What Esse Skincare does

Esse Skincare is a privately held South African-origin organic biotechnology skincare brand founded in 2002 in Johannesburg (legal entity Esse Mauritius) that formulates microbiome-friendly skincare using its proprietary BIOME+ tiered probiotic technology platform. The platform standardises four levels of probiotic use across the product range, from filtered liquid broths and lysates to tyndallised cells and (uniquely in the category) truly live probiotics delivered at 1 billion CFU/ml in a water-free, preservative-free lipid matrix, with a 2025 two-part aqueous activation system extending live-probiotic delivery into new formats. Independent 28-day clinical results show double-digit improvements in firmness, hydration, elasticity and wrinkle depth, and Esse has cleared EU regulatory scrutiny for its billion-microbe serum, establishing a defensible precedent in live-probiotic cosmetics.

The portfolio is organised into five ranges (Esse Sensitive, Core, Plus, Clarifying for acne-prone skin, and Aesthetics for live-probiotic adjunct care around microneedling, peels and laser) plus colour cosmetics such as the 10-shade SPF 30 microbiome-friendly Foundation and Concealer. The business model is hybrid: direct-to-consumer sales through the esseskincare.com e-commerce storefront priced in ZAR (e.g., R345 Sensitive Trial Set, R690 Sensitive Eye Cream, R695 Foundation, R730 Protect Oil), combined with a professional channel of certified stockists, spas and Prescript Practitioners in 42 countries who deliver branded in-salon treatments (Esse Experience, Esse Express, Live Probiotic Experience) and purchase the Professional range. Esse Academy and Esse Institute monetise training and certification, while partnerships with Cleanhub (plastic neutrality), the Namibian women's cooperative (Ximenia oil) and AFYREN (bio-based propionic acid) underpin the brand's certified-organic, 100% natural, vegan, cruelty-free, carbon-neutral and plastic-neutral positioning. The company serves end consumers with sensitive or compromised skin (anchored on the fact that 70%+ of women globally claim sensitive skin) plus skincare professionals and aesthetic clinics, with celebrity endorsements from Ella Mills, Dua Lipa and Thekla Reuten supporting consumer awareness.

Name

Esse Skincare

Legal name

Esse Mauritius

Website

https://esseskincare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Esse Skincare is a South African-origin organic biotechnology brand that develops microbiome-friendly skincare using its proprietary BIOME+ live-probiotic delivery platform, serving consumers with sensitive skin and professional skincare practitioners across 42 countries via direct-to-consumer e-commerce and a certified stockist and Prescript Practitioner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microbiome Skincare

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic & Clean Skincare (CRABAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Treatment Skincare (Serums, Actives, Acne & Anti-aging) (CRABAAAB), Sensitive Skin & Barrier Repair (CRABAAAG), Professional Skincare & Facial Treatments (CRABALAF)

Keywords

• Organic skincare products
• Probiotic skincare formulas
• Microbiome beauty treatments
• Sensitive skin care
• Natural cosmetics manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct product sales (consumer): One-time purchase of skincare SKUs (cleansers, mists, serums, moisturisers, oils, foundations, sunscreens, trial sets) via own e-commerce storefront; pricing shown per unit in ZAR with product-level ratings.
2. Professional range / practitioner sales: Bulk / professional product range supplied to stockists, spas and Prescript Practitioners, paired with paid Esse Academy / Esse Institute courses.
3. Treatment services performed by practitioners: Branded in-spa treatments (Esse Experience, Esse Express, Esse Live Probiotic Experience) delivered by endorsed practitioners, generating downstream usage of Esse products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Esse Skincare develops, manufactures and sells certified-organic, microbiome-focused skincare products built on its proprietary BIOME+ probiotic and prebiotic delivery platform. Its portfolio spans cleansers, mists, serums, moisturisers, oils, foundations, concealers, sunscreens and trial sets across the Sensitive, Core, Plus, Clarifying and Aesthetics ranges, sold direct-to-consumer via its own e-commerce storefront and through a global network of trained Prescript Practitioners, spas and stockists who also deliver branded in-salon treatments.

Product overview

Esse Skincare operates a brand-portfolio-plus-platform architecture rather than a single product. The platform backbone is its proprietary BIOME+ technology framework, which standardises four levels of probiotic ingredient use (lysates, tyndallised cells, and — uniquely — live probiotics) and is applied across all product ranges. On top of this platform, Esse offers five customer-facing ranges — Esse Sensitive, Esse Core, Esse Plus, Esse Clarifying (acne, launched 2021) and Esse Aesthetics (live probiotics for aesthetic-procedure support, launched 2023) — each comprising named individual products such as the Esse Probiotic Serum (the world's first live probiotic serum, launched 2015), Esse Live Probiotic Mist (2025 aqueous two-part activation), Esse Foundation (10-shade microbiome-friendly SPF 30 foundation, 2019), Esse Protect Oil (Ximenia-oil-based, 2018), Esse Sensitive Eye Cream, Esse Nourish/Hydro/Light/Omega moisturisers, Esse Hyaluronic/Bakuchiol/Resurrect/Ageless/Intensity serums, Esse Concealer, Esse Sunscreen, and trial/travel sets. A separate professional services layer — Esse Academy, in-salon treatments (Esse Experience, Esse Express, Esse Live Probiotic Experience), and the Professional product range — delivers the offering through certified practitioners and stockists across 42 countries. Underpinning all of this is the company's South-African-originated organic biotechnology formulation approach, certified-organic inputs, 100% vegan and cruelty-free positioning, carbon-neutral and plastic-neutral operations, and a microbiome-testing data set of more than 1,000 fully sequenced skin microbiome samples.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Esse Sensitive: Skincare sub-range designed for sensitive skin, including the Sensitive Cleanser, Sensitive Mist, Sensitive Serum, Sensitive Eye Cream, Nourish Moisturiser, Hydro Moisturiser, Protect Oil, and the Sensitive Skin Trial/Travel Set.
• Esse Core
• Esse Plus
• Esse Clarifying
• Esse Aesthetics
• Esse Probiotic Serum

Products and services

• Esse Probiotic Serum Re-engineered evolution of the world's first live probiotic serum; water-free, preservative-free lipid matrix delivers more than 1 billion living probiotic cells per ml across four species (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus coagulans); 28-day clinical results: firmness +16%, elasticity +8%, hydration +35%, wrinkle depth -14%, smoothness +17%.
• Esse Live Probiotic Mist Lightweight water-based spritz powered by live Bacillus coagulans, delivered via a two-part activation system that introduces live probiotics into an aqueous format; claimed to boost hydration by 66% with a single application and rebalance the skin microbiome.
• Esse Foundation Organic, probiotic medium-coverage foundation with SPF 30 broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection in ten shades (F1–F10); BIOME+ level 2 and 3 formulation using probiotic lysates and tyndallised probiotics; 99% natural origin, 58% organic, 100% vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance- and allergen-free.
• Esse Protect Oil Lightweight oil based on sustainably wild-harvested Namibian Ximenia oil containing Ximenynic acid, which polymerises under UV/free-radical exposure to form a protective skin coating; 28-day independent testing shows +30% hydration, +13% firmness, +9% elasticity, -11% wrinkle depth; 100% natural origin.
• Esse Sensitive Eye Cream Gentle BIOME+ level 2 eye cream combining Albizia extract (shown to improve collagen synthesis by 256% and elastin by 229%), Myrothamnus extract (28% hydration boost within 2 hours), Hyaluronic acid, inulin and alpha-glucan oligosaccharide prebiotics, and Lactobacillus probiotic extract; 99% natural origin, 86% organic; priced at R690.00 per 15ml.
• Esse Nourish Moisturiser Intensely calming moisturiser for normal-to-dry sensitive skin; BIOME+ level 2 and 3 formulation combining Lactobacillus extracts (tyndallised probiotics), prebiotics (alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, inulin, yacon root), aloe vera, shea butter, hyaluronic acid and vitamins C & E; 99% natural origin, 73% organic.
• Esse Sensitive Mist Probiotic mist with probiotic extracts and prebiotic nutrients designed to support equilibrium in the skin's microbiome and improve hydration for sensitive skin.
• Esse Hydro Moisturiser Ultra-gentle, light Aloe-based moisturiser with probiotic extracts and prebiotic nutrients to soothe and hydrate sensitive skin.
• Esse Sensitive Cleanser pH-balanced creamy cleanser formulated to minimise irritation to sensitive skin while effectively removing make-up; used in the Esse Sensitive Skin Trial/Travel Set routine.
• Esse Sensitive Serum Serum containing high doses of live probiotic microbes intended to heal and protect the skin and calm the skin's immune system; recommended 2–3 times weekly initially, then nightly, reducing to twice weekly for maintenance; 68% organic.
• Esse Sensitive Skin Trial / Travel Set Curated four-piece starter set (~30 days) for sensitive skin; contains 50ml Sensitive Cleanser, 30ml Sensitive Mist, 20ml Hydro Moisturiser and 12ml Protect Oil with a structured 5-week usage protocol; priced at R345.00.
• Esse Concealer Wax-coated mineral concealer with SPF 30 for sensitive skin; mineral pigments are wax-coated to prevent them from disrupting the skin microbiome and to integrate seamlessly with the skin.
• Esse Bakuchiol Serum Anti-ageing serum featuring bakuchiol ('nature's retinol'), positioned as a plant-based alternative to retinoids.
• Esse Hyaluronic Serum Hyaluronic-acid-based serum designed for skin hydration and anti-ageing benefits.
• Esse Resurrect Serum Serum addressing signs of ageing in sensitive skin, formulated with Myrothamnus flabellifolia (the Namib 'Resurrection Plant'); winner of the Dutch Beauty Award 2021 in the Best Salon Product category.
• Esse Sunscreen (SPF 30) Natural broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen positioned for sensitive skin and as reef-friendly.
• Esse Clarifying Range Range launched in 2021 using biotechnology to address the root causes of acne; includes Clarifying Cleanser, Clarifying Oil, Clarifying Serum and a Clarifying eye product; targets acne that affects more than 80% of teens and around 4% of adults.
• Esse Aesthetics Range Range launched in 2023 containing the world's first live probiotics designed to optimise the results of aesthetic procedures; spans Pre-Care Oil, Activator and Post-Care Oil for use around microneedling, chemical peels and laser resurfacing.
• Esse Experience (in-salon treatment) Flagship professional in-salon facial treatment from Esse, incorporating advanced pre- and probiotics plus the application of live probiotics to rewild the skin; delivered by Esse-trained practitioners and stockists.
• Esse Express (in-salon treatment) Shorter-format professional in-salon treatment from Esse, designed to rewild the skin via microbiome-supporting actives in a streamlined session; delivered by Esse-trained practitioners.
• Esse Live Probiotic Experience (in-salon treatment) Professional in-salon treatment built around Esse's live probiotic technology, delivering live probiotic application as part of the facial protocol; delivered by Esse-trained practitioners.
• Esse Professional Range Bulk / professional product range supplied to endorsed spas, beauticians, estheticians and Prescript Practitioners for use in branded in-salon treatments; paired with paid Esse Academy / Esse Institute courses and quote-based stockist pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Probiotic Serum clinical results (28 days): firmness +16%, elasticity +8%, hydration +35%, wrinkle depth -14%, smoothness +17%; 100% of 20 test subjects showed firmness improvement.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• AfyrenflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025AFYREN and ESSE Skincare announced a partnership to offer 100% natural cosmetic solutions aimed at improving skincare performance, debuting the industry's first bio-based propionic acid. The partnership positions Esse to incorporate sustainably produced, bio-based propionic acid into its microbiome-friendly formulations.
• CleanhubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 December 2020Esse partnered with Cleanhub to collect plastic waste in developing countries before it can reach the ocean, supporting the brand's Plastic Neutral positioning and sustainability narrative (referenced on the blog post 'Esse and Plastic Neutral').
• Namibian women's cooperative (Ximenia oil sourcing)minorOthers · 1 May 2018Esse sources Ximenia oil for its Protect Oil from fruit kernels sustainably harvested in the wild in Namibia by a local women's cooperative. The cooperative relationship is a supply-chain partnership supporting Protect Oil's hero ingredient (Ximenia Americana Seed Oil / Ximenynic acid).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Mother Dirt: US-based microbiome-focused skincare brand built around live probiotic ('AO+') technology. Closest direct peer to Esse in the live-probiotic skincare category, with comparable science-led positioning and a smaller independent brand scale.
• Gallinée: Microbiome-focused skincare brand acquired by Shiseido in 2022. Directly comparable to Esse in probiotic/prebiotic skincare positioning and provides a useful precedent for what a microbiome brand exit to a CPG giant looks like.
• Aurelia London: British probiotic skincare brand combining biotech and natural ingredients. Comparable to Esse's BIOME+ framework and professional/D2C hybrid channel.
• Tula Skincare: Probiotic-infused skincare brand owned by Revlon. Comparable in probiotic skincare positioning, though more mass-market and US-centric versus Esse's professional South African origin.

Emerging players

• LaFlore Probiotic Skincare: Independent US probiotic skincare brand with a smaller assortment. Overlaps with Esse on probiotic/prebiotic actives and clean-beauty positioning at a smaller scale.
• Allies of Skin: Singapore-based biotech skincare brand. Comparable to Esse on biotech actives, premium pricing, and Asia-Pacific distribution strength, with a similar professional/D2C channel mix.

Broad incumbents

• Drunk Elephant: Biotech/biome-friendly skincare brand acquired by Shiseido for ~$845M in 2019. Comparable in biotech formulation philosophy and provides the most relevant valuation reference for a premium microbiome-aligned independent brand.
• Tata Harper: Premium natural/organic skincare brand with a Vermont farm-based supply chain. Comparable to Esse on clean, certified-organic, sustainability-led positioning and prestige pricing.
• REN Clean Skincare: Clean-beauty skincare brand owned by Unilever. Overlaps with Esse on natural, vegan, cruelty-free formulation philosophy and global premium distribution.
• Dr. Barbara Sturm: Premium German doctor-led biotech skincare brand. Comparable to Esse on biotech, clinical-results-led positioning, premium pricing, and the professional/celebrity endorsement channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/esseskincare
• Facebookfacebook.com/EsseSkincareSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esse-skincare
• Instagraminstagram.com/esseskincare_
• Xx.com/esseskincare

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Esse Skincare