Ace of Air’s Next-Gen Sustainability Model Is Out To Change the Beauty World

When you take a bird’s-eye view of the beauty industry in 2021, you’ll see three major trends dominating the market. First comes “clean” beauty, which over the last few years has moved from niche boutiques into major retailers like Target). Second, as we develop a deeper understanding of the inextricable link between gut health and skin health, is an increased focus on “inside out” beauty. And finally, after realizing the environmental impact of the 120 billion pounds of plastic that the personal care industry creates annually, sustainable packaging has become non-negotiable.

It was these themes that inspired model Petra Němcová and beauty industry veteran Stephanie Stahl to create Ace of Air, a new skin-care line that puts all three of the industry’s most important trends at its forefront (and one that Well+Good co-founder Alexia Brue believed in so much that she invested in it herself).

The line includes both topical and ingestible products, all of which are made from clean ingredients meant to support overall skin health. Consumers are encouraged to shop simplified “skin flights,” each of which includes supplements, a serum, and a moisturizer that work in tandem to target specific concerns. The Illuminate Me flight will help you “reach the glow that everyone wants,” says Němcová. It’s powered by moringa oil, which is sustainably sourced from a co-op in Haiti and is packed with 92 different micro and macro-ingredients and 46 antioxidants. Then there’s the Restore Me flight, which Stahl says is “designed to bring your skin to its best possible place and remove some of the signs of wear and tear.” The star ingredient is a magnolia tree bark extract called honokiol, which works to neutralize aging factors in the skin and has 1,000 times more antioxidants than vitamin E. You can also shop for individual supplements, which the brand calls Daily Elevations, to further enhance skin health by way of your gut.

While the formulations are noteworthy, the brand’s sustainable packaging is even more impressive.

While the formulations are noteworthy, the brand’s sustainable packaging endeavor is even more impressive. Customers rent the containers for a nominal fee, then return the empties via UPS to be sanitized and reused up to 100 times. “We did a life cycle analysis to understand the environmental impact of the product, and we found that 70 percent comes from the packaging, 5 percent comes from the shipping, and 25 percent comes from the product,” says Stahl. “So we felt like there was a big opportunity for change and positive improvement.”

Ace of Air’s products come in a rented “boomerang box,” which is inspired by the glass bottle milk delivery services that people relied on before plastic became the more common packaging choice. “It goes to you, then it comes back to us,” explains Stahl, adding that the model allows for a “sustainable unboxing experience” every time one of these boxes shows up on your doorstep. Each box is numbered based on how many trips it’s made. “When you get a box that has a ’50’ on it, you’ll know there were 49 other people involved with protecting our planet,” says Němcová. “That makes for a beautiful shared economy experience. It reminds us that we are in it to find solutions together while also helping people understand how many pieces of plastic they’re helping to save from going into oceans and landfills.”

To further help the planet, Ace of Air also encourages a minimalist routine using fewer, more effective products. “If you have a long beauty regime, you will have a bigger environmental impact, and we’ll be paying for that at the end of the day,” says Němcová. And, adds Stahl, everyone’s looking to simplify their lives anyway: “Having great products that deliver terrific results—but don’t require a really involved regimen—speaks to individuals looking for important rituals that aren’t too complicated.”

Intrigued? Head to Aceofair.com to hop on the biggest beauty trends of the year while also doing your part for the environment.

Want even more beauty intel from our editors? Join Well+Good’s Fine Print Facebook group (and follow us on Instagram) for must-know tips and tricks.