Scandinavian Beauty Brands Are Having A Moment

Scandi-mania is a real thing. With their model-off-duty styles and laid-back attitudes, Scandinavians have become the arbiters of cool. I moved to Stockholm from New York in 2012, and NYC's constant urgency suddenly lifted. In Sweden, the tone is calm, cool, and collected: more Elin Kling than Lisbeth Salander. And, in addition to the Skarsgård-level good looks many of them enjoy, these northern Europeans get an average of five weeks paid vacation a year — not to mention the 16 months of subsidized maternity leave (no, that was not a typo).

So, it's no wonder that over the past year, Scandinavian style stories have popped up in glossies and online. With Vogue and Elle onboard, Arctic love is proving its longevity. This leads to an obvious question: Is there a brand that sells “Scandi in a bottle” out there? And, so my quest began. I delved into the Nordic beauty pool and unearthed a wealth of homegrown brands utilizing natural resources and a sense of minimalist cool. Trend-hunters, take note.