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Georgia May Jagger has launched a new skincare brand, and these are our honest thoughts

We were one of the first to try the model’s newly launched May Botanicals range

Lauren Cunningham
Monday 23 October 2023 11:31 EDT
This is a celeb-backed beauty line worth a lot of attention
This is a celeb-backed beauty line worth a lot of attention (iStock/ The Independent)
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You may know Georgia May Jagger from her modelling career, including multiple magazine front covers, runway shows and an iconic (and near 10-year-old) red-lipped Rimmel London campaign. Or you may be more acquainted with her famous family, such as her dad, Rolling Stone’s frontman Mick Jagger, and mum, American model Jerry Hall.

But, as of 17 October, Georgia has stepped out on her own, becoming the founder and face of her own skincare line, May Botanicals, a collection of five products, consisting of a cleanser, spot treatment, moisturiser, mask and balm.

We know what you’re thinking, not another celebrity beauty brand. But after being in the spotlight for close to 16 years, sitting in countless make-up chairs and soaking in a whole host of tips and tricks from some of the world’s best MUAs, facialists and dermatologists, May Botanical deserves much more than an eye roll.

Not only does the range look gorgeous in luxury glass jars with Georgia-like line drawings created by London Fashion Week designer Matty Bovan, but the ingredients list is also pretty impressive. Prebiotics, organic aloe vera, poppy seed oil and salicylic acid stand out as a handful of core ingredients with a big focus on certified organic and natural formulas.

We caught up with Georgia ahead of the launch to see how she uses these products in her daily routine and reviewed the range ourselves below.

How we tested

The May Botanicals product line-up
The May Botanicals product line-up (Lauren Cunningham)

As May Botanicals is brand new, we’ve only had our hands on these products for one week, so below you’ll see a breakdown of our first impressions and key ingredients. So far, we’re pretty impressed and will update you two months on with any visible results.

May Botanicals clean slate cleanser

May Botanicals clean slate cleanser
  • Best: May Botanicals cleanser
  • Size: 100ml
  • Key ingredients: Kaolin clay, organic damask rose water, organic sweet almond oil
  • Vegan: Vegan
  • Why we love it
    • Doesn’t strip face oils
    • Certified organic ingredients
    • Helps reduce redness
  • Take note
    • Quite costly for a cleanser

Yes, £45 is steep for a cleanser (especially when it gets washed down the drain) but we really were quite fond of this product. Specifically tailored to those with normal to dry skin, the clean slate cleanser uses a blend of Kaolin clay, organic damask rose water, organic sweet almond oil and poppy seed oil. The formula helps to clear the skin of make-up, dirt and any impurities without stripping it of essential face oils or causing excess dryness.

The Kaolin clay gives it a soft pink hue (which our tester just loved) and a soft, silky texture that gently foams up to get into tight gaps around the nose and ears. After using it for one week, our dry-skinned tester noticed their skin felt a little softer and looked more dewy, although it’s hard to say whether this was just due to the cleanser or from the collection as a whole. What we can say is that it cleansed the skin of any make-up and left a great base for us to apply the May Botanicals moisturiser and any serums. Should you be looking for something similar with a more affordable price tag, our beauty editor recommends the Bare Minerals poreless clay cleanser (£19, Bareminerals.co.uk).

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May Botanicals daily dose moisturiser

May Botanicals daily dose moisturiser
  • Best: May Botanicals moisturiser
  • Size: 50ml
  • Key ingredients: Organic aloe vera, prebiotics, organic damask rose water
  • Vegan: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Mid-weight, silky feel
    • Prebiotic helps skin barrier
  • Take note
    • Housed in a pot so be cautious about bacteria transfer

Despite the inclusion of shea butter (an often heavy ingredient), this moisturiser feels incredibly light and silky. We found that it absorbed into our dehydrated skin after around one minute without any greasy or sticky residue. The impressive formula also includes a blend of organic aloe vera, prebiotics and organic damask rose water, which all help to hydrate, soothe irritation and build a healthy skin barrier.

After one week of testing, using this both morning and night, our face felt incredibly hydrated and it also worked quite well under make-up. Our only gripe is that it is housed in a glass pot, so we were cautious about not transferring any bacteria and would recommend scooping small amounts out with a teaspoon or beauty spatula. As the range ever expands, we’d love to see an SPF moisturiser for use in the morning too.

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May Botanicals kelp! Seaweed sheet mask

May Botanicals kelp! Seaweed sheet mask
  • Best: May Botanicals sheet mask
  • Size: One mask per pack
  • Key ingredients: Kelp, organic aloe vera, peach and pear extracts
  • Vegan: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Fits almost every face size and shape
    • Natural ingredients
    • Biodegradable
  • Take note
    • Single-use

Many a skincare stan will know the importance of a sheet mask with some using it as a weekly or bi-weekly treat to lock in moisture, boost shine or even reduce dark spots. The downside we’ve found with some sheet masks however is they simply don’t fit our face, prompting soggy oragami to try and line our eyes, lips and nose with the correct cut-out hole. Luckily (and very cleverly), May Botanicals avoids this issue by having separate upper and lower face sections, meaning it should fit almost every face size and shape a little bit easier.

Created from kelp, the mask material itself also brings many benefits, packed with skin-loving minerals while helping to de-puff and de-stress the skin. To further its effects, organic aloe vera, peach and pear extracts and argan oil are also included adding even more nourishment. For days after using it, our skin looked dewy.

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May Botanicals save face spot solution

May Botanicals save face spot solution
  • Best: May Botanicals spot treatment
  • Size: 15ml
  • Key ingredients: Kaolin clay, prebiotics, apple extract
  • Vegan: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Beautiful packaging
    • Can use sparingly
    • Builds skin barrier
  • Take note
    • Nighttime use only

This is probably the chicest-looking spot treatment we’ve ever come across. In fact, we’d actually display the blue and gold glass bottle on our nightstand it’s so beautiful, which makes quite the difference from the medical-like options more commonly available. The downside is you probably can’t wear this outside – the thick, green-toned clay is certainly best used in a nighttime routine. Lending it this sludge-like colour is a blend of Kaolin clay, prebiotics, salicylic acid and apple extract that help to draw out impurities, exfoliate the skin surface and reinforce a healthy skin barrier. After applying with a cotton bud to specific spots and heading off to bed, we did see a noticeable shrinkage in both size and redness in the morning, although it does have a pretty pungent smell so best hope your breakout isn’t too close to your nose.

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May Botanicals super balm skin saviour

May Botanicals super balm skin saviour
  • Best: May botanicals super balm
  • Size: 50ml
  • Key ingredients: Poppy seed oil, British beeswax, organic shea butter
  • Vegan: No
  • Why we love it
    • Soothes dry skin
    • Multi-purpose
  • Take note
    • Non-vegan

Don’t worry, this image of the super balm is much smaller than the real size of the product available online as we only received a 15ml tester. But despite only using the pocket-sized product, we think it’s our favourite of the whole May Botanicals collection. Being multi-purpose, it can work on any area of your body, from your lips to your elbows, and it instantly soothes dry skin with a sweet honey-like scent. Included in the formula is a rich blend of poppy seed oil, British beeswax and organic shea butter, all working to hydrate and nourish the skin while coating it in a wind-protecting salve. We found it worked best on healing dry hands, helping cracked lips and even calming a patch of dry, irritated skin behind the backs of our knees.

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The verdict: May Botanicals

While celeb-backed beauty brands have received bad press in the past, we were incredibly impressed with Georgia May Jagger’s May Botanicals line. While more on the costly side, the high percentage of natural ingredients, high concentration of certified organic ingredients and the skin-loving cocktail of oils and seed butter left our skin looking hydrated and radiant. We were most impressed by the multi-purpose May Botanicals super balm skin saviour that helped heal irritated areas of skin but will be using all of these products until every last drop is gone.

Looking for a moisturiser for oily skin? Take a look at our tried and tested guide to the best ones to buy

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