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Nordic radiance Lumene
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.
Lumene 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 stand-
ard in compliance with EU legislation and never tests its products on animals, instead using alternative methods to ensure the highest safety standards. Product quality is ensured using rigorous QA analysis that includes chemical, physical and microbiological testing, and the business operates in accordance with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for Cosmetics.
Innovative range
Lumene currently offers four core product ranges and some additional ranges to meet all customer needs: LÄHDE (source), VALO (light), SISU (urban antidotes) and INVISIBLE ILLUMINATION (kaunis).
LÄHDE is an intensely moisturising range that is infused with Arctic Spring water and hydrating Nordic birch sap – the secret to a perfectly hydrated Nordic dewy look. VALO is a range containing Nordic Cloudberry, full of Vitamin C to hydrate skin and give it a natural glow. SISU is an urban environmental anti-aging range infused with Arctic spring water and Nordic pine bark extract, protecting skin from external aggressors such as pollution, stress and harsh weather changes – a perfect antidote to the hectic urban life. Invisible Illumination is a hybrid skincare infused make-up range to give skin a perfect no-make-up-make-up look.
“We are continuously developing new products and the next big launch is going to be in the autumn,” reveals the Global Director Marketing Operations. “We have invested substantially in renewing our brand and we will keep working on this in the future. With this 360-degree brand renovation, we have changed some of our ingredients, technologies, our packaging, brand logo and corporate communications.”
Global growth
Lumene’s main market is still Finland, followed by Sweden, Russia and the USA where the company has established subsidiaries. In addition, it has distributors in other counties including Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania, Poland, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan. “We are investigating opportunities to expand our business to new markets at some point but at the moment our focus is still fully on the brand re-launch phase in our existing markets,” says Bensky and Isohanni.
They explain that due to the re-branding the company has decided to focus on its core competence, which is the skin care and liquid face make-up products. “We still have the Color Cosmetics in our portfolio, but due to the fast moving trends and to be able to offer our customers the best and the latest innovation of color cosmetics we have found a great European partner who can deliver these for us. The products are made in Italy, but designed in Finland.”
The ambition is to place Nordic beauty on the global map and Lumene is certainly developing towards this goal. “Although Finland is the home market for us, one of our biggest goals is to grow globally. But even with a global reach, we will still emphasise our Nordic heritage,” say Tiina Bensky and Tiina Isohanni. n