Love at first touch

Like any regular romantic, I own a memory box. It’s where I keep old love letters, journals and a few near-empty bottles of moisturiser. Why? Because inhaling the fragrance of these tiny time capsules does more to bring back memories of special moments than words on a page ever could. The feeling of my first love is as vivid now as back then at the very hint of rose and blossom body cream.

Already, after using the new all-Australian, certified organic skincare range by Synthesis Organic for just a few weeks, I know I’ve found the next additions to my collection. Coincidentally, Synthesis Organic’s line of facial products is titled “First Love” — First Love cleanser with rosehip, First Love exfoliant, day and night creams and regenerative elixir. But this time it’s my skin that’s feeling the butterflies — and it’s all being recorded in my body memory, to be triggered later by the beautiful scents of rose, jasmine absolute, neroli, mandarin, chamomile, orange and lavender essential oils.

Creator of Synthesis Organic, the beautifully named Theme Rains, says that as well as smelling delicious and nourishing the skin with anti-ageing, bioactive phytonutrients (naturally occurring plant-based nutrients), First Love products are intended to create a moment of stillness for the user — twice a day — to reflect, to be in the present moment and to give something wholesome and replenishing to the body. It’s not about spending more time looking after your skin; it’s about bettering the quality of that time by using products that not only feel beautiful, but that you treasure for their ingredients and philosophy.

It’s not about spending more time looking after your skin; it’s about bettering the quality of that time by using products that not only feel beautiful, but that you treasure for their ingredients and philosophy.

Produced in the hinterland village of Tyalgum in NSW using 100 per cent natural, biodegradable and vegan ingredients in environmentally friendly packaging, and containing divine organic emollients — from orange hydrosol to macadamia nut and avocado seed oil — Synthesis Organic products naturally demand respect and appreciation from whoever owns them. As such, the skincare ritual is turned from an absent-minded chore into a moment of thankfulness — a “grace” for your skin — that is just yours, far away from the stresses of the day.

The idea of treating the body as a temple — a place of worship for the gift of life — harks back to the ancient Egyptians, whose mythologies inspired the name Synthesis Organic. The ancient Egyptians gave great significance to the present moment, believing it was a synthesis of all things, while the numbers 3, 4 and 5 refer to the sides of the right-angled triangle, regarded as “the secret of all measure”, which was used to build their temples.

Synthesis Organic’s notion of reclaiming a moment for oneself through skincare is further illustrated in the First Love Facial treatment (available at selected salons and spas in Australia), which I receive in a Sydney-based salon. Before the facial begins, I sit with my consultant to prepare for the treatment over a cup of organic rose petal and hibiscus flower tea. On the table in front of me is a palm-sized metal disc engraved with the words “present moment”. I place my hand on it and spend a minute breathing deeply with my eyes closed.

Next, I am asked to select a second disc from a row of them, each with an affirming word engraved on its underside. I turn my chosen one over and read the word “harmony”. It is not by chance, the consultant explains, that this same word has cropped up several times with other Sydney clients today. I repeat the “present moment” meditation, this time letting the energy of Harmony calm my senses and bring me into the now.

It’s the perfect frame of mind in which to begin the First Love facial treatment.

What happens next actually seems to follow a narrative of new love: having my chakras cleared is like that moment of connection — suddenly everything feels just right; cleansing and exfoliation — the real me is revealed; organic yellow clay mask, applied and then washed away — a new beginning; a spritz of First Blush of Spring hydrating tonic with jasmine and witch hazel — a fresh outlook on life; a soothing finish of Always and Forever night cream with rose otto — the healing power of love, both now and in the long term.

But this is not a love story you’d be satisfied to have last for only the duration of the treatment. It’s one you’ll want to relive, twice a day, for a long time to come.