The Byredo and Susanne Kaufmann Collab Is the Perfect Alternative to Forest Bathing

Every season there's a popular beauty collaboration that takes center stage. You know the scene: it's either a makeup and a feel-good movie pairing, a food brand and lipstick partnership, or a fragrance and designer collaboration. Personally, my favorites include the Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama, and the super playful, Smiley x Touchland marriage, but very rarely do brands merge to create harmony without leaving us pondering, “did we ask for this?” That's the case with the latest collaboration between Byredo and Susanne Kaufmann, a limited edition collection of oils named after Susanne Kaufmann’s home in Bregenzerwald, a forest region in the Austrian Alps where her skincare line is artfully produced.

The collection includes a scented body oil and a roll-on fragrance oil with skincare benefits and earthy aromas. The body oil uses oils from apricot kernel and meadowfoam seed to moisturize dry skin, while offering a smell of woodsy greenness thanks to subtle notes of jasmine and fig. Similarly, apply the fragrance oil to experience inhaling the smells of firewood and pine. But more than a merging of the minds and forestry, the mash-up is a nod to friendship and true synergy.

“This collaboration is a celebration of shared values, which have always defined our partnership: we've consistently focused on our immediate community,” perfumer and Byredo founder Ben Gorham tells Marie Claire exclusively. “Susanne is a friend of mine and we have always wanted to collaborate at some point.”

While this is Kaufmann’s first collaborative experience, Gorman isn’t a stranger to forming alliances. Previous collaborations include launches with Off-White, Ikea, and he’s even joined forces with creatives like photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Moses. But, this union is different, and according to Gorham, it’s rooted in “Susanne's dedication to environmentally conscious skincare” and her brand's association with nature and well-being that make “the partnership very special,” he says. 

Kaufmann couldn't agree more. “This collaboration is a breath of fresh air because it combines a high-performance body product, but also on top of it, a fantastic scent, created by a fine fragrance expert.”

The Byredo x Susanne Kaufmann collection is available in Byredo stores, on byredo.com, Susannekaufmann.com and select retailers.

Shop the Byredo x Susanne Kaufmann Collection