By The Green Parent
31st August 2020
“I have two amazingly talented sons, who are above all wonderful human beings and bring huge joy to my life. They live and work in London, and I’m very lucky as they visit our home in the wilds of the North York Moors very frequently; our spaniel Molly gets the first hugs every time! I had quite a long and successful career in languages and telecommunications, however I was developing a need to be closer to the Earth and began looking for a hobby, something nurturing to bring me back into the outdoors more.
Living in the North York Moors, it’s always been the wild moorlands and the call of the natural world that has been my focus and inspiration. So what started as a few weekend courses in herbalism and soap making developed rapidly into an unstoppable interest into every aspect of skincare manufacture; from the ingredients that go into commercial formulations, the preservatives used and the effects that some of the artificial chemicals have on our skin. I started off making soap and everyone in my yoga group wanted to buy it!
I had absolutely no intention of starting another business, I already had a full time telecommunications company. However, the more I learned, the more shocked I became at the preponderance of petrochemicals and artificial ingredients that make up such a huge percentage of commercial products, and so I determined to learn as much as possible about making beautiful skincare products, free from artificial, irritating ingredients. About this time I woke up one morning to find a peacock in our garden, a symbol of fertility, new beginnings perhaps I thought? I think this was the time that ANNWYN Botanicals was born!
With a growing awareness of the importance of the ingredients we choose to eat, I feel strongly it is of equally vital importance to give consideration to the ingredients that make up our skincare products. With so many skin irritations becoming almost ‘normal’, eczema and dermatitis are on the increase and many people’s lives are governed by their miserable skin problems.
SELF-CARE SECRETS
I am a huge believer that one’s skincare regimen should be enjoyable, not just a chore. I take time to massage moisturisers into my skin in the mornings and the evenings and I try to make this a time to relax and combine it with (I know this is going to sound a bit unusual) watching the sheep, or the hares or just the trees blowing in the wind outside my window). The important message is to take time, and enjoy it. I especially love smoothing a little wild mint lotion into the soles and the pads of my feet every morning; we stand on our feet, we walk and run and bear our body weight on our feet, they deserve some loving time and care and the joy of soft supple skin repays this time tenfold. I also enjoy a slightly longer shower before bed, followed by the indulgent smoothness of our body creme with ylang ylang flower and sweet orange oils, it has a softly sensual fragrance and sinks into the skin leaving you feeling very feminine.
BUSINESS PLANS
As a brand, ANNWYN Botanicals, has received some amazing validation and recognition in 2020 by way of Skincare Awards. Our challenge and our aims for the coming months must be to use this energy and encouragement to gain greater brand recognition. We are launching some new online initiatives and continuing to build on our social media skills. New retail opportunities are coming along all the time and by integrating these different projects and avenues to market we hope to reach a greater audience and increase our market.
WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE
I think you have to be realistic and make a start with things you can actually achieve, then stick to them. At ANNWYN we invested in biopolymer sugarcane bottles, and from this we endeavoured to ensure our packaging is as green and recyclable as possible. This in turn has encouraged us at home to adopt a ruthless policy to waste and single use plastic. Working from home is something we all love to do and where possible I believe it can deliver enormous benefits in terms of cutting emissions, though I fully recognise it doesn’t work for everyone. Good health depends on eating healthy food, taking exercise and using natural products on the skin, not filling our homes with toxic chemicals - so much of what is good for the planet is good for us as human beings too.
