From the luxurious KaDeWe department store on Kurfürstendamm to the 25 Douglas locations sprinkled throughout the city, Berlin is home to a slew of shopping options to keep beauty junkies busy for days. In addition to the two German retail institutions, independent shops and spas have blossomed in the capital city in recent years, some have even sprouted up inside KaDeWe (see more on Treat Beauty Loft below). In anticipation of the inaugural Indie Beauty Expo Berlin taking place Friday and Saturday at Station Berlin, we’ve compiled a list of Berlin’s most buzzworthy beauty spots to grab an RMS lipstick, get a vegan manicure or score skincare from emerging European brands like Nectar Organics, Sepai and Emma S.
The Big Names
KaDeWe: No discussion of Berlin’s shopping scene would be complete without a mention of the largest department store in all of Europe. Though shoppers will find the standard legacy luxury brands like Chanel and Guerlain, Kaufhaus des Westens has kept up with modern tastes by adding newer and cleaner, yet no less luxe brands like Bioeffect and Dr. Barbara Sturm. KaDeWe isn’t a bad choice if you’re looking to explore an unfamiliar brand or product. Many brands available at the store staff their areas with well-trained employees able to answer in-depth questions from discerning shoppers.
Douglas: Düsseldorf-based beauty giant Douglas operates a whopping 1,900-plus stores across nearly 20 European countries. Douglas has 25 doors in Berlin alone, where you can pick up your favorite Zarkoperfume fragrance or Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow pencil when you’re in town. The omnichannel retailer has plans to become a place of beauty discovery, too. In January, the company struck a partnership with Indie Beauty Media Group, producer of Indie Beauty Expo and owner of Beauty Independent, to integrate emerging beauty players that have been increasingly grabbing market share from well-known masstige brands into its offerings. Head over to the Douglas at Schlossstrasse 15 to check out the retailer’s Trend Selection section that features products by prominent indie brands like Kora Organics and Patchology.
The Niche spots
Treat Beauty Loft: Berlin’s two Treat Beauty Loft locations are your one-stop-shops for non-toxic beauty services and shopping. Husband-and-wife team Daniela and Dirk Mellis, natural beauty entrepreneurs who previously launched Treat Collection makeup and nail polish, opened a standalone Beauty Loft location in the stylish Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in March 2017. Beauty Loft was soon joined by Beauty Room and Nail Bar, located on the third floor of KaDeWe. Both locations offer a robust menu of face, body, hand, foot and hair treatments, and have an expertly-curated selection of clean independent beauty brands on display. Treat Beauty Loft bestsellers include Nectar Organics Hyaluron Boost, Und Gretel Ilge Powder, Flora Oleum The Beautifying Elixir, Girl Smells Lemon Peppermint Deodorant and Treat’s own Miracle Elixir.
Amazingy: Another husband-and-wife creation, clean beauty-focused Amazingy was founded in 2011 by Floris and Ingrid van Onna, who moonlight as DJ duo Flowing. Though the couple hails from the Netherlands, Amazingy is based in Berlin, where, in early 2018, the previously online-only retailer opened its first brick-and-mortar location, Amazingy Playground. At Playground, shoppers can sample cult-favorite clean beauty brands from around the world, including Nuori from Denmark, Ami Iyok from Spain, Abhati from Switzerland, Whamisa from Korea, and Lina Hanson, Mun, Yüli, Vintner’s Daughter and Josh Rosebrook from the U.S.
MDC Cosmetics: Another Prenzlauer Berg shop that has become an esteemed beauty destination is Melanie Dal Canton’s MDC Cosmetics. Dal Canton honed her curation skills as the manager of Berlin concept store Andreas Murkudis. In 2012, she opened her own dedicated beauty space housing an upmarket array of beauty’s most fabled brands such as Aesop, Mason Pearson and Susanne Kaufmann, not to mention the proprietor’s eponymous range of bath products. In 2017, the space, designed by Berlin architecture studio Gonzalez Haase, added treatment rooms on its lower level providing facials, massages, cosmetic treatments, manicures and pedicures.
Belle Rebelle: European beauty shopping has its roots in fragrance houses, evidenced today in the oversized perfume sections of department stores like Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger. Corinna Mosler-Jakobsohn opened Belle Rebelle in late 2012 to showcase high-end and hard-to-find fragrances in an environment where customers receive expert advice, not haughty retorts from snobby salespeople. Shoppers can dive into the fragrances during exclusive product presentations and pop-up events. Belle Rebelle’s assortment doesn’t stick to scents alone, though. It’s expanded into hair care and skincare from Eve Lom, Face Stockholm and David Mallett.
Wheadon. After decades in the beauty industry at behemoths like LVMH, Guerlain and Estée Lauder, Nicole Wheadon opened her eponymous beauty concept store in central Berlin in March 2012. Since opening, Wheadon has integrated treatments into the space, offering facials, brow grooming, makeup, hair styling and barber services. In its retail space, shoppers can grab favorites from European and American clean beauty companies like Susanne Kaufmann, Kat Burki, Be (…) my Friend, Skin Design London, Omorovicza, Rahua, Oak, Meißner, Soapwalla, Montale, PG, Nailberry, Aer, Und Gretel and Dr. Bronner. “At the moment our clients love the Susanne Kaufmann Detox Pollution Treat and Pollution Skin Defence System,” shares Wheadon about her store’s best sellers. “[Also] our guasha stones, jade rollers and Jade Eye Mask Sleeping Mask.”
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