Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza cuts a dashing figure in a sharp blue suit over a crisp white shirt. He's in the country for a two-night market visit, and he fills the hours with an event with influencers and meeting local customers.
Truth be told, de Heinrich, heir to the Omorovicza beauty empire, well-known for its products that use Budapest thermal bath waters, looks like someone who is in men's fashion than in women's skincare.
Having been in the industry for a few decades, de Heinrich understands that the skincare world is saturated, but he says brands still have "something to say" when they roll out a new product, despite the thousands already in the market.
"It's like asking an author what does he want to say that no one else has not said? I think given the development of cosmetics science, there will be new ingredients to pave new ways of treating an existing problem," he says.
Omorovicza (pronounced o-mo-ro-veet-sa), he tells me, works with a few ingredient developers and one of them, headquartered in Spain, is obsessed, and is an expert of micro algae, which is made into both pharmaceutical products and cosmetics.
"He farms the algae in his lab and out of the many types he has, he found one that's a melanin modulator. That means it brings down melanin (that forms dark spots on the skin) by "eating away" excessive concentration on skin."
Typically, acid treatment for hyperpigmentation comes with side effects. It could make skin sensitive, even red. But because this one only eats away excessive melanin, these abrasive side effects don't come into the picture.
"It's a different kind of skin-evening product. It's mindfully formulated, clean and gentle," he says about the brand's latest serum, Even Tone.
OF MEN AND WOMEN
De Heinrich, who helms the brand with his wife, Margaret, says products should be effective and the idea that he is "a man in a woman's industry" should not be in the picture, because "when we talk about efficacy and science, it doesn't matter if the work is carried out by a man or a woman."
He believes that men don't need a different skincare range.
"Good skincare treats the skin, not the gender. In fact, I find this idea that manufacturers say, 'Here's a men's skincare range for you', condescending. I know and I will use what works for my skin, thank you very much," he says.
Men's skincare is a small segment in certain brands, like Clinique and Kiehl's. Other brands, like Jack Black, makes skincare specifically for men with its all-in hair and body cleanser, for example, to make cleansing faster and easier, since it is often assumed that men do not pay close attention to skincare and grooming.
"I must add that there's a low tolerance among men when it comes to skincare prices. They are not willing to fork out as much as women to buy the best skincare products.
"But men don't need a different range specifically catering to them. They can easily find something that's effective in the existing line-up, whether the brand looks like it caters to women or the brand is genderless. It's all about the product, not about the gender."
The Omorovicza packaging doesn't look too feminine, allowing men to have them on their bathroom shelves comfortably.
De Heinrich's daily go-to are the brand's Cleansing Foam — "it's non-drying and I use it all over the body" — and the Blue Diamond Serum, which is in gel form but moisturises like a cream.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FACIALS
Stephen believes topical skincare is only half of the story when one talks about beautiful skin. What consumers need to achieve their best skin are good therapists and treatments made especially for them for their skin conditions at a specific time.
His family, after all, founded the Racz Spa in Budapest in the 19th century, which he inherited before Omorovicza was founded.
"The skin evolves and changes and it's impossible to effectively treat it if you use the same products year in and year out.
"Take a fitness trainer, for example. He or she helps you achieve optimum fitness by helping you work out, changing the routines as you go along. You don't become a good runner if you only run so you have a trainer to develop your fitness holistically. The same goes for a skin therapist. They know what your skin needs and can guide you to get to your best skin.
"This is not a trendy method, but I think it's a steady one that works," he says.
Omorovicza doesn't have a spa in Malaysia yet, but it has spas in its home country and at Harrods in London, among other locations. "Expert aestheticians can help give a workout for your face," he says.
THE RISE OF GENDERLESS SKINCARE
More brands are targeting men and women in their line-up, banking on the strength on their formulations instead of skewing them to suit only one gender.
AUGUSTINUS BADER
Based on the formulation by scientist Professor Augustinus Bader called TCF8, this game-changing skincare helps skin achieve its optimum ability, naturally. With its blue and gold packaging, both the formulation and the bottle work for men and women. In June, for rock band Search's Konsert Endemik, make-up artist Khir Khalid, who was tasked to give frontman Amy a smokey-eyed rocker look, used The Rich Cream to prep his skin before make-up.
DR BARBARA STURM
Tagged as "Tailored Solutions for Everyone", Dr Barbara Sturm's science-backed products come in white packaging with black text, a very gender-neutral approach. It even has a baby and a hair care range, bringing more consumers into its fold.
MALIN + GOETZ
Cheerful, botanical and natural, this skin and body care brand from New York was founded in 2004 by founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz, who set out to "un-complicate" skincare with gentle and multi-tasking products. Its bestseller? The Eucalyptus Deodorant, made without suspicious ingredients often found in commercial underarm products.
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