In keeping with Gazelli’s mantra to ‘live beautifully’, the skincare brand from Azerbaijan has partnered with Britain’s Royal Ballet to work closely with six of its dancers. Following a diagnostic consultation – focusing on the impact of nutrition, lifestyle and emotional factors on the skin – the ballerinas take time out of their hectic schedules (they train up to 12 hours a day) for treatments once every two weeks and use a selection of recommended products in between.

“I’m on a very personal skin journey and feel I’m really benefiting from Gazelli’s expertise,” says Laura McCulloch, a soloist of The Royal Ballet.

Patented ingredient
It’s this whole body diagnostic approach, coupled with high-grade skin products that makes Gazelli stand out, says co-founder Jamila Askarova who runs the business with her mother Dr Zarifa Hamzayeva.

Working for 40 years in gene science and phytotherapy, Dr Hamzayeva noticed the healing potential of an oil formed deep underground in her home country of Azerbaijan. She adapted the ingredient for cosmetic use and today the Gazelli White Oil™ underpins the range comprising eight retail products and 180 for professional use.

The patented ingredient is said to contain a high concentration of physiologically active components which work at a cellular level to help with skin rejuvenation.

International growth
This September, Gazelli will launch its European flagship spa in the affluent borough of Kensington in London. Askarova promises that the three-story Gazelli House will be much more than a day spa. It will include art exhibitions and a ‘living room’ in which “we will hold inspiring seminars and interactive workshops on an eclectic range of topics,” she says.

The first Gazelli House opened in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1999 and is currently being refurbished in celebration of its 15th anniversary. The brand has also partnered with a select number of high-end spas including The Spa at Four Seasons Baku, Harrod’s Urban Retreat in London and most recently the Raffles Spa in Istanbul.

Askarova says the strategy is to continue building its presence in international destination spas which have “the right space to create an authentic Gazelli experience... spas which are innovative, dynamic and have strong core values.”

Over the next five to 10 years, she says the plan is to also open Gazelli Houses in other major European cities, with France being a market of particular interest.

Askarova concludes: “Our dream is that each guest of ours will be inspired to continue their conversation with Gazelli, no matter where they are in the world.”

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