Hoia Homepsa

Estonian Skincare from a Small Island in the Baltic. The Sort of Place You'd Want Your Cream Made.

Hoia Homespa is the rather lovely natural-skincare brand of Triinu Karolin, made by hand on Saaremaa — Estonia's largest island, sitting in a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, surrounded (one is reliably informed) by stones, junipers, and the wild Baltic. Everything is 100% natural, around 80% organic, properly cruelty-free, mostly vegan (a few of the lip balms and deodorants confess to beeswax), and made in deliberately small batches with no parabens, silicones, alcohols, or fillers. The shea butter, rather charmingly, is fair-trade and hand-prepared by women in Ghana — so a small slice of every HOIA purchase ends up funding education and proper wages for those communities. Won the rather satisfyingly-titled "Circular Economy Hero" award in 2022, and now even runs an igloo spa on Saaremaa where one can, in theory, go and use the products in their natural habitat.

The catalogue is properly serious. The Kleopatra Hyaluronic Acid Elixir is the bestseller (now also in a SUPERCHARGED version with polyglutamic acid and niacinamide for the more committed). Bon Appetit is the bakuchiol-based vitamin serum (the plant-based retinol alternative that doesn't fight with sensitive skin). The award-winning Acne Gel handles the more troublesome days. There are cold-pressed seed oils (raspberry, strawberry — yes, really), refreshing watermelon and cucumber sprays for hot weather, the Coconut Body Whip (fluffy, faintly miraculous), the Bali Spa body scrub, lavender shower gel in proper black glass with a refill option, and the Two-Phase Eye Makeup Remover that is, in fairness, rather better than its supermarket equivalents. The Vitamin Boost Ritual trio is the obvious entry point. The Clear Skin Kit handles teenage skin or its adult equivalent. Ingredients lean local where possible (Saaremaa wild algae, Estonian juniper, nettle, sage), with the global heavyweights (Moroccan argan, Siberian cedar) added where the proper science demands.

For more pieces from independent makers, browse our Cosmetics collection or discover complementary makers in our Baltic Brands edit. Find brands chosen for how they make things via Sustainable Brands, find values-led picks via Shop by Purpose, and find considered presents in our Gifts for Her edit.