If you’re as skin care-obsessed as we are, you may have heard of Pestle & Mortar, the Irish skin care brand whose Pure Hyularonic Serum ($69) has been a serious complexion game-changer. It’s so good, it’s already replaced every other serum we’ve ever loved in our skin care routine—and now, after what feels like an eternity of ordering it from Ireland, this miracle product is finally launching in the US. Gods of glowing skin, be praised!
We sat down exclusively with Sonia Deasy, founder and managing director of Pestle & Mortar, to find out everything about the line, the serum—and what the future holds. Here’s what we found out.
1. Sonia Desay is amazing.
You may not be familiar with Sonia Deasy just yet, but trust us when we say that this woman is your new hero. Not only is she an incredibly smart and driven businesswoman, she’s a mother of five who is hilarious, kind and genuinely warm—and she says that looking to balance all the different parts of her life is what inspired her to create Pestle & Mortar.
“At the time, I was traveling with my husband (acclaimed Irish photographer Padraic Deasy) and educating professional photographers in seminars all around the world,” she says. “And I saw how, through a camera’s lens, you really notice the effects of dry, dull skin. I wanted to create something that would give instant results, that would look natural on camera and in reality, but that would also improve skin consistently over time.”
And we have to say, it’s clearly working: Sonia’s skin is incredible, a compliment which she accepts laughingly.
“I’m a mother. I have five kids and sleep deprivation is real,” Sonia laughs. “So I wanted something that would make my skin look alive, but didn’t require a massive time commitment, that wasn’t fussy or extremely expensive, and that made my skincare routine feel special. Because there should be some luxury involved in taking care of yourself, even if you only have ten minutes for it in the morning and at night. And I think a lot of mums—a lot of busy women—feel like that.”
Pestle & Mortar’s success can also be attributed to Sonia’s unceasing belief in her own product. “When I first started, people in the beauty industry kept telling me, oh good luck with that, you’ll be banging on doors and they’ll never open,” she tells us. “But I knew the line would succeed. I have high expectations, and whenever someone would tell me that I couldn’t, I just thought, you just watch me. Because yes I can.”
2. P&M is a family affair.
When Sonia was looking to create the Pure Hyaluronic Serum, she turned to her sister, who is a biochemist, and together they spent 18 months perfecting the formula—and the care and attention that they lavished on this serum really shows. “We really, really wanted to get it right!” says Sonia. Her husband, Padraic, is the creative director of the brand, and the chic packaging reflects his sophisticated and artistic eye.
3. People LOVE it.
For quite some time now, Pestle and Mortar has been one of those brands that beauty editors talk about amongst themselves—it seems like the entire industry has been using this serum under their makeup in the morning, then applying it before they go to sleep at night. But because the brand hasn’t been easily available in the US, it was a bit of a below-the-radar beauty secret—until now.
In addition to being carried at select Exhale Spa locations across the United States, Pestle and Mortar has a brand new online store for skincare obsessives in the US. Not only is their site beautifully designed, they also offer fast, free shipping—so you can practically order glowing skin to your front door.
4. Sonia is a fountain of (straightforward) wisdom.
In addition to knowing everything there is to know about ingredients, Sonia is also a skincare guru. “You should cleanse, tone, serum, then moisturize,” she says, settling forever the question of skincare order. “Don’t rub your serum first before you apply it, because then it’s gone. Our serum absorbs so quickly that if you rub it, there’s nothing to put on your face! You don’t need to warm your products up in your hands before you apply them. Use two drops of serum, and rub them directly into your skin.”
“And there’s no special way to rub the serum in,” she says, laughing as we ask if there’s a special application method. “One finger, two fingers, patting, tapping…however it works best for you.”
5. The best is yet to come.
If you’re already a fan of P&M, hold onto yourself—the line is expanding, and we have the exclusive details on what’s coming next.
“I have a line of twelve products that will be coming out,” Sonia tells us. “It will be a very well-rounded line. Everything won’t be hyaluronic acid-based, because then what’s the point? You end up with a dozen products that just do the same thing. We want to be a single line that gives women everything they need for their skincare routine.”
“There’s a water-based moisturizer coming out in November,” she says. “And then a retinol night oil coming out after that.”
“Any retinol product I’ve looked at, they’re SO expensive—so they’re not accessible to everyone,” Sonia tells us exclusively. “We’re looking to change that. Every woman should use a retinol, you see the benefits so quickly and they’re lasting. And the fact that it’s an oil…we think it’s really going to change a lot.”
We think we speak for everyone when we say that we can’t wait.
MORE: Control Oily Skin With These Expert Tips.