Some days, a formula begins in front of the computer, and on others, it is born during a walk.
In my case, all I have to do is leave the house.
I live in a village on the eastern coast of Cantabria, where green covers almost everything, tree trunks are covered in moss and a river accompanies much of the way.
It is the landscape I see from my office window and return to whenever I need to shape an idea.
After the rain, the river flows more forcefully, the humidity intensifies the scent of laurel and eucalyptus, and everything seems to be perceived more intensely.
“Many of Nasei’s formulas are born, in one way or another, here.”
When we decided to take these photographs, I knew I wanted them to be here.
I was not looking for a location for Nasei, but rather to show a place that is already part of my life and what I do.
Behind the camera is Patricia Aguilar, a friend, neighbor and photographer.
She knows this place well, and her photography is closely connected to people, families and nature, with a particularly sensitive eye for light and those gestures that happen when no one seems to be posing.
Sharing this landscape made choosing her to tell the story feel very natural.
I am an aesthetician, cosmetologist and formulator.
My sister Celia and I created Nasei and, although we make the decisions together, each of us has a different role in the process.
I am especially involved in researching, conceptualizing and developing the formulas; Celia, also an aesthetician, is the one who then puts them into practice.
Although I formulate, I continue to look at skin through an aesthetician’s eyes. Before thinking about an ingredient, an active or a texture, I think about what need I want to address and for whom I am creating that cosmetic.
And very often, that “for whom” has a name.
I read the messages, questions and suggestions from the people on the other side of Nasei.
Some have been with us practically since the beginning; others have just arrived.
There are names I have recognized for years and skin types whose evolution we have come to know through those conversations.
Over time, a very close relationship has developed, and it is not unusual for the idea for a new cosmetic product to arise precisely there: from a recurring need, a question, or something someone is missing.
I am interested in researching new active ingredients and rediscovering classic ones I had not yet explored, understanding their function and affinity with the skin, and imagining how they could become part of a future cream or serum.
Then, what was on paper moves from my desk to our studio-workshop.
This is where the practical stage begins: we formulate the first prototypes, carry out texture and olfactory tests, observe how they behave, and keep making adjustments until we get closer to the result we are looking for.
We devote a great deal of time to the aroma: we combine different notes almost like perfumers, testing proportions and fine-tuning each blend until we find the right balance.
We keep making adjustments until we are both satisfied with the result.
Only then, when everything delivers what we wanted to achieve, does the formula reach the cosmetics laboratory, where it is finally produced.
“Nature stops being an abstract idea when it becomes part of your everyday life.”
The seasons transform this landscape while I remain in front of it. The plants, light, and aromas change. And, over the years, my way of formulating evolves.
Living surrounded by greenery and recognizing species, textures, and aromas inevitably becomes part of what I do.
Here, nature is something tangible: it is found in the wild laurel and eucalyptus, in the humidity that intensifies their scent, in the moss covering the trunks, and in the daisies growing among the grass.
From the landscape to the formula
One of those flowers connects this place, almost by chance, with the Hydrating Serum shown in the photographs.
In its formula, we use a white-flower complex made up of rose, jasmine, and daisy.
I like finding it here, growing among the grass, and thinking that this same species is part of a cosmetic I formulated just a few meters from this place.
Not because a plant has to go into a formula simply because it is close to us, but because, when it makes sense from a formulation standpoint, sometimes what surrounds me ends up finding its place in what I create.
«Over the years I’ve learned that formulating means choosing, but also ruling things out.»
Botany is very present in the way I understand cosmetics, but I’m not interested in adding a plant-based ingredient just because it looks nice on a label or is trendy.
I want to know what it contributes to the skin and why it deserves to be there.
There are interesting ingredients that don’t find their place in a formula, combinations that work on paper but not on the skin, and tests that force you to go back and start over.
Perhaps that’s why I wanted to be in front of the camera this time. Not so much to talk about myself, but to open a small window onto the place from which I think, create, and shape many of the ideas that later become Nasei.
But this is only one part of our story.
Celia will soon have her own space in Magazine to show you something she has been working on for some time. This time, it will be her turn to tell her side.
You’ll see her here soon.
In this article:
Pomegranate, rose, and orange blossom Hydrating Serum
A watery, lightweight formula created to provide extra hydration thanks to high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid of plant origin.
Vitamin C, orange, and palmarosa Nourishing Cream
An enveloping yet fast-absorbing texture formulated to provide comfort, antioxidants, and radiance in a single step, day and night.