Brands like Modern Botany, Nunaïa and Skingredients are gaining momentum, not just on our own beauty scene but also beyond, thanks to an inherently innovative spirit and a desire to create a meaningful offering on the market.

Irish beauty used to be just about tan (Bellamianta, He-Shi, Lusso and TanOrganic are all Irish), but now we can buy Irish everything, from toothpaste to beauty supplements.

The key beauty factors are no longer aspirational and luxe. Instead, customers like you and I are more discerning when it comes to sustainability, ethical sourcing, natural ingredients and organic credibility.

With that in mind, here’s our pick of 13 sustainable Irish beauty brands to know for 2021 and beyond:

Herbalist and “potion maker” Réidín Beattie describes Warrior Botanicals as an “antidote to modern skin and body care”, and they do have a timeless feel.

At her studio in an old grainstore in West Cork, Beattie concocts oils and serums using organic herbs and botanical extracts. Each jar is blended by hand in small batches, using organic, homestead and wild foraged herbs and ingredients where possible.

Oxmantown Skincare is one of Dublin’s best-kept beauty names to know. Founder Amy Cahill’s natural blends, in apothecary-style brown glass bottles, are cool rather than crafty, and are now stocked at Brown Thomas (from €21).

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The Burren Perfumery, the natural scent and skincare company, has a wide range of popular soaps, serums and lotions. We love the Wild Rose eau de parfum, a rare and entirely natural take on the rose.

Galway’s stunning perfume company Cloon Keen recently opened a standalone store in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin. Founder Margaret Mangan works with perfumers including Meabh McCurtin, a protégée of the great Dominique Ropion, who has created modern classics such as Roisin Dubh (little black rose), €130, the only Irish perfume to win at the prestigious international Fragrance Foundation awards, taking home the Best New Independent Fragrance Award in 2019.

Cloon Keen recently launched a Spanish Arch room spray in a stylish silver bottle. This spray gun version of their bestselling Galway-inspired candle, a fresh green floral with pettigrain and neroli, is a speedy way to scent a room beautifully.

We are excited to hear of a new perfume set to launch soon, with the very talented McCurtin again at the helm… This is one we can’t wait to smell.

There’s nothing Benoit Nicol doesn’t know about the benefits of essential oils. The Nature of Things is a beautifully presented collection of the highest quality, from vanilla oil to lavender (from €7), and they’re now widely available at more than 60 retailers. Nicol can put together personalised boxes of oils – a thoughtful gift.

Flying Wild’s Arno Schouwenburg, based in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, traded publishing for beekeeping back in 2012, starting his artisan, eco-conscious business as a way to “share the goodness of the hives”. Raw honey and natural beeswax are used to make everything from candles to facial oils and massage balms, only using organic, unrefined ingredients.

The whole range is great value, simple and sustainable. Arno is famed for his wonderful customer service, too.

Ground, created by spa expert Peigin Crowley, crafts natural plant-based ingredients to create simple, clean self-care. All of the products are handmade in small batches by Peigín in Cork, using vegan ingredients; organic where possible, and blended with sincere intention, to soothe the soul.

Ground is exclusive to Brown Thomas, and it’s a cleverly designed, thoughtful selection of soothing natural treats – the bath salts are divine, and refillable (from €30).