At the beginning of 2018, Helle Jeppsson founded the home massage application Scape and five years later she launched Mys, a wellness brand for home and personal care that, although it makes a perfect match with Scape's treatments, also revolutionizes the world of well-being in Mexico with its aromatherapy and health proposal, its Nordic inspiration and its striking design.
Mys, which means cuddling in Swedish, has four collections with different olfactory trails inspired by the Nordic seasons of the year, since Helle was born in Sweden and grew up in Norway, the country where her mother is from. The scent of spring is refreshing and revitalizing, summer is detoxifying and joyful, autumn is inspiring and stimulating, and winter is calm and total peace. Each station has essential oil, dry oil, scented candle in two sizes, room spray, soap and hand cream.
When talking about the scents of the products, Helle was challenged to create a fragrance based on her childhood memories. She wanted to bring together the most precious aromas of Sweden and Norway, but also use raw materials from Mexico, a country that has welcomed her for more than 14 years. This is how each of the Mys collections has a Nordic element and an aromatherapy element from our country, a true ode to the life of the creator.
With the help of Izaskun Díaz, an acclaimed Mexican perfumer, Helle sat for many hours to talk about her childhood, about how they lit candles in their house before having breakfast every winter, about how the fireplace was and is part of their culture, about what she did during the summers at her mother's house in Norway or the fruits she picked when spring began. Izaskun noted every detail so that the aroma of each season was complete and paid tribute to his memories. “For me it was important that Mys was involved in the Nordic Hygge philosophy , which is creating moments and environments that make you feel comforted,” explains Helle. “If I could translate it into an example, it would be the equivalent feeling of arriving home after a cold day, putting on your favorite pajamas, making yourself some tea, lighting the fireplace, smelling your pampered candle and going to bed to watch your current series.” That feeling of consent was what Helle wanted to convey with her brand.
Mys's first product was the oil set since Helle could not find good quality, organic aromatherapy of Mexican origin to use in Scape's massages. "When entering into a research process, I understood that Mexico is one of the countries with the greatest botanical variety in the world and that it has spectacular raw materials." The second was the dry oil, which by the way already won a beauty award in InStyle magazine. “This product does not leave the skin sticky, it does not stain clothes and if used at night, it helps combat insomnia and depression, which normally go hand in hand,” says the creator.
And although asking a founder what her favorite product is is like asking a mother what her favorite child is, Helle does have a favorite season: “It's definitely winter because of its woody and deep touches.” About the rest of the aromas, she says that “autumn pays tribute to raw materials such as cedar and birch. Spring and summer are aromas that you can use during the morning to give you energy or to lift your spirits when you are down. “Both have the intention of giving you a pick up,” he details.
Now it's time to talk about the design behind the products. From the conceptualization of the brand to the packaging, the project was carried out with architects Regina Galván Duque and Andrés Mier de Terán from MYT +GLVDK. “I had been following their work for years and I was finally made to collaborate with them, their work is exceptional. I wanted Mys products to be so beautiful that they did not have to be thrown away, the idea is to give them a second life and, now, it is possible.” For example, if you buy the brand's XL candle, you will be purchasing a product whose base can later serve as a vase or you can reuse it by purchasing the refill at half the price.
Helle closes 2023 with two successful brands and with great advice for all those who want to start a business: “There are always good ideas, but the key to any successful company is perseverance and execution. Remember that nothing will be perfect when you start, you simply have to start in blocks, be close to the client, listen to them, improve and make changes until you achieve your goal.”
