Alessandro Moriconi, an architectural skincare ritual
Alessandro Moriconi is a multidisciplinary art director. Having worked for Vogue Italia, J.W. Anderson, Chloé and Lemaire, he now devotes his time to interior design, with a focus onhospitality and customer experience.
Italian by birth, he now lives in France, between Paris and Monaco.
What is your relationship with your skin?
When I was six, I got badly burned in an incident. Index 50 sun cream then became an integral part of a new, very strict skin care ritual to repair it.
My mother used to apply it systematically, as well as moisturizing cream after showering. I grew up with these gestures, which have become as automatic for me as brushing my teeth. Today, I still take great care of my skin. I listen to it and I know it: when it's tight, I know what to apply. For me, beauty comes from within... no sugar, no alcohol and lots of water.
What is the link between your artistic approach and your relationship with skincare?
My job requires me to travel a great deal, so my skincare routine is like an anchor. I have two toiletry kits, one for travel and one at home. Not having to think about it leaves more room for my artistic creativity: I keep my curiosity, my attraction for novelty and surprises for my practice as an interior designer. It's enough for me to have simple, effective products that suit me. This gives me the space I need to think creatively.
Do you have a skincare routine? What is it?
In the morning, I apply a serum and SPF 50 protection, and in the evening, a serum and a thicker moisturizing cream. More than a routine, it's an education, an automatic part of my daily routine. I feel the difference when I can't follow it, it's almost psychological. Paradoxically, being very rigorous with my skincare routine relieves me, in the sense that I don't have to think about it.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
The best advice I've ever been given for my skin was, in fact, a doctor's prescription. When I suffered a serious burn as a child, the doctor prescribed a factor 50 sun cream. I've never deviated from this: protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun is, in my opinion, the first thing you should do to take care of yourself. Especially when, like me, you grow up in Italy. Every morning, without exception, I apply SPF50.
Which one would you like to pass on?
Beyond the essential application of sun cream, I'd say I like to pass on the very idea of a routine. I'm firmly convinced that, more than any so-called "miracle" product, it's consistency in daily skincare that gives results. Identifying the products that make us feel good, and giving ourselves a few minutes every day to apply them, is not only a time for "pleasure", it's also the best way to have more beautiful skin.
What are your favorite PERS skincare products?
Apart from the essential SPF 50 skincare, whose texture I particularly like, I really like the PERS Rich Cream, to be applied in a thick layer like a mask when skin feels tight.