Bipolar Surfaces

At Aesop, an alternative approach for skin that can’t make its mind up.

- Joie Goh

EVER SINCE PUBERTY struck its cruel blow upon my physiology, I have struggled with the extremes of combination skin. My forehead, nose and chin were permanently glossy with sebum and pitted with blackheads, while my cheeks and the area around my nostrils were constantly flaky, itchy and dry to the point of cracking. Growing older did alleviate the severity of my skin’s vacillating condition somewhat, but my T-zone remains markedly greasier than my cheeks, which still get uncomfortably taut without a requisite layer of moisturiser.

Although I am one of many sufferers of combination skin, this skin type appears to be the latest “trend” in the world of skincare. “Thirty years ago, the main concern for most people was dry skin,” says Suzanne Santos, chief customer officer of Aesop. “Then, perhaps due to climate change, everybody claimed to have obsessively sensitive skin and all the brands followed suit by creating products to strengthen the skin.”

“Over the past decade we have observed an increasing prevalence of combination skin among our customers, particularly in warmer climates,” says Dr Rebecca Watkinson, the brand’s innovation and research manager. “They were finding it increasingly difficult to manage this challenging and often reactive skin type.”