REWILDING THE SKIN

Esse founder Trevor Steyn explains how the pioneering South African biotechnology brand uses probiotics to help optimise skin health.

For those luxury spas considering ways to enhance their treatment menu or recalibrate their product offering, professional organic biotech brand Esse Skincare can provide an innovative and forward-facing approach.

The South African professional salon brand was founded in 2002 by biochemist, Trevor Steyn, who adopted a ‘skin wellness’ approach built on a highly scientific basis.

From its rural roots in Richmond, KZN, Esse has gone on to establish itself as a global pioneer in the organic skincare industry, positioning itself at the forefront of microbiome skincare.

One of Esse’s most notable achievements is its launch of the Live Probiotic Serum – aworld-first in skincare. Containing 50 million live probiotic microbes per drop, this serum actively shapes the skin’s ecosystem and improves skin function.

Aiming to create an environment in which the skin is ‘rewilded’ to allow the return of its natural biodiversity, Esse specialises in the use of probiotics to deliver optimal skin health.

“We cater for INTELLIGENT CLIENTS WHO want to AGE GRACEFULLY through the use of SCIENCE-DRIVEN SKINCARE that also has MINIMAL IMPACT on the ENVIRONMENT. ”

Certified organic, cruelty-free and vegan, the bio-clinical challenger brand supports fair trade and operates a carbon and plastic-neutral business policy.

We asked Steyn to explain how Esse products can form an integral part of a long-term skin health programme to heal a comprehensive range of concerns.

Tell us what makes Esse unique?

We were among the first skincare lines to drive real research into the skin microbiome, and we achieved excellent anti-ageing results from the live probiotic products we developed. Esse is one of the few brands that take a long-term view on skin health. We don’t believe in damaging the skin in pursuit of short-term results, or in damaging the planet in the pursuit of profit. We believe in creating an indefinitely sustainable solution in skincare that outperforms the competition in the long term.

For many spa guests, skin health is now a high priority. How does Esse support them?

Over the last year, we have seen many professional brands moving more into the retail space or online sales. We, however, are looking for ways to move in the opposite direction. I think the professional skincare sector has a great future and we’re working on new offerings that are exclusive to therapists and cannot be sold online.

Covid-19 has changed the way that people think. There is a greater focus on long-term health now that the consequences of being unhealthy have become more obvious. There is also more attention being paid to the environmental impact of our choices.

What do Esse products offer to those who use them?

People buy our products because they expect anti-ageing results that are at least as good as – or better than – our competitors. Our job is to give them these results in a way that is also sustainable for their skin. We are seeking clients who will stay with us for life because of the results they see.

How does Esse bring added value to the spa experience?

Over the years, we’ve built a series of protocols that take the skin microbiome into greater consideration. The most recent is the Esse Live Probiotic Experience. In the introduction to this facial, the client can see the live probiotic bacteria being added to their skin, as well as to a mask that is applied. This helps get the message across that the skin is an ecosystem and we are bringing back microbes that nature would normally have given us. It really is unique among professional treatments.

You’ve described sebum as ‘the elixir of youth’. What exactly do you mean by this?

I’m a chemist, so I may have a different view on our natural skin oils, but when you look at them carefully, you realise how amazing they really are.

The best analogy I can think of is that trying to copy human sebum is a lot like attempting to copy human breast milk. From a chemistry point of view, it is impossible to give a child better nutrition than its mother can provide naturally. It is the same for the skin. Human skin oils are strange in comparison to those of other animals and we should minimise disruption of this incredibly valuable resource. To give you one example, our sebum contains large amounts of Sapienic Acid. Humans are the only mammals that produce this, which is why it was named after our species, ‘Homo sapiens’.

What is Esse’s position when it comes to sustainability?

When Esse was created, we wanted to provide an alternative to ‘business as usual.’ Whenever that phrase is used, I just hear everything being justified in terms of profit. Making money is placed ahead of the environment and the long-term health of the client. Product cost is driven down to a minimum and the money is spent on advertising to increase sales.

I don’t think this is necessary. We have been able to remain certified -organic and Carbon-neutral. We are also plastic-neutral, so for every kilogramme of plastic that we use, we recover and recycle a kilogramme from the ocean.

What innovations are you working on for the future?

We have been working hard on new product lines that will be available exclusively to therapists. Recently, we expanded our offering into the medical aesthetics channel and will be launching another product line in July this year - agenuinely personalised approach. It involves a prescription built by the therapist for each individual client. While we are not the first to enter this space, I believe we have resolved some key issues that other brands haven’t.