Reposted from: https://gongzi.hk/blogs/features/natural-skincare-nude-story
Hong Kong skincare brand recommendation: Combining aromatherapy with skincare, the organic, natural, vegan, and handmade skincare brand "Nude Story" is produced in Hong Kong and free from preservatives and additives. It solves skin problems like sensitivity, redness, and acne from the inside out.
Over the past year, have you been kept awake by haunting images? After the social unrest in Hong Kong last year, perhaps we all need a little space to breathe and relax, but finding a remedy for the soul in this city is not easy. However, the two aromatherapists behind the Hong Kong-made skincare brand Nude Story have poured their hearts into their work. They hope that their locally crafted, natural handmade skincare products will not only improve everyone's skin quality but also comfort the broken hearts in the city, using aromatherapy to soothe scattered thoughts and emotions—true to their brand philosophy: learn to love yourself.
They also operate under the banner of "sincerity": using thoughtful customer service to understand each client's skin type, making the performance of their "skincare" more personalized than that of major brands. By carefully listening to the skincare needs of different customers, Nude Story's products gain an extra touch of gentleness and consideration, creating a placebo of comfort in the city.
A brand that knows how to care for Hong Kong's "fellow travelers"
Women have always been the largest customer base for skincare brands, and every girl longs for smooth, flawless skin. One of Nude Story's aromatherapists, Jessie, was troubled by her own skin problems before founding the brand: "I used to love makeup and put so much on my face that I developed full-body skin sensitivity and stress-induced acne; I didn't even have the courage to wear shorts." She tried many methods, such as taking essential oils and consulting Chinese and Western doctors, but nothing could solve her skin problems: "It wasn't until my partner gave me the products she made by hand that my skin finally healed completely."
At first, Jessie documented her recovery process on a blog purely for sharing: "Later, so many people asked me how I got better and what I used, that I realized many Hong Kong people have similar skin issues." Because of her own experience, she understood common skin troubles faced by city dwellers, such as eczema, acne, and rosacea, and hoped to help other "fellow travelers" in skincare: "Hong Kong people are very busy and under a lot of pressure; they must learn to love themselves well. I want to improve everyone's skin through mind, body, and soul." As a student, Jessie knew nothing about skincare at first, but later discovered that mental health is closely linked to skin condition: emotional fluctuations can affect the endocrine system.
Many Hong Kong people find it difficult to attend to their mental well-being in their busy lives, which causes their skin to change accordingly; aromatherapy can smooth out emotional ups and downs and help one's thoughts return to a state of calm. Consequently, she and her partner enrolled in a British aromatherapist course to learn how to incorporate aromatherapy elements into skincare. After continuous formulation, they founded Nude Story in 2016: a local Hong Kong skincare brand that knows how to address the personal needs of Hong Kong people.
Visible essences and an honest ingredient list
With two aromatherapists at the helm, the biggest feature of Nude Story is that every product contains blended essential oils. Furthermore, Nude Story emphasizes that all products are natural; all raw materials are sourced from around the world by the two aromatherapists and formulated by hand at their Kwun Tong studio. All products are made in Hong Kong, incorporating herbal extracts into professional handmade skincare.
In addition to being free of additives and preservatives, the products are not tested on animals. A special mention must go to Nude Story's signature product, the cleansing balm: "Many makeup removers on the market have additives, which put a great burden on the skin." Jessie and her partner spent half a year developing the cleansing balm, using themselves as "guinea pigs." Every piece of Nude Story skincare is personally tested by them after formulation: "Only when we have used it and found it effective can we give customers the confidence to try Nude Story products."
mp>Jessie picked up a product and lightly swirled it in her hand: "Although our packaging is very simple, our product ingredients are very pure and clear; there is no cutting corners." She pointed out bluntly that the selling points of many brands on the market differ greatly from their actual ingredients: "There might be 1000ml of product, but only one drop of the ingredient they are marketing." Customer feedback also reflects the genuine quality of Nude Story: "Many customers say that after using it, it really feels different from the big brands." Although it is a small local brand, their handmade skincare is by no means inferior to major international brands. The essence extracted from the raw materials is exactly what is listed on the label, with no preservatives or additives, giving everyone peace of mind.
In addition to the cleansing balm, Nude Story's Damask Rose Hydrosol is also very popular. It is made from precious organic Damask roses from the Bulgarian Rose Valley, extracted through distillation, and serves as a natural skin moisturizer. It has a light rose fragrance when sprayed, a refreshing and hydrating texture, and is water-based and easily absorbed.
Giving away a thousand sleep-aid oils, hoping Hong Kong people can "sleep well"
Nude Story, which has always prioritized the physical and mental health of its customers, noticed over a year ago that social movements were affecting the sleep quality of many Hong Kong people. The two aromatherapists arrived at the same idea simultaneously: to give away sleep-aid essential oils for free. When mentioning their "perfect synchronization," Jessie and her partner blinked and smiled at everyone: "We really didn't coordinate beforehand, but we both had the same thought." So, they worked late into the night, working until 1 AM every night just to help Hong Kong people relax a little. In the end, they gave away a thousand bottles of sleep-aid oil in June of the year before last. What comforted them most was: "It's good to be able to help people. It's truly happy to hear customers tell us they believe in the effectiveness of aromatherapy; besides skin improvement, it also helps the soul."
Sometimes, besides analyzing skin conditions, Jessie also serves as a "counselor" to comfort customers in low spirits: "You know, starting from the year before last, everyone often couldn't sleep. Actually, emotions affect the skin, so I also care about the customers' mental state." Aromatherapy has a relaxing effect, transmitted through the nasal cavity to the brain, which then influences skin quality. Besides the effectiveness of the products, Jessie also talks to customers personally. They value communication with customers because they believe that enterprises have a social responsibility: they hope the healing Nude Story brings is not just a "symptomatic treatment" but also a "root cure," carefully caring for the mental health that Hong Kong people need most.
Persisting in the small shop format; "sincerity" is the greatest strength
Nude Story's studio is located in the busy and crowded Kwun Tong. In its simple and bright style, displays of various skincare products and samples are set out. The person in charge, Jessie, smiles and says: "This is our studio. Besides making skincare products, we also do skin analysis here with customers." To compete among numerous big brands, the small shop Nude Story uses personalized service, conducting one-on-one skin condition analysis for customers: "We insist on not being hard-selling. If a customer is using suitable skincare, we won't tell them to switch the whole set." Jessie believes that every customer has different skin problems and must choose suitable products in a targeted manner: "Skincare applied to the face doesn't need to be excessive, but it must be precise."
There was a male customer who held a skeptical attitude toward Nude Story's products, feeling that the scents were too feminine and doubting they could improve his skin problems: "At first he started with a bottle of orange blossom water, then he tried the B3 serum, and in the end, he switched his whole set." Jessie carefully helped the customer improve his skin problems, and the customer's response was the most sincere affirmation: "Customer reviews are very good; I didn't expect them to write such long reviews for us. Some even took photos and asked me to put them on the website as good reviews." Their service and devotion are what make Nude Story valuable; customers whose skin improves can naturally feel it.
Although Nude Story has been in business for four years, Jessie and her partner have no intention of expanding the business; instead, they want to maintain the small shop format: "Only by maintaining a small shop can we maintain communication with customers." They honestly admit that Nude Story may not be perfect yet, but they try their best to improve: "A customer once pointed out that the pump head wasn't working well, and we listened to public opinion and fixed it." Compared to big brands on the market, the two approachable shop owners will not ignore customer feedback and strive to do every process well.
In the future, they want to develop cosmetic products, hoping that while customers are doing skincare, they can also reduce the burden on their skin when wearing makeup. Nude Story is committed to a mind, body, and soul-based approach, caring for customers' skin and mental state from both inside and outside the body. Jessie is also very happy to continue communicating with customers personally to understand their needs, and the satisfaction on her face says it all. The "sincerity" embodied by Nude Story gives this local skincare brand an edge in the market.