Are you looking to invest in some high-quality nail polish, nail art, or even makeup? Then perhaps you have come across the British brand Ciate London, which started out as a nail varnish label but soon after launched with further beauty products, which have enjoyed much success with its customers. The common thread in everything this cruelty-free label does is focus on innovation and encouraging the customers to get creative and expressive. But is this brand really worth the hype? You’ll soon find out in our Ciate London reviews.
We will answer these questions by looking at the background of the brand, the techniques, and ingredients, as well as concentrating on specific products and, perhaps most importantly, some Ciate London reviews from existing customers. Read to the end to see our findings.
Ciate London was started in 2009 as a nail polish brand by celebrity nail artist Charlotte Knight. By 2012, the company had captured everyone’s attention with its innovative Caviar Manicure line of products utilizing tiny colored plastic spheres the size of caviar (hence the name).
The 3D-effect product was secured on the nail by an accompanying base and topcoat. This product alone demonstrates the brand’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what can be done in the beauty industry. The founder then applied the same principles to the line of makeup and skincare-makeup hybrid products that followed. Whether that’s a color-changing lipstick or a bronzing face serum.
These products, efforts, and more have earned the British brand many an award over the years – 25 to be exact, including the Nylon Beauty Hit List Winner and Allure Best of Beauty. However, there has been no award since 2018, so the brand should really come out with another banger to rectify that, shouldn’t it?
The independent brand cares about ethics too. Hence, all its products are PETA-certified cruelty-free, with every new product launch being vegan as the brand aims to be 100% vegan soon. At this point, most of its products already are anyway. Let’s get on with our Ciate London reviews!
Ciaté’s collection of hundreds of products spans several categories, from nail polish and nail stickers to makeup and makeup with skincare benefits. And while it is impossible to review every single product, we will be looking at some of the most popular and most talked-about ones. Hopefully, the one you have your eye on is one of them. So let’s dive right in!
Released in 2019 as part of the Watermelon Burst collection, the Ciate London Watermelon Burst Setting Spray is one of the first products by the brands that combine both makeup and skincare benefits in one. Retailing for £18 for a bottle of 75ml, the mist is designed to set and keep makeup in place, while also providing hydration, brightening, and a natural dewy finish.
Infused with watermelon extract, the Ciate London Watermelon Setting Spray is not only lightly fragranced with the scent of the fruit (as well as synthetic fragrance), but it also benefits from the ingredient’s brightening properties owing to its high vitamin C content. Meanwhile, the addition of niacinamide smooths the skin and helps to fade dark spots. The product can be used both before and after applying makeup or just to spritz while on the go for a boost of hydration. However, if you have sensitivity to fragrance, then best to avoid this one.
The brand has three different mascaras on offer; however, only the Ciate London Wonderwand Mascara provides both volume and length. Meanwhile, the Keep An Eye On Coloured Mascara will color your lashes a shade of neon, and the re-formulated Triple Shot XXL Mascara is the perfect tool for extreme volume. But the Wonderwand is a good all-rounder.
Retailing for £19.50 for a 9.5ml tube, the gluten-free mascara is formulated to volumize and lengthen without any flaking or smudging. Based on a consumer panel survey, the brand has concluded and claims that the product creates 19x more volume in three applications without going cloggy and 5x more in one coat. In this survey, 95.4% of those attending saw 24-hour long-wear results, while 96.4% saw intense lash volume and curl, and 95.5% saw extreme lash length, as reported on the brand’s site.
When it comes to the Ciate London Everyday Vacay Coconut Setting Powder, the brand was a little bit stingy on the innovative factor that has become its signature. Unless you can call a coconut scent of the powder ‘pushing the boundaries’. If you’re a fan of coconut, you will probably be a fan of this lightweight product, designed to take its wearer on a tropical getaway no matter the weather, time of year, or location.
Aside from that, the vegan formula is also meant to set your makeup, as all setting powders should, and create a smoothed and crease-free finish to your complexion. Priced at £18 for a 15g jar, the powder provides a blurring and mattifying effect, getting rid of shine and camera flashback, especially in areas like under the eye, the T zone, and the chin, while extending the longevity of your makeup.
The lesser-known of the several eyeshadow palettes on offer by Ciate London, the Velvet Palette is by far our favorite. Not too big like the bestselling I Am Woman palette and not too small like the brand’s trend palettes either. The Velvet Palette is a collection of 12 warm shades mixing metallic, shimmery, and matte finishes. Standout shades like bright gold are set next to neutral brown to enable you to create complete looks with a single palette, whatever the occasion. Priced at £26, the vegan-friendly gluten-free formulas deliver high pigment that is easy to blend as it is very finely milled. The result is a velvety smooth application and finish.
The Ciate London Dewy Stix is part of the brand’s bestselling Dewy collection, which focuses on creating a healthy glowing complexion and is loved by makeup artists everywhere. And this highlighter is no exception, bringing a translucent, natural dewy finish when applied to the high points of your face (like cheek and brow bones or bow of the lip) without the obvious artificial shimmer that other highlighters come with.
The creamy gel-like highlighting stick, which is compact and easy to use on the go, is a vegan-friendly formula infused with hydrating and nourishing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and murumuru butter, known for its deeply moisturizing properties. Plus it’s scented with a sweet vanilla fragrance if that is your thing. Selling for £19, the product was named the Best Highlighter Creme in the Allure Best of Beauty Awards in 2018.
The label has an arsenal of nourishing oils, serums, and balms for your lips to keep them moisturized, hydrated and plump. But the bestselling Ciate London lip oil is the Watermelon Burst Hydrating Lip Oil from the Watermelon Burst collection, like the aforementioned setting spray. Loved for its juicy watermelon scent, hydrating feel, and glossy sheen without a sticky finish, the vegan, gluten-free formula is a hybrid between a lip gloss and an oil.
Combining the hydration of a lip balm with the shine of a gloss, the pink product (both inside and out) contains watermelon fruit extract rich in antioxidants, along with avocado and jojoba oil for nourishing moisture. Priced at £14 for a tube of 10ml, the lip oil has only one downside, which is that it doesn’t stay on for very long, as reported by previous customers.
Another Ciate London palette of eyeshadows is the Editor Palette. For this product, the brand sourced inspiration from a trip to New England in the US during autumn, so green hues are set against rusty tones, browns, yellows, and golds, both in a matte and shimmery finish.
The 18 highly pigmented, vegan shades come in a buttery formula for easy blending, and for those with an aversion, dislike, or sensitivity to fragrance, you’ll be happy to know they are fragrance-free. Which doesn’t happen often with a Ciaté product. They sure love their scents. Set in a sleek case equipped with a mirror, the palette retails for a reasonable £29.
If you prefer a powder highlighter rather than a creamy formula like the Dewy Stix, then the Glow-To Highlighter would be a better choice for you. Retailing for £26, this Ciate London highlighter comes in an elegant mirror-equipped compact form, ideal for touching up when you’re on the go. Creating a statement shimmery finish, the gluten-free formula is available in four shades:
While the Dewy Stix highlighting stick is perfect for an everyday natural look, the Glow-To will make for a great companion for an event or a night out.
Since the Dewy Stix face highlighter has enjoyed much success, the brand’s founder decided to make a version for the whole body – the Ciate London Dewy Stix Body Oil Gloss. Sold in a stick form as well, the vegan product is a non-sticky, long-wear body oil infused with vitamin E, which reduces inflammation and makes skin look younger, as well as nourishing coconut oil and anti-inflammatory monoi extract.
A single swipe across the skin, from collarbones to your limbs, creates a healthy-looking glow as if you just came back from a holiday. It’s available in two shades, both of which are priced at £20.
When looking through the Ciate London reviews from existing customers, it was difficult to find anything negative about the brand, other than issues with deliveries, which is a common issue with most companies with an online store. Most customers sing the brand’s praises, which has earned it a 4.3/5 rating on Reviews.io.
The only negative feedback we have come across was regarding the cult Glitter Flip lipstick, known for transforming from a matte formula to glittery liquid lipstick. According to some customers, the product is in no way as glittery as the brand’s imagery and videos show it to be. But here is a taster of a few customer reviews for you to have a look at:
“The Dewy stick was subtle yet gave a nice everyday glow. I have dry skin so I appreciated the more creamy texture. I don’t wear foundation and tend to my minimal makeup over my day cream. This look great on bare skin and I love wearing it just to bring a healthy glow back in to my skin. I also purchased the gold one which I also like. I would recommend this for an everyday natural glow.”
“Ordered a set of nail polish (2019 Christmas collection) two days ago, never received an order confirmation or a code to track the order. There is absolutely no way to speak with their customer service without waiting for their slow email replies. The checkout didn’t even say when would the package be delivered. Wouldn’t order from them again unless this gets resolved.”
“Customer support was very nice, my order got lost, they offered to refund me or send the items again. Haven’t used the products yet but the colors are gorgeous.”
“Glitter flip lipsticks are hardly glittery at all. They look nothing like the videos that’s for sure. The colours were nice but not glittery so 1*.”
Ciate London offers 15% off your first order when you sign up for the brand’s newsletter on its website.
Ciate London is available on the brand’s website, as well as a selection of other retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar, including Asos, Sephora, and Look Fantastic. For a full list of stockists around the world, visit the brand’s Stockists page.
Ciate London offers free standard shipping on all UK orders over £35. The brand also ships internationally within Europe.
Ciate London accepts unopened and unused returns within 28 days of delivery. However, the brand does not cover the return shipping fee.
If you’re a student, you’re in luck because Ciate London offers a 20% student discount to all students upon registering and verifying your student status with Student Beans.
In this thorough Ciate London review, we have tried to answer any possible questions you might have about the brand. However, if anything is still left unanswered after you finish reading this review, feel free to get in touch with the company directly via:
All good things must come to an end, and so does this review. We have looked at the brand’s beginnings, ethos, and well-known products, along with some Ciate London reviews from previous customers. All of this has informed our final verdict and the answer we have to give to the ultimate question – is Ciate London worth your investment? The answer is a simple yes.
Writing this review, we personally leave with a wish list of Ciaté products, not all of which were covered in this review (thinking of the Marbled Light Illuminating Blush, which is the perfect dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush). The innovation and creativity that the brand constantly refers to are really there in its formulas, and it’s truly challenging to think of or find any negatives to list out here. So we say go for it.
Are you interested in other amazing makeup brands? Check out our reviews of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kevyn Aucoin, Natasha Denona, and Pat McGrath.
No, the brand is PETA-certified cruelty-free and therefore does not test on animals.
If you experience a reaction from using one of Ciate London's products, the brand provides a survey on the website for you to fill in. Once you have filled in this survey, the customer service team will get back to you within 48 hours with further instructions. It's advised to save the product as you may be asked to return this to their development team for inspection.
Yes, it is PETA-certified cruelty-free.
The majority of the brand's products are paraben-free, all of which are clearly marked on the website in the product info.
Ciate London is an independent brand founded by celebrity and editorial nail artist Charlotte Knight.
