The brand was first launched in 2015 and has ridden the wave of interest generated by probiotic skin care brands, which are being marketed on the basis that they can help create a healthy level of bacteria on the skin’s surface and in turn create a protective barrier.
The brand first launched with a serum, which has been clinically proven to improve skin firmness by an average of 16% in 28 days, with 100% of the 20 test subjects showing some sort of improvement.
The company has previously stated that the research opened up a new avenue for anti-ageing skin research, and consumers have responded well to the land, which has gradually been expanded, with injectable Single-Dose Treatments and the two-part Probiotic Boost.
Addition to the Esse Sensitive line
The Esse Sensitive line carries the Serum and Toner, and is now joined by the Protect Oil, which is set to become commercially available next month.
The product has been designed to protected from environmental damaged, while also strengthening the barrier function to provide ongoing support, thanks mainly due to the inclusion of Ximena oil from Namibia, which makes up 50% of the formula.
The Ximenia is pressed from fruit kernels that are sustainably harvested from the wild, by a local women’s co-operative.
Ximenia oil is made up of about 20% fatty acid called Ximenynic Acid, which contains a rare triple bond in the carbon chain.
Ximenia oil and Ximenyric acid
This composition and properties of the Ximenynic acid means that when the skin is exposed to UV light or free radicals, the triple bond in the Protect Oil formulation reacts to form a protective polymer.
According to the research team at Esse, the very long chain fatty acids are rare in nature, but because the oil contains more than 30% very long chain fatty acids, this helps to form a protective layer on the skin.
Additionally, it also has properties that help increase blood flow, in turn delivering nutrients and oxygen in an efficient way to the skin.
Esse claims that the ingredients in the oil are 100% from natural origins, while 99% of the formulation is fair trade certified and the packaging is glass, making it suitable for recycling.
The evolution of the microbiome trend
Cosmetics Design Europe recently spoke with Euromonitor International senior ingredients analyst Maria Coranado, and she shared her opinion on how probiotic formulations and ingredients have evolved recently
“In the probiotic arena, it is not a secret that a handful of startups, Mother Dirt in the US, Esse Skincare in South Africa and Yun Probiotherapy in Europe, have shaken up the skincare industry by formulating the first beauty products with living bacteria,” she said.
“However, while probiotic-based beauty is an emerging and very promising area, developing products containing these ingredients is costly due to technical challenges in formulation and packaging.
“This obviously limits the probiotic’s opportunity to the premium market with very niche offering in terms of product proposition and distribution.”