When Vance Soto, owner of the renowned Hollywood spa, Ole Henriksen, finally launched his own skincare line, VSOTO, his clients were clamoring to buy the products literally from the treatment room. Amidst the lockdown and a temporary halt in production, he was finally able to launch four moisturizers this year with many more products to come. After years of working in the spa industry and becoming a bit of a skincare connoisseur, he worked hard to figure out which components would be needed to fully represent his comprehension of what his clients desire and need for their skincare routines, the right ingredients, and also importantly - the right essence of the product. With high standards of spa and skincare excellence, he made sure after handpicking all of the ingredients in his formulations that every single component “understood the assignment” in creating glowy, hydrated skin. We had a chat with Vance to talk about why he wanted to dip his toes in creating his own line, what sets VSOTO apart from its competition, and what experience he wants his clients and customers to achieve after using his products and spa.

It seems only natural that you’d move into creating your own skincare line given the years of spa industry experience you have. How long had you been thinking about creating your own skincare line?
I think as far back as I can remember! As a teenager, I really struggled with acne and it took a toll on my self-esteem so I have always been one to try everything to solve my own skin issues. That’s actually what lead me to get involved in the spa world. I had an amazing treatment at a local spa decades ago (it no longer exists) but the esthetician really helped clear up my skin and at that point, I knew the spa world was my industry. Also, as a leader of many spas over my career, you start to notice what is missing from the magic of the treatment room. Where some brands might fall short or where particular services have areas of opportunity to make them even greater, I took note of what clients were wanting, needing, and ultimately missing. That’s where VSOTO was born because I wanted to take the decadence of a luxurious yet extremely results-driven spa treatment and bring it to your bathroom counter. My passion for it is undeniable because I went through so many skin-related issues like so many others so I know how it feels to finally see a difference.

What were the key skincare elements that were a “must” while creating VSOTO?
For me, it’s about the experience of using the products from texture, aromas, performance and creating excitement. Your skincare should be something to look forward to, not a chore. This is a time that we get to be with ourselves and look in the mirror. You will notice from the first time you open my products the aromas literally smell like spa treatments! One of the greatest (and arguably most important) senses in the spa is your sense of smell. Getting that correct was very important to me as one of the most powerful senses because it can induce a state of relaxation (think inhalation breathing which you can do with any of my products btw after a stressful day) and can also be invigorating. However, at the end of the day, clients must see results so these products - for many years were for professional use only - and only used in services at my spa. When clients kept asking to purchase them we decided it was time to properly package them up.

I have always been a huge fan of luxurious skincare but many brands are out of reach for a lot of consumers so I really tried to find the middle ground for luxury spa skincare. The “musts” for me were definitely: performance, aroma, texture, and results. Not to mention even the colors are gorgeous! I believe we have the perfect blend of nature and results-driven actives to achieve glowing dewy skin as if you just left your spa treatment. You will notice also a lot of essential oil use. I truly believe in the power of essential oils and that’s where all of our aromas and colors come from. We do not use fragrance and we’re paraben-free so we’re really aiming to be as clean beauty as we can including natural preservatives.

I’m currently loving the Ageless Exotic Glow Crème and it honestly feels like I’m applying a hydrating cashmere blanket to my face. I love the soothing scent as well. Where did you grab your inspiration from when you designed your formulas?
Love that! And love how you’re feeling using Ageless Exotic Glow Crème. I have a special place in my heart for that product and it quickly became a celebrity favorite even before you could buy it. I draw inspiration from so many places whether it’s travel, spas, off the wall crazy ideas, random thoughts, a smell, an herb no one has ever heard of.

My creative mind runs wild when I create things and I love to push the envelope but still ensure that the results are there. I don’t place ingredients just to place them and market them as a unique ingredient if it has no skincare benefit. Everything has a job to do in my products and I believe they do them quite well. Plus, after creating so many spa treatments from scratch over decades, I really draw inspiration from my spa heritage. If you think about it, clients have expectations with spa services. So I believe that is an amazing place to start. But we are also only as strong as our team so I am blessed to have a talented staff that also gives me inspiration from the treatment rooms. My team has been a wonderful addition to creative ideas and feedback on what clients tell them they want as well.

For those who have yet to experience the magical-ness of your Ole Henriksen spa, the VSOTO facials are to die for. But the bigger question is – when can get our hands on your other VSOTO products?
Well, I would definitely recommend (if you can) to visit our spa! It’s a magical and legendary staple where we are very serious about what we do. Like you, I love the VSOTO Oxygen Facials as well because Oxygen Is such an amazing tool in the treatment room from the infusion technique with our VSOTO serums (that aren’t available just yet for purchase) to the science behind oxygen facials for creating a bacteria-free environment, plumping the skin, nurturing the skin, and infusing all the essential oils, vitamins, and antioxidants. However, if you can’t get to the spa, VSOTO brings it to you! Right now we have our staple four moisturizers (which can also be used as night crèmes as well) and have many more products to come. The pandemic did halt some of our plans but things are picking back up again and we should be seeing some amazing new products in late 2022. Moisturizers however are a very important step in your routine and therefore worth their weight in gold. This is why we launched with these but we will bring very shortly amazing serums, an eye crème, toner, and cleanser.

What’s next for VSOTO and the Ole Henriksen spa?
I am a firm believer that you must constantly reinvent yourself therefore we renovated our spa during all the closures and downtime to bring a refreshed experience and improve the magic that was already there. We do have some talks to potentially expand but we’re moving slowly to make sure we maintain the magical experience. For VSOTO, it’s going to be a very exciting time over these next few years because products that are treatment room approved are usually client approved! We are really looking forward to bringing our VSOTO clients more products to incorporate into their regimen. Many clients now offer to buy the serums and products used in treatment without packaging etc.! It’s really exciting to see and hear because we know we’re giving them something they want and need. So for now, it’s about properly packaging them up and expanding our offering. As we know, creating magic takes time. But all good things are worth the wait.