Your Skin Is Not a Surface. It’s an Ecosystem.
Most skincare routines are built around a simplistic idea: strip the skin, then replace what was removed with a synthetic product. It sounds logical. The science of the skin microbiome…
Blog
Discover what’s at the forefront of microbiome skincare and other news from Esse.
The Vitamin D You Can’t Get From a Pill
Most people know that sun exposure produces vitamin D. Fewer people know that vitamin D is only part of what it produces, and that the supplement industry has built an…
The Uncomfortable Truth About ‘Probiotic’ Skincare
Most products labelled as probiotic skincare don’t contain live probiotics. They contain postbiotics, which are heat-killed bacteria or fermented extracts that lack the defining characteristic of a true probiotic: life.…
Your Skin Doesn’t Take Time Off
Holidays are supposed to be restorative. For you, perhaps. For your skin, the reality is more complicated. Different UV levels, a new climate, the drying effect of cabin air, and…
The 3 Root Causes of Accelerated Ageing
Of course, there are many lifestyle and environmental factors that cause accelerated skin ageing. UV damage, diet, air pollution, chronic stress, lack of sleep, and hormonal disruption are among the…
Beyond the Treatment: Why Aesthetic Procedures Need Microbiome Support
Aesthetic treatments work through controlled damage. Microneedling, chemical peels, and laser resurfacing all disrupt the skin to trigger repair and renewal. The results can be impressive, but what happens in…
The Truth About Anti-Ageing: Why Modern Life Accelerates Ageing
The skincare industry sells products on the promise that ageing can be stopped. It can’t. Cellular ageing is inevitable, and no product changes that. We’re okay with that. What…
The Skin Microbiome Crisis: We’ve Lost 73% of Our Microbial Defences to Modern Life
Your location determines your skin microbiome. And if you live in a city, you’ve lost most of it. The data Esse’s testing of over 1000 fully sequenced skin…
Conscious Gifting: Sustainable Gift Set for the Festive Season
The festive season tends to blur the line between generosity and consumption. Somewhere between the excessive packaging and products that promise miracles, the meaning gets lost. We wanted to…
Discover the Esse Mist range
The Esse Mist range is an incredible booster product that amplifies your skin routine and improves skincare results. Because our Esse cleansing range doesn’t strip the skin of its…
Live vs Non-Living: Why Live Probiotics Offer Better Skin Benefits
As one of the very first brands to deploy microbiome science in its formulations, Esse has witnessed the encouraging rise in awareness of probiotic skincare recently. As more people…
Shifting your skin’s microbiome
Recent scientific advancements have illuminated the profound impact of the skin microbiome on overall skin health. Disruptions to this delicate ecosystem can lead to various skin conditions, including acne,…
Propionic Acid: The Skin’s Personal Gardener
Discover the benefits of Propionic Acid for skin health. Learn how Esse uses it to support the microbiome, boost hydration, reduce inflammation, and enhance your skin’s natural barrier function.…
Lesser-Known Facts About the Skin Microbiome No One’s Talking About!
Microbiome skincare is all the rage, but with clever marketing behind subpar products, the word “microbiome” risks becoming just another buzzword. In this post, we delve into the fascinating…
70% of the world now has sensitive skin. Find out why.
Your skin is the barrier between you and the outside world. It is the largest organ in your body, with its own microscopic ecosystem – called a microbiome —…
The Esse Concealer: The Perfect Partner for the Esse Foundation
Esse Concealer’s matte finish makes it a perfect complement to the Esse Foundation, which lays down a dewy base for the Concealer to build on. Together, this pair enables…
5 things you need to know to have youthful, resilient skin.
Esse founder Trevor Steyn was recently interviewed by Dr Ekta Yadav, MD MBA MS (Skincare Anarchy). We encourage you to listen to the full version of this enlightening episode…
Can a Concealer for Sensitive Skin Still Provide Flawless Coverage?
Today, over 70% of individuals report experiencing skin sensitivity to some degree. This concerning trend hints at the underlying issues in our modern lifestyles and skincare routines. New research…
Nighttime Skincare Routine: Optimising Skin Health While You Sleep
For skin to be more youthful and resilient, it must first be sustainably healthy. We help you to achieve this by rebalancing the microbiome with products at the forefront…
Esse’s sun-activated serum: make the most of your time in the sun
Sun exposure has risks, as we all know, but the benefits of healthy sun exposure are becoming more widely discussed and acknowledged. A key benefit of sun exposure is…
What does Vitamin D do for my skin?
Our skin is the natural factory for Vitamin D, and it needs healthy levels for some key functions. These include: Controlling cell division Vitamin D controls how cells…
Ageing Gracefully With The Sun: A Dilemma Of Diminishing Returns
One of the major concerns many of us have with sun exposure is that we fear it will make our skin age faster. While there is good reason behind…
Skin and Sunlight: How Much Is Too Much?
We’re constantly reminded of the dangers of sun exposure for our skin health. While it’s important to avoid sun damage, there’s a growing body of evidence showing that sunlight…
Too much sun is damaging to our skin… but so is zero sun
We’re all aware of the risks that come with getting too much sun exposure – increased cancer risks, premature ageing, and chances of hyperpigmentation. But an often-overlooked question is: “Too…
Protect Oil: Clinically Proven To Protect And Repair
Choosing skincare products can be challenging in today’s world. In a marketplace full of claims (many of which lack credibility), how do you choose skincare that you can be…
Vitamin D: supplement or sunshine?
Vitamin D: supplement or sunshine? To understand what is healthy for you, it’s often worth asking yourself: “What is my body designed for?” Through the course of human history, our…
New to Esse? Here’s a good place to start
At Esse, we adopt a more simplified daily skincare routine, one that minimises interference with the skin, supporting your skin’s ability to produce its natural, protective oils. A perfect…
Esse Bakuchiol Serum: Nature’s Retinol
Esse incorporates ‘nature’s retinol’ in its latest launch of Bakuchiol Serum When it comes to anti-ageing ingredients in skincare products, retinoids have been the gold standard for decades – despite…
Esse’s 30-Day Trial & Travel Sets
Just because you’re on the go doesn’t mean that your skincare regimen has to suffer! Esse, a leading global skincare brand in organic biotechnology, has released the compact and…
Tips to restore your skin
Your skin holds an ecosystem – just as you would find in a rainforest or an ocean reef. Skin’s natural microbes form a complex ecology in a delicate balance.…
Skin detoxing – What you need to know
One of the most frequent questions we get at Esse is ‘What will happen to my skin when I switch over?’. As with any change, there is going to…
Sunshine vs sun protection: How to get vitamin D safely
The dangers of overexposing skin to sunlight have been well documented over the last few years, prompting a rise in the use of sunscreens. And while sun protection is…
6 Benefits of Natural Sun Protection for Sensitive Skin
Summer can be a difficult time for those with sensitive skin. Too much sunshine can be harmful, but applying sunscreen with synthetic chemicals can result in skin reactions. It’s…
Microbiome skincare products – what to look out for
Microbiome skincare is not something that involves simply including a single probiotic-based ingredient in a product. Caring for the microbiome is an entire philosophy in product design that needs…
Are we better than evolution?
Humanity has learned an enormous amount over the last few hundred years. We discovered microbes, DNA, and evolution. We worked out that we weren’t at the centre of the…
Why rewilding is the best defence against skin dryness this winter
With temperatures dropping across the country, many people will be spending more time indoors, keeping warm with artificial heating and hot baths. Add in the cold, outdoor weather and…
All the questions you need answered by Esse!
For the past two decades, we have been producing industry-leading skincare products with significant anti-ageing benefits. With more people choosing brands that believe in sustainability and show real results,…
Drivers of Ageing
Ageing is a natural process of life, with the body undergoing significant changes as the years go by. And while we can’t avoid ageing, we can minimise the impact…
Esse vs. Ageing
Old age is not avoidable. We are all going to get old – the trick is to do it gracefully! Just to be very clear – we aren’t ageist.…
Experience Esse’s cutting-edge treatments
Esse, offers a range of professional, customised skin rewilding treatments which incorporate advanced pre- and probiotics, as well as the application of live probiotics. The Esse Experience treatments –…
Experience the anti-ageing benefits of probiotics
South African bio-clinical skincare brand, Esse, is celebrating a significant milestone in 2022 – 20 years of leveraging biotechnology to provide significant anti-ageing benefits through probiotics and other actives…
Omega Moisturisers
Why are Omegas important for the skin? Our modern diets are deficient in omega oils. These oils are not as stable as saturated oils, and they are often removed…
An Organic Yet Powerful Approach to Managing Acne
We have already discussed how our approach addresses the microbial imbalance created by our industrial lifestyles, so let’s take a closer look at the ingredients used in the Esse Clarifying Range and…
Esse vs Acne
Our new Clarifying range takes an evolutionary approach to addressing acne, a condition that affects more than 80% of teens and around 4 % of adults. It is evident…
Things industrial beauty taught us that we should forget
Industrial beauty is around 100 years old. In the early 1900s, large companies in the US and Europe used the fear of germs to sell harsh soaps to hundreds…
Cleansing the Esse Way
Sebum Science Sebum is the complex mixture of oils produced by sebaceous glands in our skin. Human sebum is very different to that of other mammals. We’re far from…
Good Microbes for Your Skin
There are trillions of bacteria from hundreds of species living on and in your skin. Your skincare goals should always include their well-being, as they are what ultimately determine…
What are the Skin Benefits of a Good Foundation?
There’s much more to a quality foundation product than simple coverage. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy by choosing the right foundation for your skin: 1.…
What is the Esse Experience?
Skin therapists are in a position that demands daily responsibility, as their clients rely on them to provide reliable advice and effective treatments. This responsibility should not be taken…
What Moisturiser Should You Be Using?
There is no denying that as winter sets in, skin feels as though it needs a little more. Cold, dry weather and indoor heating generate a real thirst in…
The New Probiotic Ampoule and Exclusion Mask
With the launch of the updated professional treatments comes the addition of two unique new products to the professional trolley for Esse therapists – the live Probiotic Ampoule and…
Interview with Trevor Steyn on the Microbiome and Skincare
How did you become interested in the microbiome? When I was younger, I thought that chemistry could solve almost any problem. As my understanding of the biological world expanded, I…
How Skin Compares to An Ecosystem
Any ecologist will tell you that a forest filled with a wide variety of plants is healthier than a commercial plantation containing only one species of tree. The complex…
Esse and Plastic Neutral
We’ve partnered with Cleanhub to collect plastic waste in developing countries before it can reach the ocean. Every living thing depends on the ocean. Covering more than 70% of…
Serious About Serums
We have a few for you Facial serums come in many forms, and choosing which one is best for your skin can often feel daunting. You’ll hear bloggers and…
Why Esse Uses Glass Packaging
Choosing which materials to use in packaging is not easy. There are many considerations. In several projects in our history, we have weighed up our options, and the result…
Esse and Carbon Neutral
When we say that we’re carbon neutral – this is what we mean Since Esse started, we have fought hard to hold true to a few basic values. One…
Bakuchiol: Nature’s Retinol Alternative
Dubbed ‘nature’s retinol’, it’s worth investigating the properties of this acclaimed plant-based ingredient and how to incorporate it into your skincare routine. The Bakuchiol used in skincare is extracted…
Resurrect Your Skin with Myrothamnus
Myrothamnus flabellifolia is commonly known as the “Resurrection Plant” and hails from the sands of the ancient Namib Desert. What makes this plant different is not in its physical…
Resurrect Serum: New Life for Sensitive Skin
Addressing the signs of ageing It’s important to remember that sensitivity often correlates directly to a disruption in barrier function due to a microbial imbalance. This disruption results in an…
What’s in a drop?
The Esse probiotic skincare range includes a multitude of carefully selected natural ingredients that are proven to have a positive impact on improving skin barrier function, hydration and the…
Why does the skin detox when moving to organic products?
Why does the skin detox when moving to organic products? I’ve heard this question so many times over the last 12 years since I’ve switched to organic skincare. It’s…
Skincare Myths Debunked
Since the beginning of time, society has formed beliefs about their experiences and the world around them. A notorious belief and misconception that comes to mind is that the…
Nanoparticles – The lowdown
Nanotechnology is the study and application of extremely small particles (smaller than 100 nanometers – about 40,000 times thinner than a hair). In skincare, nano ingredients come in two forms: nanoemulsions –…
A Guide to Sensitive Skin
Skin sensitivity is a leading skin concern throughout the modern world with more than half of women claiming to have sensitive skin.
Sleep and Skin Health
Six reasons a healthy sleeping pattern will give you great skin Skin health and sleep quality can be strongly linked. Lack of sleep elevates cortisol levels in the body, increasing…
Invest in Yourself
Why a good skincare routine need not be complicated Have you had enough of hearing how the latest skincare fad is the only thing that will rescue your skin?…
Take the new you challenge in 7 steps
“A change is as good as a holiday,” and who would say no thank you to that? As 2020 gets underway, we’d like to challenge you to make some changes…
Moisture and Ageing: How the New Hyaluronic Serum Works
While ageing can’t be stopped entirely, it can be slowed down with a healthy lifestyle and anti-ageing skincare products. Maintaining adequate moisture in the skin is key to minimising…
Hyaluronic Acid
You have about 15 grams of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in your body and one-third of this is degraded and resynthesized every day. It is one of your body’s main…
5 Benefits of Hydrated Skin
Drinking plenty of water is a key factor in keeping our body and organs happily functioning, and hydrated skin is just as important for a healthy complexion. Here are…
How To Know If You Have Dehydrated Skin
Many people suffer with dehydrated skin but often it is not always evident. It is important that you resolve this issue by feeding your skin with the right hydrating…
Esse Sunscreen: A Solution for Sensitive Skin
We hear it every day from the skincare experts – too much sun is not good for your skin. That said, if you have sensitive skin, you will struggle…
4 Reasons to Use Natural Sun Protection
As winter turns to summer and that holiday vibe kicks in, we all gravitate to outdoor spaces where the sun shines and makes us happy, which calls for sunscreen!…
Esse Sunscreen: An Athlete’s Best Friend
The Esse Sunscreen is one of the first of its kind and may swiftly become part of many outdoor athlete’s arsenal – we heard why from ultra-runner Riana Henning.…
The Value of Using a Microbiome-friendly Foundation
Here’s what your basic skin care routine probably looks like: cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and, finally, foundation. Perhaps you even include products to promote a healthy skin microbiome leading…
Everything you need to know about our foundations
This organic, microbiome-friendly foundation provides medium coverage and is available in ten shades. Below are just some of the benefits you can expect. SKIN ILLUMINATION Layer to achieve light…
Why the Esse Foundations are perfect for sensitive skins
A first of its kind Our very first foray into colour cosmetics came about as a result of your nudging. We were constantly reminding you about the need to…
Can You Change Your Microbiome?
An unhealthy skin microbiome results in unhealthy skin and increases the rate of ageing but you can shift your skin microbiome toward a diverse, balanced state. Learn more from…
What Does My Microbiome Do For Me?
We know gut microbes aid in digestion and deliver nutrients. They also produce vitamins, maintain blood pressure, and affect your mood. Because we rely on so many partnerships, we…
What Will Probiotics Do For My Skin?
Probiotics are immensely beneficial. They out-compete pathogenic microbes, improve barrier function, produce moisturising factors, maintain skin pH and reduce sensitivity and inflammation. All these factors reduce the rate of…
What is the Hygiene Hypothesis?
Are we all too clean for our own good? Being overly paranoid about cleanliness puts you at a disadvantage. Early exposure to ‘dirt’ is a good thing, so let…
Is it good to have high skin microbial diversity on skin?
Our adoption of a western lifestyle has resulted in a vast reduction of microbial species on skin. Research suggests that diversity is a good thing as opposed to the…
5 Things Probiotics Do For Your Skin
Probiotics are vital They protect you from pathogens (like armour for your face) They improve barrier function They maintain calm and reduce sensitivity They manufacture moisturising factors They maintain…
Do I have the same microbes everywhere on my skin?
There are different bacteria living in the different ecosystems of your body. The microbiome of an oily area like the face is very different to that of the dry…
Why is all this microbiome stuff happening now?
Advances in science now allow us to “see” DNA and we can now study ecosystems that were previously too small to study. The Polymerase Chain Reaction, discovered by Kerry…
What are microbes and probiotics?
All single-celled organisms are microbes; this includes viruses. A microbiome is the sum of all the single-celled organisms living in and on a body. All living things have a…
What is the Perfect Skin Microbiome?
This is a really tough question. The skin is now viewed as an ecosystem, so how would you answer the question: What is the perfect ecosystem? Is it a…
Anti-ageing Probiotics
Your army of little helpers Skin probiotics are safe and natural, and they work. They protect, moisturise, maintain skin pH, and reduce inflammation. Lump all of these benefits together and…
How Probiotics Strengthen Skin Barriers
Remedy Sensitivity – Probiotics strengthen barrier function and protect you from pathogens so they automatically guard your immune system from exposure to unnecessary triggers. Apart from acting as a…
Probiotics Balance pH
Acid mantle integrity is key to effective barrier function It is not intuitive to think that something as seemingly inconsequential as pH could have a mighty impact on ageing,…
Probiotics Moisturise
Hydrate from within You may not know this, but live Lactobacillus probiotics on (and in) skin can produce the coveted skincare ingredient Hyaluronic Acid. Right there in the stratum corneum…
Probiotics Protect
Boost your skin’s armour Probiotic microbes can help to safeguard your skin against pathogenic microbes. When prolific and healthy, your skin microbes construct a biofilm in the outer layer of…
Is Sunscreen Anti-ageing?
Exposure to high levels of UV accelerates ageing Does this mean that you should do whatever you can to get your sun exposure to zero? Most of us spend the…
Skin pH – It Matters
Make sure you ✓ the pH box before you put a product on your skin. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a product is, and it is…
Probiotic Definitions and Skin
Get started on your probiotic journey by understanding various definitions that are used. A MICROBE is a single-celled, microscopic organism. This includes bacteria, viruses, yeasts and archaea amongst others.…
Learn About Skin Immunity And Probiotics
Skin’s Immune System Keratinocytes, the most common skin cells in the epidermis (the outer most layer of skin), control this immune system by detecting harm and releasing signalling proteins that…
Microbes & Your Skin
Trillions of microbes, from thousands of species, call your skin home. Normally, they get along just fine and they provide the building blocks that make your skin healthy and…
The Future Of Skincare
Human Genome Project In 2003 the Human Genome Project declared that the sequencing of the human genome was complete after 13 years of intense research. It cost $2,7 billion.…
4 Ways to Deliver Probiotics in Skincare
Probiotics are the latest trend in skincare but probiotics are live microbes that have a beneficial effect. How are probiotic ingredients used in skincare products when most skincare products…
Diversity in Skin Systems
Just as diversity is important in environmental ecosystems, so it is important in the mix of microbes found in the skin. A diverse microbiome equals healthy skin. …
Learn to Love your Microbes
Your skin is an ecosystem, and in the same way that your gut needs symbiotic microbes to function optimally, your skin needs microbes to maintain peak health. BIOME+ technology…
Your Skin Is Not a Surface. It’s an Ecosystem.
Most skincare routines are built around a simplistic idea: strip the skin, then replace what was removed with a synthetic product. It sounds logical. The science of the skin microbiome…
The Vitamin D You Can’t Get From a Pill
Most people know that sun exposure produces vitamin D. Fewer people know that vitamin D is only part of what it produces, and that the supplement industry has built an…
The Uncomfortable Truth About ‘Probiotic’ Skincare
Most products labelled as probiotic skincare don’t contain live probiotics. They contain postbiotics, which are heat-killed bacteria or fermented extracts that lack the defining characteristic of a true probiotic: life.…
Your Skin Doesn’t Take Time Off
Holidays are supposed to be restorative. For you, perhaps. For your skin, the reality is more complicated. Different UV levels, a new climate, the drying effect of cabin air, and…
The 3 Root Causes of Accelerated Ageing
Of course, there are many lifestyle and environmental factors that cause accelerated skin ageing. UV damage, diet, air pollution, chronic stress, lack of sleep, and hormonal disruption are among the…
Beyond the Treatment: Why Aesthetic Procedures Need Microbiome Support
Aesthetic treatments work through controlled damage. Microneedling, chemical peels, and laser resurfacing all disrupt the skin to trigger repair and renewal. The results can be impressive, but what happens in…
The Truth About Anti-Ageing: Why Modern Life Accelerates Ageing
The skincare industry sells products on the promise that ageing can be stopped. It can’t. Cellular ageing is inevitable, and no product changes that. We’re okay with that. What…
The Skin Microbiome Crisis: We’ve Lost 73% of Our Microbial Defences to Modern Life
Your location determines your skin microbiome. And if you live in a city, you’ve lost most of it. The data Esse’s testing of over 1000 fully sequenced skin…
Conscious Gifting: Sustainable Gift Set for the Festive Season
The festive season tends to blur the line between generosity and consumption. Somewhere between the excessive packaging and products that promise miracles, the meaning gets lost. We wanted to…
Discover the Esse Mist range
The Esse Mist range is an incredible booster product that amplifies your skin routine and improves skincare results. Because our Esse cleansing range doesn’t strip the skin of its…
Live vs Non-Living: Why Live Probiotics Offer Better Skin Benefits
As one of the very first brands to deploy microbiome science in its formulations, Esse has witnessed the encouraging rise in awareness of probiotic skincare recently. As more people…
Shifting your skin’s microbiome
Recent scientific advancements have illuminated the profound impact of the skin microbiome on overall skin health. Disruptions to this delicate ecosystem can lead to various skin conditions, including acne,…
Propionic Acid: The Skin’s Personal Gardener
Discover the benefits of Propionic Acid for skin health. Learn how Esse uses it to support the microbiome, boost hydration, reduce inflammation, and enhance your skin’s natural barrier function.…
Lesser-Known Facts About the Skin Microbiome No One’s Talking About!
Microbiome skincare is all the rage, but with clever marketing behind subpar products, the word “microbiome” risks becoming just another buzzword. In this post, we delve into the fascinating…
70% of the world now has sensitive skin. Find out why.
Your skin is the barrier between you and the outside world. It is the largest organ in your body, with its own microscopic ecosystem – called a microbiome —…
The Esse Concealer: The Perfect Partner for the Esse Foundation
Esse Concealer’s matte finish makes it a perfect complement to the Esse Foundation, which lays down a dewy base for the Concealer to build on. Together, this pair enables…
5 things you need to know to have youthful, resilient skin.
Esse founder Trevor Steyn was recently interviewed by Dr Ekta Yadav, MD MBA MS (Skincare Anarchy). We encourage you to listen to the full version of this enlightening episode…
Can a Concealer for Sensitive Skin Still Provide Flawless Coverage?
Today, over 70% of individuals report experiencing skin sensitivity to some degree. This concerning trend hints at the underlying issues in our modern lifestyles and skincare routines. New research…
Nighttime Skincare Routine: Optimising Skin Health While You Sleep
For skin to be more youthful and resilient, it must first be sustainably healthy. We help you to achieve this by rebalancing the microbiome with products at the forefront…
Esse’s sun-activated serum: make the most of your time in the sun
Sun exposure has risks, as we all know, but the benefits of healthy sun exposure are becoming more widely discussed and acknowledged. A key benefit of sun exposure is…
What does Vitamin D do for my skin?
Our skin is the natural factory for Vitamin D, and it needs healthy levels for some key functions. These include: Controlling cell division Vitamin D controls how cells…
Ageing Gracefully With The Sun: A Dilemma Of Diminishing Returns
One of the major concerns many of us have with sun exposure is that we fear it will make our skin age faster. While there is good reason behind…
Skin and Sunlight: How Much Is Too Much?
We’re constantly reminded of the dangers of sun exposure for our skin health. While it’s important to avoid sun damage, there’s a growing body of evidence showing that sunlight…
Too much sun is damaging to our skin… but so is zero sun
We’re all aware of the risks that come with getting too much sun exposure – increased cancer risks, premature ageing, and chances of hyperpigmentation. But an often-overlooked question is: “Too…
Protect Oil: Clinically Proven To Protect And Repair
Choosing skincare products can be challenging in today’s world. In a marketplace full of claims (many of which lack credibility), how do you choose skincare that you can be…
Vitamin D: supplement or sunshine?
Vitamin D: supplement or sunshine? To understand what is healthy for you, it’s often worth asking yourself: “What is my body designed for?” Through the course of human history, our…
New to Esse? Here’s a good place to start
At Esse, we adopt a more simplified daily skincare routine, one that minimises interference with the skin, supporting your skin’s ability to produce its natural, protective oils. A perfect…
Esse Bakuchiol Serum: Nature’s Retinol
Esse incorporates ‘nature’s retinol’ in its latest launch of Bakuchiol Serum When it comes to anti-ageing ingredients in skincare products, retinoids have been the gold standard for decades – despite…
Esse’s 30-Day Trial & Travel Sets
Just because you’re on the go doesn’t mean that your skincare regimen has to suffer! Esse, a leading global skincare brand in organic biotechnology, has released the compact and…
Tips to restore your skin
Your skin holds an ecosystem – just as you would find in a rainforest or an ocean reef. Skin’s natural microbes form a complex ecology in a delicate balance.…
Skin detoxing – What you need to know
One of the most frequent questions we get at Esse is ‘What will happen to my skin when I switch over?’. As with any change, there is going to…
Sunshine vs sun protection: How to get vitamin D safely
The dangers of overexposing skin to sunlight have been well documented over the last few years, prompting a rise in the use of sunscreens. And while sun protection is…
6 Benefits of Natural Sun Protection for Sensitive Skin
Summer can be a difficult time for those with sensitive skin. Too much sunshine can be harmful, but applying sunscreen with synthetic chemicals can result in skin reactions. It’s…
Microbiome skincare products – what to look out for
Microbiome skincare is not something that involves simply including a single probiotic-based ingredient in a product. Caring for the microbiome is an entire philosophy in product design that needs…
Are we better than evolution?
Humanity has learned an enormous amount over the last few hundred years. We discovered microbes, DNA, and evolution. We worked out that we weren’t at the centre of the…
Why rewilding is the best defence against skin dryness this winter
With temperatures dropping across the country, many people will be spending more time indoors, keeping warm with artificial heating and hot baths. Add in the cold, outdoor weather and…
All the questions you need answered by Esse!
For the past two decades, we have been producing industry-leading skincare products with significant anti-ageing benefits. With more people choosing brands that believe in sustainability and show real results,…
Drivers of Ageing
Ageing is a natural process of life, with the body undergoing significant changes as the years go by. And while we can’t avoid ageing, we can minimise the impact…
Esse vs. Ageing
Old age is not avoidable. We are all going to get old – the trick is to do it gracefully! Just to be very clear – we aren’t ageist.…
Experience Esse’s cutting-edge treatments
Esse, offers a range of professional, customised skin rewilding treatments which incorporate advanced pre- and probiotics, as well as the application of live probiotics. The Esse Experience treatments –…
Experience the anti-ageing benefits of probiotics
South African bio-clinical skincare brand, Esse, is celebrating a significant milestone in 2022 – 20 years of leveraging biotechnology to provide significant anti-ageing benefits through probiotics and other actives…
Omega Moisturisers
Why are Omegas important for the skin? Our modern diets are deficient in omega oils. These oils are not as stable as saturated oils, and they are often removed…
An Organic Yet Powerful Approach to Managing Acne
We have already discussed how our approach addresses the microbial imbalance created by our industrial lifestyles, so let’s take a closer look at the ingredients used in the Esse Clarifying Range and…
Esse vs Acne
Our new Clarifying range takes an evolutionary approach to addressing acne, a condition that affects more than 80% of teens and around 4 % of adults. It is evident…
Things industrial beauty taught us that we should forget
Industrial beauty is around 100 years old. In the early 1900s, large companies in the US and Europe used the fear of germs to sell harsh soaps to hundreds…
Cleansing the Esse Way
Sebum Science Sebum is the complex mixture of oils produced by sebaceous glands in our skin. Human sebum is very different to that of other mammals. We’re far from…
Good Microbes for Your Skin
There are trillions of bacteria from hundreds of species living on and in your skin. Your skincare goals should always include their well-being, as they are what ultimately determine…
What are the Skin Benefits of a Good Foundation?
There’s much more to a quality foundation product than simple coverage. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy by choosing the right foundation for your skin: 1.…
What is the Esse Experience?
Skin therapists are in a position that demands daily responsibility, as their clients rely on them to provide reliable advice and effective treatments. This responsibility should not be taken…
What Moisturiser Should You Be Using?
There is no denying that as winter sets in, skin feels as though it needs a little more. Cold, dry weather and indoor heating generate a real thirst in…
The New Probiotic Ampoule and Exclusion Mask
With the launch of the updated professional treatments comes the addition of two unique new products to the professional trolley for Esse therapists – the live Probiotic Ampoule and…
Interview with Trevor Steyn on the Microbiome and Skincare
How did you become interested in the microbiome? When I was younger, I thought that chemistry could solve almost any problem. As my understanding of the biological world expanded, I…
How Skin Compares to An Ecosystem
Any ecologist will tell you that a forest filled with a wide variety of plants is healthier than a commercial plantation containing only one species of tree. The complex…
Esse and Plastic Neutral
We’ve partnered with Cleanhub to collect plastic waste in developing countries before it can reach the ocean. Every living thing depends on the ocean. Covering more than 70% of…
Serious About Serums
We have a few for you Facial serums come in many forms, and choosing which one is best for your skin can often feel daunting. You’ll hear bloggers and…
Why Esse Uses Glass Packaging
Choosing which materials to use in packaging is not easy. There are many considerations. In several projects in our history, we have weighed up our options, and the result…
Esse and Carbon Neutral
When we say that we’re carbon neutral – this is what we mean Since Esse started, we have fought hard to hold true to a few basic values. One…
Bakuchiol: Nature’s Retinol Alternative
Dubbed ‘nature’s retinol’, it’s worth investigating the properties of this acclaimed plant-based ingredient and how to incorporate it into your skincare routine. The Bakuchiol used in skincare is extracted…
Resurrect Your Skin with Myrothamnus
Myrothamnus flabellifolia is commonly known as the “Resurrection Plant” and hails from the sands of the ancient Namib Desert. What makes this plant different is not in its physical…
Resurrect Serum: New Life for Sensitive Skin
Addressing the signs of ageing It’s important to remember that sensitivity often correlates directly to a disruption in barrier function due to a microbial imbalance. This disruption results in an…
What’s in a drop?
The Esse probiotic skincare range includes a multitude of carefully selected natural ingredients that are proven to have a positive impact on improving skin barrier function, hydration and the…
Why does the skin detox when moving to organic products?
Why does the skin detox when moving to organic products? I’ve heard this question so many times over the last 12 years since I’ve switched to organic skincare. It’s…
Skincare Myths Debunked
Since the beginning of time, society has formed beliefs about their experiences and the world around them. A notorious belief and misconception that comes to mind is that the…
Nanoparticles – The lowdown
Nanotechnology is the study and application of extremely small particles (smaller than 100 nanometers – about 40,000 times thinner than a hair). In skincare, nano ingredients come in two forms: nanoemulsions –…
A Guide to Sensitive Skin
Skin sensitivity is a leading skin concern throughout the modern world with more than half of women claiming to have sensitive skin.
Sleep and Skin Health
Six reasons a healthy sleeping pattern will give you great skin Skin health and sleep quality can be strongly linked. Lack of sleep elevates cortisol levels in the body, increasing…
Invest in Yourself
Why a good skincare routine need not be complicated Have you had enough of hearing how the latest skincare fad is the only thing that will rescue your skin?…
Take the new you challenge in 7 steps
“A change is as good as a holiday,” and who would say no thank you to that? As 2020 gets underway, we’d like to challenge you to make some changes…
Moisture and Ageing: How the New Hyaluronic Serum Works
While ageing can’t be stopped entirely, it can be slowed down with a healthy lifestyle and anti-ageing skincare products. Maintaining adequate moisture in the skin is key to minimising…
Hyaluronic Acid
You have about 15 grams of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in your body and one-third of this is degraded and resynthesized every day. It is one of your body’s main…
5 Benefits of Hydrated Skin
Drinking plenty of water is a key factor in keeping our body and organs happily functioning, and hydrated skin is just as important for a healthy complexion. Here are…
How To Know If You Have Dehydrated Skin
Many people suffer with dehydrated skin but often it is not always evident. It is important that you resolve this issue by feeding your skin with the right hydrating…
Esse Sunscreen: A Solution for Sensitive Skin
We hear it every day from the skincare experts – too much sun is not good for your skin. That said, if you have sensitive skin, you will struggle…
4 Reasons to Use Natural Sun Protection
As winter turns to summer and that holiday vibe kicks in, we all gravitate to outdoor spaces where the sun shines and makes us happy, which calls for sunscreen!…
Esse Sunscreen: An Athlete’s Best Friend
The Esse Sunscreen is one of the first of its kind and may swiftly become part of many outdoor athlete’s arsenal – we heard why from ultra-runner Riana Henning.…
The Value of Using a Microbiome-friendly Foundation
Here’s what your basic skin care routine probably looks like: cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and, finally, foundation. Perhaps you even include products to promote a healthy skin microbiome leading…
Everything you need to know about our foundations
This organic, microbiome-friendly foundation provides medium coverage and is available in ten shades. Below are just some of the benefits you can expect. SKIN ILLUMINATION Layer to achieve light…
Why the Esse Foundations are perfect for sensitive skins
A first of its kind Our very first foray into colour cosmetics came about as a result of your nudging. We were constantly reminding you about the need to…
Can You Change Your Microbiome?
An unhealthy skin microbiome results in unhealthy skin and increases the rate of ageing but you can shift your skin microbiome toward a diverse, balanced state. Learn more from…
What Does My Microbiome Do For Me?
We know gut microbes aid in digestion and deliver nutrients. They also produce vitamins, maintain blood pressure, and affect your mood. Because we rely on so many partnerships, we…
What Will Probiotics Do For My Skin?
Probiotics are immensely beneficial. They out-compete pathogenic microbes, improve barrier function, produce moisturising factors, maintain skin pH and reduce sensitivity and inflammation. All these factors reduce the rate of…
What is the Hygiene Hypothesis?
Are we all too clean for our own good? Being overly paranoid about cleanliness puts you at a disadvantage. Early exposure to ‘dirt’ is a good thing, so let…
Is it good to have high skin microbial diversity on skin?
Our adoption of a western lifestyle has resulted in a vast reduction of microbial species on skin. Research suggests that diversity is a good thing as opposed to the…
5 Things Probiotics Do For Your Skin
Probiotics are vital They protect you from pathogens (like armour for your face) They improve barrier function They maintain calm and reduce sensitivity They manufacture moisturising factors They maintain…
Do I have the same microbes everywhere on my skin?
There are different bacteria living in the different ecosystems of your body. The microbiome of an oily area like the face is very different to that of the dry…
Why is all this microbiome stuff happening now?
Advances in science now allow us to “see” DNA and we can now study ecosystems that were previously too small to study. The Polymerase Chain Reaction, discovered by Kerry…
What are microbes and probiotics?
All single-celled organisms are microbes; this includes viruses. A microbiome is the sum of all the single-celled organisms living in and on a body. All living things have a…
What is the Perfect Skin Microbiome?
This is a really tough question. The skin is now viewed as an ecosystem, so how would you answer the question: What is the perfect ecosystem? Is it a…
Anti-ageing Probiotics
Your army of little helpers Skin probiotics are safe and natural, and they work. They protect, moisturise, maintain skin pH, and reduce inflammation. Lump all of these benefits together and…
How Probiotics Strengthen Skin Barriers
Remedy Sensitivity – Probiotics strengthen barrier function and protect you from pathogens so they automatically guard your immune system from exposure to unnecessary triggers. Apart from acting as a…
Probiotics Balance pH
Acid mantle integrity is key to effective barrier function It is not intuitive to think that something as seemingly inconsequential as pH could have a mighty impact on ageing,…
Probiotics Moisturise
Hydrate from within You may not know this, but live Lactobacillus probiotics on (and in) skin can produce the coveted skincare ingredient Hyaluronic Acid. Right there in the stratum corneum…
Probiotics Protect
Boost your skin’s armour Probiotic microbes can help to safeguard your skin against pathogenic microbes. When prolific and healthy, your skin microbes construct a biofilm in the outer layer of…
Is Sunscreen Anti-ageing?
Exposure to high levels of UV accelerates ageing Does this mean that you should do whatever you can to get your sun exposure to zero? Most of us spend the…
Skin pH – It Matters
Make sure you ✓ the pH box before you put a product on your skin. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a product is, and it is…
Probiotic Definitions and Skin
Get started on your probiotic journey by understanding various definitions that are used. A MICROBE is a single-celled, microscopic organism. This includes bacteria, viruses, yeasts and archaea amongst others.…
Learn About Skin Immunity And Probiotics
Skin’s Immune System Keratinocytes, the most common skin cells in the epidermis (the outer most layer of skin), control this immune system by detecting harm and releasing signalling proteins that…
Microbes & Your Skin
Trillions of microbes, from thousands of species, call your skin home. Normally, they get along just fine and they provide the building blocks that make your skin healthy and…
The Future Of Skincare
Human Genome Project In 2003 the Human Genome Project declared that the sequencing of the human genome was complete after 13 years of intense research. It cost $2,7 billion.…
4 Ways to Deliver Probiotics in Skincare
Probiotics are the latest trend in skincare but probiotics are live microbes that have a beneficial effect. How are probiotic ingredients used in skincare products when most skincare products…
Diversity in Skin Systems
Just as diversity is important in environmental ecosystems, so it is important in the mix of microbes found in the skin. A diverse microbiome equals healthy skin. …
Learn to Love your Microbes
Your skin is an ecosystem, and in the same way that your gut needs symbiotic microbes to function optimally, your skin needs microbes to maintain peak health. BIOME+ technology…