COMMON CLOUDS
Our Story
BREAK UP WITH TOXIC BEAUTY STANDARDS.
Common Clouds was born out of a simple vision – to remove the stigma surrounding acne. We want a future where you will never define your self-worth based on what your skin looks like. But we also know that it's complicated. Loving yourself in a filtered, perfection-obsessed world is hard.
But here's the thing. Acne is the most common skin condition in the world. More than 85 percent of young people have some degree of acne at some point. Yet, the connection between acne and mental health is well established. Skin conditions like acne affect everything from self-image to social interactions.
When we have acne, we tend to isolate ourselves and avoid doing things that usually make us happy – like seeing friends or go to the gym – creating a vicious spiral. Feelings of shame and loneliness are common (and that friend telling you to just "drink more water" doesn't help). We want you to feel less alone and carry your skin – pimples or not – with pride.
WHERE OTHERS SEE PIMPLES, WE SEE CLOUDS.
The Cloud is a metaphor for the fleeting nature of things. Clouds come and go – in the sky, in the mind, on your skin and in life. Everything will pass and that is kind of beautiful. Even the darkest cloud will drift away.
The "Common" is because pimples – which we think of as clouds on the skin – are common.
OUR founders
HI! IT'S SO NICE THAT YOU'RE HERE.
Common Clouds is a female-founded (yes, really! No fem-washing♀️) Scandinavian company based in Stockholm and Amsterdam. Our backgrounds are in beauty, skincare, food and art. Meet our founders, L to R:
Maria Ahlgren is a beauty journalist (mostly ELLE) and author of two books on skin nutrition. On her personal skin CV is adult acne – Maria knows first-hand how hard acne can be on your mental well-being. She loves matcha lattes and karaoke.
Cajsa Horn is our CEO! She's been in beauty marketing and product development for over a decade, working for *big brands*. On her personal skin CV is hormonal acne. She loves dachshunds and dirty martinis.
Helena Radelius is our creative mastermind. She's an art director and lives in Amsterdam and is more obsessed with clouds than is probably healthy. On her personal skin CV is teen acne and PMS pimples. She loves coffee and knitted sweaters.
OUR collection
We are SO done with filters and impossible ideals. Our promise to you is to never retouch skin in our images. We love texture. They tell your story. However, we know that you are here because you want a solution for your pimples. We just decided to treat them and your skin kindly. We won't "fight" pimples. It's not a war! Your own skin is not the enemy. We want to wrap your skin and your mind in a fluffy cloud of calm and kindness ☁️.
Our current range includes a gently exfoliating BHA toner, a lightweight shine-controlling moisturiser and vegan hydrocolloid pimple patches that minimise the look of blemishes in as little as 6 hours. Our full collection can be viewed here. We have also created a list of FAQ regarding our products here.
All our heroes are vegan, cruelty-free and formulated without fragrance or known irritants. Everyday skin positivity for everyone.
The Skin Wardrobe offers to full range of Common Clouds skincare to New Zealand and Australian customers.
SOCIAL COMMITMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
People with chronic skin conditions, such as acne, are more likely to deal with anxiety and depression. As if it isn't tough enough already being a human being in an image-driven world where we are told that perfection is the goal? Common Clouds has made a promise to always donate 1 % of our yearly revenue to organisations and projects supporting mental health in young people.
We believe that small changes can have a big impact. In everything we do, we take responsibility and aim to be as transparent with you as we possibly can. Our products will always be vegan and, of course, cruelty-free. We minimise unnecessary packaging and work with materials that are easy to recycle. However, let's be brutally honest. As a small company it's hard to be perfect from start. But we promise to always do the best we can.