Outwardly, Typology seems to have it all. The packaging looks effortless, minimal, apothecary. Its roots are in Paris; home of pharmacy smash hits like Bioderma, Embryolisse and La Roche Posay and its formulas have the sort of straight-talking appeal that made The Ordinary a global phenomenon.
It was created by Made.com’s co-founder, Ning Li, the born-in-China, raised-in-France entrepreneur whose eye for detail and knack for generating luxury at affordable price tags, is already well established. In fact, the brand’s already been going across the channel for almost a year, having first launched in France last June, where it’s been making waves since.
The brand’s full catalogue is extensive – there are seven ranges covering moisturisers, facial soaps, lip care, hair care and perfumes – but the products themselves are simple, natural and reasonably priced. Formulas are stripped back – the RAW range comprises single-ingredient products like Organic Argan Oil, that can be used alone or blended with another product. The TEN range features skin solutions, like the aptly named 9-Ingredient Face Moisturiser, made from 10 ingredients or less.
There’s a real emphasis on sustainability, too. The SAF range is made up of solid soap bars, delivered in slim cardboard packaging, while the bottles and tubes are made of reusable glass, recycled plastic (to reduce transport weight) or aluminium – all of which are small enough to fit through a letterbox.
It captures, quite brilliantly, that pared-back, French “je ne sais quoi”, but the real question is: will it make our skin look as phenomenal as it does our bathroom shelves?
I’ve been trying out some of the brand’s top hits for the last couple of weeks, here’s what I thought.