Words and visuals Aesop Philippines
Editing The Kanto team
(Aesop Antithesis)
The cinematic campaign for the Aesop Antithesis Intense Body Cleanser gets raw and intimate with its parallel narrative on sculpture and bathing rituals. A hand works a chisel against a pale block, with each passing strike freeing the contours of a human torso from its stony prison. In alternate frames, the camera latches onto a model’s skin, supple and smooth compared to the coarse stone. The carved body and its breathing muse meet on screen, the two linked by human hands that both carve and caress. The visual metaphor evokes the duality that now takes the spotlight in the relaunched Antithesis cleanser, whose scent strikes the same truce, balancing cool and warm notes into an unlikely accord.
Longtime Aesop users will not be unfamiliar with the cleanser. Aesop Antithesis returns to the Philippines with the tried-and-tested formula of the Coriander Seed Body Cleanser, finally under a name that spells out the contrast that has long formed its heart, one the Melbourne-based brand admits was “perhaps hidden in the shadows” under its old name. Crushed coriander seed cools and black pepper warms, the pair leading an offbeat mix of essential oils into a strong and layered scent, intensely spicy and woody, which will likely catch first-time users off guard.
In Manila, where heat and humidity persist for most of the year and second showers are common, this bracing play of cool and heat suits the climate. A day of sweat and sunscreen calls for a wash you can use often, and Aesop says its clear, low-foaming gel is “carefully balanced to remove surface impurities without stripping the skin.” The brand pitches it, as it does every body wash in its range, for daily use and a wide array of skin types, and says skin comes away refreshed, with the black pepper lending a touch of warmth. •
Aesop Antithesis Intense Body Cleanser is now available at all Aesop boutiques in Manila and online, at PHP 2,000 for 180 mL and PHP 2,900 for 500 mL. Visit aesopskincare.ph for more information.
