When Fiona Theodoropoulos was growing up, a weekly skin purification and exfoliating treatment was the norm, as any person with Turkish heritage would confirm.
However, it wasn’t until she was an adult living in Australia and dealing with stubborn pigmentation that she realised most of the world had no idea about the power of deep exfoliation.
After trialling countless (and failed) exfoliating methods in a bid to cure her pigmentation, Theodoropoulos eventually took matters into her own hands with the launch of her brand, Mitten, which is known for paving the way when it comes to deep exfoliation.
Below, BD speaks to the founder and company director to find out everything we need to know about this cutting-edge brand.
Can you tell us a bit about Mitten and its range of products?
At Mitten, our vision is about bringing the Hammam Ritual of deep exfoliation into the comfort of homes in the most authentic way possible.
Hammam is one of the oldest cleansing rituals in the world and provides total purification and healing to the skin and body.
Established in 2015, we are an Australian owned and operated company. We are driven with the purpose of creating high-quality, 100% natural and cruelty-free products that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Our mission is to encourage cultural diversity, connection, and shared experiences through timeless skincare rituals.
Our range was specifically crafted to ensure that all skin types can enjoy the benefits of deep exfoliation. Currently, we are the only company in the world to manufacturer deep exfoliating mitts for each unique skin type and guarantee results in 60 seconds. All our products are patented and are a registered trademark.
How did the brand come about?
Due to my Turkish heritage, using a Turkish Bath exfoliating mitt, (also known as Hammam exfoliator) as a weekly skin purification treatment was the norm growing up.
But as an adult I struggled to find an effective non-coarse Hammam exfoliator that worked in the shower. After my pregnancy, some stubborn pigmentation appeared on my arms and back. I was recommended to laser treatments, which would cost me hundreds of dollars and which I could not afford.
My mother advised me to use the Turkish Bath exfoliating mitt as a treatment to remove the pigmentation. However, I trialled countless exfoliating mitts that either required lengthy times in the bath to soften skin, slipped off skin, did not provide peeling or were too rough where they almost ripped my skin off.
Disappointed, I set out on a journey of crafting the perfect range of deep exfoliating mitts which could be customised for each skin type and provided a luxurious experience whilst visibly peeling away dead skin cells in under three minutes. After two years of devotion, testing and perfecting the range, I succeeded and launched my very own collection.
When we first started, Google didn’t even have a search rank for deep exfoliation. We were even advised against it by many marketing companies. For me, being a brand is not just about retailing products but also about pioneering and being a thought leader in the field and being able to create an end result for what the consumer truly needs.
Today, there are many brands that use ‘Deep Exfoliation’ as a term to describe Hammam exfoliators. This makes me very proud that we have been able to influence the beauty world in a positive way and set a new trend.
What is Mitten's philosophy on beauty?
My purpose for Mitten is to encourage cultural diversity, connection, and shared experiences through timeless skincare rituals.
I want to unify people through skincare, by presenting timeless skincare rituals into new environments so that they can be shared and celebrated in homes and add more meaning into maintaining healthy skin and body.
My mission is to take the guesswork out of skincare and only offer products that are natural, environmentally friendly, sustainable, time-efficient and provide real results while maintaining a positive social footprint.
You were the first to patent the exfoliating mitt's material - can you share what type of fabric this is and the technology behind the design?
Our Design
The design of our deep exfoliating mitts is a globally patented product. Traditionally, Hammam exfoliators are not crafted with an elastic and are manufactured quite differently. We are the only authorised company globally to craft Hammam exfoliators with elastic on our textures.
Our Textures
We use 100% Natural Floss-Viscose, which is plant-based silk.
We use a secret weaving process. Each thread is literally twisted to perfection before it spins on looms. Each texture has its own specifications, to ensure that every skin type can enjoy the benefits of deep exfoliation.
For example, our face mitt is woven with a more sheer texture to ensure it provides a mild deep exfoliation on the face. Whereas our Black Ultra-Coarse range has been densely woven with triple the number of threads to ensure it provides a massage to the body whilst deeply exfoliating.
Due to animal cruelty, we do not manufacture silk products. Genuine silk products are also more costly to manufacture, and most silk exfoliators on the marketplace are not silk products. They are usually crepe-based products which have been dyed and woven to mimic silk.
Mitten doesn't believe in mass production, with every mitt being custom made by your textile manufacturer in Turkey - can you share why this was an important practice to you?
I wanted to offer Mitten to the marketplace in the most authentic way possible, while respecting and protecting the history of textile making in Turkey. Hammam exfoliators have a long history in Turkey, the use of them goes as far back to the Ottoman Empire.
There are many manufacturers in Turkey producing exfoliating mitts, however most of them use automatic machines which produce generic fabrics and could be cheaply purchased across the globe.
The weave we use can only be crafted on traditional ancient looms and these looms are only found in Turkey. The manufacturer we have partnered with, has a long family history in making textiles and are thought leaders in their field. They are highly experienced in custom weaves and using ancient looms.
Each one of our mitts is crafted with a different specification. Partnering with an experienced manufacturer allows us to change specifications and add other products to our collection as required. Due to the complexity of the weave, we can’t manufacture in small numbers which can be quite nerve racking if something goes wrong during production. This is why we test thoroughly and make changes during the weave process.
The brand is 100% Australian owned and operated. What does being an Australian brand mean to you?
Australian brands and business are highly respected and admired in the marketplace and have a good robust reputation for delivering premium products across the globe.
Being an Australian brand and operated business makes us proud to represent Australia and allows us to inject back into our economy and create more jobs at home.
The brand is an advocate of the Turkish spa ritual, Hammam. What is this and how we can incorporate it into our body care routines?
The Turkish Bath Spa Ritual is one of the oldest cleansing rituals in the world.
We have customised our very own explanation of Hammam:
“Hammam is not just a cleansing ritual, but a transformative experience which provides an inexplicable feeling of sensation – a complete energisation of mind body and soul”.™
Hammam provides total purification and healing to the body using steam or hot water to relax, deep exfoliation to purify skin and remove toxins, and cold water to encourage hydrotherapy.
Purifying the skin and body in a Hammam is attributed to a deep exfoliation treatment performed using an exfoliating mitt commonly known as a ‘Hammam Kese’ meaning Hammam Exfoliating Mitt in Turkish. The use of a Hammam exfoliating mitt is a culturally recognised skin renewal treatment and first-choice skincare option is Turkey.
How we can incorporate it into our body care routines?
Deep exfoliation is a very natural and effective method that can be incorporated into skincare and body care routines. Here are some tips:
- To be used as a natural remedy for skin renewal and accelerating skin turnover
- Can be used to apply a flawless tan and remove expired tans in under three minutes
- It fights 20+ skin conditions and assists with maintaining healthy skin
- Can be used as a treatment to combat muscle fatigue and poor circulation
- Invigorates and re-energises the body after a long day
- Used after a sporting session, as it fights inflammation, build-up of lactic acid and boosts circulation
- Can be used during winter months to boost immune system and activate lymphatic drainage of internal toxins
- Assists with removing fluid retention and can be used while travelling
- Provides whole body circulation
What are the benefits of exfoliating, and specifically the Turkish practice of exfoliation?
It’s a skin purification journey where the body also undergoes a tremendous transformation. The treatment goes beyond beauty and is a wellness treatment too.
What sets deep exfoliation apart from other exfoliating methods is its unique ability to renew the skin through visible peeling of dead skin cells using hot water only. Having no down-time on the skin, it instantly removes layers and layers of dead skin cells, external impurities like dirt and toxins from the upper layer of skin and speeds up the body’s natural response in regenerating new skin cells and repairing itself internally.
The power of a deep exfoliation ritual, compared to other exfoliation methods, lies in the use of hot and cold water. Hot water is the essential step in performing the treatment, as it relaxes the body, softens the skin and allows it to sweat.
The sweating process is the key element in preparing the body to commence its detoxifying journey and enabling the effortless removal of dead skin cells. Upon applying the deep exfoliation mitt, dead skin cells are effortlessly lifted and removed from the upper layer of skin and detoxifying is further encouraged internally through the movement of lymph nodes and externally through the skin as the body continues to sweat.
Boosted circulation allows for better blood flow, oxygenation of cells and assistance in the recovery of sore muscles and boosting immune system.
Once deep exfoliation is complete, finishing off with cold water allows pores to close off and further increase body circulation, reduce inflammation and provide the mind, body and soul with an amazing feeling of invigoration.
What is Mitten's hero product and why should media have it on their radars?
Our entire range - because each one has a different purpose.
We leave the judgement up to the media to select our hero product, but we would recommend Classic Mild for Face exfoliation and Black Medium Coarse for people want the benefits of skin renewal and inner body wellness.
Click here to learn all about each product individually and to download hi-res imagery.
What's coming up next for the brand?
Everything we do is based on authenticity and respecting tried and tested old rituals while pioneering skincare products. We are currently looking at releasing a range in 2022 that is not known in skincare and adding more products that promote inner body wellness while restoring skin. We are also looking at producing a fragrance range.
