The latest skincare trend is...made in Italy

Alberto says that you need three ingredients to create a successful business, not just good products: madness, perseverance and optimism. Another one was needed though to create Milanesi skincare: a long lasting friendship with Antonella, the co-founder. He’s from Vicenza, she’s from Buenos Aires but they met in Milan which now it’s their second home. They love the city so much to follow their dream and start a new business project and dedicate it to Milan. As they like to underline, "being Milanesi” is a state of mind and, as every good metropolitan, everything about their brand has been carefully designed and every single detail taken into account.

The names of the three collections, Navigli, Brera and Montenapoleone, create a perfect match between the soul of the iconic districts of the city and the needs of the customers they are designed for. Navigli is for younger skins and therefore the main ingredient couldn’t be anything but coffee. Brera, on the other hand, is created for adult skins and revolves around a noble ingredient which also happens to be the symbol of the city of Milan: saffron, a tribute to the many bars and restaurants that populate the district. Finally, there is Montenapoleone and the gold’s glitz that shines like the famous fashion quadrilateral, home of many @sciuraglam who surely love and buy these products. Even the external packaging, with its soft veins, is a homage to the historic marble entrances of Milan’s buildings from the '20s and '30s, made by many famous architects such as Gio Ponti.

What are the flagship products of Milanesi skincare?

The two best sellers of our brand are actually two products designed for “opposite” kinds of women: Navigli’s collection coffee mask, for the youngest customers, and the serum with gold particles that is part of the Montenapoleone line, designed to make even the most mature skin shine. This testifies the versatility and quality of our cosmetics, capable of satisfying the needs of all consumers. They reorder the products as soon they are about to finish!

What have you learnt from your trips abroad? How did foreign markets welcome Milanesi?

This year has been really satisfied for us: we have been in China, Russia, United Arab Emirates and recently also in the United States, for the launch of our brand at 10 Corso Como New York. Every time we can see and feel a strong interest for everything that is , not only fashion and design but also food and, indeed, skincare. There are many Italian companies that work in the beauty sector but only few of them manage to expand abroad crossing the national borders. Milanesi uses not only Italian raw materials (the coffee from our Navigli line comes for example from an historic roasting plant in Corso San Gottardo) but also the packaging factory and the laboratory are based in the country. Moreover we learnt that each nation has its own peculiarities, in China Korean skincare is still a major trend, while people from Dubai love very rich face creams and an extra luxury package. In Russia initially they were all about perfumes and fragrances and only recently began to focus on beauty and organic cosmetics. Finally, in the U.S. there is a fierce competition and many local brands born everyday, like in the UK. 

Speaking of made in Italy, how do you choose your suppliers and partners?

Our production laboratory is based in Pesaro and it was one of the first to produce natural skincare, and that’s the reason why we chose them. Also, it is a beautiful story of a family business: it’s run by a mother and her two daughters, who left Sicily to be free and try to pursue their dream. It is an added value for us to get to know the stories of the people we work with. Giuseppe for example is 90 years old and he is the owner of the roasting plant “Marzia” in Corso San Gottardo. He still works everyday and truly is a great inspiration. Our saffron is grown in Milan - so we’re a very locally sourced company! - by a team of young people who love bio-agriculture and sustainability.  

What are the topics that have buzzed around in the sector this year?

Certainly "blue lights" and the importance of protecting our skin from any kind of pollution, which can also come from the screens that we look all the time. Another great trend was everything around the K-beauty world: this has had a very positive consequence, because everyone began to understand the need to spend the right amount of time in order to take care of their skin. Until a year ago it was simply “weird” thinking of doing two different steps to clean your face. 

What will be a beauty trend for 2020?

Surely even more attention when it comes to choose cosmetics with natural, vegan and organic ingredients, tested and certified. Consumers have become more and more careful: they read the INCI of the products, also thanks to special apps. Beauty has evolved following the tastes of women: we no longer wear the heavy make-up like in the '80s but we prefer a light and natural effect that therefore requires a perfect skin. That's why we also decided to offer a treatment with gold leaves, which you can do at home, for a really shiny skin! It’s also a perfect xmas gift idea.