With all eyes on the Norwegian royal family as Märtha-Louise and shaman Durek Verrett tie the knot this weekend, we get to know daughter Leah Behn – and her entrepreneurial beauty streak
When I catch up with Leah Behn, she’s fresh from her catwalk debut at Oslo Runway, where she opened the show for sustainable brand Murlong Cres wearing an ankle-skimming white dress with ribbon details. “It was incredible, it was so new and exciting, I feel like I learned a lot,” she enthuses, dressed simply in a black blazer, white top and small hoop earrings, with a bouncy blowdry and minimal make-up. “It was a little scary but you just have to own it!”
Stepping out of her comfort zone is what has led Behn here. The 19-year-old daughter of Princess Märtha-Louise of Norway and her late ex-husband Ari Behn was one of the first adopters of TikTok back in 2018, spending hours after school perfecting make-up looks and then posting them as tutorials for her school friends. “It was kind of scary,” she shares. “When you’re that young, being first, and posting something that all your classmates will see. But I’m glad I didn’t let that hold me back, because I wouldn’t be here today if I had!”
Fast-forward to today and Behn has a combined reach of over 600,000 on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with her 'GRWM' videos racking up over a million views. Signed to Norway’s leading influencer agency, Kontent – whose other clients include Anniken E. Jørgensen, Emma Ellingsen and Tale Torp Torjussen – she’s recently launched her first business, a beauty brand called Dorah, after her middle name Isadora.
Photo: Robin Boe
Photo: Robin Boe
Launched on 22 August, the brand’s hero product is the Dream Cream, an SPF with a very slight tint that epitomises Behn’s skincare-infused-make-up ethos. Available in four shades, it is described as a “hydrating and perfecting skin enhancer”, with SPF 30, and was born from Behn’s frustration with her sensitive skin breaking out after using traditional brands. Sold exclusively at H&M Beauty online in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and in 64 stores in Norway (and Sweden later this autumn), three out of four of the shades sold out within the first 24 hours.
Behn’s family and friends will not have been surprised that she launched a beauty brand – after all, she’s been known for her love of make-up from a young age. “I remember putting eyeshadow all over my face when I was about four-years-old and going down to dinner and being like, ‘look at me!’” she laughs. When she was a teenager, she became obsessed with YouTubers, and would make fake videos of herself talking to the camera. “I’ve always been very intrigued by social media and content creating, editing and filming,” she explains.
Photo: Ole Martina Halverson
Photo: Robin Boe
Unsurprisingly, Behn was closely involved with the aesthetic of the brand, which features simple, clean packaging and fonts – exactly the sort of thing you’d see on an influencer’s “Empties” series or “Bathroom Shelfie”. It was launched with a dreamy Super8 style video as well as a photoshoot by Robin Bøe, who is known for his edgy imagery of musicians like Zara Larsson. “The aesthetic of the brand is so important, it’s the first impression people have of it,” she shares. “I love products that look nice on the vanity so it was important to me for it to be a pretty product too.”
The brand is vegan and cruelty-free, with sustainability at the core of its identity. “It’s produced in Italy with 80 percent post industrial recycled plastic and the paper is 40 percent recycled paper,” she explains proudly. “We fought a lot to be able to create packaging for the Dream Cream that was as environmentally friendly as possible.”
Inclusivity was also key for Behn, which was part of the reason behind launching Dream Cream as a skin enhancer, rather than a tint – budget would not allow for enough shades to make it work for everyone, so that idea was scrapped in favour of something much lighter that could be used by every skin tone. When asked who her ideal face of the brand would be, she’s thoughtful. “I’d like to launch the career of someone unknown,” she posits.
Behn at the Dorah launch celebrations. Photo: Charlotte Aasbie
Photo: Charlotte Aasbie
Photo: Charlotte Aasbie
Behn is inspired by her close circle of friends – which includes influencer Frida Seeman and actor Tale Torp Torjussen – as well as beauty entrepreneurs like Matilda Djerf and Hailey Bieber. “I love that they are doing their thing,” she says. “Women supporting women is great.”
In terms of what’s next for the budding entrepreneur, there are new product launches on the horizon, with plans in place from now until mid-2025 already. Could haircare or fragrance be in Dorah’s future? “We’re gonna go into make-up first,” she says coyly, “But I don’t know what the future will hold, but definitely it might happen…”
This weekend, Behn’s mother will marry her long-time beau, Shaman Durek at a ceremony in the village of Geiranger in Norway. Will the bride be wearing Dream Cream? We’d bet on it.
Dorah is available online in Norway, Sweden and Finland and in H&M stores in Norway now.