Why I do what I do
I’ve always been interested in making concoctions from a very young age and also because essentially, I care about people and their wellbeing. I want to share and remind everyone of the benefits of plant ingredients and how these amazing species have enabled us to evolve to where we are now and thrive. Now, in our chemical laden world, we need to get some balance back – which I believe we can do without polluting the world along the way by doing things differently. We make sure that we don’t have any palm oil in our products to protect the habitat of orang-utans. We choose organic cotton bags made by women in India from recycled sarees so they could earn a decent living rather than having to turn to prostitution.
Where I do it
We started out in our house near the coast in West Wales and ended up with with boxes in every room. As we’ve grown, we now make all our products ourselves in a Soil Association Approved Organic Food Production Centre in Wales. We’re allowed to use this marvellous facility because all our ingredients are vegetable based. We make our products to food hygiene standards and even have food hygiene certificates to prove it!
What drives me on
There are 2 things which stand out. Firstly, the fantastic feedback we receive from customers, especially the ones who have had no end of skin problems that have really affected their confidence. So far, I have (rather stubbornly) stuck to my guns on certain things and the reward has been hero products that our customers love. This is what counts for me.
Secondly, all the amazing ingredients that nature has to offer us; all the answers to our ailments are out there in nature already. Of course they would be – it makes perfect sense! The challenge and exciting bit is discovering them and learning how to maximise their benefit. I LOVE experimenting (back to my concoction making as a child) so this is perfect for me!
What I’m working on
Most of our range is suitable for vegans but our shampoo and body butters weren’t so I’m reformulating them to make them vegan friendly too! We’re also about to launch a new ‘Pure’ range, free from essential oils so there is no fragrance. There are an increasing number of people with sensitivities to some essential oils and so we want to offer them something that they can use without worrying. For the shampoo, I’ve been researching the best oil for hair which has brought me right back to good old organic jojoba oil; it was all the rage in the 70s! It’s the one that is closest in composition to our own natural sebum so it makes perfect sense to put this in our shampoo. Forget the fancy trends and expensive marketing campaigns – all organic plant oils are great – just find the right one for you as long as it’s pesticide free and been extracted without the use of solvents!
My Soapbox
I am an armchair protester. I have a strong sense of justice and I am often fighting for the rights of others, be it a human or animal issue, hence thinking about orang-utans and women in poverty around the world. But Dance has always been my thing. From the early days of a child learning disco moves from older sisters to learning Flamenco, I love dance and can’t live without it. I was thrilled when we were invited to collaborate with The Royal Ballet, London for a range of co-branded products. I mean, how good is that for a dance lover?
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