The science of
microbiome skincare

Every skin is an ecosystem of unique microbes and beneficial bacteria. Our products lead the way in the science of rebalancing the microbiome, restoring your skin’s natural ecology.

Overhead view of colorful bacteria cultures in petri dishes. Green, blue, and purple dishes contain various bacterial growth patterns. A small green object is visible beside the dishes, set against a white background.

Your first line of defence

Your microbiome is an ecosystem of billions of diverse microbes that protect skin from pathogens. Similar to your gut, these bacteria, fungi and viruses have essential roles in protecting you and educating your immune system. They also help skin produce Hyaluronic Acid and other moisturising factors, while maintaining the skin’s pH and helping produce calm, healthy skin that not only looks better but ages slower. Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It is essential to look after it.

The big issue

Our modern lifestyles don’t do our microbial partners any favours. Less contact with nature than our ancestors had, results in less microbial diversity. Using industrial beauty products with surfactants and parabens, strips our microbiome. The result is a massive increase in sensitive skin, acne and other skin problems.

Biotechnology is the answer

Esse offers a sustainable solution in scientifically proven organic biotechnology. Our products create an environment on skin that allows natural microbial diversity to return and thrive. Probiotics and prebiotics in organic formulations help restore the balance in a process we call “rewilding” – resulting in younger and healthier looking skin.

A white bottle of Esse probiotic serum with a shiny silver cap is displayed in front of a teal circular petri dish with intricate green and white patterns, highlighting the product's association with probiotics and skincare.

Probiotics & prebiotics

Probiotics are live microbes that can shift the skin’s ecology to favour a diverse ecosystem healthy enough to resist attacks from pathogens. They also slow the skin’s rate of ageing by reducing inflammation. Esse seeds the skin with probiotics and feeds the skin with prebiotic nutrients to ensure a microbial intervention that balances the skin’s ecology​.

Find out more about probiotics & prebiotics below

A close-up of numerous small, dark chia seeds scattered over a white background. The seeds have a slightly oval shape with some small debris interspersed among them, much like the fine texture you’d expect from Esse Bakuchiol Serum.

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 and…

whats in a drop

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 effects…

A scientist wearing blue gloves uses tweezers to examine a small plant. The lab setup includes glassware with liquid and a microscope on a white surface, indicating a focus on plant research or biotechnology.

The future of skincare

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. Now you can have…

Our Founder

Trevor Steyn

Scientist, Husband, Innovator, Dad, Sportsman, Yogi

My mentor, Prof Siegfried Drewes, instilled scientific rigour in me at a formative time and it has served the company well. Clients buy results, not ethics. Our job is to offer sustainable products that perform measurably better than conventional lines.

A man with short curly hair and light stubble stands outdoors, smiling at the camera. He is wearing a dark green V-neck shirt. The background is filled with green, blurred foliage, suggesting a natural, park-like setting on a sunny day.

“Esse is moving along the infinitely long road toward perfection”

To be a sustainable solution

I don’t believe in damaging skin in pursuit of short term results. Or in damaging the planet in the pursuit of profit. I believe in creating an indefinitely sustainable solution in skincare that outperforms the competition in the long term.

To be an innovator in microbiome skincare

Innovation isn’t marketing. Real innovation makes a tangible and substantive difference. That’s the difference I want Esse to make.

To be ethical above all else

My goal has never been to be the biggest skincare company in the world. It takes time, effort and resources to craft more effective products and we will never be as profitable as the multinationals.

To be an instigator of change

It’s not easy to change a hundred years of learned behaviour in the use of industrial beauty products. My goal is to inspire the industry to want to do better.

Skin Concerns

Find out more about your skin concern here

Pigmentation

Sensitivity

Skin ageing

Ethics before profit

Esse does not believe in damaging skin in pursuit of short term results. We optimise skin health to slow ageing in the long term, with biochemistry that makes beneficial changes to the skin’s microbiome. We keep the pH of all our products at 5, using mild preservatives and rapidly biodegradable foaming agents. We have always remained true to our core principles: We support fair trade and are a certified organic, vegan, cruelty free and carbon- and plastic neutral company.

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Certified organic

Since inception, Esse has subscribed Ecocert’s organic standards and percentages. We’ve omitted ingredients deemed unsafe or unsustainable, which is verified through production facility audits to ensure full traceability of all raw materials. Ecocert regulates our packaging, ensuring that materials used are safe, recyclable and don’t leach into the product over time.

Find out more at Ecocert

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Carbon neutral

Esse is on a mission to reduce carbon emissions year-on-year. We audit our energy consumption annually to maximise efficiency and continually improve. But because we believe we can still do better; carbon credits are purchased to offset the company’s carbon emissions.

Find out more at Credible Carbon

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Plastic neutral

Esse has stepped up to help protect the ocean by being plastic neutral. We’ve partnered with Cleanhub to ensure that the plastic equivalent of our usage is collected and recycled. Cleanhub currently treats 15 million tonnes of plastic waste from more than 70 countries, empowering local communities to set up collection businesses. 

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Cruelty free

Esse does not test products on animals. We will not source ingredients from suppliers who do. There are many alternatives to the use of animals in research, and our products are tested on human volunteers. We are accredited members of PeTA’s cruelty-free company programme and Beauty Without Cruelty, who educate the public about the exploitation and abuse of animals. 

Find out more at Peta

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Vegan

Esse is accredited by The Vegan Society – the worldwide standard for products free from animal ingredients and animal testing. We will always endeavour to use animal free ingredients in our formulations and will never support the unethical practice of animal testing on our products or their ingredients. We will only consider using animal ingredients when no plant based alternatives exist, and when we do we only use by-products that cause no harm to the animal in processing. And we will always be transparent and open about where they are used and why. Esse is uncompromising about the integrity of our suppliers and products, putting the health of people and planet first.

Find out more at The Vegan Society

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Fair trade

Esse is committed to the fair trade of natural products. In short, the indigenous  plants of Africa are sustainably harvested from the wild by communities and  processed into high-end active ingredients. The equitable trade in natural products has raised the standard of living of tens of thousands of people.  Through buying fair trade ingredients, we’re helping enable women to send  their kids to school, visit the clinic, invest in local credit schemes or even build a  house. By supporting fair trade, Esse is ensuring plants are wild-harvested to maximise the potency of the extracts. But more importantly, we’re helping  people create a more sustainable future for their families.