Nails, hair, wax, facial, botox, lashes, repeat. With beauty services and product usage often treated like a requirement for women, it’s easy to be subject to “beauty burnout.” This is thanks to the financial and mental strain of constantly monitoring our appearances. Falling victim to overconsumption as we try to make sense of an oversaturated market, beauty has become routine with the pursuit of perfection not feeling as good as it looks.
But “beauty isn’t just about how we look—it’s about how we feel in our own skin,” supermodel and co-founder of Brunel Jasmine Tookes tells ESSENCE exclusively about her new brand that launched this morning. Bringing the beauty world to a necessary moment of restoration, grounding, and self-connection, “Brunel is rooted in the belief that beauty should engage the senses—touch, smell, and mood. It’s all about the wellness ritual, not just a surface-level routine.”
Co-founder Sabrina Castenfelt chimes in, “anxiety, burnout, and sleep challenges are on the rise,” she says. “We saw an opportunity to create products that not only nourish the skin, but also have mood-elevating properties.” According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 52% of employees reported feeling burnout in a 2024 study, with women, young workers and mid-level employees hit the hardest. “By layering in meaningful actives, functional fine fragrance, and time-tested botanicals, Brunel turns something simple, like applying body oil, into a full sensory ritual that reflects how you want to feel,” she says.
Derived from the French word “brun” (meaning “brown”), Brunel pays homage to the grounding energy and tones of the earth via the nature-inspired elements in their products. For example, the healing properties of the body oils in their first Desert Muse Collection are at the foundation of the brand. The Awakening Body Oil, Renewal Body Oil was designed for you to “transcend into tranquility” through notes of lavender, eucalyptus, and green cedar wood. Meanwhile, the Golden Hour Glow Body Oil is energized with caffeine, jasmine petals, and doubles as a highlighter, reminding you of the relief of a vacation. Lastly, the Renewal Body Oil provides a calming and hydrating thanks to magnolia extract, eucalyptus, and lavender.
And, as much as Tookes was inspired by nature, she was also inspired by the beauty and wellness routines of the women she admires. “I remember watching my grandma get ready when I was little,” she recalls, looking up to her she did her skincare, makeup, and applied fragrance. “She always made it feel like a ritual, never rushed.”
Instead of capitalizing off of insecurity, beauty burnout and anxiety, Castenfelt says Brunel plans to evolve into a full ecosystem of wellness products, experiences and education to support how people feel, not just how they look. Their first initiative, Circle of Self, will be a “space for deeper conversations around longevity, mood, and mindful self-care,” she says, which compliments their plans of expanding into more categories. “Our first three oils are just the beginning.”
Brunel’s Desert Muse Collection is available now exclusively at brunelbeauty.com.