Nordic Radiance ‘Inspired by Nordic women – Created with Finnish nature – Born of Artic light’. This is the slogan that captures the essence of Finnish Lumene, the skincare and cosmetics producer that has built its reputation on natural ingredients rooted in Nordic nature. After 40 years of gradual growth in the skincare sector, the company is now re-branding itself to better suit the modern woman and, at the same time, reinforcing its Nordic heritage of living in harmony with nature. Romana Moares reports.
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umene was founded in 1970 as a skincare brand with a strong belief in the power of nature. Named after the Lummenne lake, Lumene is also derived from ‘lumen’, the Latin for light. Within three years Lumene had become a market leader in Finland and started to expand, first to Russia and then to other countries. In the early 2000s the company entered the US market and became an instant success; and it was during this time that it was renamed Lumene Oy. So what is the magic formula behind this relatively small company from the Far North? “For over 40 years Lumene, with its heritage in wild Arctic nature, has created powerful radiance boosting skincare and makeup that works to restore the skin’s natural strength, beauty and luminosity. All of this has been done with the ultimate intention of bringing balance and harmony to consumers’ skin, mind and soul,” says Tiina Bensky (Global Director Marketing Operations) and Tiina Isohanni (Vice President R&D). “These rare, precious formulations are infused with potent natural antioxidants and nutrients, and exceptionally pure, oxygen rich, skin friendly pH Finnish Arctic spring water for healthy youthful glowing skin. “We always aim at formulating our products so that they are made from over 80 per cent of natural ingredients, and some of them are already up to 97 per cent. One of the key ingredients we use in our products is Arctic spring water with a pH value closer to the skin’s natural pH than normal tap water. We source it from a secret spring close to the Polar Circle. According to Unesco, Finland has some of the cleanest water in the world and we are extremely proud of using it in our products,” Tiina Bensky and Isohanni adds.
In the heart of nature Lumene Oy’s state-of-the-art cosmetics factory in Espoo covers an area of more than 25,000m² in which more than 1000 different products are made. The factory’s annual production volume is 16–18 million pieces, produced mostly in two shifts, five days a week, and it employs 100 people. Most of Lumene’s wild Arctic and Nordic ingredients have been developed from side streams of the food or forest industries – materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste. An important principle for Lumene is to utilise all possible components from plants foraged or collected from nature. Lumene carefully follows the principles of sustainability when harvesting Arctic ingredients, collecting plants in synergy with the environment in which they grow to ensure each year’s harvest is as fruitful as the last. Sustainable production and minimal waste is at the core of the business. Lumene complies with the ISO 14001 environmental stand176 Industry Europe
