Starting with a personal favourite, since inception, Bulldog Skincare has pioneered ethical grooming choices as a cruelty free and eco-conscious company. 100% a reason why it is shifting into the future at such a unstoppable rate. China has historically been a market that has often enforced animal testing, so in order to be a part of it, brands have had to adhere to tests that they wouldn’t normally do in the rest of the world. Bulldog is now on the first brands to be involved in the Leaping Bunny China Pilot Project where representatives from Cruelty Free International, KnudsenCRC and Oriental Beauty Valley, Fengxian District, met with a host of companies at a seminar in London to announce the initial participants in a ground-breaking collaborative project that will potentially enable cruelty free companies to sell their cosmetic products in China free from the risk of animal testing. Finally! This breakthrough makes me really happy because it proves the direction we are evolving in as a planet and showcases so much hope.

“China is the world’s biggest and fastest growing market for cosmetics and it’s continuing to grow. Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding cosmetics without animal testing and this unique, ground-breaking project will enable those consumers to buy great cruelty free products. Following the success of Bulldog in other Asia PAC countries, we’re really excited to be part of this pilot in China.”- Simon Duffy, founder of Bulldog Skincare.

This Holiday season, you can also pick up your regular Bulldog products with a packaging twist, including the original Bulldog moisturiser in a cracker!

Another palm-oil free and vegan brand I discovered is Aquarian Soul, which encourages your beauty regime into becoming a sacred ritual. They have such a wide variety of products which are each infused with the healing energies of crystals. Based and sourced in California, they are super committed to sustainability and even grow their own white sage.

Last but not least, Harry’s – our favourite LGBTQ+ friendly brand has a solid Holiday offering with shave kits along with all of their current offering including my personal favourite, the peppermint face wash that is highly invigorating. They had some great campaigns this year with their films and billboards featuring my friends BBZ (Tia and Naeem). Great to see them doing so much within the community and continuing to have a great offering for the under represented.

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On a base level, I think that Bulldog is the best affordable vegan, cruelty friendly brand aimed at men on the market, but in all fairness and branding aside – I feel that they can cater for any gender – so if you are reading this from any other perspective, I would definitely recommend Bulldog – it really feels like a premium or luxury product but at an affordable price point. I have had the privilege of testing their emulsion as well, which I know is just in South Korea at the moment, but it is definitely a layer that you want to start thinking about adding into your routine. The sense of sealing the moisture that comes with a layer of emulsion is unparalleled and the phrase should be upgraded to “cleanse, tone, emulsion, moisturise”. Another awesome element and space in the market that Bulldog caters for is Stubble Moisturiser – which is super smooth and feels really refreshing without leaving and residue – their attention to detail is really great.

The best specialist product I have tried in recent times is from Australian brand Rosehip Plus – who specialise in rosehip oil which has a great industry reputation for anti-aging, reversing wrinkles and overall deep moisturising. The company is certified organic and a family business, so always something I am keen to support. You can check out all of the ingredients in detail here too. The company is clearly a transparent business for the future of our planet – rooted in the knowledge of ancient civilisations.

My favourite products from the line are the nourishing night cream and the roll on because of the cooling effect the roll ball has and how directly you can apply it to tend to specific areas – overall the entire selection is excellent and you can shop it super easily online.

Thirdly, I wanted to talk briefly about CBD oil – which you can buy really easily now at places in London including Whole Foods. I would really recommend this to a lot of people for its alkaline qualities (anti cancer, anti age) and I will start featuring specific CBD products more as I am pro the use of this medicinally and would eventually like to lobby the UK government for this.

Last but by no means least, I have also been testing out the revolutionary VIT C-30 – a powerful brightening serum from The Hero Project who have an incredible mission statement for a brand that is clearly focussed on deconstructing the mistruths of the past to allow us to reap the benefits of that truth moving forward.

The Hero Project is an innovative, new British beauty concept from UK cosmetics superlab, Pangaea putting consumers at the centre of the R&D process with all of our carefully crafted products being inspired by customer reviews or creating something totally new and groundbreaking that re-sets what is universally accepted as “industry best”.

VIT C-30 is a powerful vitamin C serum with 30% ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid, one of the highest amounts in a product available on the market, my experience so far is that it feels strong and the brightening or “glow” effect is pretty immediate, it seems to rejuvenate almost instantly. You can learn more about the product here too.

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