Bonnie Scotland: A look at some of the best Scottish beauty and skincare brands – Scottish Field

Our wee nation has some produced some incredible beauty and skincare brands, from the Isle of Mull, South Uist, and Islay to Edinburgh and the Borders, allow us to introduce you to some Scottish brands that impress as much as they perform.

MELLA Handmade Soap

Based in Unst in Shetland, MELLA makes natural, palm oil free soaps, salves and balms and a range of nature inspired soy wax candles with eco-friendly and plastic-free packaging. Owner Melanie loves to collaborate with Shetland and Scottish artists and makers and also has a small range of island and coastal inspired greetings cards, notebooks, Fair Trade tote bags and tea towels in her online shop. You can also visit the MELLA workshop in Haroldswick during the summer and see why she is inspired by the stunning surroundings where she works in Unst, the most northerly island in the UK. www.mellasoap.co.uk

Dook

Dook is an award-winning artisanal company based in Edinburgh. They make salt soap in small batches using organic ingredients, essential oils and natural colours. Each batch is mixed and poured by hand resulting in distinctive, high-quality hand and body soap.  They are stocked in over 150 independent boutiques, including at the world-famous Gleneagles hotel. www.dookofedinburgh.com

Raven Botanicals

Raven Botanicals is an intelligent skincare brand for ethical consumers. From their rural East Lothian apothecary, sisters Arabella and Charlotte use locally sourced botanical ingredients to create a unique range of cleansers, serums, oils, masks and balms that care for and nourish the skin – promoting confidence at every stage in life. High-performance recipes stem from a wealth of knowledge around plant extracts and their profound impact on human health and wellbeing. Inspired by a unique childhood, growing up alongside rescued corvids, their uplifting maxim is “Corvi Floreant” – let Ravens flourish. www.ravenbotanicals.co.uk

The Moffat Perfume Company

The Moffat Perfume Company is a boutique perfume company based in Southern Scotland. The company has created three beautiful perfumes inspired by the Hebridean Islands and the Scottish landscape. Flùr Alba is a light, exquisite fragrance with citrus top notes, a floral middle and sandalwood /musk base. Fiodh Alba is a mysterious woody fragrance and Eilean Alba is rich with rose absolute and sandalwood. www.themoffatperfumecompany.co.uk

The Dark Island Soap Co.

The Dark Island Soap Co. was created in honour of owner Chiara MacLellan’s beloved late father, Donald MacLellan. Donald hailed from Lochboisdale, South Uist, in the beautiful Outer Hebrides of Scotland, known as The Dark Island. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2022, from Vascular Dementia. Renowned for creating luxurious cold process soaps, our ethos is to deliver pure and beneficial results to our customers the way nature intended. Free from palm oil and synthetic colours/fragrances, our soaps are at least 90% organic and plant-based and vegan friendly. www.thedarkislandsoapco.com 

Purple Sage Soap

Experience the natural luxury of Purple Sage Soap’s sustainable Geranium & Patchouli Soap Bar. Crafted with care at Sage Cottage in the scenic Scottish Borders, this eco-friendly, vegan soap marries the soothing essence of geranium with the rich, earthy notes of atchouli. Each bar is lovingly infused with our home-grown botanicals, ensuring that your skin receives the gentlest care. Embrace this blend of tradition, nature, and sustainability with our environmentally conscious, skin-kind soaps, and transform your daily routine into a moment of serene indulgence. www.purplesagesoap.co.uk 

Castle Apothecary Scotland

Castle Apothecary Scotland is an artisan Scottish botanical skincare brand steeped in Scotland’s rich natural heritage. Inspired by the plants which surround our historical home, with a passion for quality and sustainable ingredients, we source many from Scottish and British growers. The Gardener’s range uses herbs from the Lamiaceae plant family. The Wee Bairns range features honey, oats and calendula for newborns, children and grown-ups with dry and sensitive skin. Designed and handcrafted by aromatics expert Alison MacColl, using her 26+ years of experience, all products are meticulously created in small batches. www.castleapothecaryscotland.com

Fuarain

Fuarain is an exciting Scottish skincare brand with a unique heritage. It sources water from an ancient healing spring on Royal Deeside, blending it with carefully selected botanicals to create a moisturising cream that is natural yet extremely efficacious. The spring was famed over the centuries for its curative properties, with Queen Victoria, Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott among its many devotees. Now, Fuarain’s Consultant Dermatologist-led team is breathing new life into its health-giving past. Fuarain’s Super Active Moisture Cream’s extensive clinical studies show significant improvements in skin health after use, including evidence it reduces actual wrinkle depth. www.fuarainskincare.com 

Spirited Soaps

Spirited Soaps is a small soap works on the Hebridean island of Islay. Our soaps are handmade in small batches at our shop using different spirits – whisky, gin, and rum – from the ‘whisky isle’ and neighbouring Jura. No palm oil. Cruelty-free. 100% recyclable packaging. Suitable for all skin types. We have something for everyone. www.spiritedsoaps.com

Siabann

Siabann (“Soap” in Gaelic). From the beautiful Ochil Hills in the heart of Scotland comes an innovative new skincare and gift range; luxurious, natural products with a distinctively Scottish twist. Scotland is a country of contrasts. From the highest mountains to the deepest lochs, from glorious beaches to ancient woodlands. Our national flower the thistle gives us the light, but nourishing, Thistle Oil that is in all our luxurious products. Capturing Scotland’s essence, it’s a must-have for those who cherish this beautiful country. www.siabann.com 

Highland Soap Company

The Highland Soap Company is a family-run maker of soap and skincare products based in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Our products are handmade in our workshop, nestled between the 13th Century Old Inverlochy Castle and the River Lochy, and looking over the north face of Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain. Our beautiful highland landscape has always been the source of inspiration for our products. Since our products are made by hand, we know exactly what goes into each one. Because we put it there ourselves. The ingredients we don’t wild-harvest are organic, natural and sustainable. www.highlandsoaps.com

The Isle of Mull Soap Co.

The Isle of Mull Soap Co. produces handmade soaps and smellies from Tobermory. Our gorgeous scents and new designs are inspired by the beautiful Isle of Mull landscape. We handpick the heather flowers from the local hills to sprinkle into our popular ‘Mull Heather’ range. Specialising in very high quality, traditional soap bars, we also make bath bombs, wax melts, soy candles and more. Which scent will be your favourite? Take a look at our Soap Gift Sets for the perfect present. We are a small family business and pride ourselves on being eco-conscious and sustainable. All our products are plastic, palm oil and cruelty free. www.isleofmullsoap.scot

ishga 

The pure, clean waters of the Hebridean Islands off the north west coast of Scotland are home to ishga, and where we sustainably hand harvest the four types of seaweed that are at the heart of our organic skincare range. Hebridean seaweed contains potent natural antioxidants with properties which transform and protect skin. ishga’s Anti-oxidant Marine Cream is a revolutionary organic moisturiser, full of natural goodness, and will transform any skin type or stubborn problem. Their range of body oils, created on the Isle of Lewis, are packed with high-quality natural skincare ingredients and essential oils with unique benefits to soothe skin and soul. www.uk.ishga.com

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