7 Secrets of Beauty & Wellbeing: Claire Chung, Co-Founder of Ignae
Ignae describe themselves as ‘a new generation of beauty brand - sustainable, high performance, transformative skincare powered by biotechnology’ but the USP that we find most interesting is the use of the natural resources from the brands birthplace, the Azores - a cluster of nine volcanic islands, free of pollution and full of rare and pure ingredients.
The brand was founded by Azores native, Michael Pombo - an expert in international ingredient manufacturing and EUregulations for beauty. He combined his experience with the idea of using the islands many ingredients - think camellia japonica, bakuchiol and volcanic thermal water, for skin healing and regeneration. He then partnered with Claire Chung, a global serial entrepreneur with two decades of experience in the luxury sector (she’s renowned for launching NET-A-PORTER in China), to launch ignae.
Here, Claire shares her personal secrets for cultivating beauty and wellbeing in her own life…
1. One glass of warm water in the morning and one before going to sleep (with lemon if I am at home and not travelling). You can never have enough water. It's not only for hydrating the skin but helps the body push out toxins. Keeping an alkaline state is very important so if I am at home, I keep a pitcher of water infused with lemon, cinnamon or other herbs to help detox on a daily level.
2. My pre-shower routine starts with a gentle face exfoliation. In the morning, I love to start with Ignae Enzymatic Cleanser packed with pineapple from the Azores! If you leave it on for more than a minute it does gentle exfoliation- depending on your skin's needs. I like to put it on a dry face and do a light 30 second massage. Then I leave it on and step into the shower and rise off the cleanser at the end so it has some time to exfoliate. (Ignae Enzymatic Cleanser/£84 for 60ml.)
3. Facial Cupping is a must, for me. This is so easy and inexpensive and easy to combine while you are just relaxing in the evening and watching TV. When I used to live in Asia, body cupping was part of the tradition in Chinese Medicine practices. TCM is based on preventive care so it was used to detox the body, increase circulation and boost the immune system. For the face, it improves the blood flow and accelerates lymphatic drainage of toxins and excess water from the face. Great for depuffing the face. How I incorporate it so that it becomes a habit now is every time I watch Netflix, I do a facial cupping massage with a face oil. Now that I'm back to travelling long haul flights again, I do this on the plane when about to land so it reboosts the circulation and puffiness after a long-haul flight.
4. I tackle puffy eyes, first thing. The combination of Ignae Dynamic Eye Complex and a small cupping cone is a miracle cure. I apply the eye complex above and below the eye and use a quick massage to spread the product. I use the cupping cone just below the eye and you see the effects in 15 min! (Dynamic Eye Complex/£93.94 for 15ml.)
5. A winding down at night routine is vital for me. Quieting the mind is a huge challenge with everyone's busy lives. Time is what I never have enough of so I try to consciously use it in the best way by winding down with listening to meditation music combined with doing my evening night routine with Ignae which is Cleanser and the Rich Night Serum. I combine reciting mantras (in the mind) in the evening with my evening routine of using the serum and the combination of the music mantra and hand movements for a de-stressing facial works so well together. It's a magical 10 minutes. I combine that with scented candles burning so it's a sensorial experience to wind down, quiet the mind and prepare for sleep. (Rich Night Serum/£177.43 for 30ml.)
6. I do a quarterly digital detox. No mobiles or computer devices for a long weekend – three nights and four days. Go into nature, read books and smell the flowers.
7. Cutting sugar from all coffee and tea has made a huge difference, for me. I used to consume a pack of sugar per cup of coffee per day. I used to live in London where we had our proper daily 4pm tea break everyday at work with tea, milk, sugar and a biscuit ! One habit change not only saves on so many calories accumulated over time but reduces the glycation process which will trigger visible damage on the skin by the age of 35. I noticed my skin improved & became firmer after I made one habit change. Signs of impacts of too much sugar and glycation process are cross hatch lines appear on the upper lip, discoloration of the skin, deeper crevices, especially around the laugh line area and sagging jowls.
Find Ignae at John Bell & Croydon – here
