Eco conscious, sensory, efficient and eager to break the mold. Vegan, clean and of natural origin. Ulé is a new brand of botanical cosmetics that comes with the scientific endorsement of Shiseido to extract all the power of nature with its own methods that multiply the effectiveness of its assets. It is a pioneer in applying vertical farming to cosmetics, the starting point that achieves one of the most difficult challenges for any product with the desire to be sustainable: 100 percent traceability.
Its carbon footprint is also very small: from the plant to the final packaging it only covers 340 kilometers. Revolutionary. "It's like cosmetic haute couture that values proximity, detail, artisanal methods... It's easier and cheaper to go looking for active ingredients with less quality and less commitment to the environment, but we wanted to be super honest with a consumer who wants to know who and what is behind a brand”, says Ainhara Viñarás, general director of Shiseido's Prestige division in Spain and co-founder of the brand together with Lindsay Azpitarte, its creator.
"You scan a product from Ulé and you can find out where everything comes from," says Viñarás. The technological and scientific innovation of the Shiseido group is also reflected in the new brand and is a guarantee of effectiveness. "The responsibility for the final part of the formulation, the tests and the scientists are Japanese," says the directive. “It was the niche that Shiseido was missing,” she concludes.
Ulé's vertical farm is high-tech and close to Paris. There, maximizing space and in a pure and controlled environment that protects them from unpredictable weather, pollution and pests, plants from all over the world are grown. They are free of pesticides – this farming system creates a landless environment – and 95% of the water they use is recycled. The backbone of the formulas is a blend of three high-performance plants: Centella, which stimulates collagen synthesis and helps revitalize the skin; tulsi (or holy basil), anti-inflammatory, calming and de-stressing, and coleus, which protects the skin from oxidative damage.
The plants are harvested by hand and cold-ground, from root to leaf, with a patented double extraction process that opens up an infinite range of possibilities for botanical cosmetics by guaranteeing 100% pure, traceable and fresh extracts.
The how matters: “We have been surprised by the properties that we are finding in ingredients that are already well-known in cosmetics; The same plant changes a lot with a different extraction method. It has been possible to isolate the entire plant and extract hundreds of active molecules in the safest and most sustainable way possible”, assesses Ainhara Viñarás.
Serums, cleansers, fortifying creams, mists, an original Nitri-Beauty range, an attractive lifestyle section with T-shirts, sweatshirts, toiletry bags and even underwear with a message... The Ulé universe is an experience that can be discovered and enjoyed in an ephemeral pop-up. Until June 25, it will host Xual Lan yoga classes, treatment booths, personal eating workshops with nutritionists, a cooking workshop including nutri-cosmetics, afterworks with a DJ and cosmetic cocktails. (Sandoval Street, 3. Madrid)
