Scandinavian Women Know the Secret to Perfect Skin

MEGAN CAHN | 

Clockwise from top left: Mini Anden, Hanneli Mustaparta, Helena Christensen, Caroline Brasch Nielsen, Frida Gustavsson, Freja Beha Erichsen, Nadja Bender, and Caroline Winberg. Imaxtree

After New York, London, and Milan, we look to Paris for the final week of the fashion month whirlwind. Though we still have much to take in (Céline! Chanel! Dior!), there have been some standout beauty trends that have already defined the season. We’ve seen plenty of wet comb-overs and just-bitten lip stains, but it’s not the hair and makeup that have truly taken center stage. Spring 2015 has been all about skin: dewy, glowing, healthy skin.

Related: The Top Hair and Makeup Trends From New York Fashion Week

So yes, the fresh face is the look du jour, but it’s something that women have always coveted and something that models from places like Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have always been sought out for. Scandinavian women, models or not, seem to have that enviable youthful glow at all ages (just look at Helena Christensen!). What is it about these Nordic locations that result in such clear, firm skin? We reached out to Dr. Miguel Stanley, who oversees the White Clinic, one of Europe’s largest anti-aging clinics, to find out. Apparently, there really is something in the (Arctic) water.

“The Arctic represents one of the harshest and most unfriendly climate conditions on the planet, and as a result, nature has gradually developed extreme protection mechanisms,” explains Stanley. “The indigenous people of the North have, through generations, explored these mechanisms in their everyday use. Scientists have been fascinated by this phenomenon, and have proven some of these extracts to hold unique properties when applied to the skin.”