Calling All Beauty Minimalists: You Need Jenni Kayne’s New Skin Care Line

Since her eponymous lifestyle line first launched in 2003, Jenni Kayne turned the easy-breezy aesthetic so closely associated with California into both her personal calling card and an instantly recognizable brand. In the years since, Jenni Kayne stores and e-commerce experiences have exploded with forays into new territory including home goods, accessories, and apparel — and now beauty, with the launch of its Oak Essentials skin care line, Jenni Kayne’s chic and calming collection of clean, natural face products.

Built around an initial, truly foundational collection of five products, meticulously researched and designed for optimal efficacy, the Oak Essentials line is calibrated to harness the inherent beautifying properties of each product’s nature-powered ingredient list. Formulated free of potential irritants like mineral oil, sulfates, silicones, or synthetic fragrances, it’s a natural (pun extremely intended) fit for the larger, soothingly minimalist brand. “I’ve always been passionate about skin care and clean beauty, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve really started to focus on this idea of aging gracefully,” Kayne herself tells TZR. “Much like the understated wardrobe and home pieces that Jenni Kayne is known for, my routine has always been pared-back and simple, so creating a skin care line that spoke to that felt like an organic next step.”

If there were an operative word to describe the collection as a whole, it’d probably be intentional — two full years of research and development went into the line, with Kayne overseeing every aspect of every product, from their textures and scents to the actual end results. To put it into perspective, Kayne describes the process behind perfecting just one product, the Restorative Mask: “Our intention was to harness the natural power of honey, and it was important from the get-go that honey was the primary ingredient in the product, unlike many honey masks on the market,” she explains. “It was quite difficult trying to keep honey in its close-to-natural state while making sure the product was shelf-stable but after many rounds, we finally got it right.”

And the team really did get it right — especially with the Restorative Mask itself which, judging by an outpouring of social media comments, is already a fan favorite. Kayne says the mask’s organic honey is a natural anti-inflammatory full of vitamins and assorted antioxidants that help boost skin-plumping collagen. “My skin instantly glows whenever I use it,” she says. The mask is in good company with the other Oak Essentials products: Cleansing Balm, Balancing Mist, Ritual Oil, and Moisture Rich Balm. It’s telling (and firmly on-brand) that the items are all named very literally.

Cleansing Balm is first up in the line, an easy-on-skin, oil-based cleanser that gently dissolves lingering dirt, makeup, and debris for a soft-to-the-touch finish that doesn’t leave skin feeling dry or stripped. Formulated with safflower seed, sesame, and avocado oils plus vitamin E, it’s the ultimate end to your day and start to the morning. Balancing Mist, rich with moisture-trapping humectants and soothing aloe leaf juice and rose water, makes for a refreshing (and fresh-smelling) mid-day boost, especially in the midst of a stressful day.

The same goes for Ritual Oil, one of Kayne’s personal favorite products in the line — jojoba seed, borage seed, and tansy oils team up with hydrating squalene for a restorative, protective moment designed to combat inflammation and environmental damage. “I typically use the Ritual Oil after our Balancing Mist, and then I’ll add a layer of the Moisture Rich Balm for an all-day dewy look or to lock in moisture in the evening,” Kayne shares. Ideal for the upcoming winter, the Moisture Rich Balm is a thick — but not suffocatingly so — cream that at once hydrates parched skin, protects it from future stressors, and soothes irritation. Designed to help skin lock in moisture rather than just a one-night quick fix, its sesame oil, coconut oil, and cocoa sea butter is a big glass of water and a cozy, protective hoodie for your skin — two equally helpful qualities often at odds in skin care.

For Kayne, though the line is brand new, expanding into skin and beauty made sense long before Oak Essentials’ conception. As for the next step? Kayne shares Oak Essentials is already working on new launches for the line, coming around the holiday season, but keeps mum on the details. “We plan to intentionally add products to the line as we grow, but never want to lose sight of keeping skin care uncomplicated.”

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