After a world trip where he encountered the wellness routines of different cultures, Raymond Cloosterman was inspired to start Rituals, which since 2000 has grown to a full collection of grooming and lifestyle products designed to transform the mundane into moments of wonder. He speaks with Gayatri Bhaumik about enjoying the ordinary and how men are changing their approach to grooming.
What inspired you to start Rituals?
I started Rituals after a world trip visiting different parts of the globe, where I experienced so many different cultures and was truly impressed by the ancient routines and traditions I encountered. That’s basically how the idea for Rituals started. I was thinking, “What if you offer people something that would turn their everyday routines into something special?
I started with a team of professionals in Paris, including an anthropologist and leading perfumers, to create a new beauty/lifestyle brand. Today, when we start working on a new idea, we don’t start in a laboratory – we start with a beautiful story or meaningful practice that we want to share. There’s a wealth of ancient history to discover and celebrate, and these inspire us to develop new innovations.
What’s the Rituals ethos?
Our philosophy is to help people rediscover the magic of the everyday. We’re living life on autopilot these days and due to our busy lives, we’ve forgotten what it is to enjoy the mundane. People all over the world crave a moment to relax and unwind. So, in addition to our luxury products, we help them step back and make every moment count. Whether you take a shower, enjoy a warm bath or drink your morning tea, we feel it is important to enrich your everyday routines with a little extra attention. It’s all about turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.
Why bring Rituals to Asia – and specifically Hong Kong?
Asia was always in the long-term global vision for Rituals and we are so happy and proud to have opened our first store in Hong Kong. You can almost say [Asia] is where Rituals was really founded since the ideology of the brand is very much inspired by Eastern philosophy.
Asia is an extremely exciting and versatile market for any cosmetics brand, and Hong Kong is a true metropolis as well as a leader in the digital retail experience. To be at the centre of it provides a great opportunity for Rituals to introduce our brand of luxurious products.
What trends are you seeing in men’s skincare and grooming these days?
I believe the perspective towards skincare and grooming for men is changing rapidly, and men are discovering the benefits of incorporating a grooming routine into their everyday lives. They aren’t afraid of taking good care of their bodies, minds and souls.
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How has this evolved in the last 10 years? Is there more awareness?
This market is growing so fast and will continue. We are looking after ourselves in a much more holistic way and the need for natural skincare is growing. Men are more aware of their appearance and know what they need from their grooming products. The time when men secretly used their girlfriend’s face cream is no more, as they now want their own skin and body care products.
What we also see is a need to make more sustainable choices to take care of our planet and reduce waste, wherever possible. One of the ways we do this with is our refill packaging. For the Ritual of Samurai we offer eco-friendly refill options to invigorate your skin while being conscious of the environment.
Rituals also does products for the home. Is there a big demand for this in Asia? Why?
We’ve just opened our first store in Hong Kong, so this is something that we will discover. However, we see that Asian consumers that shop with us in our travel retail and in our European stores are very attracted by our Home range, like our luxurious candles and fragrance sticks. It is also logical, regardless of where you live or what age you are, that people look to elevate their homes to create their own personal sanctuary.
Hong Kong is such a fast-paced, tech-driven reality – we want to help and encourage our local customers to create a space where they can shut off from distractions and take a moment to enjoy the little things in life. We were the first brand that combined home and body cosmetics so that you can enjoy the same fragrances when you are at home, like using shower gels, scented candles or bed and body mists in the same fragrance. With these products, we hope to offer all our consumers a chance to re-discover and appreciate their small daily routines.
What skincare products do you think every man should have on his bathroom counter?
One of my favourite Samurai products is our shave cream. I’m also very proud of our new skincare range for men. We did years of research to develop this high-performing natural skincare range.
Most men are pretty utilitarian when putting together a house. How can they turn their place into a real home? Are there certain products/things they should have?
I believe that anyone can enrich their life in many different ways, especially in their own home. For example, your bathroom should be your private sanctuary. A place where you can unwind, find relaxation and a moment of peace just for yourself. To create that sense of peace you need to reduce the ‘visual noise’. That is why our elegant and thoughtful product designs are so important.
A great tip is to make sure every room has a different fragrance. You get used to a fragrance in a room but when you enter a different room with another fragrance, the brain detects the new fragrance, automatically making you more present
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