The story
Aesop was founded by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis in 1987 in Armadale, Melbourne. Suzanne Santos, whose current job title is Chief Customer Officer, was instrumental in the founding and growth of the company. She was Paphitis's first employee.
In 2010, Harbert Australia Private Equity bought a minority stake in the company; Aesop used the capital injection to fund growth. In December 2012, Aesop sold a 65% stake in its business to Brazilian direct-sales cosmetics company Natura Cosméticos for US$71.6 million (approximately A$100 million). Natura took total ownership in December 2016.
As of 2017, Aesop produced 83 product formulations and three shaving accessories. In September 2018, Aesop launched a luxe homewares product. In 2020, Aesop introduced their first candle product line with three new scents titled Ptolemy, Aganice, and Callippus.
For the company's national and international experience in sustainable development, and eco-friendly products, the Environment Possibility Award conferred the "Award of Green-Trend Leader" to Aesop in 2020. Aesop also became a certified B Corp in 2020, and re-certified in 2024.
In April 2023, it was announced that L'Oréal intended to buy the brand for A$3.7 billion; the acquisition was completed in August.
In December 2024, Michael O'Keeffe, Aesop's chief executive of more than 20 years, left the company.
From Wikipedia’s article on Aesop (brand), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4