Vintner’s Daughter: botanical serum from Napa Valley

An anti-ageing beauty product with vinous clout

When it comes to beauty products, I won’t sacrifice results for eco-friendliness, all natural ingredients or the complete absence of parabens, chemicals and fragrances. Bottom line: I seek serums, creams and cleansers that really deliver – and if they do so in a green way, well, so much the better.

And so to Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum ($185 for 30ml), a luxury phytoactive for the face that contains 22 of the world’s most powerful botanicals and essential oils, and which left my skin brighter, more evenly toned and with reduced sun spots.  

The force behind this liquid gold is April Gargiulo – a winemaker who co-owns Gargiulo Vineyards in Napa, California, and who set about creating a skincare formulation that was safe to use while she was pregnant. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of winemaking, she knew about the positive effect of grapes on the complexion. Starting with a base of grapeseed oil, Gargiulo then researched the most active herbal ingredients that would hydrate, nourish and calm even the most sensitive skin types. Hazelnut, avocado and rosehip oils strengthen elasticity and target UV damage; lavender, alfafa and nettle leaf are incorporated to infuse the skin with vitamins and combat wrinkles; while rosemary keeps acne at bay.

My current regimen includes twice-daily applications of the serum to the face and neck, followed by a light foundation. The cherry on the cake is that five per cent of each purchase goes to ending violence against women – and that’s a beautiful thing indeed.