PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

THE NEW ZEALAND WAY TO GLASS SKIN

Glass skin may have become one of beauty’s most recognisable global trends, but its next chapter could look decidedly more natural.

This month, the CM Beauty desk turns its attention to Antipodes Purity Glass Skin Facial Polish, a new-generation cleanser that takes the highly polished, luminous complexion associated with glass skin and approaches it through a distinctly New Zealand lens: exceptional botanicals, intelligent actives and hydration rather than excess. It is also our CM Product of the Month.

For years, achieving “glass skin” has been synonymous with carefully layered routines, multiple products and an almost mirror-like finish. But beauty is changing. Increasingly, good skin is less about creating the appearance of perfection and more about supporting skin that looks healthy, hydrated and naturally reflective in its own right. Purity arrives at exactly the right moment.

Glass skin starts at the cleanse
Antipodes has taken the first step of the skincare ritual and made it work considerably harder.

Purity Glass Skin Facial Polish combines cleansing, physical exfoliation, gentle resurfacing and hydration in one creamy formula. Biodegradable jojoba and rosehip beads provide an immediate polishing action, while lime caviar AHAs work more gradually to help refine the skin’s surface.
Importantly, hydration remains central to the formulation.

Plant hyaluronic acid is joined by sustainable New Zealand mānuka honey, kōwhai bark extract and nourishing botanical oils, creating a cleanser designed to leave skin feeling soft and comfortable rather than stripped.

It is an important distinction. Exfoliation has traditionally been associated with the idea that more friction, stronger acids or a more aggressive treatment must deliver better results. Contemporary skincare is increasingly moving away from that philosophy.

Purity instead makes the case for refinement without punishment.

New Zealand botanicals meet global beauty
This is where the launch becomes particularly interesting. 

Glass skin may have originated as a Korean beauty ideal, but its global evolution has opened the door to different interpretations of what luminous skin actually means. Antipodes brings something uniquely Aotearoa to that conversation.

Mānuka honey has long been prized within New Zealand skincare, while native kōwhai adds another local botanical dimension. Their inclusion alongside contemporary ingredients such as plant hyaluronic acid and lime caviar AHAs demonstrates how botanical beauty itself is evolving.

Natural skincare no longer needs to sit on one side of the beauty counter while high-performance formulations sit on the other.
The new generation is increasingly about both.
For Antipodes, a New Zealand-born beauty brand that has built an international reputation around scientifically considered natural skincare, Purity feels particularly assured. 

Rather than simply following the glass-skin movement, the brand has interpreted it according to its own philosophy. That is precisely what makes the product feel relevant.

A ritual, not another step
There is pleasure here, too.

Purity has a plush gel-cream texture that transforms into a creamy lather, accompanied by a fresh floral-marine fragrance certified by COSMOS. It makes cleansing feel less procedural and more like the beginning of the beauty ritual itself.

The early results are compelling. According to Antipodes' two-week consumer testing, 99% agreed their skin felt smoother, 98% agreed it looked and felt polished, while 96% reported experiencing no irritation.*

The consideration continues beyond the formula. Purity is certified vegetarian, proudly made in New Zealand and presented in 100% plastic-free packaging.

CM PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
What earns Antipodes Purity Glass Skin Facial Polish its place as CM's Product of the Month is not simply its ability to tap into one of beauty's biggest trends. It is the way Antipodes has rethought that trend.

The goal isn't skin hidden beneath layers of product. It is skin polished enough, hydrated enough and healthy-looking enough that makeup becomes optional.

At NZ$52, Purity also brings an attainable element to the luxury skincare ritual: one beautifully formulated product designed to cleanse, polish, resurface and hydrate at once.
Global beauty may have given us glass skin.
Antipodes is showing us what glass skin looks like when New Zealand gets hold of it.

Antipodes Purity Glass Skin Facial Polish

RRP NZ$52

Made in New Zealand

*Consumer testing results supplied by Antipodes following two weeks of use.