A gorgeous new brand on A Beautiful World launches today – 001, which I have been lucky enough to review this past week…

I first encountered the beautifully packaged Intensive Elixir in A Beautiful World’s autumn sampler box and, initially intrigued by the black shiny zip sealed packet, I was then blown away by the scent – a mixture of sandalwood, pachouli, rose, frankincense and Vitamin E. So good, I wondered if perhaps it was just a mood-enhancing smelling oil. Of course, it’s a face oil and I’ve been using it instead of my night cream for the last 10 days and am extremely pleased with its nourishing effects, given I’m only using half a dropper load. My skin feels like I’ve just had a facial – toned, hydrated and youthful looking. Just one of three 001 products launching today, I was later sent the rest of the range to review – the GLA & Anti-Oxidant Balancing Cream and Pure Active Peel.

Created by London-based Ada Ooi, a trained aromatherapist and beauty therapist from Hong Kong, the range aims to counteract environmental damage and return the skin to a state of equilibrium, which as odd as it sounds is just what I feel the products have done. I started using the balancing cream last week and I was surprised at how effective it is, given its apparent lightness – I tend to go for heavy creams, especially once the weather gets colder. Just to put it through its paces, I started using it at night instead of the oil and again was really surprised at how well it works. This is the fifth day I’ve been using it day and night and my skin feels great.

The weekly Pure Active Peel is delicious smelling (I realise that’s a given for this range, though the balancing cream doesn’t have much smell) and just the right amount of rough with the muscovado sugar for exfoliation. I applied to dry skin and gave a gentle rub, left it on while showering for 10 minutes and then removed. My face felt super clean but not tight. I then applied some more of the balancing cream. To be honest, the products are pricey, but I think I could quite happily replace everything else I use with these for an almost complete skincare routine. All that’s missing is a daily face cleanser. (Update: In fact, there is a cleanser, available from the 001 site.)

Overall, I’d say the products are pretty outstanding – I’m addicted to the Intensive Elixir – plus the packaging is extremely high-end and has some thoughtful quotes from people like Einstein and Confucius (the range’s inspiration was Marco Polo and his travels, fusing the modern and traditional). You can read more about the range here. And if you like the look of it, there’s a 20% launch discount until the end of November with the code ZERO20.