Exclusive! Co-Founder of Aesop, Suzanne Santos Speaks on How Wellness Leads to Beauty
We speak to Suzanne Santos, co-founder of Aesop, in an exclusive interview on how the ‘Less is More’ philosophy informs the brand’s direction, the “miracle ingredients” in their formulas and their aspirations as a regenerative company.
They say that the state of our skin reflects our overall well-being. Your latest breakout might be caused by the extra stress you’ve been under at work lately. And if your diet includes a lot of sugary and processed foods, your skin may even be more prone to inflammation and premature aging.
That is exactly what Aesop wants to spotlight with their latest pop-up at Fort Canning Park. Titled ‘Khronos: a Skin Odyssey’, the brand has transformed two spaces at the iconic park in the heart of Singapore to highlight the impact that a balanced lifestyle can have on our appearance, especially on our skin. With the idea of Khronos (the Greek word for time), the Australian-born brand demonstrates the power of taking our time with our skincare. In the whirlwind climate of the beauty industry, it is easy to get swept up by the many, many brands out there that are constantly releasing new products that promise bigger and better results in the blink of an eye.
Aesop’s ‘Khronos: a Skin Odyssey’ aims to to show visitors the benefits of being slow and deliberate with our skincare choices. We’re aiming for quality here, not quantity. Ahead, we chat with Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Aesop, Suzanne Santos. She reveals the Aesop philosophy that has allowed them to grow a cult following from their humble beginnings in St Kilda, and how sustainability and circularity are critical aspects of the brand, imperative to its past successes and its future.
Aesop is staging the pop-up ‘Khronos: a Skin Odyssey’ at Fort Canning Park, which focuses on a balanced, healthy lifestyle that works hand-in-hand with skincare. How does a purposeful lifestyle work alongside Aesop’s ideology as a skincare brand?
At Aesop we believe in an uncomplicated approach to skin care, focusing on supporting the health of the skin by addressing its current condition and identifying products that will unequivocally meet its needs. We speak not to age or gender, but to the more pertinent matter of how your skin feels and behaves in response to environmental conditions, hormonal fluctuations, your diet, how well you sleep, and other influential factors.
In addition, we advocate the daily use of our formulations as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle that includes a nutritious diet, daily exercise, and a hearty intake of good literature, as a vital corollary for the products you apply topically to be truly effective.
How do your partnerships with fitness studio ALLY Singapore and recovery facility Sphere bring this concept to life?
To promote the importance of a healthy, balanced lifestyle in achieving healthy skin, we are pleased to host a series of nourishing workshops with our like-minded partners for city dwellers who would like to take a moment from their hectic lives to embark on a sensorial journey in the middle of Singapore’s iconic Fort Canning Park to reset and focus on their wellbeing.
Fitness studio ALLY Singapore will be hosting a rejuvenating Mat Pilates session that focuses on breathwork, as well as a mix of muscle toning and lengthening exercises that will leave you feeling energised and ready to take on the day.
Sphere’s Sound Journey will begin the session with an awareness practice to tune into your mind and body, followed by a soundbath to guide you into a deep meditative state to explore the concept of equanimity.
Since its founding more than 30 years ago, how has Aesop evolved as a brand?
For thirty-six years we have adhered to a fiercely independent approach to skin care, marked by an unwavering commitment to quality — aiming to create products of premium efficacy and sensory pleasure through solid science, delivered in uncomplicated packaging and with a touch of humour.
Our company has evolved from launching one store in St Kilda, Melbourne, to having a retail presence in over twenty countries around the world. We began with just four products in 1987 and now the Aesop range comprises more than 100 formulations, with skincare accounting for almost half of those. And having begun our business with just a few passionate individuals, we now employ more than 2,000 people globally.
While Aesop has always sought to tread lightly on the environment — for example eschewing outer packaging of individual products, where not legally required — we are now on a more deliberate journey towards having a positive effect on the environment and becoming a truly regenerative company. As the business grows, our approach to design continues to evolve, along with our ethical and sustainable sourcing of materials. We aim to become net zero and fully circular by 2030. We actively seek to understand our environmental impacts both within the organisation and across our value chain, and take steps to drastically reduce them. This is not without its challenges, but we are continuously improving our practices with integrity and transparency. So far, our progress has led to Aesop becoming a Certified B Corporation™.
We found our voice by operating outside industry norms, and have maintained a commitment to customer service of the highest calibre, distinguished by honesty, warm hospitality and an extensive body of knowledge — hosting each customer much as we would a guest in our own homes. We anticipate long-term relationships with them, in which we will continue to meet their needs as their skin changes over time. It is our heartfelt belief that the experience of being a customer can and should be so much more than an emotionless exchange.
Aesop has always moved against the grain, ignoring elaborate packaging and celebrity endorsements. Instead, the brand has focused on releasing limited products that work well. How does the concept of ‘Less is More’ find itself entwined with Aesop?
We focus our efforts on the contents of the jar rather than elaborate presentation, celebrity endorsements or disingenuous promises. The idea is to launch fewer but better products, ignoring industry trends to focus on creating timeless formulations that serve a genuine purpose rather than create an artificial need — or, worse, prey on customers’ insecurities.
In the press release, it says Aesop “highlights the potency of individual ‘miracle ingredients’”, what are some ingredients that you’d categorise in that department and how do Aesop’s formulas accentuate them?
In any Aesop product, each ingredient is carefully selected for the benefits it offers to the skin. Vitamin C, found for instance in Lucent Facial Concentrate and B Triple C Balancing Gel, is an anti-oxidant known for its balancing properties and role in supporting skin suppleness and resilience. A potent yet lightweight serum enriched with Vitamins B, C and E, Exalted Eye Serum delivers targeted and sustained hydration to the delicate skin surrounding the eyes. Lightweight and rapidly absorbed, Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum forms a breathable, non-occlusive film to help guard against airborne particulates.
How do the different elements in the brands’ stores work to give customers the full Aesop experience?
In terms of design, we seek sincere and authentic solutions, stripping away everything that feels too obvious or literal; it is our aim to stimulate all the senses and keep a healthy balance between mind and body. Wherever possible, we retain original features and add something of value. We strive to support and engage with the neighbourhoods we enter, and to become a part of the social fabric.
The experience within any Aesop store, and our relationship with our customers, is never a simply transactional one: it is also educational, prescriptive and sensorial. We host our customers in calm, warm, comforting spaces that look, feel and smell good — each store a restorative haven of visual harmony where they can sit and have some tea if they wish, and receive informed advice from our trained consultants.
We have a meaningful conversation with each of our customers to understand their concerns, skin type, environment and preferred textures. We invite them to explore the formulations with us: demonstrating each product at the sink, allowing customers to experience how it feels on their skin, has become a hallmark of the Aesop consultation.
Aesop puts a lot of care into selecting each of their locations. With 8 stores in Singapore, how do Aesop’s sensibilities sit alongside the local culture here?
A creative sensibility underpins all that we do — not only our collaborations with artists, artisans and architects but also our approach to hosting and the formulation of our products. We believe that good design improves lives, and implement this ethos in every aspect of the company, from product packaging to interior architecture.
Whether situated on a street or within a retail centre, each Aesop space is unique in its design, offering respite from what is often a crowded, hurried and noisy retail environment. However, the differences between the surrounds and our interiors are often more pronounced in large complexes. With all Aesop spaces, we aim to add something of quality and value to the locale, and to deliver exceptional service through our consultants’ gracious hospitality and extensive product knowledge.
In creating our spaces, we often work with experts who are skilled in the use of particular materials and techniques, and partner with architects and designers who excel in their fields. Consequently, no two Aesop stores are the same—each is a response to the distinctive characteristics of its location.
For example, the second iteration of Aesop Raffles City is a poetic interpretation of Singaporean life created with longstanding collaborators Marsollier Villacorta LLC. Here, objects common to the city’s urban hardscapes are transformed into elements of the store design.
Thermoformed plastic sauce bottles, trays and chairs—ubiquitous in the countless eateries of the metropolis—are translated as shelves and shared basins moulded from a resin that can be renewed and repaired over the years. The polished metal tables of such establishments, as well as the reflective phone booths and handrails of Singapore’s streets, are reimagined as a Fragrance Armoire and an individual basin in crisp stainless steel.
Could you recommend the best products to combat the humid and erratic weather in Singapore?
Lucent Facial Concentrate
Belonging to Aesop’s Skin Care+ range of potent formulations that deliver generous doses of skin-supportive vitamins and complementary botanicals, Lucent Facial Concentrate provides sustained hydration and balancing benefits with a deceptively lightweight texture. Vitamins C and B3 help to even the appearance of the skin, while Sodium Carrageenan boosts hydration, leaving the face and neck smooth and with a matte finish. Meanwhile, oils of Frankincense, Rose Otto and Sandalwood provide further nourishment, while also lending a delicately balanced aroma of florals and woods.
A succinct solution to the everyday needs of the skin, Lucent Facial Concentrate may be adapted to different regimens and climates to maintain optimal skin condition. In warm, humid weather, or for those with oily or combination skin types, this rapidly absorbed serum makes the perfect standalone hydrator. During the winter months, or for those with drier skin types, the featherlight texture means that it can be layered under a chosen moisturiser for further hydration.
Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum
With increased awareness of the influence of our environment and how this may impact the skin’s condition, we identified an opportunity to build in additional layers of efficacy to support and complement the product’s antioxidant benefits. Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum—which is suitable for most skin types including sensitive — does not merely confer anti-oxidant-enriched hydration: it also imparts a light, non-occlusive film to help minimise deposition of skin-aggravating particulates and facilitate their removal. Extracts of Caesalpinia Spinosa (Tara Gum) and Kappaphycus Alvarezi (Red Algae) work in concert to deliver this breathable but nonetheless efficacious film, imperceptibly safeguarding the skin.
What can we expect from Aesop in the future?
Product innovation is and always has been crucial to Aesop’s future success. We will keep expanding our in-house Research and Development team to formulate high-quality products in response to our customers’ needs, while continuing our research into the latest, highest-performing ingredients and packaging materials—all with a keen eye on incorporating circular principles into our product lifecycle. Maintaining a focus on product innovation will be key in our evolution towards becoming a truly regenerative business.
