Clean, Vegan, Wild: Berlin is the New North of beauty

Berlin is shedding its skin. Again and again. Once the capital of counterculture, a symbol of post-everything — post-wall, post-industry, post-rules — today the city wakes up from a long techno night and reflects itself in the cold light of a clean, vegan, essential morning. Welcome to the new Berlin: where detox is not just a phase, but a philosophy. Where beauty is a daily ritual — genderless and vegan. Where urban minimalism is mirrored in skincare ingredient lists. And where the underground hasn't disappeared — it just evolved.

Used to the reckless, all-black narratives of endless nights fueled by techno and crazy story-times on social media, we often forget the duality of a city perfectly balanced between nightlife and a daily life marked by yoga, skincare, and matcha lattes.

Berlin now: from clubs...

In the '90s, it was all about raves, crumbling walls, smudged eyeliner, vodka and smoke. Today, those same spaces — former power stations, abandoned warehouses — are home to curated yoga studios, concept stores and independent cruelty-free beauty brands made in Berlin. Toxic memories, clean new visions. Anyone who has read or seen We Children from Bahnhof Zoo knows the city has always had an intense relationship with the body, with pain, with excess.

And yet, this is where today's Berlin is born — not to erase that past, but to rewrite it. Because beneath the “clean” surface of Berlin’s new beauty lies the memory of the body as a landscape to be explored, lived to the fullest — but now with new tools: detox oils, silence, self-care. To understand Berlin today, you need to have known its night. A night that doesn't end at three, but can last for days.

Black outfits, combat boots, sheer mesh, latex, chains, and bodily freedom. The makeup? Not chosen to appeal, but to assert. Graphic eyeliners, lived-in smokey eyes, bare skin left raw, imperfect, human. In places like Berghain, KitKat, or Watergate, style doesn’t follow beauty standards but codes: you dress to be, not to be seen. Door selection is an art form based not on looks but on vibe, authenticity, mystery. This remains a pillar of the beautiful melting pot that is the German capital. Its aesthetic heritage has been reinterpreted, blending historic elements with modern influences.

…to clean beauty

In this new urban ecosystem, the keywords are: sustainability, vegan certified, PETA policy-friendly. Luxury is no longer about gold and crystal, but multitasking products, refillable packaging and transparent formulas. One example is Kess Berlin: a brand gaining popularity in the makeup routines of beauty lovers across Europe. Embracing the values above, it's the kind of product we want in our routines — to channel the spirit of contrast-lovers who need easy yet effective solutions, quick to apply but long-lasting. Made with superfoods like sweet potato extract, quinoa seeds, and acai berry oil, with packaging that combines performance and quality without harming the environment.

By separating the packaging by material and disposing of it properly, recyclable components can re-enter the cycle. But most importantly: whether you’re at home, work, or the club, Kess’s multifunctional products, like the Blush & Glow Duo Stick, are easy to apply and dispose of. One product to meet at least three needs, with a multifunctional texture for cheeks, eyes, and lips, and buildable coverage suited for both yoga sessions and wild nights out. Berlin skin has survived entire nights at Berghain thanks to long-lasting formulas, but now it demands clean ingredients and repair. The new makeup and skincare lines speak the language of urban resilience: products designed to combat pollution, blue light stress, dehydration from smog and long winters.

Not just Kess Berlin: meet Brewing Beauty Co

Brewing Beauty Co, an artisanal cosmetic lab and product brand based in Berlin, proudly embraces its holistic approach: in their formulations, they use over 180 raw ingredients, including 87 active components and 45 other ingredients, with not a single drop of artificial chemicals. The brand offers full product kits tailored to your needs. Whether you're recovering from an all-nighter or a killer elliptical session, Brewing Beauty Co has just what you need.

There are 6 Routine Lines — No. 37 is called Digital Detox and counteracts the effects of blue light on the skin using bioactive ingredients. No. 55, on the other hand, is the After Party Skincare Routine, infused with bioflavonoid-rich ingredients to revitalize and energize the skin, fighting signs of aging after party nights.

The new north

While Paris still rules prêt-à-porter and Milan remains the queen of glam, Berlin emerges as the new north: cold on the outside, warm on the inside. A city that becomes a manifesto of a deeper, more conscious beauty — rebellious in its sobriety. And brands know it. More and more French and Scandinavian maisons are choosing Berlin to launch their green lines or to scout among the new wave of beauty founders. In this low-temperature melting pot, Nordic asceticism coexists with underground sensuality.

Berlin doesn’t lose its contradictory soul. Where night once meant excess, day now means essential. Where skin used to be covered, now it’s bare. It’s a city that plays with opposites — techno and herbal teas, all-black and skin glow, raves and essential oils — without ever losing coherence. The result? A capital that sets the tone for Europe’s new beauty codes while following none. A new North where beauty is not just care, but language. Not just clean — but wild. Like her.