Aesop isn't like other skincare brands. They avoid glitzy packaging. Their shops are deliberately understated: muted colours, salvaged shelves, cardboard walls or occasionally 'Spitalfields chic'. But because they avoid flashy advertising, too, we often find their products aren't on women's radar. They've been on ours for over 15 years, and Jo's probably the only UK journalist to have visited Aesop's Melbourne HQ not once, not twice but three times. Yesterday, Aesop, co-founder Suzanne Santos was on a flying visit to London to launch the brand's first SPF product, Sage & Zinc Facial Hydrating Cream, with its moderate sun protection 10. (Not enough for the burning midday Aussie sun, but quite enough for cloud-locked London right now, thanks. And FYI, it launches March.)
'I don't know how you British women cope with these extremes of temperature,' Suzanne observed. 'Cold outside, baking hot indoors. I see women slathering on extra moisture - but the most important thing for winter skin is exfoliation and regular face masks, to get rid of dead cell build-up.' That's something Beauty Bible has always preached, too - but always worth repeating. (While bearing in mind the watchword, when it comes to exfoliation: 'Gently does it...') Since Suzanne's probably her own best advertisement for Aesop's skincare, any woman could do well to follow her advice.
So: if a glance in the mirror reveals skin that's dull and grey as the day out there, it's definitely time to become a scrubber.
www.aesop.com
