A brand lauded by politicians, celebrities and skincare aficionados, Sisley is globally recognised for its highly efficacious products and commitment to using natural plant extracts and essential oils. Internationally, it ranks in the top 10 list of best-selling skincare brands. And in Asia — which makes up half of its users — it does even better with a constant top five ranking.
Despite the disruption of Covid-19 in 2020, the Parisian skincare specialist performed 20% better than it did in 2019, says Nicolas Chesnier, regional managing director for the brand. “In 2020, we were gaining a strong foothold in Asia, thanks to our biggest market in China — we grew by 58%, where half of the sales are online. In 2021, it went up another 20% with a growing Tik Tok presence,” he recalls.
“Korea is one of the best markets in the world for us — with steady growth year on year. This is no surprise because they are one of the biggest consumers of beauty and are very knowledgeable about skincare. For a small family-owned brand, it’s a privilege for Sisley to be on par with giants like Dior, Chanel and Estée Lauder.”
Part of why the brand has maintained its celebrated cult status since it launched in 1976 has been its results-driven formulas that combine innovation with botanical expertise. Unlike its competitors, Sisley does not engage in excessive marketing claims and over-the-top packaging. It is the quiet luxury that draws people in.
In fact, there is a lot about Sisley we do not know about, such as the Sisley-d’Ornano Foundation, set up 10 years ago to benefit less privileged communities around the world. It also has made great strides in waste reduction and recycling. “We use much less water than we did 10 years ago,” shares Chesnier. “Even though our production has more than tripled, we use less water for much bigger quantities. We also treat our waste and retreat the water we use. We have also built the biggest solar roof in the north of France, and ship our products as much as possible.”
For me personally, it’s the luxuriously light textures and spa-like scents that make application pure bliss. I guarantee once you’ve tried Sisley yourself — especially during a treatment at any of its facial cabins — you’ll be a convert yourself.
See also: Dr Eugene He of cosmeceutical brand Invity discusses NAD — the latest buzzword in skincare
“At Sisley, it’s always been the intention of our founder to bank on the scientific use of natural actives, which we call phyto-cosmetology, which contributes to a higher level of results and higher skin tolerance. This innovation is considered the best discovery of the last 50 years in cosmetics and has given us outstanding results,” says Chesnier.
“What is striking about Sisley throughout all these years is the capability to grow the brand while staying true to the DNA of the brand. We don’t try to do something which we are not, or make products with inferior ingredients just to make them more affordable. For us, quality and results must always come first.
“The second-most important thing to us is pleasure of use and something we are very proud of. These are some of the reasons why we are one of the few brands with the highest loyalty and return rate in customers.”
Among Sisley’s list of bestsellers are All Day All Year Essential Day Care (Chesnier’s must-have), Black Rose Cream Mask, Ecological Compound, and Supremÿa At Night Supreme Anti-Aging Skin Care and Cream, which recently underwent its first-ever reformulation since debuting 14 years ago.
The gingko gua sha (sold separately) follows the contours of the face for a sculpting massage that visibly shapes your cheekbones and jawline
Supremÿa was created in 2009 as the first night anti-ageing skincare of its kind — an innovative product designed to help the skin to maximise its regeneration potential at the best possible time. This original formula enriched with high-performance botanicals was developed to strengthen the performance of sirtuins — a family of signalling proteins in the skin that boost DNA damage response and repair, modulate oxidative stress and energy metabolism.
“The cells have different functions during the day and during the night, and the night is the ideal time for cell regeneration. Supremÿa is a revolutionary product because it was specifically made to give skin more time and tools to repair at night. But if you replicate cells before you repair them, you replicate the default, like a copy of a bad printout,” explains Chesnier.
“Sirtuin molecules have the capability to ensure the regeneration of skin and duplication of cells will happen after all the cells have been repaired. This was a very big discovery, and that’s the reason we did Supremÿa.”
He acknowledges Supremÿa was already phenomenal to begin with and did not need to be changed, but with new scientific discoveries made on the night-time behaviour of our skin and other mechanisms of chronobiology, there was a good reason to improve its existing formula.
For more lifestyle, arts and fashion trends, click here for Options Section
In the company’s research, melatonin was discovered to be produced in the skin. It plays a fundamental role in synchronising all the cells to regulate our skin’s nocturnal cycle, thereby promoting regeneration and repair mechanisms.
The other discovery was cell detoxification, a crucial daily step in skin regeneration. During the day, alterations happen within the cells and tissues. When night falls, the waste that has been accumulated needs to be eliminated so that it does not hinder the performance of the regeneration mechanisms.
What Sisley has been able to do is to empower cells to self-clean and eliminate waste through the stimulation of the autophagy and proteasome — key proteolytic pathways controlling many cellular processes. By fine-tuning these little engines in the skin, their combined action compensates for the decrease in cells due to ageing, internal and external stresses.
“We have billions of cells which live for one or two months, from birth to the moment they’re exfoliated from the surface of the skin. And although we have plenty of cells, it’s important to take good care of them. Detoxification is important because it helps to increase the efficiency of the products you use,” Chesnier explains.
With the new Fundamental Regeneration Complex found at the heart of the revamped Supremÿa, Sisley tackles these phases with three targeted actions to help detoxify cells, and work with the melatonin in the skin to resynchronise the skin’s nocturnal mechanisms. Made with a combination of powerful plant ingredients, the complex provides the skin with the necessary tools to precisely meet skin’s night-time needs.
Comfortable like a cream and powerful like a serum, Supremÿa (available in a lightweight lotion and thicker baume) has been designed to be massaged in, allowing the skin to gradually absorb the active ingredients. Like magic, it melts quickly into the skin leaving a soft velvety texture, while the soothing scent promotes a blissful night’s sleep. In a matter of weeks, skin will feel firmer, smoother and be able to hang on to moisture for longer.
If you want slimming results, I highly recommend using Sisley’s uber luxe gingko gua sha, a gold-plated massager that has curved edges which follows the contours of the face for a sculpting massage that visibly shapes your cheekbones and jawline.
Another new feature of Sumpreÿa is the redesign of the bottle. Made by a French glassmaker, the gilded treasure now looks more luxurious and befitting of its $930 price tag. “We don’t like to spend too much on packaging because the real value is in the formula but we felt the revamped Supremÿa is worth the splurge,” says Chesnier.
