Skincare on a Deeper Level

In Sanskrit ila means earth. But the name has many meanings. It also represents the name of the Goddess of Truth, and it is associated with a sacred place in India. "ilayaspada, that's where the two ancient rivers meet," says ila founder, Denise Leicester. "It's supposed to be the holiest place on earth. When you go back into the ancient history of India, there was a princess called ila and she had a kingdom called ilayaspada."

The philosophy of ila is beyond organic and touches people on a number of different levels, not only offering purity, energy and balance, but also sustainability and a healing quality, which comes from the harmony with mother nature that the farmers experience when harvesting the ingredients.

Launched only two years ago, the luxurious organic skincare brand has already become available at numerous shops around the world and is incorporated in many spas together with their ila treatments. "My favourite treatment is the Chakra Wellbeing," says Leicester. "All of our treatments are designed to work on a deeper level." Her background as a yoga teacher and her affinity for chanting, has also led her to include sound during the treatments, as well as play music during the production of the goods. "We actually recorded the first CD in a temple."

The main message of the brand is about healing and approaching skin in a completely different way. The organic and chemical free attributes are essential in order to live a life of purity and energy. "When you look at the vital energy systems and the skin and how much importance we place on the skin... But we use a lot of artificial chemicals and toxins. If we use ingredients that not only nourish the skin but also have an effect on balancing the emotions, then it becomes quite a different approach to skincare."

Leicester who started out as a nurse and an aromatherapist has managed to create a sought-after skincare range and spa concepts for women who seek a more natural solution to their beauty and health needs. But men have already caught on to the beauty secret too when ila won the GQ Grooming Awards 2009 for Best Organic Range. As the demand increases, the brand will launch more men's products. But most important are plans for preservation of indigenous communities and plants.

ila's key ingredients are Himalayan salt crystals, argan oil and rose otto oil, and the brand actively supports the co-operatives in India and the Berber women in Morocco when harvesting these natural components. The brand will also add products with a combination of unusual ingredients from the rainforest. "It's a sustainable and ethical project," ads Leicester. "They have quite a rare plant. Again it's a bigger project of co-operatives working together with the indigenous people."

That is only one of the many projects that the Leicesters, Denise and her husband John, have in the works. ila is also reintroducing indigenous plants back into the Himalayas to harvest and grow, including peach trees, apricots, nuts and different healing herbs.

"Sometimes it's important to challenge the norm," says Leicester. "These communities are more than organic. They may not have the registration, but they need support. If we're not careful the knowledge will get lost. We need what they produce in our city lives. And they need the energy of our money. So there's a good exchange.

"Someone once said to me, ‘Your brand is unique. It's called a lovemark.' I had never heard this term before. But it's actually a marketing term by Kevin Roberts from Saatchi & Saatchi. He said that we as consumers are moving away from attention to attraction, wanting to develop relationships with our brands and looking for unforgettable experiences. And ila meets all of that. There's a certain intimacy. I think we're reaching people at a deeper level. It's quite unusual to find that level of integrity in a skincare brand. I think the time is right and we're looking to approach skincare in a different way."

Vivienne Tang

ila products and treatments are now available at the Spa at Four Seasons Hong Kong.