11 Years In The Making, Luxury Skincare Brand Abé & Mason Is Rooted In Japanese Rituals And Ingredients

In 2010, Shino Abé was working as an auditor at a Los Angeles accounting firm when her eczema, a condition she’d struggled with as a child, flared up. She tried treating it with over-the-counter solutions and products from the beauty aisle, all to no avail. “I felt defeated, and I did not know where to turn,” she recalls.

Desperate, she called her mother. During the call, she reminded Abé of a cream her Japanese grandmother commandeered that soothed her eczema symptoms. “I discussed this with my husband [Dave Mason], and we decided to set out to Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan, where my family was from, to seek out the lost cream,” Abé says. “Unfortunately, there was no trace of the cream. My grandmother and the lady that made it had long passed.”

Still, Abé and Mason were determined to recreate the salve and sought out Japanese ingredients they believed were in it. Hiking through the mountains of Dewa Sanzan, the couple gathered samples of rice, wakame and pine plants, which historically have been relied on for medicinal and dietary purposes. They also learned more about the symbolism of Dewa Sanzan, a collective name for three sacred mountains: Haguro-san, Gassan and Yudono-san. The mountain range has been a pilgrimage site for some 1,400 years. Visitors undergo a ritual of symbolic rebirth as they hike it.

“The journey through the three mountains involves leaving the world of today in Mt. Haguro, visiting the world of the past in Mt. Gassan and arriving in the future in Mt. Yudono,” explains Abé. “Going through this climb while focusing on your five senses and your surroundings helps you to clarify your mind so that, when you make a wish at the summit, it is aligned with your true intentions.”

Upon returning to LA, Abé and Mason used the ingredients they’d harvested in Japan on Abé‘s eczema, and her symptoms resolved. In 2013, they set out to commercialize skincare their discovery. Now, 14 years after Abé’s eczema flare-up that led her and Mason on a revelatory trip to Japan, they’ve launched the brand Abé and Mason with a signature Dewa ingredient blend containing rice ferment and pine and wakame extracts. Its debut botanical skincare collection features three products: Yudono Cleansing Water ($60), Gassan Serum ($185) and Haguro Moisturizing Cream ($210).

“I wanted to share this with others,” says Abé. “I knew that there were many like me that were looking for a solution. While the prestige market today has an abundance of natural brands for sensitive skin, we felt that there were none to very few in the luxury sector that offered what Abé & Mason has.”

She adds, “This was a very special project to us, and we wanted to ensure that the brand and products well represented our journey and paid respect to the rebirth ritual and key ingredients for our Dewa blend…It took a few years to perfect our formulas as well as their texture and scent. Secondary packaging was another major challenge for us and took a couple of years to produce as our first attempt was not successful so we had to find another vendor and start from scratch.”

“It took a few years to perfect our formulas as well as their texture and scent.”

Abé & Mason’s fragrance-free products have essential oil blends to provide light scents. Yudono Cleansing Water has a refreshing texture and a hint of fresh cucumber supported by calendula and neroli to complement it. Gassan Rejuvenating Serum has a silky formula with a gentle aroma of sweet neroli and calendula. Haguro Moisturizing Cream has a rich, smooth texture and a neroli and calendula blend, accented by the subtle warmth of amber.

For product usage, Abé & Mason encourages customers to follow a ritual inspired by Abé and Mason’s Dewa Sanzan hike. “Abé & Mason’s ritual is made up of two parts,” details Abé. “The Ritual of Discovery is a pre-application ritual that involves meditation. Then Ritual of Awakening [is] where you apply products with intention.”

Abé & Mason is currently sold exclusively via its website. Abé and Mason hope to place it soon in select retailers, including luxury beauty retailers, e-tailers and high-end department stores. They describe the brand’s target customers as women aged 30 and above, though they stress that the products are gender neutral.

“Our core customers have a keen interest in sustainable and natural products that are plant-based,” says Abé. “They gravitate towards modern-classic packaging and seek high-performance, quality products.”

So far, Abé & Mason reports working with a public relations agency has been its most successful tactic for building awareness. It has hosted events for the press and influencers, too. For its launch, the brand organized facials at The Greenwich Hotel’s spa. It plans to host another event offering at-home facials in Los Angeles this month.

Next, the brand plans to introduce new products to its assortment and eventually branch into overseas markets. The co-founders expect to implement recycling and refill programs and replace petroleum-derived materials with natural alternatives. Abé and Mason decline to disclose how much it cost to bring Abé & Mason to market or projected sales for the year.