Could Spa Esprit’s new Farm To Beauty brand be Singapore’s Jurlique?

By simply spending S$35 on a moisturiser, you could seed something small yet mighty in Singapore. That is, the potential for a homegrown beauty brand to become Singapore’s version of Jurlique — where organic herbs and ingredients are grown locally and used to make quality beauty products.

Well, this is is already happening with Spa Esprit Group’s new venture. Called Farm To Beauty, the brand launched two products last week — A Cool Aloe Cooling Gel and Om, Calendula! Calming Cream — with its main ingredients harvested from the rooftop of Raffles City.

Farm to Beauty actually took root (literally) when Spa Esprit Group’s chief executive Cynthia Chua met Edible Garden City’s founder Bjorn Low, and was amazed to find that urban farming is possible in Singapore. They partnered up to launch a 10,000sqf rooftop in Raffles City one-and-a-half years ago, and today, it is flowering with more than 1,600 herbs and plants across 16 varieties. No pesticides or chemicals are used in the farm, keeping it as organic and natural as possible. “We want to send a powerful message that farm-to-beauty is possible in Singapore,” said Chua. “We’ve heard a lot about farm-to-table, which is taking off in the food scene in Singapore. The beauty industry provides another viable platform that can be harnessed to support farming in Singapore.”

Chua is no stranger to daring ideas and innovation — she went from launching grooming service Strip in 2002 to overseeing a growing overseas empire. However, she concedes that being the first to market does come with risks. “There are many barriers to get over. Even something as basic as battling pests!” she laughed. “To expand or have more products, we need to figure out how to grow more herbs, which herbs can work and grow best, how fast can these plants grow, and where is the space to grow them. Farming in Singapore is a work-in-progress. What is most important is we took the first step, and we’re not afraid to fail. We can do more. There are plenty of rooftops on buildings in Singapore, which might be possible to be converted to farms.”

Ploughing on

Spa Esprit Group is already looking into the next batch of products. The current harvest of calendula from the Raffles City rooftop goes into making 1,600 bottles of Om, Calendula!, while there is enough aloe to produce 1,300 bottles of A Cool Aloe Cooling Gel.

The group and Edible Garden City essentially distil the essence of these plants, then work with a Singapore-based laboratory to create the products over a six-to-nine-month period. (Spa Esprit declined to disclose the name of the laboratory.)

“Not every herb produces the same amount of essential oils,” shared Edible Garden City’s Low, who has been championing urban farming here since he returned from Britain four years ago. “For instance, spearmint doesn’t yield much at all, while the peppermint plant gives double that. It requires a lot of research as well as trial and error to get the plant essences we need, and to keep their quality and consistency.”

Low and his team are also constantly testing different herbs and plants, including local types that most people would never have thought could be used for beauty products, such as the butterfly pea flower (more commonly used to make Peranakan dish kueh salat) which has been found to be high in antioxidants.

Chua reveals that she does have a wish-list of the kinds of products to be developed, which should revolve around the needs and concerns of Spa Esprit’s customers. “We’re not kitchen cosmetics — the products must also produce results. We’re working on a second series, a neck gel made with aloe vera that incorporates nano-technology to improve firming properties,” she added.

Besides the two moisturisers, The Farm to Beauty range also includes two teas — Ease Up and Calm Down — made with ingredients such as lemon balm, tarragon, spearmint, and passionflower grown at the Beauty Rooftop Farm.

Spa Esprit has plans to conduct a rooftop garden tour and distilling workshops to enhance the customer experience and introduce the concept to the public.

“Ultimately, Farm to Beauty is not just about the products or the retail experience,” said Chua. “It’s about pushing boundaries in terms of what we can do in Singapore, for consumers to discover the inspiring story behind the products and feel proud that these products are made with ingredients harvested right here off our rooftops.”

Farm to Beauty products,  A Cool Aloe Cooling Gel and Om, Calendula! Calming Cream, are available at Strip at #B1-19/20 Raffles City Shopping Centre.