Aurora Veil began with a question: what did I really want from a face cream I would use every day, year after year?
For Kathleen Andersen, founder and managing director of Libra Luxe, the answer was both personal and concrete. She wanted emollient care, a texture she enjoyed using, and a formulation she could stand fully behind. She wanted to know the raw materials and understand why each ingredient earned its place.
Discovering tallow was the beginning. The work of developing Aurora Veil followed from there.
A cream with a long-term starting point
Skin changes throughout life. Its needs are shaped by age, the seasons and the everyday lives we lead. Kathleen wanted to create a fixed point in her skincare: a cream with qualities and a consistency she would want to return to.
The starting point was her own skin, and a wish for it to feel soft, supple and well cared for.
That set the direction for the formulation. Each ingredient should have a clear role, and the experience on the skin should be as carefully considered as what goes into the jar.
What the ingredients contribute
Aurora Veil combines tallow with shea butter, jojoba, squalane, bisabolol and vitamin E. Together they give the formulation a rich lipid base with emollient, skin-conditioning ingredients.
Tallow forms the foundation. Tallow consists mainly of fatty acid glycerides and has a skin-conditioning function in cosmetics. In Aurora Veil it gives the formulation body and contributes emollient care.
Shea butter helps hold in moisture. Shea butter has both skin-conditioning and occlusive properties. Occlusive means it helps form a layer on the skin's surface that limits moisture loss. This is an important distinction in skincare: the skin also needs help keeping the moisture it already has.
Jojoba contributes to a soft, supple feel. Although it is usually called jojoba oil, it consists mainly of wax esters and is described as a liquid wax. It has emollient properties and is part of the formulation for both care and skin feel.
Squalane is an emollient ingredient. It contributes to a smooth, supple feel on the skin and is part of the balance between the rich base and how the cream feels when applied.
Bisabolol is chosen for its soothing and skin-conditioning properties. It has its own role in the formulation, alongside the ingredients that mainly contribute lipids and emollient care.
Vitamin E adds antioxidant properties. On the ingredient list it appears as tocopherol. It is a fat-soluble antioxidant with a skin-conditioning function, and it also helps protect the lipids in the formulation from oxidation.
These functions explain the choices behind Aurora Veil. They are not measurements of the effect each individual user will experience. Skin is individual, and a considered formulation deserves a precise description.
Why a whipped texture?
The consistency mattered from the very beginning.
Kathleen wanted a whipped cream that was easy to spread and pleasant to apply. Aurora Veil softens with the warmth of the skin, so a small amount can be worked gradually across the face.
Start with a little, warm the cream between your fingertips and adjust the amount to your skin. Because of the rich lipid base, the amount you need is often different from an ordinary water-based face cream.
From the farm to the finished jar
Aurora Veil is made by Libra Luxe in Kongsberg, Norway. As managing director and producer, Kathleen follows every production run and every step of the process.
It begins with the raw material. Kathleen collects the tallow from Vallumrød farm herself, and the contact with the farm gives insight into its origin and how the animals are kept. The tallow is then cleaned and prepared before it goes into the formulation.
The work continues through production, filling and documentation of every batch. This closeness to the process is central to how Libra Luxe wants to develop the Aurora series.
The finished formulation has undergone a cosmetic safety assessment. Product samples have also been analysed for microbiological quality at BAV Institut. These are different parts of the work behind a product made for daily use.
Fragrance, with care
Fragrance is part of the experience of Aurora Veil. The amount of fragrance ingredients was adjusted during development as part of the safety assessment.
Essential oils can contain fragrance allergens, and natural origin does not mean everyone tolerates them. Aurora Veil contains fragrance ingredients. If you have a known fragrance allergy or very reactive skin, check the ingredient list before use.
For Libra Luxe, clear information is part of caring for the customer.
What lies behind Aurora Veil
Aurora Veil is the result of choices about raw materials, ingredient functions, consistency, fragrance and production. The price also reflects the work of sourcing and processing the raw material, making the cream and following each batch through the process.
The ambition is that you understand what you are choosing, and know the business behind it.
For Kathleen, it began with the wish for a cream she would want to use herself through the years. That wish is still the starting point for Aurora Veil.