The Essence: Beauty Boutique Of The Fragkou Twins
On June 15, 2023, the Grand Opening of The Essence will take off and undoubtedly reach unprecedented success.
Effie and Rena Fragkou have had each other’s back since day one. Ever since the twin sisters were teenagers, they always had a strong interest in skincare and beauty as they would take turns doing facials on each other. As they got older, they established their career paths in the business world as Effie worked in consulting while Rena worked in marketing. But they could not ignore their mutually shared dream of helping people achieve their best skin.
“It got to the point where we loved it so much that we wanted to pursue a career in that field and eventually open our own space, where we could bring our vision to life,” says Effie. Their medical aesthetics training began in Toronto and continued to flourish in Europe, where they worked with multiple brands and pioneers in the industry, such as Biologique Recherche and Yakov Gershkovich. Soon after, “The Essence” was born with the vision of providing a hyper-personalized, results-driven and educational approach to skincare and self-care.
The Fragkou sisters pride themselves in offering their guidance and services, which are backed by years of expertise in an array of treatment methodologies, the efficacy of clinical skincare products, and their highly equipped state-of-the-art technology. Their signature methodology is a product of their labour and passion for skin health and its healing abilities.
“A sanctuary is really what this place is. It is a place for healing, change, compassion and empathy. We wanted to create a space where people could come in and feel that they are being taken care of and would look forward to coming back every month,” says Rena.
What separates The Essence from other skincare and beauty businesses? It is their holistic and comprehensive approach to beauty. They have meticulously curated every modality used, every aspect of their treatments and every recommended product to create a space that nurtures true self-love rituals. Every session at The Essence is infused with skincare that goes soul deep.
Rena Fragkou (left) and Effie Fragkou (right) provide quality results through expert guidance and professional personalized services | Photo by Lismery Loyola
Whether it is their male or female clients, they stay committed to two pillars: No. 1 is educated guidance and support to anyone who enters. And No. 2 is a commitment to consistency because, when it comes to skincare and wellness, it is not “a one-and-done” goal, but rather a journey.
Those who need guided knowledgeable support with a personalized treatment plan can sign up for The Essence Membership. Being an Essence Member is a genuine commitment to self-care. All Members get a tailored skin-care plan that matches their lifestyle and addresses their concerns and consists of the Essential monthly Facials, as well as a combination of laser treatments, injectables, medical-grade treatments and an at-home skin regime, all per the client’s needs to help them achieve the skin of their dreams. “We even have a functional nutritionist that we’re very excited to be partnering with that ties everything together. We understand that beauty is from the inside out,” says Effie. “We call this membership a ‘Commitment to Yourself’ because it truly is. In the same way, we care for our bodies by going to the gym and sticking to our diet, we should care for our skin’s health as well, through regular facials and medical-grade skincare. All of our services and products are available to everyone, but members get a personalized treatment plan created just for them and exclusive access and pricing to all of our treatments,” says Rena.
As a twin family partnership, their greatest strength is being able to effectively communicate. Their natural gift of being able to communicate without always needing to talk laid the groundwork for their understanding of what they wanted The Essence brand to be. “We’re each other’s support system. It is a blessing to have someone you trust that you can fall back on, especially family. Everything we do, we do it with love and respect, and even though we have different ideas and outtakes, we always work toward the same vision,” says Rena.
They work on perfecting their craft every day and are always learning cutting-edge ways to help their clients glow with confidence. For them, beauty begins and ends with healthy skin. That is why they consider self-care essential.
What is on the horizon for the brand? The sky is the limit. They are currently in the process of attaining multiple partnerships with other brands and are excited to incorporate new products and tools for their clients to take home as well. “The long-term goal is to help as many people as possible achieve the best skin of their lives and eventually expand throughout Ontario, even Canada, and possibly around the world,” says Effie.
With the success of their soft opening, they have already been receiving an overwhelming amount of membership sign-ups, which reflects the communities’ trust in their services and guidance, as well as the need for personalized and charming service. In addition, all their Biologique Recherche products, the luxury French skincare brand known for its high clinical performance, have flown off the shelves, along with the cult favourite P50 Lotions. All their products are available to purchase online and in-store.
The grand opening is Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 7 p.m. at 33 Nashville Rd. in Vaughan, Ont. The Fragkou sisters are honoured to serve you.
