SKINCARE PHOTOGRAPHY / ADVERTISING · CAMPAIGNS · BEAUTY

View skincare portfolio ↗Approach & commissions ↓

Woman holding a purple skincare serum bottle beside her face in soft daylight.

Smiling woman gently applying skincare around the eye area in natural light.

Blonde woman wearing black under-eye patches and a white blazer.

Three women in white tops photographed together against a neutral studio background.

Dove DermaSpa advertising layout with body-care products and a blonde woman touching her shoulder.

Woman wearing gold eye patches and a red patterned jacket among red lanterns.

Woman applying a skincare dropper to her forehead in warm light with a softly blurred foreground.

Seated portrait of a woman in a cream jacket with open sleeve details against a neutral background.

Close beauty portrait of a woman with natural curls, softly lit skin and a neutral expression.

Close portrait with palm-leaf shadows across a woman's face and loose hair.

Dove DermaSpa advertising layout with body lotion, a smiling woman and a white cream swirl.

Smiling woman holding a black 111SKIN cream jar against a sculptural white background.

Smiling woman with dark skin and natural afro hair against a neutral background.

Close portrait of a smiling mature woman with natural skin detail and blue eyes.

Red-haired woman smiling with closed eyes and red lipstick in warm light.

Freckled beauty portrait with pink makeup and a dark red flower beside the face.

Two women smiling together in soft daylight against a bright background.

Smiling woman with braided hair and hoop earrings against a softly sparkling background.

Close portrait of a woman with closed eyes as water splashes across her face.

Smiling woman with natural curls leaning against a white tiled wall.

Paired portrait of blonde and red-haired women against a white background.

Close beauty portrait of a red-haired woman with blue eyes against a pale background.

Woman with natural curls resting her hand near her chin in a softly lit skin portrait.

Close study of skin beside a glass ampoule labelled 111SKIN The Radiance Concentrate.

Woman holding 111SKIN eye cream beside her face with three cream dots beneath her eye.

Two women with contrasting skin tones posing closely together in a beauty portrait.

Side portrait of a mature woman with long grey hair and a black sleeveless top.

Published cosmetics editorial page showing makeup portraits and a beauty product.

Published beauty editorial page showing a portrait and close details of makeup application.

Published tanning beauty feature with a smiling woman, sunglasses and a tanning product.

Rear view of a woman in a white bikini showing the shoulders and back against a white background.

Woman washing her face as water splashes across her skin against a white background.

Johnson's baby advertising photograph of a woman seated in a bath holding a product bottle.

Red-haired woman relaxing in a white bathtub with a softly sparkling background.

Woman reclining outdoors with closed eyes and a towel wrapped around her body.

Naturally lit close portrait of a blonde woman with blue eyes and visible skin texture.

Woman in a white swimsuit with a gold ring detail against a pale studio background.

Warmly lit close portrait of a woman with wet red hair and closed eyes.

Skincare photography by Simon SonghurstDiscuss a campaign ↗

London · Italy · International commissions

Skin, light
and distinction.

Simon Songhurst is a skin care photographer working across skincare advertising, beauty and cosmetics. Based between London and Italy, he creates commercial imagery for brands, advertising agencies and art buyers commissioning campaigns worldwide.

The work brings precise lighting and a considered eye for skin to the relationship between a person, a product and a brand. This portfolio includes advertising imagery for 111SKIN and Dove DermaSpa alongside beauty portraits, product application and published editorial work.

Discuss a skincare brief ↗

A commercial perspective

A precise image of your brand.

Luxury skincare photography has to communicate more than an attractive complexion. It establishes the character of a brand: the quality of its presentation, the intimacy of its product experience and the audience it is speaking to. Light, expression, colour and composition need to work as one visual decision.

For an art buyer or creative director, the photographic approach should make the brief clearer. A serum application may call for exacting detail and a close relationship between skin and product. A wider brand campaign may depend on a more expressive portrait, a recognisable atmosphere or a coherent series of images. The direction begins with what the work needs to communicate.

Skincare advertising

Campaign photography for premium skincare brands, product launches and established collections. The brief can centre on a single signature image or a connected set of portraits, application details and product-led compositions.

Beauty & cosmetics

Complexion, makeup and beauty photography with attention to the surface of the skin, the finish of a product and the individual in front of the camera. A refined image can still feel immediate, expressive and human.

Brand launches

For skincare startups and emerging beauty businesses, a clear photographic direction helps establish a visual identity. The conversation starts with positioning, audience and the first places the imagery will appear.

01 / Skincare & application

The product experience, in focus.

Serums, moisturisers, eye creams, face masks and under-eye patches each suggest a different photographic language. A dropper near the skin, a measured application of cream or the relationship between a face and a product bottle can become the central visual idea. The image should make the gesture and the product easy to read.

Briefs may extend to cleansers, facial oils, essences, toners, balms, exfoliating products and treatment collections. These are creative directions to discuss, rather than a reason to repeat the same application image. The formulation, packaging, audience and intended use should guide the composition. Photography illustrates the product experience; claims about efficacy require the brand’s substantiation.

02 / Skin & cosmetics

Detail without losing character.

Skin has texture, variation and expression. A strong beauty portrait gives those qualities a considered place in the image. The portfolio moves between softly lit complexions, close details, mature skin and more graphic beauty compositions, showing how different lighting decisions change the way a face is perceived.

For foundation, concealer, skin tints, primers, illuminating products and colour cosmetics, the visual brief needs to be specific about finish and tone. Desired skin detail, colour references and the approach to retouching should be established with the creative team. The aim is a coherent aesthetic that supports the product story and respects the subject.

03 / Body care & wellbeing

A wider view of skin.

Body-care advertising brings gesture, posture and the environment into the image. Hands on a shoulder, water on the face or the ease of a relaxed portrait can express a sense of touch and a product ritual. The Dove DermaSpa layouts and bathing imagery in this portfolio show how the person and the product can share a composition.

Body lotions, creams, washes, hand care, sun care and tanning products each require a distinct direction. A studio portrait, an application detail and a location image will communicate different things. For women’s skincare campaigns, casting and expression should reflect the intended audience, including the different ages and skin tones relevant to the brand.

04 / Packaging & retail

Designed for where the image lives.

A photograph intended for packaging needs a different kind of planning from an open editorial page. The placement of a face, an area of skin or an application detail must work with the pack structure, typography and product information. Packaging artwork and proposed crops are useful references before the photographic direction is agreed.

For point-of-sale photography, retail displays, counter cards and in-store campaign panels, the relationship between image, brand and product must remain clear at the intended viewing distance. Share the layouts and the range of formats early, so the brief can account for both a principal image and the supporting compositions.

05 / Print & outdoor advertising

Presence at campaign scale.

A billboard has only a moment to communicate. A confident expression, a clear composition and a legible relationship between skin and product matter more than a crowded image. Outdoor advertising and out-of-home campaigns benefit from an idea that holds its shape when seen at a distance.

For billboards, transport advertising, large-format print, magazine advertising and campaign posters, discuss the artwork dimensions, required resolution and copy space before the shoot. Website launches, paid social and digital display can then be considered as part of the same campaign brief, with compositions planned for the different formats rather than relying on a single crop.

06 / Art direction & identity

An editorial sensibility. A commercial purpose.

High-end skincare imagery can be restrained without becoming anonymous. A particular quality of light, the choice of a gesture or the balance between a product and a portrait can give a campaign its identity. The portfolio includes clean advertising layouts, atmospheric skin studies and published beauty pages, with different visual approaches serving different intentions.

For luxury skincare brands and agencies commissioning beauty campaigns, the useful conversation is specific: what the brand stands for, which details make the product distinctive and how the audience should experience the image. References are a starting point for that discussion, not a substitute for a photographic direction of your own.

Developing a skincare campaign, a cosmetics launch or a new packaging brief?

Share your brief ↗

Commissioning photography

A clear brief. A considered production.

An agency treatment, an established campaign direction or an early outline of a brand launch can all begin the conversation. Share the product range, audience and visual references, together with any casting or creative team already attached. Product application, skin finish and the relationship between portrait and pack should be discussed in the context of the brief.

The intended usage is equally important. Set out the image count, territories, usage period, launch dates and proposed channels, from packaging and point of sale to print, outdoor and digital advertising. These details help define the scope of the commission and the practical requirements for the shoot and finished imagery.

Creative requirements

Brand positioning, product priorities, casting direction, visual references and the skin finish you want to communicate. Include packaging artwork and campaign layouts where available.

Deliverables & usage

Required photographs, portrait and landscape formats, copy space, retouch expectations and final artwork specifications. Confirm territories, usage duration and media with the commissioning team.

Production context

Proposed dates, location, budget range, product availability and any agency, stylist, makeup artist or production team already involved. Outstanding arrangements can be discussed against the brief.

Commissioning questions

What skincare and beauty briefs can I discuss?

Skincare advertising, serum and moisturiser launches, eye-care imagery, cosmetics, body care and beauty portraits are all relevant starting points. Packaging, point of sale, outdoor advertising and digital campaign requirements should be included in the enquiry.

Can a new skincare brand enquire?

Yes. Share your brand positioning, product range, intended audience and launch plans. A budget range, visual references and a clear description of the required images will help frame the initial discussion.

Where is Simon based?

Simon is based between London and Italy and is available for international commissions. Include your proposed shoot location and dates so production and travel requirements can be discussed.

What should an art buyer include in the brief?

Creative direction, casting requirements, image count, layouts, production dates, budget range and intended usage. For packaging or large-format advertising, include the relevant artwork specifications and planned crops.

Advertising & campaign commissions

Your next skincare campaign.

For advertising agencies, art buyers and skincare brands commissioning distinctive beauty imagery, contact Simon Songhurst with your brief, launch plans or creative direction.

info@simonsonghurst.com ↗London · Italy · Worldwide