A ROWSE beauty brand and Vestige Son Vell cute meet
Launching a spa range is a natural evolution for many beauty brands. When we went searching for the perfect partner for our in-room amenities and guest treatments at Vestige Son Vell, little did we know we’d find a Spanish eco-beauty brand that would mirror and magnify our ethos and vision.
As Gabriela Salord, co-founder of ROWSE, tells us, “It was a genuine meeting of minds. Just as we were developing amenities for a spa line we were approached by Vestige. Our brand aligns so closely with their ethical and sustainable values and it feels like a dream partnership to join forces and launch our range at Son Vell.”
During your stay at Son Vell, you’ll be treated to a selection of 100% natural, plant-based, organic small-batch beauty products designed to cleanse and pamper you in your room.
For added indulgence, bliss out under the nurturing ministrations of our in-house spa therapist with a ROWSE facial, designed to ease any tension and leave you feeling refreshed and glowing. Inspired by high-touch holistic treatments, you’ll be in good hands.
We had the pleasure of hosting Gabriela at Son Vell this spring where we uncovered ROWSE’S story and how the brand is shining a light on the power of plants and nature and celebrating beauty in all its natural raw goodness.
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER
Sometimes it’s a case of right time, right place. Sometimes it’s a meeting of minds. And sometimes it’s a bit of both with an added dollop of serendipity thrown in.
That was the case when Gabriela Salord and Nuria Val – co-founders of Rowse beauty products – crossed paths in 2018. What began as coffee in The Hoxton, Paris in 2018 and a long discussion about the power of plants, natural beauty and skincare routines, sparked an idea to carve out something different and authentic within the cosmetic sector.
As Gabriela explains, “We say it was love at first sight. We clicked personally and professionally and, without thinking about it too much, we put all our savings into what began as a weekend project.” With much grit and determination, their weekend undertaking swiftly evolved into a thriving business now making an indelible mark on the cosmetic industry.
Soon traveller and photographer Nuria and cosmetic marketing expert Gabriela joined forces with pharmacist Lamia El Kadiri who fuses scientific knowledge with a love for plants and their properties. She is the mastermind behind every single formulation and product routine.
BRAND BUILDING
After developing their first product, the Winter Body Oil, Gabriela felt momentarily uncertain whether their passion project would translate. She remembers saying to Nuria, “If we sell one bottle to someone other than our mothers, then I think we might be onto something.” And as the saying approximates, the rest was history.
With the budget blown and nothing left in the pot for marketing, they were delighted to pick up an ardent following of loyal friends and supporters of the brand through Nuria’s little (digital) black book of fashion and photography social followers and an enthusiastic press. In fact, it took off so quickly they soon quit their jobs to dedicate all their time to ROWSE.
It wouldn’t work otherwise. “We’ve put so much of ourselves into every facet of the brand and we truly love what we do, pouring our hearts, minds and souls into supporting our community of fellow natural beauty lovers,” says Gabriela.
There is a remarkable and inspiring alchemy that has emerged from their union of complementary imaginations. It’s born from an uncompromising vision to source quality ingredients and distil their natural power without ever resorting to short cuts. Gabriela explains that, “From day one, the technical challenge has been finding labs that are able to work with organic, cold-pressed oils, without adding synthetic emulsifiers to create textures, colours and scents.”
THE POWER OF PLANTS
Today, they work exclusively with a female-led laboratory in Spain. This was another meeting of minds; the visionary owner loved the product so much she agreed to start making small batch runs and scale up as the business grew. Many of ROWSE’S ingredients are produced in Spain, such as lavender, rosemary and oranges, but Matcha is only found in Japan and argan oil in Morocco which necessitates sourcing from ethical producers and building relationships with small scale farmers. Ingredients are then quality checked in the lab.
For the three ROWSE masterminds observing and respecting nature, taking inspiration from the seasons and reinterpreting that innate wisdom and knowledge into beauty formulations is what drives them. As Gabriela explains, “Natural products are more easily absorbed by the skin making them gentler and kinder not just to the planet but to your skin also.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Going beyond the digital realm, ROWSE has a showroom in Barcelona hosting events, workshops and yoga classes, and a newly opened pilot store in Madrid with an array of products and a spoiling treatment room found in the basement. As Gabriela says, “Nothing beats having a physical space for people to try our products.”
Working with a highly-skilled facialist, trained in Japan and Korea, they have developed a method to enhance the benefits of their products through the power of touch. By taking inspiration from holistic wellbeing treatments and blending elements of acupuncture, acupressure and reflexology, the ROWSE facial goes beyond refreshing your skin to realign and revitalise the whole you.
Gabriela and Nuria are bursting with ideas, making days off for them a rarity, but happily translating into bigger and better things for the brand and for their growing legion of fans.
