Exclusive: Suzanne Santos on Aesop’s Reinvented Serum and the Meaning of a Life Well-Lived
What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of the brand Aesop? For us, it’s ‘orderly’ — the disciplined nature of its stores, products, and order of skincare for all its ranges. Pronounced “ee-sop”, the brand established itself as one for formulations designed with sensory pleasure in mind. If you’re one for therapeutic solutions, chances are — you’re probably already a regular at your nearest Aesop store.
In this exclusive interview — or rather, casual sit down on Zoom — with Aesop’s co-founder Suzanne Santos, we unravelled the beauty of our mutual love for Aesop’s first store at Emporium Melbourne, Australia, Aesop’s legacy as a name in skincare, the newly relaunched Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum, and Santos’ personal thoughts on “a life well-lived.”
Tell us about the iconic Emporium store in Melbourne and how it paved the way for Aesop.
There’s something about coming into a store like Emporium. And that is a very beautiful store. It’s the best of Aesop in that ability to keep the lights low, to keep the music high, to keep the customer flow so that you can look at different stations and be in conversation. It's the dream. It is the dream store.
For me, that’s the parts of us that are probably the dearest to me. That idea of everything being there for the customer. Everything being shaped, designed, curated. All the money spent is on that experience and then that of our colleagues who work in that environment. Working or being together in a place that just makes everyone feel comfortable. That's a great example.
When we opened that first store, we were absolutely overwhelmed by customers and for a year it was, it was absolute chaos in there, especially at high traffic times. It was quite incredible how many people discovered us there for the first time. Despite how many years we've been there.
You’ve recently relaunched the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum with a new formulation. Can you tell us a little bit about the history behind the product and why you decided to rework the formula?
It was a very heart-stopping moment for the company to actually launch this new product. The original Parsley Seed was born in complete innocence of what it would become. It was born into a world where we were still a very small company using the kind of technology then.
I don't know if you know this, but we introduced the word serum. The word serum was not a common term when we began. People sold creams and they used a different kind of language then. There were a few iterations around serums, but a serum then was a layer of product that separated a toner from what came next. So the opportunity for us was to rework the formula.
There is far too much that we now know that is now available, that couldn't be ignored for the safe hanging on to something, even though the transition will affect some people in a disappointing way. But I don't believe anyone should be disappointed because we have an exceptional product.
Why should the serum be an essential item in every Singaporean’s skincare routine?
This is what people all over Singapore want. What both women and men want in their skincare. And the expectation that you will spend money on something, for which you will feel and see. The quality for that experience. So the new serum is a product of great strength. I only imagine the following that it will take up. I also think it will be a product that people will talk about.
It is a texture that is surprising I think at first application — I'm talking about my own experience in my own bathroom — and the gratification that it brings, because products should bring gratification. The expectation you should have is that whether you're cleansing, whether you're toning, whether you’re exfoliating, whatever you're doing — that when you close your eyes and you put on that product, that there's something about that that simply feels fantastic. And this is an exquisite example of that.
What specific part of the formulation targets skin concerns of city dwellers?
The core of the entire range is antioxidants, so that's where the formula begins. That conversation, for us, is a very old one and a necessity now that people understand. The inflammation that does oxidization on the skin, which we talked about 18 years ago. And it probably, to be frank, went over the top of lots of people’s heads. Not as in they couldn't understand, but because no one else was talking about it so it seemed like an almost far-fetched concept. So the beginning of a formula as critical as this is the original ingredient, which is the Parsley Seed.
I think using the Red Algae, which we've used before, to build the calibre of people’s skin is also very critical. And the understanding of the impact of people who live and work at pace — because city dwellers are really about living and working at a pace. If you don't get enough skin, you're going to oxidize. When you're laying in air conditioning, you're going to oxidize. The food that we eat creates inflammation. The tension that we build from a workplace perspective, all of those things have an impact on the skin and so in terms of city dwellers, this is a product to support a life and the range is about supporting your skin, for the life that we all live. It's real, it's tangible, and it's science.
How do you recommend one to integrate this serum into their current skincare routine?
You can use it every day as a drop-dead amazing moisturizer. You can add Parsley Seed to actually lay and sleep, and add some more boosters into it. You can use it if you travel, if you come to Australia in winter like a day like this, and use it as a serum in that traditional way.
I think its greatest marriage is with Lucent (another range of Aesop’s). I think it’s greatest relationship is with Lucent because Lucent is the first layer in terms of dense, impactful vitamin C and then this second layer. The two work as if you have nothing on your face and yet you've got so much on your face. There's something about that’s very addictive and very alluring.
So the formula is a dynamic decision to introduce dynamic ingredients to supplement and strengthen the power of the Parsley Seed and to accommodate a world where people need more in any number of ways. They need more to nourish themselves. And this is our contribution to the more.
When you say your products are developed with “sensory pleasure in mind,” what exactly does this mean?
That is only meaningful to me, to be really honest with you, in the context of the quantities of the oils we use. For the efficacy to be realized, for the outcome to be aromatic. Many brands now use essential oils, but they don't have the dynamic tone at a sensory level. It's the oils you choose and how much you use, so that's what that comment means to me. It means impact on the individual. Not a sense of formulation which works for anyone, for any other reason than for you, the customer. That it's been made with the greatest of consciousness knowing what it takes to push it over the line. And also, the ingredients that are all combined to create this depth of aroma that does make people feel safe to return to. That combined with the efficacy is memorable for people.
Ultimately, a product is about that experience at your sink. That impact on your face and how you actually feel having used that product. What you see about your skin, what you feel about your hands, how your scalp feels, how you make a decision about which perfume to determine that individual who was you. Making products for individuals to live a life where they can feel that individuality and they can just enjoy.
People often associate Aesop with its aromatic products.
It is fascinating that we have 120 products that are profoundly aromatic, but no intention but as a byproduct of the ingredients that are chosen, and then we have perfumes. That gratification that I just referred to is in some part, for you, that aroma.
When you put that on your face — that familiarity, that comfort, and that feel good feeling is going to come back to you. This product I think will satisfy many people’s physical need, especially in a climate like your own. Not just a climate, but in a climate that has consequences on the skin. And a climate where any kind of weight is immediately uncomfortable and not going to work. So it's as if it's being crafted for heat and humidity. It can be used all year round, but it certainly is a product for you and for our time.
What does wellness mean to you and how has it changed the way you live your life?
I don’t usually use that term. I would rather use the idea of a life well-lived because a life well-lived has for me greater depth. Wellness is being hijacked by all kinds of thinking and it can be a little bit superficial. A life well-lived, whatever element of your life where you're referring to, that seems like a strong commitment to the quality of who you are and how you impact the world.
What are some of your favourite Aesop products and what would your beauty routine with Aesop look like?
I try a lot of products that are yet to be launched and are in the process of being formulated. In all sincerity, I have been asking myself to stop using this combination of Lucent and Parsley Seed because I am addicted to it and I do need to use other things.
But generally, I make decisions about what I need to use. The type of cleanser. What foaming product I am going to use? A gel or a cream? Based on what I feel. Do I need more? Have I had a ragged day? Have I not had enough sleep? What am I trying to almost recover my skin from?
I wash my face every single night and I spend a few seconds. I've always put Remove (another range of Aesop’s) into any cleanser I use. I absolutely love Remove. I think Remove is the most exquisite product. It is just a great addition to cleansing.
I find the romance with products like our Fabulous Face Oil — the romance of the aroma, the romance of the ingredients. I remain forever committed to that. I've put it into Lucent. I began blending in my bathroom, and so I do tend to blend a great deal. I put a squeeze of Parsley Seed mask into cleanses as well.
Blending the mask of the cleanser and some of the Remove together and putting it on your face and just doing something relaxing. I find when I take it off, there is a depth to cleansing. It's not like a facial, but it's close to it.
Sublime is a genius product. The idea of throwing something on your face, going to bed and waking up, and you actually can feel the impact. That is a masterful product that speaks to everything that people want. No effort. It's great for men, that product.
