When Natura Bissé was launched in the United States in the Neiman Marcus department store, then the quintessence of luxury, it had an obsession: that they be allowed to have a tiny booth on site to be able to apply their products. “The trend there was a lot of makeup and a lot of nails, but they didn’t take too much care of their skin,” recalls Patricia Fisas, director of innovation and development of the brand. They ended up calling their beauticians golden fingers because they did magic with their hands.
Already then, in the mid-nineties, at Natura Bissé they were clear about the power of touch, one of those, in principle, intangible assets that they now wanted to validate with a study carried out together with Starlab, a research institute expert in neuroscience, and the University of Murcia, an ally of EuniWell, the European University of Wellbeing.
“When you leave a treatment, the wow effect is immediately noticeable and people tell us that they are in better spirits and more relaxed. But how much exactly?” asked the board. She now knows it: according to the study, her spa rituals, in addition to improving the condition of the skin, reduce stress levels, reinforce self-esteem and increase well-being by 67 percent. “Through the emotional benefit of touch we manage to increase oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine and endorphins and lower stress biomarkers such as cortisol, pro-inflammatory cytokines and alpha-amylase,” explains Fisas.
“The apparatus works very well, but the hands communicate and are irreplaceable,” he says. “Going to the spa recharges your batteries positively and, in the midst of the boom in psychodermatology, it can be a good complement to the psychologist,” she adds.
Objective parameters (EEG, electroencephalogram, and ECG, electrocardiogram), more than 400 saliva samples of biomarkers related to stress and positive emotional state, and live measurement with macrophotographs of the skin laid the foundations of the study, which took as reference the 60-minute Natura Bissé signature facial treatment. “In 2016 we already used neuroscience to analyze and seek excellence in our protocols. By measuring brain waves we saw that pleasure fell with exfoliation and the application of a cold mask. If we made them coincide with the application of hot towels on the feet and massage of the arms and hands, they recovered faster,” says Patricia Fisas.
In the latest study (2023), more ambitious and complex, 30 volunteers between 25 and 60 years old participated and psychological well-being – self-acceptance, mastery of the environment, personal growth… – was also evaluated through scientifically based surveys such as Ryff scale. “We are in the new era of emotional beauty, which makes us feel good. The need to take care of ourselves, to prevent, to adopt good beauty habits in youth to mature with skin in better condition and that looks better has become apparent. The advice I always give my daughters? “Let them remove their makeup at night, whenever they arrive,” summarizes the Natura Bissé board.
The neuroscientific study that quantifies the emotional impact that the power of touch and cosmetics has on people’s well-being was presented at the IFSCC (International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists) congress held in Barcelona in September.
Patricia Fisas likes the comparison: “Innovation in presentation, in shape, in the synergy of ingredients, in texture… We want to go that way. Look for the active ingredients that will give us the best results and that best combine with the formula,” she explains. “We work a lot on the mixture and the optimal dose, which is not always the highest. And in the art of emulsions we are very experts. We have been making creams for 45 years and I think we are good at it,” she says.
“We do not follow fashions or trends in themselves, but we draw a lot from what is done in sports, in the field of food, in aesthetic medicine… The bubble of pure air, for example, was used by athletes from high performance,” he points out. Is there anything that resists you? “The microbiome, we are exploring it for sensitive skin,” she confesses.
In 2025 Natura Bissé will celebrate 45 years maintaining its DNA as a family business. The rules of her father, the founder of the brand, Ricardo Fisas, are still hanging on Patricia Fisas’ refrigerator to brighten the lives of others. He recites them on the run: “Learn people’s names; be abundant in praise; ask the other’s opinion before giving yours; do not argue because, even if you win, you lose; Do favors, listen carefully, and if you’re wrong, admit it right away and apologize,” he recites from memory.
