How the Sensorial Movement Started

Long before “sensorial” became a beauty adjective, it was a psychological concept.

The word originates from perceptual psychology — the study of how the body interprets texture, scent, temperature, and tactile interaction before cognition takes place. In Spanish academic language, sensorial — sensory in English — describes how stimuli are processed through the senses and integrated into emotional and neurological responses.

In skincare, this concept was never discussed before.

For over a decade, By Valenti has used the term deliberately — not as decoration, a marketing word, or a trend, but as formulation philosophy.

From Psychology to Skincare

With a background in psychology from a Spanish university, and a lifelong study of perception, texture, and sensory processing, our founder Manuela Valenti introduced the concept of “sensorial” to skincare as a structural framework:

How a cream spreads under body temperature
How a lipid film forms and protects
How aroma influences emotional state through olfactory pathways
How texture affects application rhythm
How color derived from botanicals impacts perception

Sensorial was never about luxury.
It was about physiology.

It was about the relationship between the skin barrier, the nervous system, and emotional equilibrium, in multi-sensorial rituals.

Before It Became a Trend

When By Valenti began describing its formulations as sensorial, the beauty industry focused on “natural,” “clean,” "glowing skin", and “luxury.”

The integration of psychology into skincare language was uncommon.

Over time, as body care evolved and experiential beauty gained prominence, the term began appearing more widely. What was once a clinical descriptor in a foreign language, gradually became marketing shorthand.

But for us, its meaning never changed.