What's new in beauty this week?

Cate Blanchett for Ski-II.

LEADING LADIES' CHOICE

Cate Blanchett (pictured) is known for her incredible skin and makes a worthy frontwoman for prestige beauty brand SK-II which has just launched in New Zealand. The Australian swears by the skincare which she has used for over a decade. Fellow actor Kate Bosworth is also a fan and began using it several years before signing on as the latest brand ambassador. SK-II contains a substance called Pitera, isolated after a scientist in Japan noticed the soft, youthful hands of older women working in a sake brewery. Cosmetic rights to the nutrient-rich liquid were acquired by the Japanese branch of Max Factor in 1980 and the resulting serum soon gained a loyal following. After several ownership changes, the company came under the control of Proctor and Gamble, which promoted SK-II into a topseller in Japan, before taking it across Asia and then internationally. The original Facial Treatment Essence has remained unchanged in formula over the years and can be used alone or as part of a capsule skincare collection aimed at improving resilience and radiance. The essence, which costs from $220, is 90 per cent Pitera, a potent mix of minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

DFS Galleria Customhouse in downtown Auckland is the exclusive stockist of SK-II for retail and duty-free sale in New Zealand.

AWARD WINNERS

Browns Bay beauty salon Chrysalis was a double winner at the New Zealand Beauty Industry Awards, being judged best new business, with staffer Kowhai Linnell named best therapist. The runner-up in the therapist category was Christine Jones from About Me Beauty Therapy & Skin Clinic, Hamilton. Juve, Gisborne, was named best clinic and spa overall, followed by Skin Therapy, Wellington.

The biennial awards were announced at a gala dinner in Auckland this month, timed with the Beauty Expo trade event. At Expo, stalls promoting nail and lash services were a feature, signalling that shoppers should expect more new services and products in these categories.

HAVE A BALL

Tickets for the fundraising Look Good Feel Better Dream Ball are on sale now. Every year the charity helps thousands of women undergoing cancer treatment by providing free "pick me up" workshops and makeovers from trained volunteers. This year's ball has a Rio Carnival theme. It is being held at the Langham hotel's Great Room on Saturday, August 10, and will feature live and silent auctions. Tickets cost $260 a seat and include a three-course meal, wine and entertainment. Book at eventfinder.co.nz.

HELP AT HOME

Ecostore has expanded its range of skin-friendly everyday skincare and household products, including mastering the trick of making a foaming hand wash free of sometimes irritating or drying agents. Choose from fresh fragrances of grapefruit and mint or cucumber and bergamot from this local success story, which recently won a Canstar consumer tick for its laundry products ahead of big name brands. Ecostore Foaming Hand Wash, $5.99, delivers on the company's commitment to offering affordable environmentally aware options. (From the Ecostore, 1 Scotland St, Freemans Bay, or see ecostore.co.nz)

BASIC GOOD SENSE

Weekend Herald columnist Wendyl Nissen has struck a chord with modern-day earth mothers, blogging about getting back to basics. As well as writing about ingredients in our food, she makes a range of household and personal care products, including Wendyl's Patchouli Coconut Deodorant, a natural, rub-on deodorant with a patchouli scent. For those concerned about antiperspirant ingredients, this is an alternative, with other fragrances and an unscented version available. $15 a glass jar. (From Wendyl's Green Goddess Shop at 356 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, or wendylsgreengoddess.co.nz)

ACNE ADVANCE

New Zealand biotech company, Quantech, has reported promising results in acne treatment tests from a complex of bioactive milk proteins it has patented. The findings, from a clinical trial conducted in the US, were reported at the Dermatological Society's annual meeting. The trial pitted its complex, called IDP, against a premium-brand acne treatment cream containing salicylic acid plus retinol.

After a 42-day trial involving 84 subjects, both the treatments delivered similar results in terms of reducing acne lesions, with the IDP-based cream also markedly reducing inflammation and showing better tolerance by people with sensitive skins. Company founder and managing director, Dr Rod Claycomb, hopes to launch a commercial acne product, citing the benefits of his naturally derived complex in tackling bad bacteria without unduly disrupting the skin's own beneficial bacteria.