About essence
essence is a German cosmetics brand of cosnova, the family-owned company founded in 2002 by Christina Oster-Daum and Javier González and headquartered in Sulzbach near Frankfurt. The brand launched the same year, with the drugstore chain dm as its first retailer; together with its sister brand Catrice it is now sold in more than 80 countries. The 6 items in our database range from a nail sealer and lip products to a brow gel mascara, a lash serum and a hand balm.
Six products, six formats
Nail polish, make-up and hand cream are the categories behind the 6 essence products we list – so varied that no ingredient reaches more than half of them. GLYCERIN and PARFUM appear in 3 each, followed by PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, RICINUS COMMUNIS SEED OIL (castor oil) and PANTHENOL in 2.
Fragrance is declared in 3 formulas (50%) and parabens in 1 (17%); none contains silicones or denatured alcohol (ALCOHOL DENAT.).
Compare within a category
A nail sealer built on NITROCELLULOSE and a water-based hand balm share almost nothing, so the brand totals say little about any single item – compare a lip oil with other lip oils. essence often runs limited editions; check the list on the pack, as a reissued shade or product may carry a revised formula.
Sources: cosnova – 20 years press release (PDF), cosnova – The company behind essence and Catrice
Products (6)
Most common ingredients
Ingredients that appear most often in essence formulas (excluding water, glycerin and fragrance).