The heat from the distillery is close to boiling. Beyond the open windows lie the rolling hills of the Val di Merse. The air is infused with the scent from piles of homegrown rosemary waiting to be distilled. In keeping with the languorous atmosphere outside, nothing here can be rushed. Hours later, a tiny glass apothecary bottle arrives, not even half full. But the smell of rosemary is like nothing shop-bought.
This is how skincare is made on the 300-acre, 13th-century Borgo Santo Pietro estate in Tuscany. The property is owned by Danish property entrepreneur Claus Thottrup and his wife Jeanette, a former fashion designer turned herbalist and founder of Seed to Skin Tuscany, the brand born of the estate in 2013. “We start from the integrity of the soil, where life begins,” says Jeanette, who selects herbs and flowers according to their use, from the calming chamomile she puts in her exfoliators to the hydrating rose seed oil used in her award-winning eye cream. Each product takes up to four years from initial development to launch.
Seed to Skin Tuscany The Radiance Microdermabrasion Glow treatment, £116
Seed to Skin Tuscany is one of a growing number of Italian brands offering a riposte to a decade of beauty defined by speed – unicorn launches, celebrity collaborations and the race for the next viral active. “There is a common thread of simplicity and authenticity running through ingredient-led formulas farmed in Italy, which has certainly resonated with our customers,” says Natalie Guselli, head of beauty buying at Liberty. What unites them goes beyond provenance. Products are backed by mounting clinical evidence and are formulated with minimal synthetic shortcuts, making them kinder to the skin, more effective over time and more sustainable to produce. “If you start with great soil, great plants, you’re going to magnify that,” says Thottrup. “If you start with a bad product you’re going to magnify that too.” Think of it as the Mediterranean diet, applied to skincare. A longer, more holistic approach rather than a quick fix.
