Polaar

Polaar is a French skincare company that formulates products around plant ingredients sourced from the Arctic and other polar regions. Product formulation began in 2004 [2], and the brand was founded by the explorer Daniel Kurbiel together with co-founder Karine Roche. Its range covers face and body care built around actives such as boreal algae, iceberg water, Siberian olive and Arctic berries. The company remains active, operating a multilingual e-commerce site with a current catalogue that includes a men's line and travel formats.

Polaar describes itself as "the very first cosmetics designer to have emerged from scientific research in the polar world" [3] — a self-characterisation that frames both its origin story and its ingredient sourcing. Its products are made in France, which the company links to the country's cosmetics expertise.

Polaar traces its origins to a family history of Arctic exploration rather than a conventional laboratory beginning. According to the company, the story starts in 1976, when Daniel Kurbiel's parents — Joelle and Janusz Kurbiel — explored Arctic regions aboard the icebreaker Vagabond [2]. Editorial coverage records that the elder Kurbiels sailed Greenland's west coast in the 1970s.

Daniel Kurbiel continued the expeditions himself in 1998, and on one voyage met Maria Olech, a specialist in polar lichen, an encounter the company credits with sparking the idea for the brand [2]. The founding narrative also involves the sailor Karine Roche, an Olympic sailing champion named as co-founder [7]. From this exploration phase the project moved into product development, with formulation beginning in 2004.

The brand's early years are described through the ingredients it introduced. Boreal algae and glacier water actives were part of the initial 2004 formulations, followed by Siberian ginseng in 2009 and Arctic cotton in 2012 [2]. In 2013, polar berries gathered on an expedition became the basis for one of the brand's signature creams, The Genuine Lapland Cream (La Véritable Crème de Laponie). A Nunatak flower active was added in 2015.

Polaar's stated philosophy centres on the phrase "Polaar was born of nature. And also for nature" [3], which the company explains as taking inspiration from what nature has created without harming it. The brand lists its core values as scientific research in polar regions, natural formulas, environmental preservation and respect for both skin and nature.

The company frames its ingredients as rare and drawn directly from polar landscapes, describing actives selected "during our many polar expeditions" and combining "the gentleness and purity of nature" with "the reassuring certainties of science." Independent editorial coverage has characterised Polaar as a "French luxury skincare line" [7] with a unisex range positioned around high performance and low environmental impact.

Polaar's catalogue spans face care — creams, serums, cleansers, toners, masks, scrubs, suncare and eye and lip care — alongside body care and a dedicated men's line. Its signature products include The Genuine Lapland Cream, the anti-ageing Eternal Snow (Neige Éternelle) and the overnight Polar Night (Nuit Polaire) treatments [7].

The formulations are built on a set of what the brand calls polar active ingredients, including boreal algae, iceberg water, Arctic berries, Siberian ginseng, Siberian olive, Arctic cotton, the Nunatak flower and Arctic lichen. For the cultivation and sourcing of these ingredients, the company says it has worked with partners including CEDA and Scientipole Innovation on ecological cultivation [2].

Polaar states that it has produced skincare free of parabens, alcohol and mineral oils since 2006 [5], and its products carry vegan and against-animal-testing commitments; the vegan claim has also been noted in independent beauty coverage [8]. On the environmental side, the company describes its formulas as 95% biodegradable and its packaging cases as made from "100% paper from sustainably managed forests," alongside a stated commitment to responsible ingredient harvesting to protect fragile polar ecosystems. To limit its impact on those environments, it says some ingredients are reproduced rather than collected in the wild.

Polaar has been the subject of independent editorial coverage. Upscale Living Magazine profiled the brand as a French luxury skincare line founded by Daniel Kurbiel, highlighting its Arctic actives and biodegradable formulas [7], and the beauty blog Karl Is My Unkle reviewed its range in 2019, noting the vegan formulas and environmental focus [8].

Polaar is active. At the time of research it operated a live multilingual e-commerce site carrying a current catalogue of roughly 25 products, including new arrivals, a men's line and a blog [1]. The company is based in France and its products are sold across several European markets.