Esse Prescript Review: 1 Month of this Bespoke-Formulated Skincare & My Skin is Thriving
If there’s one beauty rule to heed it’s that skincare is not one-size-fits-all. That serum your coworker was raving about might not do anything for your skin, and the mask that turned your sister’s skin baby-soft might make you break out — everyone’s skin is so different. We may hate to admit it, but the only surefire way to get the skin of your dreams is to find what works for you… But not everyone has the time, patience, or budget for trial-and-error.
Nailing down a proven skincare routine can seem overwhelming, and in a world where thousands of products are available to us, is it really possible to nail a personalised routine? When it comes to skincare, the options are limited to broad categories and the idea of having a skincare product just for you sounds like a pipe dream. But, one local brand is trying to take the guesswork out of skincare for good. Enter Esse Prescript.
Forget investing in an endless amount of skincare products that you’ll never buy again. Esse is here to help with its new skincare duo that is all about you.
Formulated by trusted skincare brand, Esse, Esse Prescript is the next evolution into personalised skincare. This range is different from other skincare on the market in that it’s made for you — literally. Esse Prescript is truly a skincare routine for everyone; no matter your skin type, skin concerns, or geographical location.
Through a comprehensive question skin genome quiz, carried out by a qualified practitioner (doctor or skincare therapist), Esse says it can create a custom product that’s specifically formulated for your lifestyle, stress levels, environment and skincare concerns. The Esse expert analyses the skin and builds a personalised product together with the client.
Then, with the help of an app, the practitioner is able to determine lifestyle considerations, skin needs and tolerance levels for the applicable actives, and can then build an optimal, personalised skincare offering. After the process is complete, your Esse Prescipt products are formulated just for you, helping to streamline your skincare routine by giving you a completely customised skincare duo that your skin will love.
Yup, two products… that’s it! If you really must have a cleanser then Esse recommends its Sensitive Cleanser for once-daily cleansing (at night to remove makeup). In the mornings the brand encourages customers to rinse the skin with just water to ensure the skin isn’t constantly being stripped of its natural oils.
The prescription process takes around 10 minutes to complete. The product is then manufactured in the Esse lab and delivered directly to the client within 48 hours. There are thousands of possible combinations, so the production process has been largely automated with machines connected directly to the app.
To see what the hype is about, I gave Esse Prescipt a try for a full month, but it didn’t take that long for me to see why the customised skincare trend is being so celebrated. After just three days of using these two products, my skin was thriving. It felt better than it had ever felt and the dryness and redness I always have around my nose had cleared. A week later my complexion had improved and my skin felt plump and ultra-nourished. Now, after more than a month of diligently using these two products, and nothing else, my skin is thriving.
Esse’s new prescription service more than delivers on the promise of personalised, results-driven skincare. During my first consultation, the Esse expert worked with me to develop two products that were chockful with everything my skin needed to be its best self. She threw pretty much everything but the kitchen sink at it. The result was the ‘gold standard’ in skincare packed with powerful active ingredients in more potent (but still safe) quantities.
My prescription was put together to address my specific skin concerns which included dehydration, lipid dryness, sensitivity, and wrinkle prevention. Some of the key ingredients in my personalised Serum Actives product included Aloe Vera Leaf Extract, Olive Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, and Levulinic Acid. Key ingredients in my Lipid Actives included Jojoba Seed Oil, Squalane, and Ximenia Americana Seed Oil.
Of my two 35ml products — one a Serum Actives formulation (part 1) and the other a Lipid Actives formulation (part 2) — my Serum Actives bottle still contains 25ml of product after more than 4 weeks of use. My Lipid Actives bottle contains 10ml left after the same period. According to Esse, it’s normal for the Serum Actives to last far longer than the Lipid Actives as you only need one pump of product with each application twice a day. Using the Lipid Actives changes from day to day as you can use anywhere from 3 to 8 drops of oil at every application, depending on how your skin feels on any given day.
Of course, skincare that doesn’t hold back doesn’t come cheap and as a result, my two products came to R2,070 for the Serum Actives formulation and R2,152 for the Lipid Actives formulation — totalling R4,222 for a two-month supply of both products. Clients also receive a 25% discount when ordering two products at the same time, bringing my total to R3,167. There is no consultation fee involved with having your skin analysed.
The initial consultation allows clients to reorder twice, covering the first 6 months of use. After this time, clients will then need to revisit the practitioner for an updated prescription. Clients can usually expect their products to evolve as their skin improves, so the fewer active ingredients you need as you move into a maintenance phase, the more cost-effective the products become.
As always, Esse says it prioritises ethics above profits. The team has ensured that Esse Prescript adheres to strict standards for sustainable sourcing of both ingredients and packaging, so you can rest easy knowing your beauty routine isn’t having a heavy impact on the environment.
To start your Esse Prescript journey visit the Esse website for a list of Esse Prescript practitioners near you.
