We’ve been waiting five years for this news: Vintner’s Daughter—you know, the skin-care brand behind that face oil—is finally debuting its second product.
When Active Botanical Serum launched in 2014, no one expected the cult-like following that it achieved…especially considering its $185 price tag. But lo and behold, it lived up to the hype. (We should know: We tried it.) Known for imparting a lit-from-within glow, the product has been at the top of best-of beauty lists right and left since its launch. The brand’s ethos was that its all-natural, essential-oil-packed serum was the one thing you needed to transform your skin—until now, of course.
Enter Active Treatment Essence, a multi-correctional product that was formulated for all skin types. Meant as a hydrating, post-cleanse step, it’s a treatment for dehydration, fine lines, uneven tone, discoloration and loss of elasticity.
(Skin-care refresher: Essences are hydrating, water-like products made popular by Korean beauty routines. They’re meant to moisturize…but they also boost your skin’s absorption of other products, thereby making those expensive serums work even better.)
And how’s it different from the serum? For starters, it’s water-soluble (unlike the oil). It’s also packed with a few ingredients that aren’t in the serum, like vitamin C, micro and mini hyaluronics, probiotics, plant stem cells, adaptogens, marine microalgae and exfoliating enzymes (lactic and fruit acids, to be specific). And according to the brand, it’s gentle in spite of its highly active ingredients (so it’s safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin).
When we spoke to founder April Garguilo (who has a background in winemaking), she explained that, paired with the serum, the new essence is a way to "complete the spectrum of nutrients" that your skin needs. That means, for starters, that because the essence is water-based, it contains essential skin nutrition that the oil-based serum couldn't. Plus, says Garguilo, the essence actually contains a fermented component that allows it to work faster. And as for the price tag? Considering all of Vintner's Daughter's ingredients are whole plant-based and the products take three weeks to produce, let's just say it's worth it.
Our only question: Will the new addition live up to the brand’s name? Like all good things, we’ll have to wait and see (although we have a feeling it will). The product isn’t available to purchase just yet…but there’s a waitlist you can join. You know we already did.
Active Treatment Essence is set to launch on February 25 and will retail for $225, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Gird your wallets, friends.
