Who we are
We don't guess, we test
Before an essano formula earns a spot on your shelf, it goes through months of rigorous compliance testing that would make even a NASA scientist break a sweat.
Stress Testing
Every batch spends three months in extreme conditions (from 55° heat to fridge-level chill) to see how it performs under pressure. We track changes in texture, colour and scent to make sure it stays stable and ready for your routine.
Compatibility & Packaging
Next, we check how the formula sits in the packaging. It needs to stay smooth, glossy and light-reflective without separating or dulling over time.
Leak Proofing
Then we put packaging through its paces, so there are no leaks mid-shipment or oily surprises in your bathroom.
PET Checks
Now it’s time for PET testing (that’s Preservative Efficacy Testing for those playing at home), where we deliberately introduce bacteria to confirm our preservative system wipes them out. Savage, but necessary.
Clean Sweep
For five days, we screen every raw ingredient and finished batch for any sneaky microbes that don’t belong there. Only once each formula passes as perfectly clean and stable do we move on to texture checks.
Emulsion Analysis
Finally, we zoom in under a microscope to study the droplet size, emulsion structure and uniformity. Translation: your product feels rich, applies dreamily and performs impeccably from first use to last drop.
The way we formulate
is transparent
We own our own factory. We don’t say that just to flex, we say it so you know we have control of our products from end-to-end. Our Innovation team including two chemists work on site, plus we’re on a texting basis with them (not to make you jealous).
They’re also in charge of sourcing and vetting our ingredients. Lucky for you they only settle for the highest grade, because they’re snobby (read: obsessed with quality).
We develop all our own formulas, but can’t make our whole range on site, just because we don’t have all the machines necessary (yet). But when we outsource, we have a strict auditing system to make sure everything’s above board.
What a day looks like for our chemists inside our New Zealand Innovation Hub
No two days look the same
(unless you count the white lab coats)
Our chemists mix actives, balance pH levels and formulate the perfect blend behind every essano product.
Textures are perfected until they melt, spread and absorb like a dream.
Every batch is stress-tested in ovens, fridges, and humidity chambers to see how it performs under pressure.
Here, they observe how the formula behaves in its packaging and on the skin, adjusting consistency, gloss and glide until it’s just right.
New product formats are trialled, tested and sorted into either genius ideas or the ‘nice try’ pile.
Our chemists oversee production like proud parents, making sure every batch that leaves the factory meets their obsessively high standards.
Every claim and ingredient is triple-checked for accuracy and compliance, so when we say ‘safe and effective’, we mean it.
The team meets with ingredient suppliers and creative partners around the world to stay ahead of what’s next and occasionally nerd out over a new peptide or botanical extract.
What we promise,
we can prove
We pay for clinical trials. This industry hears about a new miracle ingredient roughly every 15 seconds and, most of the time, it’s not such a miracle. So, when the existing literature isn’t enough, it’s time for some research. We pay top dollar to third-party testers to gather data on the results of any of our new-fangled ingredients and formulations.
Meet our skincare experts
Our Skincare Innovation team is comprised of renowned experts in skincare and chemistry. Informed by the latest research, they guide our product innovation from initial formula, thorough testing and R&D through to manufacturing.
What happens to a bottle before it makes it's way to you
We play it safe
Every ingredient and formula is reviewed by our in-house chemists and independent assessors to meet strict global standards for quality and skin compatibility. We screen for irritation potential, allergen thresholds and stability, so by the time it reaches you, it’s already passed every safety check under the sun (and lab). Meaning? Your skin and hair are in good hands.
We’ve been doing clean since before it was cool
Our vegan, cruelty-free formulas skip the usual dodgy suspects — parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulphates, synthetic dyes, artificial fragrances and other shady extras that don’t deserve a spot in your routine. Instead, we use naturally derived ingredients that are purposeful, pure and clinically proven to perform, from nourishing botanical extracts to hardworking bio-actives. Every formula is signed off by dermatologists, allergists and clean-beauty brainiacs, so you can slather, swipe and glow without a second thought.
Transparency you can trust
Every ingredient we use is traceable, transparently sourced and chosen for a reason. We formulate in our own labs and have our derms on speed dial, so you know exactly what’s going on your skin, scalp and body and why it’s there. No pHd or science degree required.
We’re not just clean. We’re clear
About what’s inside, what it does and why it works. Because transparency isn’t a trend for us, it’s our truth.
That’s why we created The essano Standard: our three-layered brand icon you’ll spot on every bottle.
Pure, good-for-you ingredients
Potency that hits clinical benchmarks
Proof backed by third-party, independent testing
And if a formula doesn’t deliver on all three? It doesn’t make it onto the shelf.
So yeah, there’s a lot that happens before that pretty little bottle makes it way to your bathroom shelf. But it’s why every single product is pure, potent and proven to perform and why we sleep just fine at night.
The essano standard
In a market full of noise, essano stands for visible results and straight-talking skincare.
We're radically transparent about about what goes in to our products, what we leave out and the results we stand behind. No fluff, no fillers, just the facts made clear.
We believe quality products shouldn’t be a luxury. We’re here to make effective, thoughtfully made, personal care accessible - because feeling good shouldn’t come with conditions
We keep skin and haircare simple, jargon-free and easy to navigate because confidence starts with understanding.
Our formulas are developed to deliver the best results possible with next gen ingredients we’ve scoured the earth for. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t make the cut.
We're proudly made for all. Beauty products that respects all skin, hair and body types, and no need to shop at exclusive skincare clinic to find us.
We price fairly
Good ingredients actually aren’t that expensive, so your skincare shouldn’t be either. Even after we’ve paid the chemists, ingredient suppliers, factory workers, packaging designers, distributors, and the copywriters writing this page (hello and thank you for the money), it still doesn’t make sense to charge you more than $100 for a serum.
We know your skincare cabinet is a personally curated combination of different brands offering different things, from the luxurious Christmas-list items to the cheap-as-chips basics. We want our place in your cabinet to be that of the affordable hero, holy grail products you just keep coming back to, because they cost less to do more.
How we bottle our fragrances
Every essano scent starts with a feeling, the kind that makes your daily routine feel a little less routine. Our innovation team bottles that mood into a brief and sends it to some of the best noses in the world (read: fragrance houses) to turn it into something your skin, hair and senses will fall for.
How we bottle our fragrances
Every essano scent starts with a feeling, the kind that makes your daily routine feel a little less routine. Our innovation team bottles that mood into a brief and sends it to some of the best noses in the world (read: fragrance houses) to turn it into something your skin, hair and senses will fall for.
IFRA… who?
Think of IFRA as the fragrance world’s referee. They set the global safety standards that decide which aromatic ingredients can be used, how much and where. All based on scientific research from RIFM (the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, aka the sniff-testing brains behind the scenes). Ingredients that cause allergic reactions or general skin drama are banned, restricted or strictly monitored.
Every essano fragrance follows these standards to the letter (or the nose), so your favourite products smell incredible and stay kind to sensitive skin. In short: IFRA keeps the good stuff in and the smelly troublemakers out.
