Founded in 2014 by native Chicagoan and first generation Greek, Theodora "Terry" Ntovas, YASOU was inspired by a tremendous desire for the founder to reconnect with her Greek heritage, which she had distanced herself from since her youth.
As a child, Ntovas lived in Greece for over a year and visited every summer after that, spending time in the mountains and in Athens near the sea, all of which helped to shape her and her spirituality as she was immersed in "Old World" culture.
Ntovas saw a need that would cater to a niche market for skincare options that promoted a more luxe approach to wellness and were formulated with plant-based ingredients. The biggest thing was that the experience of using those products had to feel just like using products at high end department stores.
"At [the] time, there were NO skincare lines like that. [There] were indie brands out there, but the application experience was not high end," the founder explains.
"After a trip to Greece, I came across an all natural beeswax balm that I wanted to import, rebrand and sell, [but it] didn’t work out. My husband suggested that I put all my ideas together and create a skincare line of my own," the founder says.
To set the tone for the brand, Ntovas launched with her ultra hydrating body cream, featuring an herbaceously fragrant selection of essential oils. She wanted to use simple, botantical ingredients, incorporating aromas often found in traditional Greek cuisine, including rosemary, grape seed extract, beeswax, and lemon extract.
"The aromas are interpretations of what I remember smelling when I was running around as a child in this small mountain village now called Archie Feneous," she adds.
It was also important to Ntovas to incorporate algae, kelp, and seaweed from the ocean.
"I started YASOU in my mid-aged years, so my concoctions needed to be result-driven because of course I would be using them myself, so pro-aging, mindfully graceful, and active-aging [benefits] were super important to me [when it came to] selecting ingredients," the YASOU founder explains.
An ode to the slow beauty movement, YASOU's product development process takes a good amount of time, with the founder spending one year per product to finalize each of the formulas for her creams.
Ntovas is deeply intentional when it comes to selecting both her ingredients and suppliers, seeking out only those who share her values for the environment. It's been an unexpected joy for her to discover how much she loves science, having come from a highly creative career with over 30 years in visual communications as an Art Director and Creative Director.
The YASOU founder's favorite thing about working in the beauty industry is the ability to help people feel good about themselves with healthy skin, as well as changing what luxe means to today’s green beauty era through her brand.
As for the local beauty scene in Chicago, Ntovas shares:
"I believe it’s about a complete wellness lifestyle [and] that also includes our earth! It's about fitness, good food, good health for your mind and body, and of course for our environment. We are more educated and proactive [when it comes to] how and where we put our money; purchasing products that are good for us and the environment, it’s a whole concept really.
In the future, we can expect to see some new launches from YASOU, including a multi-tasking oil serum and a refreshing mist. We look forward to following along with the brand's journey.
The Beauty Brief recommends:
The sensorial experience of this body cream is stunning, but we're always mindful of sensitivities to essential oils.
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