This year our sought-after gift kits have been created around the theme of science. This is a topic about which Aesop is passionate and which has daily significance for our company. Since our inception, we have worked with talented scientists from many disciplines, and listened with respect as our understanding of their expertise grew.

Every product that Aesop offers has benefited from the discoveries of agronomists, botanists, chemical scientists and biophysicists. Each of our 2011–2012 science-themed kits is dedicated to a particular theory that captivates our imagination and has laid the foundations for countless achievements that have followed. From the Theory of Special Relativity to the Laws of Motion, we pay homage to the men and many unacknowledged women who have applied themselves to disciplined inquiry.

Our kits contain a selection of Aesop skin, hair and body products, ranging from a body care trio suitable for all skin types to skin care tailored to meet the requirements of our male customers. Products are housed in a black case with a sturdy zip. The case will be useful long after the original contents have been fully enjoyed.

Theory of Evolution

Theory of Evolution contains our complete Anti-Oxidant Parsley Seed Skin Care collection. Ideal for the Aesop devotee.

Evolution is the change in one or more inherited traits found in a population of organisms from one generation to another, and proposes that all life has descended from a common ancestor. Charles Darwin posited that evolution occurs through the process of natural selection, in which those individuals with advantageous genetic mutations thrive and breed successfully, while those genetically disadvantaged members of the population gradually die out. Over time, these advantageous characteristics are accumulated and preserved, with the end result being an entirely different organism, as is evidenced by Darwin's proposition that man is descended from Apes.

The image shown on this kit is a detail from Elementa Geometriae (Elements of Geometry), Euclid, translated from Arabic by Adelard of Bath, printed by Erhard Ratdolt, Venice, 1482, and Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Sir Isaac Newton, published by Joseph Streeter for the Royal Society, London, 1687.

Accelerating Universe

Accelerating Universe contains three skin care products ideal for men.

In 1929, Edwin Hubble proposed that the universe was expanding, and described how galaxies moved away from each other at a velocity given by the expression Hubble's Constant. He observed that light waves were 'stretched' during their journey to earth, and suggested this occurred because the entire universe was being stretched by a corresponding amount as it expanded. During experiments to determine the rate at which this universal expansion was occurring, astronomers found that the expansion rate was speeding up with time, indicating that we are part of an Accelerating Universe.

The drawing shown on the top panel is a detail from Selenographia, Johannes Hevelius, printed by Andreas Hünefeld, Gdańsk, 1647, and Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Sir Isaac Newton, published by Joseph Streeter for the Royal Society, London, 1687.

States of Matter

States of Matter contains fine formulations for hand and body plus our portable facial hydrosol. In the fields of chemistry and physics, the expression States of Matter refers to the description of the physical form different phases of matter adopt. Solid, liquid, and gas are the most common states of matter on earth. Plasma, a highly ionised gas occurring at high temperatures, is widely cited as the fourth state of matter.

The image shown on this kit is a detail from Opera Philosophica, Rene Descartes, published by Daniel Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1677. 

Special Relativity

Special Relativity contains three Geranium Leaf body care products, including our new body scrub.

Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity states that the laws of motion are the same for all non-accelerating frames of reference, and that the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all inertial reference frames. The theory is called 'special' because the predictions hold only under certain conditions. Special Relativity contradicts the classical notion that the interval of time between two events is equal for all observers, and when combined with other laws of physics predicts the equivalence of matter and energy as expressed in the famous formula E=mc2, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum.

The drawing shown on the sleeve of this kit is a detail from Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions Inflexions and Colours of  Light, Sir Isaac Newton, published by Samuel Smith and Benjamin Walford, London, 1704.

Laws of Motion

Laws of Motion contains two bestselling body care products, plus a moisturising lip balm. First compiled in 1687, Sir Isaac Newton's three Laws of Motion describe how objects move under the influence of forces. The first law builds on Galileo's concept of inertia and describes how an object remains in a state of constant velocity until acted upon by an external force. The second law describes the relationship between force, mass and acceleration. The third, and possibly most well-known law, describes how forces happen in pairs and that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The drawing shown on the sleeve of this kit is a detail from Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions Inflexions and Colours of Light, Sir Isaac Newton, published by Samuel Smith and Benjamin Walford, London, 1704, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Sir Isaac Newton, published by Joseph Streeter for the Royal Society, London, 1687, and Opera Philosophica, Rene Descartes, published by Daniel Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1677.

Centre of Gravity

Centre of Gravity contains three outstanding products from our anti-oxidant Parsley Seed skin care range.

The Centre of Gravity is an imaginary point at which the whole weight of an object can be considered to be concentrated, and therefore the point at which all parts of an object are in balance. For homogenous, regularly shaped objects the centre of gravity may coincide with the geometric centre. However, for irregular, unhomogenous objects the centre of gravity cannot be defined. In some cases, such as asymmetric or hollow objects, the centre of gravity may be some distance from the geometric centre, or even lie at a point outside of its physical substance.

The drawing shown of the sleeve of this kit is a detail from Elementa Geometriae (Elements of Geometry), Euclid, translated from Arabic by Adelard of Bath, printed by Erhard Ratdolt, Venice, 1482, and De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Nicolaus Copernicus, published by Officina Henricpetrina, Basel, 1566.

Celestial Mechanics

Celestial Mechanics contains a selection of Aesop's Classic Skin Care favourites.

The golden age of Celestial Mechanics began in the seventeenth century with the work of Galileo, Kepler and Newton who studied the motion of astronomical bodies under the influence of mutual gravitational forces. They sought to understand and explain the orbital motions of  planets, comets, asteroids, and satellites in our solar system, as well as the methods by which stars and galaxies are calculated and analysed.

The image shown on this kit is a detail from Selenographia, Johannes Hevelius, printed by Andreas Hünefeld, Gdańsk,1647, and De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Nicolaus Copernicus, published by Officina Henricpetrina, Basel, 1566.

Acknowledgement

Aesop thanks the State Library of Victoria for their generous advice and assistance in locating the books from which we sourced many of the images for our 2011-2012 Gift Kits.