The biodiversity here is incredible. Just in our small province of Kwa-Zulu Natal we have 11 times more tree species than the whole of Europe combined. We are tapping into this natural resource to bring new actives to market that are enormously beneficial to skin.

Our plants are generally sourced from the wild – not cultivated – because we have shown that they are more potent this way. To make sure that the wild harvest is sustainable, Esse has affiliated with PhytoTrade Africa. PhytoTrade serves a dual function – to monitor the wild populations of plants and to ensure that the people harvesting the plants are fairly and promptly paid. This way we can ensure that our impact on the African bushveld is a positive one – empowering people by encouraging them to value the fruits of the bushveld.

I hope that you’ll try our products to see what African extracts can do for your skin.

PhytoTrade also makes sure that the level of harvest is sustainable and that the wild populations of the plants are maintained. Last year we travelled to some of the PhytoTrade members in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia. It was inspiring!

These projects make an enormous difference to the quality of life in these rural communities. The majority of the harvesters are women in very rural settings. They use their traditional knowledge of these plants to optimize the time of harvest and they use the money from selling Baobab fruit or Marula nuts to send their kids to school, or put a new roof on their house or maybe buy cattle to allow them to plough the land.  Every year things get incrementally better for the communities harvesting these fair trade ingredients, with the result that the community gains in strength.

But when you buy certified cosmetic products you get more than that. If a product is certified by Ecocert (or another organic certifier) then it won’t contain some key ingredients that pose health risks.  It also won’t contain ingredients sourced from petrochemicals and the preservatives used are very closely controlled. So it’s a guarantee that the product is genuinely natural and organic and not just another marketing spinoff.

Buying organic is also subscribing to a new, more sustainable, way of living. The argument about when oil is going to run out is pointless. If we don’t change our lifestyles, it will run out. Before it runs out we need to have moved on to a new system. I think that organic farming and mindful, ethical products are a step toward life on earth that is indefinitely sustainable, richly varied and beautiful.

Esse has also paid attention to new developments in biology and applied these to skin care. The scientific community has realized that our bodies are not just made up of human cells. As a matter of fact, there are 10 microbial cells for every human cell in your body. Even if we go by the weight of DNA in your body you are still only 46% human.

This has had a huge impact on the way that we view skin. We now have to consider skin as an ecosystem and that has an impact on the products we make. We have always pH balanced our products at around pH 5 to help mutualistic bacteria and improve the skin’s barrier function. We use very mild preservatives that minimize the impact of the product on the skin’s ecosystem. We use pre-biotics to selectively feed beneficial microbes at the expense of detrimental opportunistic species. At the moment we’re working on pro-biotics to address specific skin concerns. Here we supplement the skin with live bacteria to help rebalance it.

We do still use traditional actives like low molecular mass hyaluronic acid and oleuropein but we make sure that they are from ethical, natural sources and that they are safe and effective.  We will always offer product that is at the cutting edge of skin care but we won’t compromise on the long-term health of your skin to get short-term results.

We take a long-term view on skincare. In ten years time we want you to look back at your decision to start using Esse as one of the best of your life.

Cindy is 25 and works as a Biokineticists in Pietermaritzburg, KZN. Her simple philosophy and outlook on life is to work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like no-one is watching and sing like no-one is listening.

Michelle uses Esse skincare exclusively and has only positive things to say about our products and our brand.

“Finally, a product I have discovered that is locally produced – reducing carbon footprint – and still addresses anti-aging properties thru the life and energy of plant based ingredients.

I have read extensively about the oestrogen mimicking ingredients in mass-marketed skincare products from Parabens to Sodium Laurel Sulphate to Phthalates – and have always secretly known that it is possible to manufacture / produce skincare from Mother Nature’s own garden – using ingredients like Marula, Baobab tree, spearmint, olive leaf to create the same end result.

And here it is! ESSE have a full range that is available for multiple usage on your skin and your families – I love both cleansers that wash without drying plus the toner that does not contain any alcohol – you see it is possible not to adhere to mass-marketed products and save on your pocket – as ESSE’s range is affordable. In fact I can happily purchase the full range without breaking the bank! I love the fact the plant based ingredients fill my skin and senses with sheer goodness – from omega oils to Manketti sun protection – my husband loves the pleasant smells and is about to start using ESSE exclusively – not bad for a man!!! There is no testing on animals (critical for a conservation journalist!) plus this product is biodegradable – so I can use it at home happily as we have a grey-water system established and chemical based products are simply a no-go. Fair-trade also comes into the equation, so I know by using ESSE all the workers have not been hard done by in the creation of my night cream.

When it comes to the moisturisers – I am very specific about night cream and have found that the Ultra Moisturiser – which is super rich – really does the job, it is not sticky and ‘smoothes’ my skin before make-up applications. Although my favourite has to be the repair oil – it smells divine, and creates the perfect pallet for the moisturiser to do its thing! Free Radical protection is close to my heart, and ESSE address this in their choice of natural plant ingredients – after all closer to the earth is where you want to be.

If you are looking for a way to step more lightly on the planet and to take care of your health and your pocket then this is the way to go – after long research of many products Esse fill my score card.”

To read more about Michelle, visit her website http://www.michellegarforth.com/

Your skin has about one trillion microbes living on it from more than 1000 different species. Most of these are mutualistic but their exact relationship to the skin is unknown.

As an example Psuedomonas aeruginosa can be an enemy or an ally depending on the situation. If you don’t look after your skin and barrier function is compromised then it may gain access to the bloodstream and cause infection in gastrointestinal or respiratory systems. In normal situations, though, this bacterium secretes pseudomonic acid that prevents staphylococcal and streptococcal infections. It also protects your skin from yeast and fungal infections. Attempts to remove this bacterium from the skin with antiseptics or antibiotics have resulted in yeast infections.

So killing the bacteria on your skin isn’t an option – you need them too much. If you try to kill them they will migrate into deeper layers of your skin and cause infection. You will leave the outer layers of your skin very vulnerable to opportunistic infections of yeast, fungi and pathogenic bacteria.

So you need to manage your skin bacteria – what are the best ways to do that?

1. The most important factor is skin pH. Your body uses a reasonable amount of energy to maintain a skin pH of about 4.5. This is too acidic for most pathogens and swings the balance in favour of the “good guys”. So avoid products that are not pH balanced at around 4.5. The vast majority of bar soaps and cheap washes are very alkaline. Don’t use them. Your skin takes about 18 hours to recover its pH

2. You should avoid antibiotics and antiseptics that kill off large numbers of skin bacteria. This leaves the ecosystem on your skin with a gap that can be filled by opportunistic bacteria that aren’t mutualistic

3. Look for products that use mild preservative systems that will not disrupt the delicate balance on your skin

4. Try to find products that use prebiotics to selectively feed the good bacteria

Optimal skin health is essential to slow aging and the delicate balance of the mutualistic bacteria on the surface of the skin should be considered in any good skincare range.

Most scientists work for large corporate companies.

These companies are owned by shareholders and run by a CEO. The shareholders want to maximise the return on their investment. The CEO is answerable to the shareholders. He or she will, therefore, take whatever steps are necessary to minimise costs and maximise profits.

This means that the research and development department is continuously under pressure to make products at minimum cost. They know they’re doing their job well when they produce a saleable product for minimum cost.

Some scientists don’t mind. Others feel a yearning to produce a product that is as good as it can be – without being cheap.

We like to think that we’re those guys.