Avant Ascending: The skincare brand moving from cult favourite to serious clinical player.

A year on from Hood’s event with Avant, the brand has stepped up its game. December brings a sell-out-in-waiting advent calendar, a new George Street clinic and the appointment of dermatologist Dr Emma McMullan as brand’s UK-based ambassador. Here is the state of play and why it matters.

Avant’s momentum, explained

Avant has never been short on ambition, but the last twelve months have been a clear shift from aspiration to execution. The brand has tightened its focus on performance, expanded its offering and invested in expertise backed by clinical trials. The strategy is paying off. Products at the heart of the brand now anchor a more authoritative skin health proposition grounded in results, and this winter marks a turning point.

The advent calendar that will not hang around

Avant’s 12-day calendar is priced competitively yet loaded with the brand’s heavy hitters. Hydrating serums, peptide-rich creams, brightening formulas and proper workhorse textures. It gives readers a straight route into the range without the usual gamble of miniature products that look pretty but deliver little. Previous calendars have sold out fast. This one is widely tipped to go the same way. It hits the luxury mark without tipping into the silly money territory that alienates most people.

The capital gets a clinic

The central Edinburgh, George Street opening is the real power move. A primarily online brand building a bricks-and-mortar clinic in the Scottish capital signals confidence and permanence. It means access to trained practitioners who understand the full product system and can offer treatment plans shaped around real skin issues not fleeting trends. For Scottish customers, it is a welcome shift from having to travel to London for anything positioned as clinical skincare.

Expect consultations, targeted treatments and a space designed to underline the brand’s push into evidence-based beauty. It also gives Hood readers something rare: a credible, central city clinic that is accessible, not intimidating.

Dr Emma McMullan joins the fold

Bringing consultant dermatologist Dr Emma McMullan on board as brand ambassador is a strategic upgrade. She has decades of medical experience and a strong NHS background. Her involvement positions Avant firmly at the science-led end of the skincare spectrum. This is not borrowed authority. It is a clear statement: formulations must stand up to clinical scrutiny, not just marketing claims.

For readers who increasingly want brands to be transparent and grounded in expertise, her presence matters. It signals that Avant is done with the noise and is focusing on efficacy.

Why this matters for Hood readers

Skincare consumers in Scotland are sharp. They want products that work, not empty promises. Avant’s direction speaks to that appetite. The advent calendar offers an affordable entry point. The clinic brings proper access to knowledgeable practitioners. The dermatologist ambassador adds rigour. It is luxury that earns its price tag, not justifies it with branding.

This is the kind of story that tells people where beauty is going next: clinically led, locally relevant and still enjoyable to use. Avant is shaping up to be one of the few brands managing to balance all three.