Australian Skincare Brand Aesop Opens First Austin Location With A Design Inspired By Texas Car Culture

Australian skincare brand Aesop has officially arrived in Austin in the bustling Domain NORTHSIDE. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis, Aesop began as a hair care line rooted in essential oils and now includes skin, hair and body care, as well as fragrance. Nearly four decades after launching, the brand has expanded into stores around the world, but according to Senior Brand Communications Manager Victor Verdugo, no two locations are the same.

“One thing that’s really important to us is that all of our stores have a different story,” Verdugo says. “Every store has a local inspiration behind it.” 

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Inside the sleek new Aesop store in Austin. (Photo courtesy of Aesop)

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Aesop store at the Domain NORTHSIDE. (Photo courtesy of Aesop)

For Austin, that inspiration came from Texas road trips.

“When we were thinking about Austin, our in-house design team was inspired by the open road,” Verdugo says. “Everyone who lives in Texas spends a lot of time in their car, and people develop a strong affinity for them. Vintage car culture is also something that really resonated with us as we researched the city.”

Automotive-inspired shelving, industrial materials and garage-style details reference the aesthetic while creating what Verdugo describes as a sense of sanctuary.

“In a way, the store is almost like a deconstructed car,” he says. “We wanted to evoke that sense of sanctuary you feel when you’re in your vehicle — listening to music, in your own space, in your own element.”

The design also reflects Aesop’s broader sustainability efforts. Recycled tire rubber is incorporated throughout the store, and many materials are selected with future reuse in mind.

“The materials always have another life,” Verdugo says. “They’re simply reimagined in a new space.”

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New Austin City Kit (photo by Heidi Okla)

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Aesop Bar Soaps (photo courtesy of Aesop)

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Aesop’s Geranium Leaf Body Care (photo courtesy of Aesop)

Aesop’s New Austin City Kit

To celebrate the opening, Aesop has also introduced an Austin City Kit, a travel-sized collection inspired by both the city’s climate and local routines.

“For our Austin City Kit, we’re including travel-size versions of pretty much everything you need if you’re going on a trip,” says Morgan Jackson, the store’s manager. The kit includes toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser, Geranium Leaf Body Balm and products from Aesop’s In Two Minds skincare line.

“The In Two Minds line is great for warm weather and for anyone with combination skin,” Jackson says. “Because we’re in Texas, we really wanted to give people products that work well for the climate.”

“I also like to think about it as what my ideal day in Austin would look like using these products,” Jackson says, imagining a day spent exploring the city beginning with breakfast tacos at Paperboy, followed by a swim at Barton Springs and an evening out with friends.

Building community during Pride Month  

The Austin opening also coincides with Pride Month activities, one of Aesop’s longest-running community initiatives. Aesop’s Queer Library began during the summer of 2020 when the company removed products from store shelves in New York and replaced them with books by queer authors. Visitors were invited to select a free book to take home, creating what Verdugo describes as a more community-focused experience.

The program has since expanded into Reading Rooms, smaller pop-up activations that bring the concept to cities across the country. This year, Austin joins Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia as host cities.

“This year, it was our desire to continue the gesture of the Queer Library across the country,” Verdugo says. “Being able to expand something that has previously lived in major cities and share it with new communities has been rewarding.”

This year’s theme, “Body of Work,” was curated in partnership with Penguin Random House and features collections from both contemporary and historical queer authors. Aesop is also partnering with the ACLU and supporting organizations including Raquel Willis’ Gender Liberation Movement and Allies in Arts.

For Verdugo, the initiative reflects the role Aesop hopes its stores can play beyond retail, and he hopes the program is only the beginning of Aesop’s community presence in Austin.

The new Austin store is located at 11624 Rock Rose Avenue, Suite 100. www.aesop.com

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