Akeso

Akeso cosmetics, enriched with premium organic olive oil and spring water from Mount Taygetus, will enhance your natural beauty.

Discovery

On my last visit to Thessaloniki, I was referred to a grocery store called Olicatessen which has an encyclopaedic collection of Greek gastronomical wonders. Just opposite it is the KB Store which is the equivalent provider of Hellenic beauty products stocking bathroom accessories also.

Here I bought the Cistus and Crithmum cream by Akeso which has become my absolute favourite day cream.

Akeso, a family business was founded in Sparta in 2011.The creators are a mother and daughter team, Vasiliki Christidi and Anna Loumaki.

They produce handmade natural products like liquid or bars of soap, creams and wax ointments. The core ingredient is their own organic olive oil, as well as extracts from herbs grown in their garden.

They produce handmade natural products like liquid or bars of soap, creams and wax ointments. The core ingredient is their own organic olive oil, as well as extracts from herbs grown in their garden.

Enriched with spring water from Mount Taygetus, which dominates the area’s skyline, their products are natural. They do not use parabens, colourings, chemicals or sulphates.

Akeso is a socially responsible company. Their cosmetics are made in an environmentally friendly way and can be used even on very sensitive skin. Their packaging is also embossed with Braille characters.

The name Akeso is derived from the verb “akeome” (ακέομαι), meaning to cure in ancient Greek. Akeso was the goddess of healing and the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine.

Akeso exports to a number of EU countries, Russia, Canada and the United States.

Memory

Vasiliki is a beauty school graduate, while Anna studied Interior Design at Middlesex University. They regularly attended botanology seminars and launched their company because of their love of natural cosmetics.

The first product they created, after a long testing period, was a soap with a natural aroma that left skin feeling clean and soft. Having succeeded in soap making, which is trickier than it seems, they moved on to other products.

Akeso is a socially responsible company. Their cosmetics are made in an environmentally friendly way and can be used even on very sensitive skin. Their packaging is also embossed with Braille characters.

Narration

Akeso is based in Sparta and employs seven people. They have a workshop on the city outskirts, amongst their family olive groves. They also have their own herb garden.

Anna grew up in Sparta so the smell of citrus trees and the taste of great olive oil is part of her everyday life. “Getting involved with natural cosmetics was meant to be” she says.

Sparta is east of Mount Taygetus which is part of the Natura 2000 programme. The region is full of lush open spaces, beautiful villages, challenging trails, fertile valleys and gorges that lead to the sea.

The mountain is named after Taygeti, one of the Pleiades nymphs, companions of goddess Artemis. Taygeti, ashamed of her affair with Zeus, ended her life by jumping off the mountain.

Akeso will soon be launching a line of 100% natural healing oils.