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.

Colorful petri dishes filled with various bacterial cultures are shown from a top-down view. The dishes contain vibrant hues of green, teal, blue, yellow, and purple, each exhibiting unique, abstract growth patterns. Some fungi pieces are also visible.

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 clear bottle of Esse probiotic serum with a silver cap is positioned in front of a vibrant green and teal petri dish displaying intricate patterns that resemble bacterial colonies. The reflection of the objects is visible on the shiny surface below.

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 scattered pile of small, dark brown chia seeds spread out on a white background, surrounding a bottle of Esse Bakuchiol Serum. Some of the seeds are clumped together while others are spread sporadically around the elegantly designed serum packaging. The seeds are oval-shaped with a slightly rough texture, providing a natural contrast to the sleek appearance of the 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…

Top-down view of three petri dishes containing green bacterial cultures of various patterns and a graduated cylinder with a clear liquid inside. A glass stir rod is placed beside the petri dishes on a white background.

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 Esse’s…

A close-up illustration depicting several rod-shaped blue bacteria in a reddish environment, possibly within the human body. The background features red, finger-like projections resembling the villi of the small intestine.

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 can…

Illustration of microscopic view of skin with hair follicles. Various colored particles represent bacteria and viruses interacting with the surface. The image showcases the complexity of skin at a cellular level.

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 shield of armour,…

Close-up of a person's eye and part of their face. The individual is holding a dropper releasing a drop of yellow liquid onto the skin near the eye. The skin around the eye shows fine lines and wrinkles. The background is blurred, focusing attention on the eye and dropper.

Learn About Skin Immunity And Probiotics

YOUR SKIN HAS AN IMMUNE SYSTEM AND IT IS VITAL IN THAT IT PROTECTS YOU FROM PATHOGENS. Keratinocytes, the most common skin cells in the epidermis (the outer most layer…

A scientist wearing blue gloves holds a small green plant with tweezers. The scene includes laboratory equipment such as a microscope, a test tube, and a beaker placed on a white workbench in a brightly lit lab environment.

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 is standing outdoors, smiling at the camera. He has short, curly hair and is wearing a gray V-neck shirt. The background is a blurry, sunlit forest with lush greenery.

“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.

ECO CERT" logo on a dark blue background. The text "ECO CERT" is written in white capital letters and is enclosed within a white oval border. There is a small registered trademark symbol (®) at the bottom right of the oval.

Certified organic

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

Find out more at Ecocert

A dark blue circle with the words "CARBON NEUTRAL" in white capital letters centered inside. The text is surrounded by a white circular border. The background is a solid dark blue color.

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

A white outline of a molecule-like structure with three interconnected circles surrounds the words "PLASTIC NEUTRAL" on a dark blue background.

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 collects plastic waste in the world’s most highly polluted locations, through a global network of local Collection Hubs, before it enters the ocean.

A white silhouette of a rabbit leaping over the bold white letters "PETA" against a dark blue background.

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

A white outline of a sunflower with a single leaf sprouting from its stem, enclosed in a circle, adjacent to the word "Vegan" in stylized font on a dark blue background.

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

A circular logo with a dark blue background features the text "FAIR TRADE" in white capital letters. The words are enclosed by a white circle with two opposing white arrows pointing outward from the circle's left and right sides.

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.