A Sustainable Beauty Brand Inspired by the French Countryside

But it was Yetunde’s childhood in Berkeley, Calif., that lent her an even more important perspective. Her mother, Eleanor Mason Ramsey, is the president and C.E.O. of an Oakland-based diversity consulting and public policy firm. Her father, Henry Ramsey Jr., was a civil rights attorney, judge, law professor and dean (he also happened to be an early mentor for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris; Yetunde wishes he’d lived to witness this year’s historic election). They both taught her to fight for equality and inclusion at the highest level and, as Yetunde adds, act “with a strong sense of fairness, justice and integrity in everything you do.”

In that spirit, Essènci rejects mainstream beauty ideals centered around whiteness — “As an African-American woman, finding products that hydrate has always been really difficult for me,” she explains — as well as certain marketing myths that reinforce impossible expectations about aging. Rather, its messaging seems more focused on helping people consider what is the safest, and healthiest, way to take care of their skin. And although Yetunde created Essènci with women in mind (the company, with the exception of Michael, is currently staffed by an all-women team), she always envisioned men using its products as well. I first tried the Elixir as a base underneath my foundation; it gave my skin a healthy, dewy sheen that lasted throughout the day. In the evening, I reapplied it to my bare face and found that its gentle, grassy scent helped me drift to sleep.

Lately, the Beutlers are attempting to maintain their own Zen, despite the challenges that come with launching a brand during a global pandemic. Yetunde still finds time for Italian lessons — as well as her outdoor boot camp and ballet classes. Both she and Michael are devoted parents to their four-year-old son, Gabriel, who bounded into the frame at the end of our Zoom call. Seeing them as a family (the couple also have a 20-year-old daughter, Anaïs, who is currently attending Utrecht University in the Netherlands), I was acutely aware of how, these days, we are all forced to confront the tenuous future of the planet — that we must think not just of ourselves but for those who will come after us. “Being a sustainable company on all levels, it’s not easy,” said Yetunde. “It goes beyond just skin care.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/t-magazine/essenci-sustainable-beauty.html