If we were to take anyone’s beauty advice, it would be Samy Hamada’s.
With over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, the director for Aēsop’s Research & Development has time and time again demonstrated invaluable insights and philosophies that influence consumers’ perception of beauty. Even in his newest position, Hamada is clearly distilling his personal values to effect a refreshing change in the cosmetics business.
A graduate of Melbourne Business School and École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier, one of France’s leading institutions for chemistry, Hamada was appointed the role of Director for Research & Development in March 2022.
“The objective for my team has always been to formulate future-proof products of the finest quality that provide tangible benefits to the skin,” Hamada says. “Our primary concerns are the quality of ingredients, their safety and efficacy on the skin, and ensuring they have as minimal an impact as possible on the planet.”
From the very beginning, Hamada’s philosophy has been simple: “to launch fewer but better, timeless products that serve a genuine purpose rather than create an artificial need—or, worse, prey on customers’ insecurities,” he shares.
Counteracting the standardized ideology of youth being the basis for what’s considered beautiful, Hamada champions the aging process and sees it as something celebrated rather than avoided.
“Aesop views aging as a dignified process: the marks of its progress should be embraced as signs of wisdom, not obscured as a shameful stigma. Besides, any promise of regaining youthful-looking skin is not just predatory: It is also patently false. Aging and individuality—rather than an unattainable, digitally engineered uniformity—are seen as elements of a life well-lived.”
Their newest product, the Lucent Facial Concentrate, further cements this philosophy of a better way of doing and appreciating beauty:,a product with “intense hydration” powered by nourishing botanicals, which is a key element to any skincare regimen no matter what age.
Beauty, along with fashion and its other industry constituents, are cyclical, thriving off generations that power them. Ever evolving and constantly growing, the sector has definitely come a long way. But it doesn’t mean it should stop there.
Lasting change is achieved when industry luminaries and brand pioneers such as Hamada continue to champion dialogue that further pushes boundaries and shapes the way people view what they consider beautiful. Even when it means embracing the gift of time.
—
Shop the Lucent Facial Concentrate online via the Aēsop website, or in-store at Aēsop Greenbelt or Powerplant Mall, Makati.
