Yes, There’s Art in Skincare—and It Can Do Wonders for Your Skin and Your Soul

Retrouvé was founded on three pillars: Art. Science. Beauty. It’s easy to see how the latter two principles shape our high-performance, clinically based, complexion-enhancing skincare, but the ways in which we weave art into the brand are a bit subtler—albeit every bit as fundamental to creating a meaningful, special experience with our products that not only improves the look of your skin, but also helps you feel good about yourself.

I’m always struck by how we speak about makeup, hairstyles, nail designs, and even fragrances as art. We value creativity and artistry in these areas of beauty and use artistic terms to describe the looks: you sculpt a hairstyle, draw on eyeliner, and paint your nails; however, the conversation around skincare, which has just as much influence over how we present ourselves and feel about our appearance, is all science and data. Sure, we talk about the wellness benefits of self-care, yet we don’t tend to admire and appreciate skincare as an art form the way we do a gorgeous makeup look, an exquisite perfume, or even a great blowout.

And still craftsmanship, packaging design, and the balance of sensory elements like scent and texture all impact how you experience a skincare product. These artistic details are the difference between a face cream that’s purely functional and one that ignites your senses. Of course, our primary goal at Retrouvé is to help you achieve your most radiant, healthy-looking skin, but we also want to inspire and uplift you, much like how a work of art can.  We hope you learn to appreciate the natural beauty of your skin, which is the canvas of your look each day.

The power of art to convey messages was instilled in me from a very young age. I grew up in New York City in the art world. Even though as a child I was more interested in playing sports than perusing galleries, I was constantly surrounded by art, so it seeped into my soul. My maternal grandfather, Larry Aldrich, was a renowned dress designer and celebrated art collector and patron of the arts who founded The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. My mother, Georganne Aldrich Heller, is an accomplished artist who is deeply involved in supporting both the visual and the performing arts. At Retrouvé, we also support artists and the art community through our charitable initiatives.

While I’m not artistic in the traditional sense—I can barely draw a stick figure—I was raised seeing the world through the lens of art, and it led me to become an artist of product formulations, if you will. As a child, my dad would take me to the Kiehl’s store where we manufactured all our products and give me my own small batch of ingredients to play with. I loved mixing them to see what colors and scents I could create and how the various blends felt different to the touch.

This early fun was the beginning of my fascination with skincare as both an art and a science. The artistry is in the texture, the harmony of scents, how the formula spreads across your skin and how it feels on your face. These sensory, tactile connections that you experience during those few minutes in the morning and evening when you’re indulging in your skincare routine can give you a boost, and we craft our Retrouvé formulas to bring you a moment of peace and self-appreciation as you begin and close your day.

This attention to detail also extends to our product packaging. The black, opaque glass bottles help preserve the ingredients, and we also designed them to evoke a mood. The polished feel and dense weight of each bottle in your hand lends a sense of pampering yourself with products that are special and luxurious. So does the French influence that’s entwined throughout our brand: art is part of daily culture in France, and we bring that same intention to elegant aesthetics to your skincare regimen.

I know not everyone feels a strong connection to art, and you may be reading this and thinking, “I don’t get that deep when I’m putting on my skincare.” That’s okay! I recently came across this NPR article on how to have a meaningful experience when viewing art, and the simple advice on tapping into your individual perspective may also help you find a bit more soul in your beauty regimen.

Art nurtures the connection between the visual and the emotional, and at Retrouvé, we try to do the same with products designed to help you look and feel better. Skincare can engage your senses and lift you up, and we infuse art into the Retrouvé experience to help you enhance and appreciate what makes you uniquely beautiful.