Guistino takes my breath away. He’s standing amongst a field of rosemary beneath that sort of cornflower-blue Tuscan sky you’ve seen in paintings at the Uffizi Gallery. With the deftness of a dancer or a Shakespearean character on stage, he swings his arms down to bring up swags of the fragrant herb as if part of a choreographed act. I watch from my bike on one of Borgo Santo Pietro’s myriad pathways and marvel at the majesty of this organic farm and five-star retreat in Tuscany. Part of the estate’s 300 unsullied acres, this section of the farm, a six-acre organic herb garden, pulsates with a palpable life force. Guistino, the retreat’s head herbalist, is just doing his job — he’s harvesting the best quality healing plants for Seed to Skin, Borgo’s homegrown beauty brand. But to me, it feels like he’s been captured in a sacred act, an age-old wizard’s homage to the terrain. That makes sense. Seed to Skin is a science-fortified, terrain-fueled skincare brand born from the glories of this rich Tuscan landscape and its centuries of ancestral knowledge.
A handcrafted beauty line, Seed to Skin follows the same philosophical principles that power the rest of Borgo Santo Pietro, a 22-room, three Michelin Key retreat near Siena and its Michelin-starred restaurant, Saporium. Sustainable, executed with painstaking control and loving care, the results-driven skincare company hails from the farm’s largesse: certified organic fields that yield more than 50 types of herbs. What Borgo doesn’t grow, it procures from small scale, ethical farms around the world.
Created in a small private lab on the verges of the farm, the products, with formulations conceived for every type of skin, take this perfect retreat to a whole new level. It’s as if Seed to Skin were a tuning fork meant to bring the whole terrain and retreat to its ultimate harmony. Being here, watching as Guistino makes essential oil in copper stills with his just-picked rosemary bundles, smelling the garden’s roses that later go into my bath, slathering on face creams made from what’s been reaped from the fields simply completes me. It’s the most authentic grounding experience I’ve had in decades.
The Backstory
Borgo Santo Pietro, a 13th-century estate and working farm near Siena, once housed pilgrims who crossed its acreage en route to the nearby Abbey of San Galgano. Founders Claus and Jeanette Thottrup felt its spiritual allure at first glance in 2001. “The land called to us,” says Jeanette. They’d stopped for a drink at the village bar, dispirited after searching through Tuscany’s nooks for a permanent home, a place to pursue a more holistic lifestyle, after years of struggling to conceive a child. “We knew at once,”says Claus. It didn’t matter that the Gothic main building was dilapidated, the farm was thriving. “We recognized this was our home,” says Jeanette, who together with Claus, restored and enhanced the property, bringing it to fruition.
Bought instantly, Borgo helped to change the Thottrups’ lives. It wasn’t long before the Danish couple, who had been working in London, eschewed their toxic habits, including unhealthy skincare and food choices. And at last, they were able to have a son. Much like a metaphor, as the child grew, so did the farm. The couple looked to the land, letting it lead them intuitively. Claus utilized his background in development to renovate and reimagine the terrain and estate as a Tuscan inn with earthily lavish offerings. Jeanette harnessed her creative talents, gleaned from a successful career in fashion design. Borgo’s stylishly cozy Tuscan aesthetics embody not only Borgo’s understated elegance and glamour, but her own.
As they got settled, Jeanette also leaned into a heartfelt interest and commitment to natural healing and holistic pursuits. It seems her entire spirit has been woven into not just Borgo Santo Pietro, but into Seed to Skin. It’s almost like a second child.
Part of the Thottrups’ journey from urbanity to bucolic living meant fostering the farm and estate, awakening its potential. Over time, not only did the hotel bloom to hold a spa, infinity pool, and two restaurants, but the farm expanded to boast chicken coops, dairy farm, fields of organic herbs, vegetables and flowers, a fermentation lab, and a distillery for herbal essential oils. Today, it even flaunts alpacas. There’s a river that runs through the landscape, parcels of wild land and expertly cultivated gardens, orchards, groves, and fields.
Seed to Skin Tuscany
It was in 2018 that Jeanette forged her passion project: Seed to Skin. Created in conjunction with renowned cosmetic scientist Anna Buonocore, this clean beauty brand launched as the culmination of years of research and studies in herbal cures, holistic healing, and scientific intelligence. Now an integral and defining part of the Borgo experience, Seed to Skin has been embraced worldwide by scores of first-in-class spas. It’s become a face-changing requisite addition to thousands of in-the-know beauty buffs, who tout it for transforming their visages within 40 days of use. Not just “natural,” the products manifest the capabilities of advanced science via a system Jeanette calls Green Molecular Science. In this process, potently extracted ingredients penetrate the skin’s deepest layers. The instantaneous results include hydration, illumination, and repair. Packed with eco-friendly flair, the products range from serums to masks, eye care to body exfoliation. They include kits and sets for teen care, aging skin, mood therapy, bath, and more.
Offered in meadow-green glass bottles as stunning as perfume flacons, each Seed to Skin product has been hand created on site, third-party tested, scientifically studied, and enhanced for efficacy. Borgo’s Seed to Skin is meant to “nourish not just the skin, but the soul,” says Jeanette, who radiates beauty inside and out. Guests at Borgo will feel the healing power of the land in its stillness, within its gardens, on its undulating paths and at its restaurants. Seed to Skin products, ubiquitous at Borgo, embody the gravitas of the land. They’re offered as shampoos, scrubs, bath salts, lotions (and more) in the suites, as ingredients in spa treatments, and as amenities in common areas. Those with a penchant to learn from the land Jeanette’s way can sign up for “Mastering Herbal Healing” programs, such as one offered May/June 2026 called “From Garden to Remedy.” Held online, it culminates at Borgo for hands-on herbal practice.
Some of Our Favorite Products
Since every Seed to Skin product reflects the DNA of the Borgo terrain, using them at home after a visit brings Tuscany back to life. But, they can also be bought online or from an elite group of global spas. I’m a fan of everything from the masks to the hero day and night creams, all made with ingredients that are sewn, harvested, pressed, and distilled at Borgo. The Eye Rescue Duo, fueled by rose seed oil, stands out as the best eye cream combo I’ve used — ever. The Light Time morning formula literally lifts and smooths for 12 hours, obliterating dark circles and puffiness. The Night Time Recovery works hard targeting regeneration while you sleep.
The Black Magic mask uses volcanic clay, activated charcoal, grapefruit seed extract, and hibiscus flower acid to deep clean and promote collagen production, while the Golden Dew mask deeply moisturizes with calendula, aloe, Damask rose flower water, juniper, and more.
Traveling? Try the Seed to Skin Tuscany Starter Kit which offers mini sizes of a variety of restorative essentials. Other kits include The Complete Mood Therapy Kit, a canny aromatherapy bundle ideal for on-the-go joy and balance and The Men’s Green Ritual kit with products especially designed for him.
Feature image courtesy, Borgo Santo Pietro
