Because gold never rusts, tarnishes or corrodes, the precious metal became the symbol of immortality to ancient cultures. Flash-forward: generations of Japanese women who worked with gold-leaf made the discovery that daily contact with the precious metal made their skin more fresh, smooth and vibrant—seeming to confirm the almost-magical properties of gold. Modern medicine confirms that gold helps reduce inflammation, the primary cause of aging. Long before this was proven by science, the experience of women who worked in the Yoshitaka foundry of Kanazawa, Japan knew it to be a fact.
Their work required hand-mixing a fermented paste to make sheets of washi paper, used to separate and protect the exquisitely thin sheets of beaten gold. Over time, the women observed that the skin of their hands became more supple and radiant as they worked. Even the elderly artisans noticed this effect. Naturally, the women began to experiment with applying the mixture to their faces, and soon found that the paste dramatically improved their complexions. This discovery was passed down through generations of Kanazawa’s gold-workers, and now finds its way to you in our unique skin-care collection. Our formula brings together the three natural ingredients found in the washi paste – persimmon leaves, eggshell membrane, and soybeans. And some of our products contain food-grade 24 karat gold, which we recommend as part of your personal skincare ritual.
Gold As An Awakening
For centuries, alchemists tried to create gold from base metals and other substances, without success. Carl Jung and subsequent generations of scholars and psychologists now recognize the quest for gold as a metaphor for awakening the innermost self at its most true and pure. For centuries in Japan, gold-leaf has been used in simple, everyday items like pots, cups and bowls, suggesting that everyday life is worthy of honor.
Nowhere is this more poignantly expressed than in the Zen-inspired art form called kintsugi, which literally means “golden joinery.” Embracing the idea that nothing is permanent and that life is unpredictable, this art form consists of carefully repairing something broken – a shattered tea-cup, for example – with lacquer and fine gold powder. Kintsugi teaches us that there is no need to disguise the bumps, scrapes and occasional crashes we all encounter along life’s path.
Gold: Always New
Our acronym for our formula – KaESS – contains the essence of Japanese words meaning the return to the soil and nature, and hatching and growth. As part of a special personal skincare ritual, we suggest using your fingertips and pressing the product into your skin in gentle, downward movements to clear energy-blockages and keep your Chi running smoothly. While doing this, remember that your skin is a river of constant motion, always changing, replacing damaged cells and repairing itself before your eyes. Our formulas energize the natural cell turnover that’s essential to keeping your skin firm, bright, and soft.
Just as our ancestors marveled at how soft, dense lumps of raw gold could be transformed into ornaments, currency and medicine, we created our collection to allow you to find new resiliency, and awaken the natural beauty of healthy skin, every day.
