LUMEN
On reading a label
Most skincare is sold on adjectives. Radiant. Renewing. Transformative. None of these words are defined anywhere, and none of them can be measured, which is precisely why they are used.
The ingredient list is different. It is ordered by concentration down to one percent, it uses names assigned by an international nomenclature, and it is the one surface a brand cannot decorate. So we have built this store around it. Every specimen below carries its full composition, its concentration where we disclose it, and its price per hundred millilitres, which is the only honest way to compare two bottles of different sizes.
Where we have run a study, we cite it. Where we have not, the space is empty. An empty space is more informative than a percentage with no method behind it.
The specimens
The specimens, at a glance
Gentle Milk Cleanser Panthenol 3%
Barrier Essence Hyaluronic Acid 2%
Niacinamide Serum 5% Niacinamide 5%
Bakuchiol Night Serum 1% Bakuchiol 1%
Ceramide Moisturiser Ceramide NP 0.5%
Mineral SPF 40 Zinc Oxide 20%
Azelaic Clarifying Treatment 10% Azelaic Acid 10%
Squalane Face Oil Squalane 100%
Every claim substantiated, or absent.
We publish no efficacy figure without a study on file. Where a claim cannot be shown, it is not made.
Actives, referenced
Supports the look of an even, comfortable complexion and helps skin feel resilient.
Draws moisture into the surface layers, leaving skin feeling plump and cushioned.
A plant-derived alternative to retinol. Supports the appearance of smooth, refined texture without the sting.
A weightless sugarcane-derived lipid that softens and seals in moisture without heaviness.
Helps visibly even the look of tone and calm the appearance of redness.
Replenishes the lipids skin naturally contains, so the barrier feels intact and less reactive.
Provitamin B5. Leaves stressed, tight-feeling skin noticeably more comfortable.
A non-nano mineral filter offering broad-spectrum protection in a sheer, non-chalky finish.
Swatched on skin
Blended once, photographed in daylight. No filter, no retouch — including the cast a mineral filter leaves on deeper skin.
How we make a claim
We write that a formula supports the look of an even tone. We do not write that it treats anything. The first is a cosmetic claim; the second reclassifies the product as a drug, and we have not done the work that entitles anyone to say it.
Percentages below are reproduced only where a study exists and its method is on file. Where the row is absent, so is the study.
No study has been completed on this range. This ledger is therefore empty, and will remain empty until one has been. An empty ledger is a statement, not an omission.
Field notes
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I have used the same three products for six months, which has never happened before. My skin stopped being a project.
Mara L. · Combination · unverified
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The essence is the one I would repurchase without thinking. It layers under everything and never pills.
Devi R. · Dry · unverified
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Fragrance-free actually means fragrance-free here. That alone made it worth trying.
Jo K. · Sensitive · unverified
Register of questions
01 Is LUMEN suitable for sensitive skin?
Every formula is fragrance-free and free of essential oils, and the range is built around barrier lipids rather than strong actives. If your skin is reactive, begin with the Cleanser and Moisturiser, then introduce one active at a time over two weeks.
02 Are your products fragrance-free?
Yes. No synthetic fragrance, no masking fragrance, and no essential oils are used in any LUMEN product. What you smell is the raw formula.
03 Do you test on animals?
No. We do not test on animals, and we do not sell in markets that require animal testing as a condition of entry.
04 What order do I apply these in?
Thinnest to thickest. Cleanse, then essence, then serum, then moisturiser. In the morning, finish with SPF. The routine builder on each product page will lay this out for you.
05 What is your return policy?
Thirty days, opened or unopened. Skincare is personal and it takes a few weeks to know. If it is not right for you, we will refund it.
Colophon
- Specimens
- formulations
- Actives referenced
- 8
- Fragrance
- None, in any formulation
- Studies on file
- None. The ledger is empty.
- Set in
- Space Grotesk & IBM Plex Mono
This document is revised whenever a formulation changes. Prices are shown per hundred millilitres so that two bottles of unequal size can be compared without arithmetic.