Aesop builds its reputation by letting others tell its story
“Aesop” means “storyteller” in Greek, and it’s a fitting name for a cult beauty brand that eschews advertising, relying instead on word of mouth and a well-informed staff trained to focus on highbrow conversation, rather than selling.
The Australian line is known for its attention to detail and no-nonsense products that mix unusual botanicals with man-made elements. The company’s mission, according to its website, is to “advocate the use of our formulations as part of a balanced life that includes a healthy diet, sensible exercise, a moderate intake of red wine, and a regular dose of stimulating literature.”
And where might a company such as Aesop open its first Los Angeles store? In a space on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, of course. With four stores in New York City and one in Boston, Aesop opened its first West Coast store on Fillmore Street in San Francisco last December and plans to open at least two other locations in the Marina by the end of the year, as well as a second Los Angeles store, slated to open in December near the new Ace Hotel development in the former United Artists Theater at 9th Street and Broadway.
Aesop had its beginning in Melboune, Australia, in 1987, when hairstylist Dennis Paphitis began blending essential oils and created a shampoo for his salon with a local lab chemist because he could not find one he liked, according to Aesop’s president and general manager for the Americas, Giovanni Lepori. Next, he created the brand’s bestselling hand cream, for use by the in-house manicurist. The products were so successful that Patphitis soon shuttered his salon to focus solely on Aesop.
“The idea from the very beginning was to do something that used the best possible ingredients and really put the money into the research and development and the product, rather than packaging, marketing or advertisements,” says Lepori. “In the beginning, [Paphitis] couldn’t afford it, but we still don’t advertise.”
In something akin to a “slow beauty” movement, Aesop does not have a schedule for new launches and doesn’t create products based on scents or trends. Instead, products are developed organically, as a need or value arises. For example, a staff member who owns horses wanted a cleansing product mild enough for use on animals, leading to the creation of Animal ($39), a gentle cleanser with botanical extracts that deodorize, with antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
While the company uses a high level of natural, plant-based ingredients in their products, they don’t throw around “natural” and “organic” as buzzwords or avoid “chemical” and “man-made.”
“We’re efficacy-based, so we use essential oils for their properties, and the aroma is really an incidental byproduct,” says Lepori. “You need preservatives; otherwise, [the products] would be rotten in two weeks.... If there’s a better ingredient that’s man-made, then we’ll use it. We use the phrase ‘intelligent skin care.’ We respect our customers and we’re very transparent. The whole point is that it’s a face cream; it’s not gonna make you look 20 years younger because that’s not going to happen. The other thing that we’ve always been big on is not pandering to people’s insecurities. We don’t … show a beautiful woman or a face. It’s always graphic or some quirky theme, very tongue-in-cheek; it’s never saying ‘buy me and you’re gonna look fantastic.’ There’s no pretense about it.”
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Where: 15041/4 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
Info: (424) 272-9882
