural, vegan and used organic ingredients. It seemed really hard to find a brand that working effectively within these categories. It all really started with the fact that I tried to cure my skin from blemishes and acne, as I was very young when I started developing the ELDE brand. I tended to buy expensive products because I loved the luxury feel and design, I went shopping in french pharmacies and went to my dermatologist to cure spots and blemishes. Nothing really helped me, so I threw everything out one day and let my skin thirst for attention and ordered my first order of cold-pressed organic botanicals and created Pure Moisture Complex.  This was when I got really conscious about what to use, and what to avoid. I develeoped this list of ingredients I thought would be beneficial and a banished ingredient-list. I never thought I would become a beauty entrepreneur though.

What inspires you when creating products?
I get really inspired by scandinavian minimalism. I like clean edges, cuts and colors in fashion, and I think that really represents the brand as well. I was really inspired by a lot of beautiful products on the natural market today, but nothing was really advanced formulated like I
wanted it to be. I also got very inspired by luxury high-end brands, and couldn’t really find something to use as a greener alternative. I like their advanced formulas and actives, but I wanted to create the same results but in an natural, green and vegan way.

If you had to pick a favorite product from your line, which one would it be?
Oh, wow, that’s a tough question. I love everything from my own line, haha, I think every beauty entrepreneur does. I think my favorite product would be Youth Preservating Moisture Cream, as it’s great on young skin and aging skin to protect it from anti-aging, anti-oxidants and other concerns before they appear and treats them if they already have appreared.

Any other green brands you’re fond of?

I love the Elizabeth Dehn for OLO Vitamin D Moisture Mist – I use it with my Pure Moisture Complex and top it with Balancing Moisture Cream.

You’re located in Norway, can you share a Norwegian beauty secret?
A Norwegian beauty secret that is included in Fresh Enzyme Treatment is Norwegian oat extract. It really calms the skin, reduces redness and irritation, it’s rich in beta-glucan and delivers healing benefits to the skin. It’s also a wonderful ingredient to treat eczema naturally.

How would you like to see ELDE evolve?

I really want to see the ELDE make-up line evolve into more advanced products and formulas. I know a lot of people are looking for vegan and “green-er” foundations that’s free from silicones and syntethic polymers that really works beautiful on the skin. We also want to launch our mascara and blushes/illuminators/contouring-sticks this winter a long with a translucent powder and maybe powder foundations as well. I’m always happy to hear all vegan beauty-lovers wants and needs within vegan cosmetics, email me: vemund@eldeskin.com

The review:

There are currently three different varieties of makeup products: lip gloss pots (i.e Mimosa) lip tints (more opaque shades), and skin perfectors (illuminators + concealers).
Mimosa is a sheer pinky coral (or as ELDE puts it, “a soft bubble gum magenta”) and is according to their website, one of their best-sellers. For someone who’s not exactly fond of lip glosses, I was quickly smitten with Mimosa, because it doesn’t feel like a lip gloss, it is very light, non-sticky and incredibly hydrating. I don’t even feel the need to apply lip balm when I use it. You can wear several coats for more intensity, but I love applying just a few dabs for a my-lips-but-better effect. It has a beautiful sheen which creates the illusion of fuller, plumper lips. To top it off, the product smells of fruit bubble gum, and the inner child in me is delighted by this.
Regarding the formula, Castor, sunflower, coconut oil, cocoa butter are all ingredients that green enthusiasts are now acquainted with, however two ingredients stood out to me:  Crambe seed oil, and Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer. The latter is a wax blend with strong water resistant properties, made of Rapeseed oil and Tung oil.
Crambe seed oil was completely new to me, and after a few researches, I learned that when organic and cold pressed, it is 4 times more stable than sweet almond oil, with a shelf life of approx. 5 years. It has great emollient properties, thus becoming an alternative to mineral oils and silicones. Crambe seed oil is similar to Broccoli seed oil (another oil that I love!), with both around 50% Erucic Acid,  an Omega-9 fatty acid that helps give gloss and shine
to the skin, just like silicone would. Tung oil, otherwise known as chinawood oil, also contributes to the glossy effect. The packaging is chic, sleek and minimalistic, reminiscent of RMS Beauty, but also very fitting with the Scandinavian aesthetic.
Price: $25

Ingredients: Crambe Abyssinica (Crambe) Seed Oil**, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed
Oil**, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter)**, Caprylic Capric Triglycerides*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract*, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Lipids*, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer*, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnabua) Cera*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed
Wax*, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax*, Punica Granatumn(Pomegranate) Sterols*, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides (and) Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides**, Silica*, Lauroyl Lysine*, Glyceryl Monocaprylate (and) Glyceryl Monoundecylenate**, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)*, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) Oil*, May Contain: Mica (Cl77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Iron Oxides (CI77492, CI77499, CI77491), Ultramarines (Cl77742, Cl77007), Red 7 Lake (Cl15850), Red 6 Lake (Cl15850), Red 7 (CI15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI19140) * natural ** organic
100% natural, 34,5% organic, vegan, not tested on animals 

Glossy and fuller lips thanks to this little jar 🙂

For those who won’t/can’t use beeswax, lanoline and carmine, ELDE is a fantastic alternative! The quality of the lip gloss pot is amazing, and Vemund is contributing in filling the gap in vegan and non-toxic makeup products. Mimosa definitely makes me want to explore the rest of the line, particularly the skin perfector in “rose” and the Resurfacing gel.

If you’re in Olso, ELDE organizes “Beauty lab” events where you can even customize your own lip tint and glosses (more infos on their website).

Have you heard of ELDE? Do you know any green beauty brands from Norway?

Take care,

Liz