Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm: Intense Pampering for Diligent Hands
In this age where all things virtual take precedence, there’s a gratifying calmness to crafting something tangible with your bare hands.
Most people remember their first interaction with Aesop from their hand care products, perhaps an aromatic hand wash at restaurants or stopping by their storefront to pump out some hand balm. But most people don’t realise that a prototype hand balm was at the heart of it all for the brand.
Aesop was established in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis, who ran a hair salon in Melbourne, Australia and formulated his hand balm with essential oils for a resident nail artist. It became the brand’s prototype product, later known as the cult-favourite Ressurection Aromatique Hand Balm.
Years later, Aesop has launched the third of the series, the Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm, named after the Greek goddess of mercy and compassion and packaged in a lilac aluminium tube–a rare choice of colour for the brand.
We always stress skin care over hand care, regretfully neglecting our hands, which deserve so much more pampering befitting their everyday service. Because of its skin-softening botanical butter and oils, Eleos offers the most intense hydration out of the three balms, making it perfect for weather-worn and distressed hands. Take the time to massage it into your cuticles (or even cracked heels), and remember to slow down and enjoy even the smallest rituals that bring us joy. When on the go, its rich, sumptuous texture infused with fresh, herbaceous notes also goes perfectly with the Karst Eau de Parfum.
To celebrate Eleos’s launch, we visited the local workshop Dyelicious to take a sneak peek behind the scenes and try our hand at dyeing the iconic Aesop muslin bag .
Do you know Hong Kong generates over 3,000 tonnes of kitchen waste daily? Inspired by a stain from curry sauce, Dyelicious was founded in 2012 to upcycle what would otherwise be destined for landfills, transforming it into environmentally friendly dyes that leave their mark on everyday objects.
While most people recognise indigo dyeing, natural dyes come in a rainbow of shades: brown from curry, green from vegetable leaves, and even the rare pink from leftover cherry blossoms at the Chinese New Year markets. The unique purple dye for our bespoke piece came from sweet potato skins, a byproduct of steamed potatoes, traditional desserts, or less-than-perfect produce that doesn’t make it onto grocery shelves.
Collected sweet potato skins are sterilised in UV light and then slow-cooked in low temperatures for 12-18 hours to release a more saturated lilac shade, a laborious process out of love, with roughly 40 kilograms of skins needed to produce 10 kilograms of dye. The resulting dye smelled pleasant, a faint sweet smell that told nothing of its origins as kitchen waste. But not all dyes are created equal–we took one sniff at their traditional indigo vat, which has been fermenting for eight years, and backed off immediately. Interestingly, the smell disappears when you chug a bottle of rice wine into the vat to feed the bacteria.
To ensure even dye penetration, we dampened the muslin bag in water before gently sloshing it around in the dye for up to a minute. I was worried when it resurfaced horrifyingly dark, but a gentle rinse quickly removed the excess dye and brought it down to a delicate shade of lilac that perfectly complemented the Eleos packaging. All that was left to do was patiently wait for it to air dry before pressing the seams flat again.
Of course, we wrapped up with a liberal application of the Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm and a spritz of the Karst Eau de Parfum. Their herbaceous, harmonious notes recall a verdant shoreline, perfect for keeping thick Hong Kong summers at bay.
In celebration of Aesop’s newest hand balm, you can receive a complimentary sample of the Karst Eau de Parfum and a hand-dyed cotton bag to call your own with a purchase of over HK$800 with Eleos.
Explore the Aesop Hand Balm Range
Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm
Aroma: Herbaceous, woody, spicy
Key ingredients: Cedar atlas, patchouli, clove bud
Texture: Rich, sumptuous cream
Fragrance pairing: Karst Eau de Parfum for its fresh and herbaceous fragrance
Reverence Aromatique Hand Balm
Aroma: Woody, earthy, smoky
Key ingredients: Bergamot rind, vetiver root, petitgrain
Texture: Concentrated cream
Fragrance pairing: Eidesis Eau de Parfum for its bright yet richly spicy scent
Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
Aroma: Citrus, woody, herbaceous
Key ingredients: Mandarin rind, rosemary leaf, cedar atlas
Texture: Medium-weight cream
Fragrance pairing: Tacit Eau de Parfum for its verdant, crisp fragrance with fresh citrus notes
For transparency, the post features press products kindly gifted by the PR team but without obligation to share. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission when you click the links and make a purchase.
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