Beauty in LA: the new addresses and trends to know about
Los Angeles is synonymous with beauty: the city is to beauty what Silicon Valley is to tech. Once considered merely the playground of the skin- deep-beautiful, with more cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists and aestheticians per capita than anywhere else in North America, it has now evolved a more inclusive landscape that innovates the latest in beauty, workouts and wellness. With so many start-ups sprouting up – a mix of slow burners and instant success stories – just like South Korea in the noughties, Los Angeles has become the destination to watch when it comes to the beauty zeitgeist.
The LA star hasn’t always been in the ascendant. New York, for the longest time, was the epicentre of the biggest beauty movers and shakers, from brands and influencers to writers. But from about 2013, USA-based YouTubers began migrating to LA to be closer to management, celebrity events – and the money.
The upward trajectory of the influencer demographic has had an enormous impact on the beauty economy. Hugely successful influencer-owned brands, including Summer Fridays by Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland, Bad Habit by Emma Chamberlain and Forvr Mood by YouTube powerhouse Jackie Aina, are translating the LA lifestyle into something more attainable and tangible for their many global acolytes.
Specialist founder brands such as Ole Henriksen, Kate Somerville, Hourglass and Murad sprouted from roots in LA, to be acquired by some of the beauty world’s biggest conglomerates with a keen eye on the next big thing. The city’s nascent batch of cool indie companies, such as Youth To The People, Topicals and Versed, were built on a progressive ethos, influenced by California’s obsession with the health of self and environment that is now front and centre in the industry. Clean or good-for-you ingredients are so much the order of the day that even formulators such as Spatz Laboratories, which develops beauty products for figures including Kylie Jenner, have had to incorporate them. Now there are countless ways to honour your body as the temple it is, in true Angeleno style.
From gold-standard facials and all things Goop-y to the latest flamboyant fitness craze, it can be hard to keep up with LA’s vanguard. See below for our shortlist.
The best detox in Los Angeles: Moon Juice
Juice cleanses aren’t for everyone, but when in LA green juice may as well be tap water. The go-to is Moon Juice famed for it’s jarred adaptogen Dusts, which boost everything from your brain to your sex life. Choose from the Rainbow or Green menus, both supplemented with almond or coconut milks, and expect to feel energised by day four (skip the rules and have some grains in the evening if you need it). For more sustenance, pick up the Coconut Cloud Smoothie at organic grocery store Erewhon. It’s bright blue thanks to the antioxidant Blue Majik, a form of microalgae spirulina.
The best beauty shops in LA
Housed in a millennial-pink space on La Brea Avenue, LA Beauty Club is a Black-owned shop that specialises in melanin beauty, selling brands such as Creme of Nature and Taha Natural. Off Melrose, Glossier’s recently opened second American flagship (you can’t miss it; there’s huge lettering wrapped across the storefront) is a modern setting with space-age accents, and skincare and make-up rooms for trying products. And, for a fun look back at Afro hair fashion through the decades, book tickets for The Black Hair Experience (founded by Alisha Brooks and Elizabeth Davis), a pop-up exhibition split into interactive selfie-sets, including a retro hair salon and Black beauty shop, a magazine-cover cave and a hair-roller ball pit. The best workout in Los Angeles: Megaformer
If you find the Versaclimber (a vertical climbing machine) a little too repetitive but like the workout premise behind the equipment, then the full-body Megaformer is worth a shot. It stems from the famed Lagree Fitness Method, which focuses on core, muscular strength and involves making slow, controlled movements on a sliding platform. Don’t let the pace fool you: all the squats, lunges and moving planks will most likely cause the so-called Lagree shakes. A single class is said to melt away up to 1,000 calories, with the burn lasting all day as slow-twitch muscle fibres use up energy. You’ll be addicted – it was the fastest growing class on Classpass for a reason. £25 for one class, newcomers receive 10 for £150.
The best facialist in Los Angeles: Shani Darden
Beverly Hills-based Shani Darden started out creating products she couldn’t find on the shelf, sending her clients home with custom-made formulas between visits (A-list fans include Kelly Rowland, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jessica Alba). Her night-time, anti-aging Retinol Reform serum, which combines firming retinol with brightening lactic acid to soften fine lines and wrinkles, is a cult buy. The team of skin specialists at her studio deliver tailored facials with clinical-grade tools: microcurrents, LED therapy, oxygen and ultrasound. Virtual consultations are available from about £60. The Shani Darden Skin Care Facial Sculpting Wand is sold at Cult Beauty.
The nail salon in Los Angeles: Base Coast
Founder Tran Wills was one of the first to open a non-toxic nail salon in the USA; now Base Coat has multiple department-store residencies and flagship salons. Wills also has a Whole Foods-stocked range of polishes and hand-care products, all created with plant-based preservatives. Go for the gel manicure: therapists use 10-Free polish (no nasty chemicals) and a non-skin-aging LED light. Clients are encouraged to bring in old bottles of nail polish which are disposed of without harming the environment; in return, you get 10 per cent off Base Coat’s 8-Free nail colours.
Laure JolietThe beauty brands in Los Angeles
Violet Grey in Melrose Place is a retail oasis with a thoughtfully curated edit: look out for natural skincare by Vintner’s Daughter and body products by Necessaire. Or order LA-born brands online, such as Youth To The People, which is known for its vegan superfood skincare formulas, and Insta- hyped KNC Beauty, which put lip masks on the map. Clean-beauty brand Kosås is everywhere right now, thanks to its eye-cream-concealer hybrid that flew off virtual shelves after a thumbs up from Hailey Bieber. Another name to know is Topicals. Co-founders Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng used their experiences of acne, hyperpigmentation and eczema to launch from their apartment. The brand’s swirly Seventies-esque fonts are stamped all over TikTok, and the small but strong product line truly delivers in treating dark marks and inflamed skin as per its tagline: ‘skincare for funner flare-ups’.
The best spas in Los Angeles
Few places do full internal recharges like the glossy Ciel Spa at the SLS Beverly Hills. Body composition scans, blood panel and micronutrient tests come as standard as part of its IV therapy. The vitamin D injection, for instance, improves bone density and reduces the risk of heart disease while Lipo-Mino burns fat and boosts energy. No LA trip is complete without a visit to a communal Korean spa for a head-to-toe scrub, and Olympic Spa is the best. Be prepared to sweat: it has saunas ranging from red clay to herbal steam, as well as a halotherapy salt room. The Glass Skin Akasuri scrub, with three rounds of exfoliation, will leave you with baby-soft skin for a fortnight.