I GOT IT FROM MY MAMA
(and my grandma, too) To unearth the inspiration behind a business that nurtures the health of our skin, mind, body and planet, I look back at the humble beginnings of Tropic Founder and CEO, Susie Ma, in conversation with (and about) the remarkable women who helped her sow the Tropic seed. By Florence Reeves-White
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s I set up my recording equipment, close all my ‘how to make pizza dough from scratch’ tabs and ready myself for our Zoom interview (not to be confused with its tedious relative, the Zoom quiz), Susie and her mum are already chatting away. I discern some complimenting of clothes (waist up, of course) and a few giggles about justgot-out-of-bed hair. There’s a current of joy, comfort and ease that even the stilted nature of the video format can’t cut through. The first thing I notice (again, try as it might, my pixelated screen can’t mask it) is their enviably luminous skin. Although evidently, some good genetics are at play here, I want to delve deeper into some family secrets – how do Susie and her mum, Shu Mei, keep the complexions with which they were blessed, consistently looking their best? “Thank you!” Shu Mei replies as I tell her how well she looks. “That’s one thing Susie’s grandma has always taught us both. Our skin is our first
impression and our best protection, so we have to look after it in the same way that we look after what’s inside, too.” Born in Shanghai, Susie grew up around her grandmother, who talked of how toxic chemicals – absorbed by the body through the environment, diet, medication and personal care products – affect our health and wellbeing. “Grandma really is where it all began, isn’t she?” Susie confirms with her mum. “She was a medicinal chemist and toxicologist, after originally training to be a surgeon. She’s always been a big advocate for only using natural products on our faces and bodies – this usually involves a lot of plant oils and glycerin – and I never saw her buy any cosmetics when we lived in China.” “That’s right,” Shu Mei interjects. “She swears by a few drops of plant oils massaged into the face regularly for maintaining supple, radiant skin. But the massaging itself is an important part for her.
