Aesop gives its skincare shelves a literary makeover

Aesop has brought its Women’s Library back to Malaysia, transforming its Suria KLCC store into a temporary library stocked with 1,700 free books spanning local authors, independent publishers and three languages.

Held over the weekend of 19 and 20 September,the third edition of the initiative invited Malaysians to browse and take home a book for free. The selection comprised 25 titles in English, Chinese and Malay, covering genres including mystery, poetry, food and romance across fiction and non-fiction.

According to the campaign site, this year’s library centred on the notion of the human body as a bridge between the private interiority and what is shared with the wider world, while continuing the initiative’s focus on diverse female perspectives, particularly local ones.

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The books were sourced through Malaysian independent bookshops and publishers, with authors including Chuah Guat Eng, Fang Ken, Ainul Farihah, Briana Leong and Charissa Ong Tse Ying.

The campaign also drew a strong physical response, with posts online showing participants waiting for up to two hours to claim their free title. Queues had formed before the store opened, while the entire collection was redeemed by the middle of Sunday, with some titles running out earlier.

Visitors also received scented bookmarks alongside their books.

A+M has reached out for more information. 

Aesop’s Women's Library is also returning at a moment when brands are racing to claim a stake in reading culture. Fashion and luxury names from Miu Miu to Coach are courting readers through book clubs and publishing partnerships, while industry voices warn that books risk becoming little more than props if brands only make them look fashionable. 

Aesop's approach sits closer to what those marketers say works: putting actual books in readers' hands, working with local publishers and authors, and offering titles in English, Chinese and Malay rather than a one-off display. 

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