If there’s one thing I have learned in my job as a London-based beauty editor, it’s that our approach to skincare here in the UK is wildly different to elsewhere in Europe. Take, for example, in France, where dermatologists are in abundance and skincare is science-led, affordable, and easily accessible. In fact, the French approach to skincare is renowned for being the gold standard, and this is something that, up until very recently, I have always agreed with.
But at the end of last year, I found myself visiting Stockholm for the first time, and I genuinely couldn’t believe what I saw. It’s no exaggeration when I say that everyone I saw had some of the healthiest and glowiest skin I had ever seen. Women and men alike were radiating their ways down streets, like pure visions of health and wealth. I was, frankly, blown away by the local glow. And it’s not that I didn’t have an idea that this might have been the case; it’s just that I assumed the idea all Scandi women had great skin was a stereotype—but it’s not.
And this confused me. In terms of weather, England and Sweden are not worlds apart. Much like the UK, Scandinavian countries have few hours of daylight, their winters last most of the year, and locals have to spend most of their time outside battling beating winds. So what’s going so wrong with my skin? During the 24 hours I was in Stockholm, I made it my mission to unearth their skin secrets. Here are the three very simple things they do that we don’t (and the best products for the job).
