Otherland Candles Founder Abigail Cook Stone Drops Her Skin-Care Routine

You may not recognize Abigail Cook Stone, but one scroll through Instagram’s beauty and wellness pages and you’ll definitely recognize her Otherland candles. A former art buyer for Ralph Lauren, Stone is the founder and CEO of Otherland, a brand that has taken over IG feeds since its launch in 2017, joining the ranks of favorites like Diptyque and Byredo, with its luxury scents, clean formulas, and beautiful packaging at accessible prices. 

Of course, running a successful business in the beauty space requires Stone to be on the pulse of the latest and greatest products—and her skin-care routine is no exception. “I like to focus on high-efficacy products without too much fuss and products that are scientifically proven,” Stone tells Glamour. “I try to research the formulations. I look at Beautypedia and talk to my dermatologists. Sometimes they’re not the most glamorous products or the coolest packaging, but I know I’m getting the highest efficacy, and that’s what’s important to me.” 

Stone also uses her business acumen when it comes to investing in skin-care treatments. “Part of my philosophy is that I would rather not spend on a facial and I would prefer to put that money toward getting Botox,” she says. “I have not had any laser treatments yet, but I’m saving up to get one. I’d rather put my money toward something like that than on facials.” 

Being selective with products and treatments has helped Stone deal with breakouts on her combination skin and protect her fair complexion from sun damage. “I can be prone to whiteheads and blackheads and very small dots of acne. When I was a kid, I had lots of freckles on my face and my screen name was freckle55555. But now my freckles feel a little less cute and a little more like age spots. So brightening my skin and minimizing the appearance of some of the freckles that have gotten bigger and darker. Protecting my skin from the sun with sunscreen, vitamin C, and antioxidants help there as well.” 

On the heels of Otherland Candles’ latest holiday launch, The Adorned Collection, Stone caught up with Glamour to share her tried-and-true skin-care products. Read on for Stone’s favorites in another installment of Drop the Routine. 

My cleanser

I alternate with two cleansers. The first is a drugstore favorite, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser For Normal to Oily Skin. My dermatologist was like, “You can really use the regular one. It’s still gentle, but it will clean your skin a little bit more if you’re having any acne issues.” That’s a good one, and it’s not too drying for me. The second one I do maybe once a week, and I’m still building up, is NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash. This was another dermatologist recommendation. Adding in the glycolic helps with brightening, and the chemicals exfoliate the skin in a way that’s a little bit different from the tretinoin or a harsh scrub.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin

NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash

My serum

In the morning I do the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum, and they just reformulated it with a new version that you mix, which is great because that was a big concern of mine, knowing that vitamin C turns so quickly. You spend all this money on a vitamin C product, and you’re trying to use it really fast. The one thing I’ve learned is that airtight packaging is really important for your products, particularly with vitamin C, so I love that this is in an airtight container. I love that you’re mixing the new formulation fresh, so you don’t have to worry. It was also one that my dermatologist recommended, and she herself uses it as well.