The Invisible Details – Interview with Suzanne Santos, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer AESOP

WORDS: AMY SESSIONS

The Invisible Details

Suzanne Santos, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer of AESOP has a meticulous eye for detail and an incredible sense of what it takes to build a global brand, subtly

What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? My day almost always begins with a long walk, before which I like to prepare my skin to face the day. The skin on the face is more delicate than that of the rest of the body and it is exposed to our environs constantly. For both these reasons, we need to treat it with care and respect; and the breadth of Aesop’s cleansing range is testament to the importance we place upon this simple everyday act. A gentle but disciplined approach helps to purify the skin and maintain its natural balance.

We have just had summer in Australia, which is very dry and hot. To support my skin in these conditions I would use something like Amazing Face Cleanser, a product with long history in our range which is suitably effective in lifting and removing excess sebum and surface impurities. I would then tone, moisturize and apply Protective Facial Lotion SPF25 to support my skin in the sun. What is at the heart of AESOP, the DNA? Our approach to skincare has always been fiercely independent. We take meticulous tants, and an aesthetic anchored not only to our sensibility but also to local culture, traditions and materials. Staying afloat in today’s consumer society is about staying true to your values. We have found our voice by operating outside of industry norms and honing the simple pleasures of honest communication, exceptional customer service and products that are backed by science. Tell us how your past experiences led you to co-found your own brand? I grew up with a family that paid attention to a good diet with a focus on whole food and a healthy lifestyle. Thereafter I studied sociology at university and then travelled outside Australia. Finally, I became a parent. All these experiences combined with an engaged life contributed to the beginning of Aesop. Being engaged in the community and enjoying the pleasure of conversations also assisted the creation of a customer focused brand. We also began in a world where much of what defined cosmetics was poorly formulated and executed, so a creative approach was eagerly embraced by the first customers. How did you know you were ready to make the leap and launch your own brand? Aesop was established with an anticonformist approach. When we first began 35 years ago, very few beauty companies were using essential oils, however our founder Dennis understood these botanical ingredients and the remarkable ways they could support the skin. He initially pioneered the use of essential oils in formulations to treat colour-damaged hair, and from this work grew a modest hair and body care range. By 1991, we were ready to start developing exceptional skincare products. The sink demonstration has long been at the core of the Aesop experience. Back when we started, we had very limited access to sinks, so I used bowls and replenished them with fresh water for each customer. Aesop was different, because the experience wasn’t just about explaining the benefits of each product – it was about the need to feel and smell the aroma of our products. Working with the imagination, and nourishing the totality of the senses, was the best way for people to understand us. These demonstrations deeply resonated with our customers; that is why the sink remains the pivotal being of Aesop to this day. Have you had any mentors along the way and if so, what has been the best advice they have imparted to you? Pursuing skincare alone without supporting it with great decisions around food and lifestyle is nothing more than a waste of time. The results of cutting corners with your physical and mental health will catch up quickly. Feeling fantastic, is visible and tangibly supports your skin. I don’t remember from whom this came, however I grew up in a home where food mattered as did exercise and reading. The foundation of my life was led this way, as was the selfresponsibility that promoted. care to create formulations of premium ef- How do the creative and commercial sides ficacy and sensory pleasure through solid of the business work together and do you science. We will never stray from focusing feel particularly drawn to one side of the on products that are formulated with our business? A creative sensibility underpins customers’ needs in mind. Above all, our all that we do at Aesop – not only our colstores and counters are the embodiment of laborations with artists, artisans and arour philosophy, and our approach to retail chitects, but also our approach to hosting service. Architecturally speaking, no two and the formulation of our products. We Aesop spaces are ever the same, but when a believe that good design improves lives and customer enters any door around the world, implement this ethos in every aspect of the they encounter the familiar: the products on company, from product packaging to inteour shelves, the knowledge, gracious hospi- rior architecture. The creative and the comtality and service extended by our consul- mercial at Aesop are therefore intertwined.

Overall, this approach underscores our commitment to a balanced approach to life – one that regards creative pursuits and intellectual curiosity as integral to a life well-lived. The brand is known as much for its ingredients as its aesthetic. Was combining the power of both a key strategy from the outset? In a way, our ingredients and ‘aesthetic’ feed into each other. The amber bottles we use, reminiscent of a 20th century pharmacy, were no longer widely used in the industry when we first started the business. Our primary intention has always been to ensure the quality of the contents; the vessels must be functional, minimalist and humble. We are attentive to aesthetics, but the amber bottles’ main purpose is to protect our products from light, therefore making them last longer.

When it comes to ingredients, the strength of our approach relies on combining the best that plants and science have to offer, mixing generous doses of botanical extracts with laboratory-made ingredients. Beyond the quality of our formulations, we also take great pride in the skilled, knowledgeable and gracious hosting extended by our consultants to an ever more diverse audience across the globe. How important is honing in on the finer details to building a business? Honing in on the details is the most important thing you can do as a business – this is how you find out what matters most to you, how you find your voice and how you stay true to yourself.

Though there have been many attempts to imitate our approach, none can match the formulations, sensibility and attention to detail that distinguish what we do – or our unique approach to hosting our customers, or the calibre of the service we provide to them. Our dedication to detail is what defines us. How do you implement such detail when it comes to customer experience? 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 service from consultants of the highest calibre and knowledge. 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 the ritualistic hallmark of the Aesop consultation. What has been the biggest challenge since launching the brand and how did you overcome it? We have always strived to deliver exceptional service to our customers, though the COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge to our approach. While we could no longer see each other or host our customers in store, the events of the last two years also created opportunities for us to connect with our customers through new avenues. During this time, we began to offer Live Assistance and Virtual Consultations via our website, as well as Click & Collect and Call & Collect services as a safer way for our customers to experience our retail locations, while maintaining our commitment to impeccable service. This offering will only expand in the future, allowing our customers to engage with us in whichever way is most convenient and agreeable to them, ultimately strengthening our bond. Meanwhile internally at Aesop, despite the challenges, we have worked in incredible unity and harmony. We were always a harmonious group of individuals across 26 countries and numerous languages. The design to hold each other tight has absolutely been the home of innovation for us during this period, and it’s been the safety net that’s held us all together. How has social media affected the business and which platform has been most useful? As a brand that focusses on the needs of our customer, social media is another medium for us to connect with them and serve them. It is our digital language and gives us the opportunity to share our values on an ongoing basis and grow a community that shares those values. Social Media has not necessarily ‘affected’ our business, it is simply part of our business and has become another medium through which we can communicate our authentic self. Through social media, the story of anything happening in one store can be told globally, such as ongoing sustainability efforts: support of under-

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“Staying afloat in today’s consumer society is about staying true to your values.”

represented voices with Radiomatique, and passion for design with store photography. All platforms serve a purpose as long as we feel we are connecting to a customer. We have taken time to cultivate a presence globally and communicate in multiple languages across all platforms. Do you see any buying trends globally in terms of products and if so which? A longterm approach to supporting skin health has always been at the heart of Aesop. With the pandemic, however, I noticed a real change in people’s understanding of this mentality. Before, people would perform their skincare rituals as quickly as possible, without giving much thought to the ingredients they applied and where they came from. The various lockdowns endured around the globe, for many people offered a pause, and we now look at the products in our bathroom cabinets with much greater consideration. We now give further thought to the purpose behind each product, as well as its ingredients. As part of this, I think people are now much more open minded to the idea that that tending to the health of the skin is an ongoing endeavour, rather than a case of quick fixes or ‘end results’. We invite our customers to embrace a process and approach of continuous – but gentle – care and support, giving ongoing attention to their skin and understanding its individual needs. This attentiveness requires time and space, but there is so much joy to be found in shutting out the noise and really connecting with our skin as it passes through the seasons, if only for a few moments each day. Which are your personal favourite products and why? For me, a key product that exemplifies Aesop’s innovation and respect for ingredients is Sublime Replenishing Night Masque, which was designed as an alternative to sheet masques, without the waste. It’s a richly hydrating facial treat for skin in need, boosted with Vitamins B, C, E and F to even, nourish and replenish. Sublime is extra special because this is Aesop’s first product that incorporates Vitamin F, which is an essential vitamin. This means it is a substance the body cannot produce itself and must be obtained through dietary sources or topical application. How do you implement the finer details into your own life? Thoughtfully, the finest qualities in life are the most well considered of simple pleasures. Self-care whether physical, intellectual, or emotional defines real attention. Making decisions to favour early morning exercise, focusing on reading as a daily pleasure and the giving of yourself to others truly rewards. The joy of homecooked food, made of love, feeds the soul, as does stopping to smell flowers, walking on beaches, and seeking the vision of nature whenever you can. By clinging to quality in whatever decisions I make, this has enhanced the joy of living.