Mirror, mirror on the wall

TRANSPARENCY ISN'T A word you would normally associate with the beauty industry, but for Dennis Paphitis - founder of botanical skincare brand Aesop - it has become something of a mantra. 'The idea that you can change your life with a cream is ludicrous,' says Paphitis. 'We do not subscribe to mainstream cosmetic practices and claims of anti-ageing, promises of youth and distorted ideals of beauty.' Born in Australia to Greek-Cypriot parents, Paphitis, 42, appears to be driven by a need to share this sense of social responsibility rather than an overwhelming desire to make money. His interest in the industry began at his Melbourne-based hair salon when he began mixing his own botanical solutions to repair chemically damaged hair. That was in 1987. Today, his Aesop brand produces 50 skin, hair and body preparations and retails in exclusive stores such as Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Joyce Beauty and David Jones. Despite the commercial distribution channels, Paphitis' personal philosophy on life has become inseparable from the brand, something he sees as integral to its success. 'Our customer tends to be more informed and, as a result, tends to ask more questions,' Paphitis says. 'They just would not respond to claims of a breast-firming cream - they'd want to see quantified evidence.' Paphitis does not indulge in glossy advertising campaigns or slick celebrity endorsements. He also refuses to place his brand in the 'natural' category. 'Brands that market themselves as natural are a lost cause,' Paphitis says. 'The idea of natural is misleading and eventually translates into a very down-market gesture of cheap and cheerful products with fruity smells - strawberry bath gels and pineapple face packs. It's the skincare equivalent of fast food.' Paphitis believes in products that do for the skin what slow, nutritious food does for the body. By using plant extracts, Aesop has created a niche for itself in a market that often tends to blind with science. This culture of transparency applies to every aspect of Paphitis' business, including the packaging. When you purchase a skincare cream, do you ever think about where your money is going? 'The industry standard would be 60 per cent on packaging, 30 per cent on marketing and 10 per cent on the actual ingredients,' he says. 'We try to work in a ratio of 80 per cent on the ingredients and the rest goes on labels, samples, etc.' The products are mainly sold in dark glass bottles (the safest way to preserve the integrity of botanical extracts), and the instructions and ingredients are listed on the product label. There are no boxes, instruction leaflets or superfluous packaging. 'There are some women who would have convulsions if they didn't see a certain logo on their skincare or insignias on their handbags. The validation they seek can only come through the pricing and absurdity of what they purchase, and that's OK,' he says. 'But there's a generation coming through that believe luxury doesn't equate with overpriced; people who think for themselves.' In 2003, Paphitis opened three signature stores (two in Melbourne and one in Taipei). Two years later and the stand-alone store concept has expanded to include one in Seoul, a third store in Melbourne, plus launches in Hong Kong and Singapore in the next couple of months. Paphitis claims to reject 99 per cent of retailer and distributor inquiries that he receives, 'not through arrogance but through sheer pragmatic assessment - Aesop requires a particular mindset and environment'. Leading by example and demonstrating why the brand needs things done a certain way was the purpose of the first store. 'The intent is never to be a chain; we'd like to be a charm bracelet, a collection of different Aesop moods and experiences,' he says. The Aesop store concept, like the product, is simple. 'The apothecary feel came from making the product,' Paphitis says. 'We had to reuse empty bottles for display because we didn't have anything else to use and it became our visual signature. 'In the next five years, we can see 15 to 20 company-owned stores in Australia, plus 15 to 25 in key Southeast Asian cities.' For a man who confesses to 'not knowing or caring what a spreadsheet looks like', and 'still lacking foresight in terms of where the company is heading or what it could be', this move to international success could be seen by some as selling out Aesop's core values. So how does Paphitis plan to hold on to the brand's integrity? 'You could get to 100 stores before you risk losing your personal, family feel,' says Paphitis. 'Aesop is an information-rich company - our formula is our thinking, our methodology, and these don't begin and end with a product. 'It's almost easier as you have more stores - there's nothing like a tangible example for staff to reference and understand the way we do things, whether they are in Taipei or in Melbourne.' It's a formula that seems to be working. Aesop grew 42 per cent last year and Paphitis expects that figure to double in the next 12 months. Yet the bottom line still takes bottom rung in the Paphitis ladder of values. With firms looking to buy his brand approaching him almost weekly, he's not interested in selling to the highest bidder any time soon. As for the name, its origins are as philosophical as the rest of the brand. 'The idea that a fable can be pleasurable to listen to but contain an underlying ethos resonated with us,' says Paphitis. If you've ever read Aesop's fable The Fox and the Mask, with its moral that a beautiful face on an empty head is worthless, you'll understand the crux of Paphitis' quest to bring transparency to the beauty industry.