What is it?
A British-based company created after the pregnant wife of one of the co-founders discovered her skin was irritated by the usual face creams. Ren's catchphrase is 'clean skincare', based on its dedication to products that don't contain chemicals or artificial fragrances. It was founded by Robert Calcraft, in Hong Kong recently to promote his wares, and Antony Buck. The former brand consultants gave up their jobs in 2000 (ren means clean in Swedish).
What's the plug?
It smells great, and the packaging is simple and not fiddly. Calcraft says they realised the ingredients used in the industry could make many people's skin react badly. 'It was either high-end, nicely packaged, or the health-food granola brands,' he says. 'So I thought, why can't we do something else? Our view is that this is what all skincare will be like in the future ... these contain no sulphates and no synthetic fragrances ... and instead contain peptides for anti-ageing that are plant-derived. The advantage is that instead of synthetic alphahydroxy acids (AHAs) - we use those from papaya - so it exfoliates without making the skin look raw.' Its five principles include right ingredients, right science (they have their own lab) and the right environmental impact (2.5 per cent of profits go to environment campaigns). Celebrities such as Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Sienna Miller use the brand, they say.
What other ingredients are there?
Calcraft says its vitamin C is extracted with the pectins 'which means the vitamin C stays active and doesn't oxidise [as it hits the skin surface]'. More than 98 per cent of the ingredients are plant- and mineral-derived, such as Arctic blackcurrant to reduce skin inflammation.