Aēsop is a brand on many a skincare fanatic’s wishlist, with apothecary-style products that pride themselves on containing top-quality ingredients in easy-to-use formulas. And we have to say, we are big fans.

Having already raved about the lucent facial concentrate, natural deodorant, Eidesis fragrance and anything (and everything) we can get our hands on, our love for the label is nothing new, but the price point of this product did catch us a little by surprise.

Aēsop has never been classed as an affordable brand – £93 for a face cream is a serious chunk of change after all – and the pot is even smaller than we first thought too, but it could just be worth every penny.

But what exactly is in it? Who is it for? And what makes it so expensive? All are key questions and we set out to answer them for you.

Aside from testing the product out for ourselves, we also sought out some expert advice from Parisa Bahramian – a skincare specialist at Estetica clinic, with 14 years of experience in the beauty industry. This really helped us to understand, from a pharmaceutical perspective, what was going on inside this product.

Long story short, Parisa shared that if you have £95 to spend on skincare, then this will be your saviour. And after trialling it for over a month, we wholeheartedly agree.

How we tested

Swapping out a large proportion of our daily skincare routine – which usually includes vitamin C serums, toners, moisturisers and more – in place of this sublime replenishing night masque, we used this cream every evening to see how well it worked on its own.

Slathering it on after cleansing, we paid close attention to the ease of application, feel on the skin and immediate results. And after around a month’s worth of daily use, we’ve seen some impressive longer-term effects too.

Aēsop sublime replenishing night masque

Best: All-round skincare splurge

Size: 60ml

Key ingredients: Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Frankincense, Saccharide Isomerate

Best for: Normal to dry, dehydrated, dull or patchy skin, frequent travellers

In signature Aēsop apothecary packaging, this dark glass jar is sure to look beautiful on anyone’s bathroom shelf. What we love most about the design is the amount of information on the label, quickly telling you the key ingredients, what the product is designed to do and how best to use it, so you never forget.

This one is described by the brand as a “richly hydrating masque for skin in need, boosted with vitamins B, C E and F,” which sounds more like a daily vitamin pill than a skincare product. But this is where its greatness lies.

The formula

Formulated with sodium ascorbyl phosphate, a great form of vitamin C, Parisa picked this out as the key costly ingredient. “Clinically, this is one of the best ingredients for your skin as the antioxidant prevents ageing, removes blemishes and stimulates collagen,” she explained.

Niacinamide is also in high supply, helping to build cells in the skin while protecting from environmental stressors. And a cocktail of rosemary leaf oil, sunflower seed wax and Boswellia carterii oil – to name but a few – work to intensely nourish, hydrate and provide antioxidant properties.

Parisa also found the Frankincense to be a key consideration in the price, as the “botanical ingredient has natural astringent (that’s the the contraction of skin cells) properties to help balance oil production and improve skin elasticity, giving a rejuvenating effect to ageing skin.” It also promotes wound healing, fading scars and acne marks.

Giving the skin that dewy, glowy finish post-application is the saccharide isomerate. Again, Parisa was particularly impressed, explaining why its instant hit of hydration is so important to this formula. “Hydration is key to the health of your skin, so the inclusion of this ingredient will soothe and strengthen the skin’s barrier and protect it from further free radical damage caused by pollution, UV rays, and weather”.

The application

When it comes to the application, this masque isn’t necessarily the easiest to use, as you want to avoid sticking your fingers in the jar for fear of introducing unwanted bacteria. For this reason, we strongly recommend using a spatula, small spoon or even a cotton wool bud – essentially anything clean – to scoop out a pea-sized amount of product and apply it to the skin.

Once you have your tool for scooping sorted, it’s then incredibly easy to use. The musky mix of botanicals instantly feels like a spa-like experience and became a moment of calm each evening for our tester.

Of course, to really put this product through its paces, our tester went full force when testing, using it every evening for about a month. But, this may not be best depending on your skin type due to the thickness of the product.

It’s no lightweight cream with a heavy moisturiser consistency, which is why it dubs itself as a masque. Our advice is to trial it out once overnight, wash it off in the morning and see how you feel. It’s tailored towards dry, dehydrated and flakey skin, so its hydration is second to none – you just need to work out how much you need.

The results

The results of this cream spoke for themselves. With the changing of the seasons, our tester isn’t alone in facing the havoc this causes on our skin, but their dry, sore, flaky face is no more thanks to this masque.

In fact, even other people noted our tester’s new fresh-faced glow, so the results were visible. Acne scarring has faded, a more even skin tone has been achieved, and notably, neck wrinkles also seemed to fade.

While we’ve now dropped our usage down to two-to-three times per week, re-introducing some of our other skincare favourites back into our routine, this one won’t be leaving our bathroom shelf anytime soon.

The verdict: Aēsop sublime replenishing night masque

Overall, this masque is expensive, there’s no two ways about it. If you’re someone who happily splurges on skincare, then we’d wholeheartedly encourage you to give this a go, especially as the colder weather starts to creep in.

Glowing, hydrated, even-toned skin is what it will help achieve, with potent ingredients that work together to help reduce the need for countless other products. Anyone with particularly dry skin will want to take note, too, as they’re likely to benefit most from this product.

However, if you’re someone looking to save on skincare, there are other lower-priced alternatives available that, when working together, can achieve a similar result.

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