The Summer of 2026

A Season of Becoming

Summer has always carried a particular rhythm at PHAEDRAE. This year, however, we chose to make it quieter.

While our online store remains closed, behind the scenes, the summer of 2026 has become one of our most important periods of work — a time dedicated to formulation, testing, photography, packaging, and the many small decisions that will shape the next chapter of PHAEDRAE.

On September 28, we return.
And when we do, several things will be different.

A New Expression of PHAEDRAE

Over the past few months, we have been gradually refining how our formulations are presented.

Our new engraved biophotonic glass replaces traditional bottle labels, allowing the material itself to become part of the design. New paper packaging follows the same restrained approach: tactile, minimal, and created to keep attention where we believe it belongs — on the formulation inside.

This evolution extends beyond packaging. We have been revisiting how we communicate our ingredients, how much information we provide about each formulation, and how we can make the reasoning behind our products more transparent.

The result is a PHAEDRAE that feels increasingly distilled: less decoration, greater clarity.

The Gentle Label addresses the needs of delicate, easily unsettled skin through carefully considered botanical formulations.

Introducing the Gentle Label

One of the most significant developments of this summer is our new Gentle Label.

Its creation grew from something we had been observing for some time: an increasing number of people describing skin that is easily unsettled, reactive, or simply less tolerant of complex aromatic compositions.

Gentle Label identifies botanical formulations created without added fragrance, essential oils, benzyl alcohol, or declared fragrance allergens.

Rather than stepping away from botanicals, we wanted to explore another way of working with them — combining carefully selected botanical materials with fermentation-derived ingredients and modern cosmetic actives, while deliberately excluding components that may be unsuitable for particularly delicate skin.

Two new formulations will introduce this approach.

Gentle Bioferment Serum

Botanical distillates. Bioferments. Modern actives.

Our forthcoming Gentle Bioferment Serum brings together cornflower water, ectoin, purified baicalin, astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis, yeast and lactobacillus ferments, low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, bisabolol, magnolia bark extract and phytic acid.

The formulation has been developed around hydration, skin comfort, antioxidant protection and healthy-looking skin structure and texture.

Its preservation strategy was also considered from the start as part of the formulation itself, using a carefully balanced combination including glyceryl caprylate, pentylene glycol, magnolia bark, propanediol and phytic acid.

The result is a lightweight, creamy serum — deliberately understated in both texture and aroma.

26 Botanicals. One Waterless Treatment.

Alongside it arrives something entirely different.

PHAEDRAE Botanical Concentrate is a nourishing waterless lipid treatment blending 26 botanicals into one concentrated formulation.

Precious botanical oils meet slow macerates and concentrated CO₂ extracts derived from flowers, fruits, seeds, and roots.

Sea buckthorn. Pomegranate. Rosehip. Prickly pear flower. White lily. Daisy. Calendula. Chamomile. Schisandra. Argan. Marula. Camellia. Meadowfoam. Grape seed. Macadamia. And many more.

Rather than approaching the formula as a conventional facial oil, we developed it as a concentrated botanical composition in which the lipid phase itself becomes the treatment.

It represents another side of the Gentle Label: rich in botanical diversity, yet created without essential oils or added fragrance.

Returning to the Fresh Series

September also marks the return of the Fresh Series. Our approach remains intentionally different from conventional skincare production.

Most skincare is made before anyone asks for it. Fresh Series follows another model.

Instead of producing large quantities of finished formulas to sit in inventory, Fresh Series formulations are prepared according to defined ordering and production periods. The ordering window allows us to plan production around actual demand and to work with materials accordingly. It is slower.

It requires patience from us and from those who choose PHAEDRAE freshly made products. But it is a model that both our clients and we continue to believe in.

What We Have Been Doing While the Store Is Closed

A closed store does not mean a quiet studio.

This summer has been filled with formulation work, stability and preservation testing, sourcing, packaging preparation, photography, website development, and the less visible work of examining every detail before we reopen.

Some changes will be immediately noticeable.

Others may only reveal themselves gradually — in the weight of a box, the engraving on a bottle, the texture of a serum, or the additional information accompanying a formulation.

There has been no interest in changing PHAEDRAE simply for the sake of appearing new.

Instead, we have used this period to ask what should remain, what can be improved, and what no longer needs to be there.

September 28

For now, there are still several weeks of summer ahead of us.

We will use them as we have used the months before: preparing carefully. Newsletter subscribers will continue to receive the closest look at what is coming, including early introductions to the formulations and details that we may not share elsewhere immediately.

Then, on September 28, orders will open again. A new Fresh Series. Two new formulations. The beginning of our Gentle Label. And a quieter, more considered expression of PHAEDRAE.

Until then, the work continues behind the scenes.