This Tuscan Hotel Is Changing The Way We Think About Beauty

I first visited Borgo Santo Pietro a few years ago when a friend of mine had a (seriously lavish) birthday week at the luxurious Tuscan hotel. I was completely jaw-dropped at the beauty of this place, and since returning recently, I have been reminded all over again how outrageously gorgeous it truly is.

It’s hard to describe – even the photos can’t capture the feeling. It’s in the air, the smells, the rolling fields of rosemary and wild lavender. The stillness grounds you in something that feels reminiscent of another life. And it is this potency and beauty of the land that becomes the foundation of every formulation of Borgo Santo Pietro’s exquisite skincare line, Seed To Skin.

The magic of Borgo and the brand is totally honoured and cherished by its founders, Jeanette and Claus Thottrup. Their mission was not just to create one of the world’s most beautiful hotel destinations, but a skincare line that honours the same level of craftsmanship and care that defines the hotel and spa.

Everything is done on site. Herbs, flowers, and roots are planted, harvested, and pressed; essential oils are distilled in stunning copper stills steeped in tradition. And within the private laboratories at the edge of the estate, scientists work to transmute nature’s bounty into results-driven formulations. Every jar of cream and every drop of oil carries the DNA of the land itself. Land which was once home to Templars on pilgrimages of healing – a story that they are passionate to share with guests.

Here, soil meets science – and at its centre are Jeanette and Claus, whose shared life and purpose are its heartbeat. This isn’t simply about ‘natural’ skincare, it’s skincare with traceable purity that most brands can only pretend to offer.

There is deep care, passion and honesty in the way Jeanette and Claus share about their work. Seed to Skin was born from Jeanette’s personal journey into natural medicine, sparked by her own healing path after struggling to conceive, and returning to what she trusted most, nature. 

It was this trust and connection with the land that helped restore her health, yes, but also her sparkle. For both Jeanette and Claus, the business was never designed to be only about selling, but more about offering. “We wanted to create something that nourishes not only the skin, but the soul.” It’s this guiding philosophy, abundant with generosity, connection, and joy, that infiltrates every corner of their worlds. When speaking with Jeanette about her marriage and the success of a long-term partnership, Jeanette credits a lot of it back to the purpose and commitment to their work and the design of them coming together to bring this beauty here to the world. It makes one realise that, really, the basis and magic of any great business, brand, and, in conjunction, relationship, must be about purpose first – the most important ingredient.

Sitting at the top of the estate, on the border of the small and very cute Italian country village, is the lab, which demonstrates a meeting of past and present. Glass flasks and microscopes share space with freshly distilled oils and pressed herbs. The team of botanists and scientists are truly passionate about what they do, testing the potency of extracts while preserving their natural integrity.

After using Seed to Skin products over the last month, I can confirm the ritualistic and indulgent side is obvious, but the results are also wonderful. Returning to products without synthetic chemicals and enriched with the land’s purest bounty has been so nurturing for my skin. I particularly love the efficiency of the pore refining, ‘The Fermen’tonic’, which mixes lactic acid with flower waters. The hydration and bounce of the hero day cream, The Light Source, and the rich repair of the Night Force cream, which is heavy in rose and ceramides. The Alche’Mist spray is not to be missed either – a splash of the land’s most exquisite Rosa damascena and bergamot flowers, stirred with distilled waters, potent niacinamides, hyaluronic acids and all – the best morning spritz.

If you find yourself an opportunity to stay at Borgo Santo Pietro, do everything in your power to make this happen. To experience the background of this whole offering, from seed to serum, is truly spectacular. The treatments offered are built around freshly infused oils warmed by the sun, blended according to skin type and season by therapists who are trained to intuitively read each client’s skin and needs. A facial here is not about achieving a target, but is more a moment to truly surrender and be nurtured. A nod back to how facials and treatment were intended to be.

The treatment I had left my skin calmer, deeply moisturised, and tension wiped away. I even managed to fall asleep in the treatment, allowing the process to be a whole body rest. The skin glows not only from what is applied, but from what is in those moments, discarded.

And that is the whole offering at Borgo Santo Pietro – a palpable sense of connection to the earth, to oneself, and to something older and wiser than either. The scents -rosemary, rose, lemon verbena linger and deepen the air, while the gentle sounds of birds and stillness set the space.

In an age of compromised beauty and synthetic luxury, Jeanette and Claus back the importance of nature and the art of simplicity. Their vision is to share something real and something meaningful, outside of our now fast-paced, digital, and consumer-driven lives. It is what brings the magic, and what the formulas are built on. 

The message at Borgo Santo Pietro remains that beauty isn’t something you buy or are sold; it’s an energy that exists everywhere. And their integrity and love for the land is ultimately what makes the skincare not just beautiful, but profoundly effective.