Shops We Love: Aroma-Zone (Westfield White City)
It takes a lot to get us to Westfield White City. Or rather, it did. (All a bit overwhelming – though you sure get your daily steps, trying to find the shop you’re looking for.)
But now we have discovered Aroma-Zone, Beauty Bible will most definitely be back. An Aladdin’s cave of affordable natural beauty wonders, this is the first UK outpost of a chain of stores that is absolutely HUGE in France, but only recently made footfall here. (Plans are afoot to open several more, we’re told.) And it certainly deserves to be equally mahoosive on this side of the Channel, not least for the brilliant pricing, made possible in many cases by sourcing direct from producers and growers, as well as the fact there’s absolutely no unnecessary packaging. What makes the pricing even more impressive is that many, many of the products are organically certified.
The best way to describe Aroma Zone is that it’s ‘ingredient-led’. You can customise many of the haircare and skincare products by adding actives that are sold (very affordably) alongside bases, or simply buy the finished products. (We have been working our way through a swag-bag of those, and list some of our favourites below.) There are plenty of ‘finished’ products – actually, so, so many – and we would advise setting aside quite some time for exploring the shelves, here. (A quiet Tuesday morning proved absolutely perfect for Jo.)
Meanwhile, as authors of books on making your own cosmetics, this is an absolute treasure trove of ingredients with which to create products at home. There is a wall of essential oils, along with bottles of base oils of literally dozens of types, including several we’d never heard of. (Broccoli seed oil and rocket oil, anyone? Turns out, the first is a great alternative to silicone in products, for its silky moisturising and de-frizzing qualities, while rocket oil is good for scalps and more). There are also clays, muds, hydrosols, powders and more – anything and everything you could possibly wish for to make haircare, skincare and bodycare at home – which is so much easier than you’d think. And fun, with it.
Aroma-Zone do run occasional classes on making/customising beauty products (and wellness topics), in their Zen-like event space, upstairs – but for those who like their products ready-made, we’ve picked out a selection of favourite finds, following our visit. (Be on standby for some more over coming weeks, as we work our way through the products we took home…)
Aroma-Zone Lip Oils (centre)
Tinted Lip Oil – priced at just a fiver (!) this is absolutely gorgeous, especially (we thnk) the Pomegranate Red shade, which delivers a high shine tint via a plumping complex based on vanilla oil, soothing bisabolol and a pomegranate complex. 100% from natural ingredients, the tinted effect is from plant-based pigments and the oil is organically certified by Ecocert.
Hyaluronic Acid 3.5% Serum – again, an almost insane bargain, at £6.50 for 30ml. If you’re a fan of hyaluronic acid, layer this gel-like serum under your moisturiser for a skin-quenching effect; it’s 100% naturally derived, alcohol-free and can do double duty on damaged, thirsty hair, as well as thirsty faces.
Aroma-Zone Neroli Balm absolutely melts into skin, with a sort of whipped balm texture, delivering the most heaven-scented blend of neroli, petitgrain and mandarin in a base of apricot and jojoba oils. It is great for rough, dry areas in particular, like feet, elbows (and we are enjoying massaging into cuticles). It’s a scent that makes you feel like you’re holding onto summer, and we love, love, love. It’s 97.7% natural (and again, certified).
A voyage around the website is most definitely worth your while, if you can’t make it in person – though we can’t recommend too highly a visit to the store.
We’re even planning on going back to Westfield ourselves. And that says everything. (Though it’s likely to be a quiet Tuesday morning!)
Aroma-Zone Tinted Lip Oil/£5 – buy here
Aroma-Zone Hyaluronic Acid 3.5% Serum/£6.50 for 30mll – buy here
Aroma-Zone Neroli Balm/£14 for 100ml – buy here
Aroma-Zone, Level 1, Ariel Way, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 7GF
