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Do natural deodorants work? If you have tried natural deodorants and been disappointed by their performance in combating sweat and body odor, then this episode of Green Beauty Conversations will be a real learning curve and eye opener. The first question to tackle though is what is sweat? Body sweat has a primordial purpose even if today's taboos and societal conditioning have put paid to us broaching the subject of sweat in a reasoned way. Sweating has a core function in cooling our bodies when we're hot or under stress. Its other role of signaling 'fight or flight' hints at how homo sapiens functioned millennia ago. Once we understand the role of sweat, we can choose the right natural deodorants to work in tune with our own particular needs. If you buy regular, mainstream antiperspirants or deodorants, you may choose them for their scent and strength. Yet, using the same one-size-fits-all, drug store deodorant or antiperspirant year in year out is not necessarily the best nor healthiest approach to masking body odor nor to our overall well-being. To unpack the discourse on sweat, shame and body image, we speak to Ada Juristovski, Co-founder and CMO of Nala Care, a natural, personalised deodorant brand based in Vancouver, Canada. Ada gives us an in-depth, enlightening insight into physiological and psychological aspects of sweat and, in the process, helps us understand sweat better so we can choose healthier deodorant options for our daily personal care routines. Research has shown that we each have differing armpit microbiomes, which is an aspect of our skin that Nala takes into account in formulating its natural deodorants. Listen in as Formula Botanica CEO and podcast host Lorraine Dallmeier digs the dirt on the types of sweat, how we deal with body image and underarm cleanliness, and the pros and cons of natural deodorants, including their reliance on baking soda and activated charcoal. We think you'll come away realising it pays to understand more about sweat, and to get hot under the collar about ideal body images. In this episode, you will: Learn about the different types of sweat and its function in keeping our bodies in a state of healthy equilibrium. Hear about how societal conditioning has influenced notions of the female body image and fostered the pursuit of beauty over health and well being. Discover that sweat is now beginning to be talked about more positively as it is associated also with exercise, sex, empowerment and strength. Find out about how natural deodorants work in tune with our bodies by letting us sweat again rather than by clogging sweat glands. Key take-aways include: We all sweat to different extents and in different situations, so we should think of mixing up our deodorant product choices to suit varying needs. Our lifestyles, our water consumption, whether we are on medication and so on can affect our levels of sweat and on a daily basis. Natural deodorant formulas usually include and rely on the odor-neutralising ingredient baking soda which is highly alkaline and therefore not in line with the skin's pH. So look out for brands which offer different formulation strengths, including a baking soda-free option. Other ingredients play a huge role in natural deodorants' efficacy too. Copaiba oil, for example, has stress-reducing properties so by inference has the potential also to reduce sweat production when we face stressful situations. Be more mindful of what causes you to sweat; and be mindful too of the products you use to mask body odour. Using a deodorant isn't just a routine, two-second affair each day.

We've all heard of sustainability. After all, barely a week goes by without news of activist movements' agendas, political and corporate pledges and celebrity campaigns on sustainability issues. Yet, do we really stop to ask ourselves how we as individuals can live more sustainably? For a start, do we know what sustainability is? Sustainability is made up of three pillars: economy, society, and the environment, which are informally and more memorably labeled: profit; people; and planet. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals comprise 17 areas in which sustainability must be a paramount consideration. These include not only the obvious ones such as climate action and sustainable and renewable energy, but also zero hunger and zero poverty and a right to quality education. As you can see, the three pillars were identified as they need to co-exist in equilibrium for the planet to be on a truly sustainable trajectory. These are huge questions that you may feel beyond the capabilities of indie beauty brands to address as they go about starting up and growing their businesses. The larger companies may have the cash to splash on reports and in publicising their sustainability credentials, which may not be all they seem either, but there are plenty of opportunities for indie beauty brands to make a difference. Even the small steps indie brands make can help their customers understand how individual actions deplete or sustain the world's finite natural resources. Listen to our CEO Lorraine Dallmeier, a chartered environmentalist, and our Membership Coordinator Ana Green who is also a long-time green beauty blogger, discuss why the beauty industry is perhaps tackling sustainability from the wrong perspective and where indie beauty brands can have an edge in playing their part. In this podcast, you will hear: Why the size and scale of a beauty business should not be a deciding factor when it comes to embedding sustainability into a business. Why sustainable practices are far more than about the manufacturing or use of resources. That on a positive note, the five, big-brand beauty companies we researched all had sustainability commitments and policies well publicised and easy to find on their websites. However, that some of these big beauty brands pledged themselves to long-term goals that had vague benchmarks against which to measure the success of their actions. About our survey of indie beauty brands in our community which showed their huge desire to operate sustainably, but that they faced overwhelm at how to go about that and stay profitable. Key take-aways on indie beauty brands and sustainability include: Examples of three indie beauty brands that have made significant progress in operating sustainably in three different areas of their business: refilling; upcycling; and circular beauty. How indie beauty brands can start their sustainability journey more easily by focusing on a single area of their business, such as plastic waste reduction, or sourcing ingredients from suppliers who support Fair Trade. Why indie brands have an enormous opportunity and edge over big beauty businesses by shifting the conversation to talk about slowing down our relentless consumption of beauty products. How indie beauty can educate its customers about the need to consume less in the first place by buying for example more multi-functional and longer-lasting products.

You've heard of green beauty, you've heard of clean beauty, but have you ever heard of blue beauty? In the last 12 months, the beauty industry has started to talk more about environmental sustainability and one of the new terms that has emerged during this period is blue beauty. Formula Botanica aims to bring you the latest topics and conversations in the beauty industry, so our Green Beauty Conversations podcast (or should we say 'blue' beauty conversations?) today brings you the low-down on blue beauty, how it differs to green beauty and why beauty brands should be thinking about their environmental footprint and giving back to the environment. In this latest podcast episode, Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier interviews Jeannie Jarnot, who is on a mission to deliver beauty you can trust, one Hero product at a time and wants to make clean beauty the rule rather than the exception. The complexity of navigating cosmetic ingredients only fueled her passion to make it simple to discover safe, effective and luxurious skincare. Today, as the founder of Beauty Heroes, Jeannie brings a lifetime of beauty, wellness and ritual to her company and her customers, delivering healthy beauty through the thrill of discovery. What is Blue Beauty? As you'll learn in this podcast episode, Jeannie has defined blue beauty as "green beauty with benefits". Blue beauty brands are those who aim to have an environmental benefit - not simply offsetting their impacts, or donating to charities that align with their ethos, but actually doing the hard work and looking at how they themselves can put back resources into the environment. Of course achieving that lofty goal will be challenging for any beauty brand, because it will involve looking very closely at a brand’s ingredient sourcing strategy, packaging choices, manufacturing processes and the rest of their supply chain. The only way to have a positive environmental impact is either through putting back into the environment, perhaps by sequestering carbon through the ingredients farmed for your formulations, or through offsetting, which as we discussed in our recent podcast on whether beauty brands can ever be carbon neutral, is not a panacea as it is simply a component of your overall environmental strategy and it ultimately isn’t the answer. Nonetheless, regardless of whether we call it blue beauty, green beauty, teal beauty, or verdant beauty, we hope you’ll agree that it’s refreshing to hear tales of beauty brands around the world who aim to have an environmental benefit. Listen to Lorraine and Jeannie as they discuss the topic of blue beauty.  In this podcast, you will: Find out how Beauty Heroes and Jeannie Jarnot define blue beauty as part of their Project Blue Beauty Learn how the concept of blue beauty goes beyond brands who aim to make sustainable formulations that don't impact our oceans and waterways Hear examples of indie beauty brands around the world undertaking environmental initiatives Learn how indie beauty brands should incorporate sustainability reporting into their communications strategy Key takeaways include: Consumers are setting the bar higher now and expect beauty brands to embrace environmental sustainability. Being an environmentally sustainable indie beauty brand is challenging, as it involves small brands telling their story and delving deep into who they are and how they operate. Reporting on your sustainability initiatives involves having a two-way conversation and trying to change your customers' hearts and minds. Simply paying to offset your environmental impacts is not enough. Beauty brands need to go much deeper. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The latest industry buzzword to emerge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is safe beauty. The thinking behind the term 'safe beauty' is that consumers are now more willing to accept preservatives and synthetic ingredients to ensure they don't experience product contamination and expiration. In fact, some industry players are now claiming that the arrival of COVID-19 will further push the notion that natural isn’t always better, especially when it comes to ingredient safety and shelf life. It's safe to say that the Formula Botanica team was fairly horrified to discover the emergence of the term safe beauty. After all, shouldn't all beauty be inherently safe to use? Why should a pandemic suddenly encourage the beauty industry to look for a new marketing term, when Good Manufacturing Practice should ensure that the billions of beauty products manufactured globally? Do you think that safe beauty is a credible term or are some industry players simply trying to play on people’s fears? Would you buy a formulation labelled as ‘safe’ or do we as consumers simply expect all beauty products to be safe? And do you agree with us that safe beauty is the latest industry buzzword we should all resolutely ignore and move on from?   In this podcast, you will: Hear the Formula Botanica team discuss how the term safe beauty has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn why all cosmetics should be inherently safe for use and why this latest buzzword is trying to play on people's fears, when fear-based marketing has already created so many subsets of the beauty sector. Listen to Lorraine and Ana discuss why we should all ignore the term safe beauty in the latest marketing hype to come from several mainstream industry players and resolutely move on.   Key takeaways include: The beauty industry does not need any further buzzwords to cause confusion amongst consumers and polarisation amongst brands. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) exists to ensure that all cosmetics are manufactured to industry safety standards. As long as GMP is met and formulations are adequately tested, all cosmetics should be safe for sale. The terms clean beauty, natural beauty and safe beauty are not mutually exclusive. In fact, Formula Botanica redefined the term 'clean beauty' in a recent podcast to include formulations that are safely and hygienically made. The very meaning of the word 'clean' is hygienic, after all. Consumer opinions are not shifting towards enhanced safety in personal care formulations. If anything, consumer opinions are shifting towards enhanced sustainability of beauty products, as people emerge from lockdown aiming for a modified, greener society where beauty brands work as activists for change. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Indie beauty brands are taking over the beauty sector. With tens of thousands of small brands globally, there is simply no doubt that they are swallowing up a percentage of the global beauty sector which traditionally might have gone to the mainstream giants. Shoppers are increasingly looking to support small, local businesses and often place a greater degree of trust in a founder-led brand. However, this increase in consumer confidence and support has seen some of these indie beauty brands soar in terms of their revenues, reach, distribution, channels and size. If you follow the latest news in the beauty industry, then you cannot have missed the stories of founder-led brands being bought up by the mainstream giants who see enormous potential for growth and development by bringing these indie beauty brands into their portfolios. In the latest episode of the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, we’re joined by Wizz Selvey of Wizz&Co to discuss when an indie brand goes mainstream. What does it take? What defines the tipping point for an indie brand to go mainstream? And does everyone agree with this definition? But is an indie beauty brand still indie if it’s achieving global domination or has been bought up by a major multinational? What makes an indie beauty brand truly indie and at what point can you no longer really call yourself indie? If a business is selling millions in stock, can they still be indie? In this podcast, you will: Discover what the main difference is between mainstream beauty and indie beauty brands. Learn what it takes to grow an indie beauty brand to the stage that it can go mainstream (spoiler alert: it takes many years of blood, sweat and tears!). Hear how growing an indie brand to mainstream global domination requires input from distributors, retailers, investors and community. Discover how the mainstream beauty industry is starting to take indie beauty more seriously, which is of course why they're buying indie brands. Hear about the massive opportunities for indie beauty brands globally, as retailers, social media and technology make indie beauty far more accessible to customers. Key takeaways include: A true indie beauty brand has gone under the radar so far and not yet attracted any investment. They are waiting to be found by consumers and have lots of potential ahead of them. Once an indie brand scales and has the potential to be taken over by a larger corporation, their formulations might suddenly be discovered by a large part of the general public who had never heard of the brand before. The founder's heritage story is integral to the success of an indie brand. It creates an emotional connection between the brand and the customer and allows the customer to relate to the story and formulation. Large multinationals buying out indie brands will often try to keep that brand founder ethos in place. Beauty is emotive and personal. Consumers want to talk about brands that have made them feel different about themselves and this is where indie brands can capitalise on opportunities that the mainstream industry often misses. Wizz Selvey is the founder of Wizz&Co, a retail strategy consultancy in the UK. Wizz was formerly Head of Beauty at Selfridges and has worked in the beauty industry for fifteen years which has provided experience across brands at all stages of their development. Wizz also works with both indie and mainstream beauty brands so is well placed to discuss the transition from kitchen table to global multinational. Visit Wizz&Co's website, follow Wizz&Co on Instagram and sign up for Wizz' freebie on how to think like a CEO. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Is the cosmetics industry ready for disability friendly beauty? We've been pondering this question for a while and decided to convene an expert panel to discuss the topic of disability friendly beauty in our latest Green Beauty Conversations podcast episode. It feels as if disabled beauty shoppers are sometimes (often? mostly?) overlooked, but it's important to remember that 1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. Let’s not forget that all of these 1 billion people will buy personal care or beauty products, which is why it's so shocking that it's taken us this long as an industry to embrace disability friendly beauty. Luckily, the topic of accessible and inclusive beauty is one that is gaining traction in the industry. Furthermore, in the social media era, where shoppers can have a direct conversation with brands on a variety of topics, beauty businesses are receiving real time feedback on what we want and need - and they're hearing from customers who want them to do more. Recently, someone even filed a lawsuit against Fenty Beauty accusing them of engaging in intentional discrimination due to the current inaccessibility of its e-commerce site for customers who are visually impaired. Meet our Beauty and Disability Discussion Panel Disability friendly beauty is a topic that everyone in the beauty industry should be thinking about, which is why we invited a panel of experts on this topic to talk to us about their experience and work in the industry. Some people might think only about the packaging of a product when it comes to making accessible and inclusive beauty. But what are the different ways that people with disabilities might struggle with the beauty industry and the products it sells? Our fantastic panellists on this month's edition of Green Beauty Conversations discuss disability friendly beauty in more detail to help you understand the changes that need to happen for shoppers and brands. Emily Davison is a blogger and freelance journalist who, at birth, was diagnosed with a rare congenital condition called septo-optic dysplasia. She started her blog Fashioneyesta with the aim of challenging people's perceptions of sight loss through her love of fashion, beauty and style. Trishna Daswaney is the founder of Kohl Kreatives, an innovative make brush company who make adaptive equipment for applying making in the form of flexible brushes that bend both forwards and backwards, making them perfect for everyone, including those with motor disabilities. Victoria Watts is the founder of the natural beauty brand Victorialand Beauty, which as well as empowering women through their skincare range also has developed a beauty inclusive business model where products are made accessible for people who are visually impaired. Victorialand Beauty is one of the emerging disability friendly beauty brands on the market. In this podcast, you will: Hear the expert panel discuss whether they believe the beauty industry is disability friendly. Understand some of the key issues that may affect disabled people with regards to accessing and using personal care products. Hear about the amazing work being undertaken by several brands and advocates to speak up for people with disabilities. Learn the changes the beauty industry needs to make to become more inclusive and accessible. Key takeaways include: Whilst progress is being made, clearly the beauty industry has a way to go in terms of becoming more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. We think the indie beauty sector can play a huge role in can play a huge role in improving accessibility, inclusivity and visibility for people with disabilities. Keeping this important conversation going is essential for the beauty industry to make further progress and we can all pay our roles in this as entrepreneurs and consumers. Disabled consumers can give constructive feedback to brands on their experiences with both products and the purchase experience. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Welcome to Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you buy, use, make and sell your natural beauty formulations. We tackle topics that will make you think and encourage debate about green beauty with your friends, followers or customers. In today’s In Conversation with Formula Botanica podcast episode, we are talking carbon neutral beauty and the environmental impacts of the beauty industry. This is a big topic, but with the rise of conscious consumerism it’s also a topic that we need to be talking about. We ask: Can a Beauty Brand ever be Carbon Neutral? Sustainability is a really key topic for many indie beauty brands, but how easy is it to be truly sustainable and what steps do brands need to take? In this podcast we answer the burning questions our community had on the topic of carbon neutral beauty and sustainability. Carbon Neutral Beauty vs Beauty Miles Carbon footprint is one aspect of overall sustainability. In our previous podcast episode we tackled the topic of Beauty Miles, which feeds in to the topic of carbon neutral beauty and covers how far your ingredients and finished product travel and how to calculate that environmental impact. Read more - Episode 48: Do you know your Beauty Miles? In this Podcast you will: Learn how carbon output for beauty products impacts their sustainability. Understand different ways that we can reduce or offset carbon emissions. Be challenged to think about some of the different ways you could tackle your carbon emissions if you run a beauty business. Key Takeaways Include: Brands often rely on offsetting carbon rather than reducing their carbon output. We believe both of these measures have an important role to play in reducing environmental impact. Brands of any size can take measures to assess and reduce their carbon footprints and aim for carbon neutrality. In the age of conscious consumerism, customers are keen to hear from brands about what they are doing to reduce their environmental impact. What do you think? Is it feasible for indie brands to be carbon neutral? How can smaller beauty brands stay ahead of the big players, who are now setting big sustainability targets and publicly declaring them? Can indie brands lead the whole beauty industry in terms of sustainability or is this too big a burden for small businesses? Whatever your views on this controversial topic, I want you to join the debate and leave us a comment on our social channels. The Formula Botanica team and I love hearing from you so come and tell us your views. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show.Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.

Have you ever wondered how a cosmetic formulator innovates and creates new formulations? What is it like to formulate? How does the creative process work? In this episode of The Green Beauty Conversations podcast we delve in to the mind of a cosmetic formulator and explore the processes involved in creating new and innovative products. We speak to Timi Racz, Formula Botanica's Head of Research and Development about the formulation process. Whether you are a new or experienced formulator, this fascinating insight in to the formulation process can help you develop your own formulas and skills. More on this topic - Episode 37: Do you need to be a Cosmetic Chemist to Formulate Skincare? In this Podcast you will: Hear Lorraine Dallmeier Formula Botanica CEO and Timi Racz the Head of Research and development at Formula botanica discuss what a formulator does. Learn the three stage process for creating a formula: Preparation, Perfecting the formula, testing and feedback. Understand the most important aspects of the formulation and how to adapt your formulation process. Key Takeaways Include: Formulators are very creative people as is the process of creating new products. Preparation is a key phase in creating a formula which includes researching ingredients. Formulas require many different trials before they are ready for sale, it is not an instant process. Feedback on your formulations is key, ideally through focus groups to get a wide variety of opinions. Indie brands are leading the way in producing inspiring and creative products and the formulation process is a key aspect of this. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show.

You've probably heard of food miles, but have you ever heard of beauty miles? Food miles measure the distance that your food travels before it reaches your plate, while beauty miles measure the distance that our beauty products are transported from the time of harvesting, to processing, to manufacturing, to retail until that lotion finally ends up on your bathroom shelf. Similar to food miles, beauty miles are one factor that we can potentially use when testing and measuring the environmental impacts of our beauty formulations. But are they the right tool to use when determining the sustainability of our formulations? For this podcast episode the Formula Botanica team reached out to our community, to ask their burning questions on this topic and they were answered by Chartered Environmentalist and Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier. In this Podcast you will: Hear the Formula Botanica team discuss beauty miles and answer key questions on this topic. Learn some key questions that we should be asking as formulators and consumers about the cosmetic ingredients we use and their environmental impact. Key takeaways include: Knowing your supply chain and asking key questions is essential for formulators who want to calculate the overall carbon footprint of their formulations. Every formulator should be thinking about the carbon footprint of not only their ingredients but also their entire operation as a business. We expect to see more brands make claims about the carbon emissions of their products in the future, including claims for carbon neutral products achieved by carbon offsetting. Conscious consumerism is on the rise and customers are more interested than ever in all aspects of sustainability. Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Found out more about our award winning courses at - formulabotanica.com

Should vegan beauty brands be run by vegans? That is the question we tackle in this episode of the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, the podcast that challenges you to change the way you think about the way you buy, use, make and sell your natural beauty formulations. Veganism is on the rise Interest in veganism has increased seven-fold in the last five years according to Google trends. And as part of that rise, cosmetics represents the fastest growing sector in brands gaining the vegan trademark, where the indie beauty sector sees a great opportunity to appeal to the ever-growing vegan community. But should beauty brand founders be vegan in order to make and sell vegan cosmetics? If you’re making and selling cosmetics, should you walk the walk as well as talking the talk?  In this episode we speak to three people with an interest in veganism. Firstly we speak to Louisa Sales, a Beauty Therapist currently working in the beauty industry training other professionals, who is also a passionate vegan. Louisa believes that brands using veganism in their marketing should be founded and run by people who live and support a vegan lifestyle. Next we speak to Abigail Stevens, Trademark manager at the Vegan Society who established the definition of veganism. The Vegan Society certifies individual products as vegan and enables brands to carry their trademark. Our last guest is Claire Michalski of the certification Vegan Founded, an organisation that certifies brands as vegan based on their ethical choices and those of their founders. Vegan Founded controversially posted on their Facebook page that supporting meat eating brand founders could be supporting the meat industry and prefers to give their support to brands who are founded and run by vegans.  In this Podcast you will: Hear different and sometimes controversial answers to the question: Do you need to be Vegan to make vegan cosmetics? Directly from experts in the field. Get an understanding of some of the complexities that exist when it comes to marketing or certifying your cosmetics as vegan. Explore the current vegan beauty market and how it is changing. Key takeaways include: The ethics of veganism can be complex and individual. Brands need to be aware of the claims they are making and what they might mean to their customers. Veganism isn't just about cutting out certain food groups, it is a lifestyle. Attention to detail and authenticity is key for brands making ethical claims for their products. Some vegan consumers feel disillusioned that brands are jumping on the vegan beauty bandwagon for money making, rather than ethical purposes. This has potential to impact brands, especially with the rise of call out culture on social media. The rise in choice in the vegan beauty market is viewed as a whole as a positive for people who have a vegan lifestyle and presents opportunities for brand founders whose ethics align with the vegan movement. Find out more about our Podcast guests: The Vegan Society Website Vegan Founded Website Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show.

Can Indie beauty brands ever partner successfully with large multinationals? Or are Indie brands who sell to large corporations, in fact selling out? In this episode of The Green Beauty Conversations Podcast, we tackle the tricky subject of Indie brand acquisitions and why all brand founders should have an exit strategy for their business. Recently, brands such as Dermalogica, Schmidt’s Naturals, TooFaced, Tatcha and many others, have all been snapped up by major multinationals such as Unilever, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder and Procter & Gamble. Over the last five years, these huge beauty corporations have spent billions on acquiring beauty brands from across the world – including many successful indies. Drunk Elephant’s recent $845 million dollar sale to Shiseido, is the latest acquisition to cause controversy and receive comments also within the Formula Botanica community. We interview two beauty entrepreneurs on the topic of selling your business, to hear their views. First we speak to Julie Longyear, the founder of independent natural beauty brand Blissoma based in the USA. Julie founded her brand in 2001 and creates raw, plant-based, skincare by hand, using herbs and essential oils, in her herbal studio in St. Louis, Missouri. Our second guest is Sian Sutherland, beauty brand founder and multi-award winning serial entrepreneur. In 2005, Sian created Mama Mio Skincare, a premium pregnancy range followed by Mio Skincare for active women. Sian sold her business in 2015 to The Hut Group, a global eCommerce company based in the UK. Sian now runs A Plastic Planet, a social impact non-profit with a single goal - to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. In this Podcast we explore: Indie Beauty brand attitudes to selling to multi-nationals How and why an Indie brand may want to sell to a large corporation The public perception of Indie brands that are sold and if the sale changes how they are run Key take-outs include: All business owners need to think of an exit strategy that suits their business There are many different options available to Indie beauty brands as an exit strategy There is no right or wrong choice as to what to do with your business and here at Formula Botanica we celebrate all entrepeneurs Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show.

This is Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you buy, use, make and sell your natural beauty formulations.  We tackle topics that that will make you think and encourage debate about Green Beauty with your friends, followers or customers. In this episode we delve in to the difficult topic of conscious consumerism and its effect on the beauty industry. What does it mean to be a modern consumer of beauty products?  A conscious consumer is someone who wants to encourage positive impact through their buying choices, encouraging brands to be more eco-friendly and sustainable overall. Anyone who spends any time in the natural beauty sector will know that there is a polarised debate around the way ingredients are chosen and used – on one side you have a hardcore group of naturalistas who reject synthetic ingredients and on the other side you have a group of frustrated chemists, who are upset about their ingredients being vilified without science.  In our previous podcast - Clean Beauty: A redefinition, we discussed some of the controversy surrounding the term Clean Beauty and what it means. In this podcast we build on that further by asking whether consumer trends should inform how brands formulate? Should brands shun ingredients with a proven safety record simply because they have become unpopular with the public? How can consumers who want genuinely natural products shop with confidence? To help us understand more on these issues we interviewed two key industry professionals.  Firstly we spoke to Sam Farmer, founder of a namesake range of unisex personal care products for young adults. Sam is passionate about science communication within the beauty industry and feels strongly that the industry should be leading with facts and an evidence based approach, rather than simply reacting to consumer trends when it comes to the complex topic of formulating and ingredients. Our second guest is Dr Mark Smith the Director General of NATRUE, an international private standard for natural and organic cosmetics. NATRUE sets standards for the ingredients, packaging and product formulations carrying the NATRUE label and also advocates on behalf of the natural and organic beauty industry. Mark is a chemist and has a long career in research, science and regulatory policy.  In this episode on the topic of conscious consumerism we explore:  What conscious consumerism means and how this applies to beauty. Whether our beauty choices are being led by populism and ask the important question: Is the consumer always right?  How we think the industry can move forward and start to join the contrasting view points.  Key take-outs include:  Although consumers are engaging more than ever with what is in their beauty products, product formulation and ingredient information isn't always easy to communicate or understand Formula Botanica believes that conscious consumerism has a role to play when it comes to the sustainability of the beauty industry and we feel strongly this is an area the industry needs to improve. Opinions are still split on whether consumers should be driving formulation choices. Although there is clearly a need for education, we also have to accept that not everyone will engage with that information or use it in their purchasing choices.  Learn more about our guests:  Find Sam Farmer on Twitter  Learn more about certification on the NATRUE Website  We want to hear what you think. Whatever your views on this controversial topic, we want you to join the debate and leave us a comment on our social channels. The Formula Botanica team love hearing from you so come and tell us your views. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

What is clean beauty? It is one of the current buzz words in the cosmetics industry with major brands such as Drunk Elephant adopting the term as a key part of their marketing message. Large retailers such as Sephora now stock a selection of brands they consider clean and have adopted their own clean standards.  Despite its rapid rise, clean beauty can also be controversial. There is an increasing backlash from many in the industry, who believe that clean beauty is driven by fear mongering and poor science. As there is no official standard of what is meant by 'clean', consumers need to be aware that individual brands and retailers all have their own definition, which can vary greatly.  In this episode of the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, we discuss the origins of the term clean beauty, why it has been driven by concern regarding certain cosmetic ingredients and is intertwined with a consumer search for products that will support their wellbeing. We also discuss the Formula Botanica Philosophy on clean beauty, where we redefine what the term means and talk about how it should evolve.  Ingredient safety data sheets (SDS) will contain key information about toxicity and environmental impact. A key tool for formulators to understand some of these issues further. Misunderstanding of data and an ingredients ability to do harm is fuelling the clean beauty debate online and maintaining the controversy. We also explore the legalities of cosmetic claims in Episode 3: How to Comply with Cosmetics Regulations. In this episode of the Green Beauty Conversations Podcast you will learn about: The origins of the word "Clean Beauty" in the cosmetics industry. We delve in to other current buzzwords such as "non-toxic" and talk about why when it comes to cosmetics, dose and exposure are so important to understanding toxicity. We also discuss the difference between acute and chronic toxicity. The Formula Botanica philosophy for the four points that we think should define Clean Beauty: 1) Bringing together the concepts of beauty and wellbeing 2) Transparency and Ethics 3) Clean for the planet as well as people 4) Clean products should be safe and hygienically made.  We also discuss why transparency is particularly key for natural and indie beauty brands.  "Transparency in the beauty industry isn't a trend, it is a movement" - Lorraine Dallmeier Director of Formula Botanica  Key take-outs include: Beauty products should be clean for the planet as well as people. Topics such as overall sustainability and pollution are becoming increasingly important for eco-conscious consumers. Formulators should also consider more complex issues such as their water and carbon footprints when creating their brands.  At Formula Botanica we would like to see the conversation focus on overall sustainability looking at the whole picture, rather than single ingredients or a natural vs synthetics approach. Impact can be measured in different ways, including community and supply chain impact.  Brands need to have a clear vision of their own philosophy and use this to connect with their consumer.  Terms like Clean Beauty should not be used to make people guilty about their personal choices. Customers should be choosing products based on their own preferences and to enhance their personal wellbeing.  Brands should be celebrating their ingredient choices rather than simply focusing on what isn't in their products. The term Clean beauty shouldn't be used as a way of denigrating mainstream or synthetic cosmetics.  Clean Beauty should be hygienically made following GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and safely and efficiently preserved. We believe formulators should be proud to use preservatives, as this ensures consumer safety.  If you enjoyed this podcast why not listen to Episode 1: What does Natural Beauty mean?  Please like, share and subscribe Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook, Twitter; and on Instagram.

If you're dreaming of launching an indie beauty brand you may wonder if you have the mindset to become a successful skincare entrepreneur. Even just a decade ago, we would tend to use the word entrepreneur to describe the personalities driving big conglomerates and reserve the epithet for figures like Richard Branson. Now though, entrepreneurs are just as likely to be individual makers and creatives launching businesses from kitchen tables. This wider use of the label entrepreneur can still be daunting for the small indie beauty brand founder. We may fall into comparisonitis and doubt ourselves capable of executing our plans and following through on our dreams. Our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations removes the mystery of beauty entrepreneurship by taking us on her own business journey. Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao, founder of Malée Natural Science, says that the mindset of a beauty entrepreneur can most certainly be learned and is not something we are born with. Zeze's story is one of a young African woman in the UK who had to become entrepreneurial after a move to South Africa where she faced a period of unemployment. Creating an ethical, luxury fragrance, bath and body care range was furthest from Zeze's mind when she started her working life. Having gained two degrees at just age 24, Zeze was aiming for a corporate consulting career when life changed and set her on her entrepreneurial path. Zeze is a woman who discovered by chance almost her passion for the people, natural beauty and healing rituals of her home continent. She went on to harness those to create a brand that could change her life and others’ for the better. Her motto to any would-be beauty entrepreneur is to stay true to your beliefs even in times of failure: "My biggest successes have come when I was focused on my beliefs. It doesn’t matter if you fail, but don’t let your fears rule you. Focus on the people you want to solve problems for. That becomes more enriching. How you approach your journey is the most important point." In this episode on the mindset of a skincare entrepreneur, you'll hear about: The four types of entrepreneur around today and how the indie beautypreneur is likely to be a blend of all four; Why knowing your purpose - the reason why you started out - is the most important guiding factor in your journey; Why running an ethical business that is founded on beliefs will give you more joy and be able to sustain your passion for business; How not only adopting the mindset of a beauty entrepreneur but becoming a sustainable, successful business takes time; remember, Amazon took 19 years to become profitable! Be patient and give things time to work Key take-outs include: Setting business goals is fine, but what you really need to focus on is the purpose of those goals and understand them thoroughly. Your overriding goal should to be the best you can at what you do and what you offer. Every rejection or failure has its reason. For example, if a retailer turns your brand down then realise that it's probably not the right time in your business journey to be stocked with them. See the rejection or failure as a way to sharpen your tools and get back out there with a better offer, mindset and approach. Remember that work-life balance is not some idealised vision or version of your life. Just work on your own terms and own that balance, making it individual to your needs and lifestyle. Work smarter not harder. Document what you do and when so you can see where time is wasted on non-priority actions. Time is the only finite in our lives as entrepreneurs, so don't squander it. Find out more about Malée Natural Science and Zeze's story: Malée website. Malée on Instagram. Malée on Facebook Malée on Twitter. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.  

It seems that barely a week goes by without beauty industry headlines covering the latest Asian beauty trends or the meteoric growth of the cosmetics' spending in Asia, including also the rise of the natural beauty market. Cosmetics Business commented in early 2019 that online beauty sales were set to help Asia-Pacific outpace North America as global cosmetics' leader: "Growing e-commerce and online shopping will shift the country leading the biggest beauty spends and change the nation of 'beauty obsessed". While Cosmetics Design Asia noted that the demand for premium and prestige global beauty brands, particularly in China, is continuing apace in line with the growth of disposable income and the rise of a middle class traveling internationally. These headlines tend to focus on the success of mainstream, premium global cosmetics' giants like the Estee Lauders and L'Oréals of this world, but there are signs that the natural beauty market in Asia is gaining foothold. Our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations gives us fascinating insider insights into the natural cosmetics' market in Asia and dispels the myth that the business opportunities are only for large multinational brands. Allie Rooke studied Chinese at university and then spent nearly a decade living and working in Asia for luxury brands Chanel, L'Oréal and Burberry before setting up her consultancy Clean Beauty Asia. Allie focuses on helping natural and indie beauty brands gain the know-how, confidence, strategies and cultural savviness to grasp the business opportunities this region offers. Her key message is not to be scared of setting your sights on selling in the Asian beauty market. "Don’t be scared of Asia and especially don't feel it’s all about big brands. Don't be put off because they are not English-speaking markets. There is absolutely an indie beauty market in Asia Pacific, and when a new beauty idea, trend or product does grow, it can grow fast and explode." If you have aspirations to retail your beauty brand in Asia, our interview with Allie will give you a good feel for what's required to succeed in the dynamic, vast and diverse beauty markets the region offers; and importantly, what is going on behind those headlines.   In this episode on the natural beauty market in Asia, you'll hear about: The diversity of markets and consumers across the Asia-Pacific region and how each market lends itself to different brand propositions and positioning. For example, China offers huge potential to prestige brand, while Singapore and Taiwan are more price sensitive; Why distributors in the region are key brand allies and can be powerful advocates for your brand but why you need to be actively involved in brand building in local Asian markets as well; The importance of being established and sufficiently known in your own home markets before expecting to make it in Asia. Typically, Asian consumers like to check out a new brand online and feel they can trust it, even if they are keen to embrace the new experiences and products international indie beauty brands can offer; Why you need to understand the social media scene in your chosen Asian market as both beauty brands and influencers are big on key Asian platforms and run sophisticated set-ups. Again, start out getting known on social media in your home markets as Asian consumers comb these platforms for 'the next big thing' as well. Key take-outs include: Asian consumers are often more interested in the safety of a product than whether it's sustainable or not. They need the information to judge whether they trust a new brand, and this is all the more so for indie, natural brands. Ensure transparency in all your communcations, media collateral, marketing and social media aimed at Asian markets. Don't leap into signing an exclusive distributorship that spans several Asian countries. The region's diversity means that few distributors will truly have the ability to support your brand sufficiently in multiple markets. You can sell to Chinese consumers and avoid the issue of animal testing. Hong Kong's Freeport status offers one route to gaining access to Chinese customers who flock to the autonomous territory which is a major shopping destination. In addition, you can sell online to the Chinese mainland using fulfillment warehouses in Hong Kong. To get to know more about Asia-Pacific customers and consumer habits, especially those of the Chinese, start by understanding Asian consumer behaviour in your home market. See if you can find out where, for example, Chinese tourists like to shop and what they seek out. Even a local Chinese community can be an ambassador for your products in Asian markets. Find out more about Clean Beauty Asia Allie’s Get Ready for Asia Masterclass is a comprehensive 9-module course. It is designed to provide all you need to know to get your Asia business dreams off the ground. It will save you hours of research and equip you for more effective and powerful conversations with potential distributors, retailers and other partners - you want to be fully prepared to avoid pitfalls. Use this special code ASIAN-SUCCESS to claim 15% off the Get Ready for Asia Masterclass if you sign up before the 20th of September, subject to availability of places. Clean Beauty Asia website. Clean Beauty Asia on Facebook. Clean Beauty Asia on Instagram. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.  

When an emergency physician decides on a radical shift in life to choose natural skincare as a career over medicine, you begin to realise just how powerful a sector green beauty is becoming. However, as Dr Sarah Villafranco, founder of Osmia organics and our guest in this episode says, while her career change certainly raised some eyebrows back in 2012, it proved a logical move that had parallels with her role as a doctor. As as an emergency physician, I felt I was a fire fighter and I wasn't sure I was helping people prevent disease. I wanted to intervene sooner in people’s health and their daily choices and focus on the important pillars of good health that Western medicine had largely forgotten, such as diet, stress management, joy and fitness. The more medical research I did on effect of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the more I realised what a big piece of medicine was involved in skincare. Sarah Villafranco launched Osmia Organics as a way to help people not only choose natural skincare, but also as a space to learn about a more holistic approach to health and self care. Osmia's blog and social media offers insights and advice on developing a health-focused, positive-living mindset to generate the conversation on what Sarah says traditional medicine sees as 'alternative' routes to health. Transitioning from a high-stress, emergency physician's role where split-second decisions can be life determining, to running a natural skincare business designed to impact our longer-term health and well-being is quite a leap to make. Sarah Villafranco says it can be scary to follow your dreams but adds that building a natural skincare business isn't about dreaming, but hard realities. "You can’t leave a career that makes money for one that won’t. You need to plan your dreams as it takes time to build a business." Dr Sarah Villafranco has a unique vantage point from which to assess the current shape of the green beauty movement. Her medical background and ability to interpret and filter the science enables her to cut through the scepticism and also the green washing that can surround green beauty. In this wide-ranging interview, Dr Sarah Villafranco gives invaluable advice to budding natural skincare entrepreneurs, from whatever walk of life. In this episode on choosing natural skincare as a career, you'll hear about: Why the natural, organic skincare sector is a rigorous, demanding yet rewarding a career choice for someone from any background; Why the green beauty sector needs more people involved in the industry who are prepared to train, hone their professional skills as formulators and dig deep into the science of skincare to tackle green washing and strengthen the industry as a whole; How becoming a skincare entrepreneur and running a business and a team is not something to be scared of but a role you grow into and make part of your lifelong learning; Why honesty and transparency in your business dealings with everyone from suppliers to customers and staff is paramount to your success; and How being courteous to other business leaders and brands in the naturals' sector and sharing the green space amicably will help your brand and others grow mutually: "A rising tide lifts all boats' should be your motto. Key take-outs include: As a product formulator, you will need the patience and resilience to persevere and to take formulation failures in your stride. See any failure as learning your trade. Think consciously about the environment in all aspects of your business. Realise that there is no such thing as 'eco friendly' but rather prefer to use the term eco conscious. Don't green wash - be prepared to answer consumers, trade and media queries about your products or business honestly and research before you reply. If you don't know something, admit it and say you will find out. Try to enjoy life's sensory moments and the ride that being an entrepreneur brings with it. Find out more about Dr Sarah Villafranco and her brand Osmia Organics: Osmia Organics website. Osmia Organics on Facebook. Osmia Organics Instagram. Osmia Organics Twitter. Osmia Organics Pinterest. Why not choose natural skincare as your next career move? If you are thinking of building a natural, organic cosmetics business and would like to develop your entrepreneurial skills in the beauty sector, enrol in our BRAND NEW Diploma in Beauty Brand Business Management - the ultimate online training programme in starting or growing your indie beauty brand. Our newest and biggest online course is a combination of award-winning teaching materials and a web summit with 30+ influential speakers drawn from the best in the beauty and business community. Sign up for news of our next term dates. Why wait to start your dream beauty business? Find out more now!. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.

The thought of selling beauty products on Amazon either gets indie beauty brands excited or in a tailspin. The behemoth of e-tailing may be our go-to place to shop for everything these days, yet for all our familiarity with it as consumers, many new beauty brand entrepreneurs find Amazon an impenetrable platform and beyond their grasp. A few years ago, the mantra used to be 'if you're not on social media, you don't exist'. However, our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations would be more likely to say 'if you're not on Amazon, you don't exist'. Marc Bonn, senior account manager at Expert Edge a London-based, digital consultancy focused on Amazon retailing, generously gives us a tip-packed hour of practical advice in this episode on the whys and wherefores of selling your beauty products on Amazon. If there is one single, valuable piece of advice to come away with from our interview with Marc, it is that it's never too early in your beauty brand's life to get selling on Amazon. If you don't stake your claim on your retail space on Amazon, the chances are that in time, middlemen will be selling your products and will probably not present them in line with your brand values and positioning. Marc admits that Amazon has its own particular e-tailing eco-system and that brands need to adopt a totally different approach to selling there compared to dealing with regular online, or off-line stores. However, he says that the benefits of potential reach and volumes can outweigh the costs involved in that initial learning curve. Even as we start to see Amazon selling its own brand beauty products on its platform, the opportunities are there for new brands. In many respects, Amazon presents smaller brands with a level playing field vis a vis established names, so long as indie brands learn how to work the Amazon system. Plus, beauty brands need to be on Amazon even if just for PR purposes, rather than ramping up sales. In this episode on selling your beauty products on Amazon, you'll hear about: Why getting on Amazon early in your brand's retail life is ideal as you will learn the ropes and also protect your brand from erosion by middlemen reselling your products on Amazon. Amazon's three selling options and learn which is best for you: seller accounts, which are ideal for new entrants and where you, the merchant, fulfill deliveries; seller status but where orders are fulfilled by Amazon (FBA); and vendor status, which Amazon itself fulfills and which includes the bonus of attracting Prime customers. How Amazon's lowest price-match mechanism works and why it isn't something to fear as a small or indie brand. The key aspects of your seller's page to focus on such as quality product imagery, optimised Amazon SEO and well-honed content. Key take-outs from our chat with Marc Bonn include: Details of how Amazon helps smaller, niche beauty brands on its platform with initiatives such as its 'Launchpad', and its Indie Beauty and Luxury Beauty zones. Why you may need expert help in listing your brand and products on Amazon successfully as even what seem like simple issues such as choosing relevant retail categories or keywords can be make or break. Why you need an advertising strategy and to promote branded adverts to ensure you make the most of the platform and counter the big, established names in beauty. Why Amazon is useful to have a presence on even if you don't have sales as a main aim; remember, consumers  will often search on Amazon to read about your brand and check prices even if completing a purchase in high-street stores. Amazon may be a PR tool for you instead. Find out more about Expert Edge consultancy and how it can help beauty brands sell on Amazon: Expert Edge website. Expert Edge on LinkedIn. Expert Edge on Twitter. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.  

Is the beauty industry finally adopting the notion of ageless beauty rather than using the term 'anti-ageing'? The misnomer 'anti-ageing' has been viewed as politically incorrect for quite some time. If our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations has her way, it will be a thing of the past sooner rather than later. Kari Gran, founder of Kari Gran skincare, which she runs with business partner Lisa Strain, has developed commonsense natural skincare products that talk about skin health and vitality as part of a more holistic way of living; with no mention of age groups or anti-ageing. Kari Gran says that many of us when faced with a constant barrage of talk about anti-ageing feel shamed into not doing our best to look younger, or at least holding back the visible signs of time on our skin. She counterpoints this beauty industry accepted norm by saying that the conversation should shift to focus on the fact that our lifestyles play a major role in how we look and feel at any age: "If there were a single miracle, time-defying product, there wouldn't be the thousands of other skincare products out there on the market. At Kari Gran, we talk about the bigger, holistic picture. I can’t sell something without being honest about it. Skincare products can't work in isolation on their own." Kari Gran knows all about skincare products hyping up promise and yet under delivering. Kari battled with autoimmune illnesses throughout her life until she started to really scrutinise food and personal care product labels and make significant changes to her diet and personal care routine. Kari Gran skincare was born out of real necessity when Kari needed to take control of her health and move to natural skincare as a way to alleviate the acute dryness of her skin and reduce her exposure to certain chemicals. She realised that talk of anti-ageing was irrelevant and that what mattered above all else was looking and feeling good in your own skin rather than be stressed about age. With Trust Pilot reviews from customers aged anywhere from their 40s to 70s saying how they love the way Kari Gran products make them feel - not just look - it's clear that people, if not the traditional beauty industry, are quite happy to embrace and live life to the full at every age. Podcast host Gemma and Kari Gran have a wide-ranging discussion about the need for transparency and honesty in the beauty industry and for commonsense language using terms like ageless beauty to replace the dominant discourse on women's ageing, menopause and beauty.   In this episode on ageless beauty, you'll hear about: Why honesty in your skincare brand and product messaging is vital especially these days when customers are more aware of the value of an all-round feeling of wellness and won't believe anti-ageing claims. How products aimed less at fads and so-called trends and more at promoting simple, easy-to-grasp beauty routines such as cleanse, hydrate and protect may be more appealing to consumers. How you can move the conversation and create a point of difference for your skincare brand not by disrupting necessarily, but by appealing to consumers' commonsense. Why not all your target customers are fixated about their beauty routine - nor their age - and how that impacts your beauty brand's positioning. Key take-outs include: Think about putting Trust Pilot or similar third-party review apps on your sales' website. They might seem a risk as you can't edit or block reviews, only reply to them, but consumers will value your level of honesty and in return, you gain a valuable, ongoing 'focus group' for your products. Realise that much of the higher echelons of the mainstream cosmetics' industry is dominated by men - in management and in the cosmetic labs. Their legacy, while valid and informed, has also created in part a normalised discourse about women's beauty, which suggests, among other things, that women should constantly seek products to 'turn back the clock' in order to feel good about themselves. Just like ageing, other times in women's lives such as childbirth and menopause aren't 'trends' to be addressed by cosmetics' products. There are of course products that have a place in helping issues such as dry skin or alleviate signs of stretch marks but they should be marketed not as products to 'fix' issues that are in fact all part of life's normal passage. Be aware we are still mostly presented with a stereotypical view of how we should look and feel at various stages in our life, whether when turning 40, having children or passing through menopause. Ageless beauty eschews this view. Kari took Formula Botanica's Skincare Expert Program whose courses were instructive in helping her not only formulate advanced products but also deep dive into the well-being that is possible using natural, organic skincare ingredients. It is vital to take a cue from Kari's approach and celebrate naturals for their unique benefits rather than use negative claims or scaremongering in your brand's marketing. For inspiration, see also some of our other graduates' brands. Find out more about Kari Gran, the brand and founder: Kari Gran website. Kari Gran on Facebook. Kari Gran on Instagram. Kari Gran on Youtube. Kari Gran on Twitter. Kari Gran on Pinterest. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.  

We're all familiar with seeing the words probiotic on everyday foods like yoghurts, but in the past few years skincare products are sporting similar labels and the beauty industry is abuzz with talk of skin microbiome skincare. You may have seen pro-, pre- and even post-biotic skincare products and wondered what they are and what they do for our skin. We came across all three microbiome skincare products trending at the 2019 edition of industry fair In-Cosmetics Global. A microbiome is defined as the entire colony of micro-organisms that live inside or outside the human body. Our skin biome is composed of micro-organisms ranging from bacteria, fungi and viruses to mites. This gathering of micro-organisms doesn't sound too appealing. After all, cosmetics aren't manufactured (usually) with the intention of containing live, active bacteria, which is why they are regulated and must pass stringent microbial challenge tests to be placed legally on the market. In this podcast, we hear about how scientific research into the skin biome is revealing the important role a healthy, micro-organism colony plays in maintaining the overall wellness and balance of our skin. We hear also about how our overuse of traditional personal care products is partly to blame for disrupting the skin's balanced pH. Anti-bacterial cosmetic products contribute to stripping away our skin's microbiome - including the so-called friendly bacteria - which is a first line of defence for our largest organ, skin, and our body as a whole. Our podcast guest Jasmina Aganovic is a chemical and biological engineer, alumni of MIT and co-founder of Mother Dirt, a skincare company whose tagline is 'rethinking clean'. Mother Dirt, a spin-off from AO Biome, a world-leading, clinical-stage microbiome company, was born out of research aimed at finding a scientific answer to the question: "Why are we cleaner than ever, have more products than ever, and yet a growing number of us have sensitivities, allergies, and other skin issues?". Mother Dirt's hero product - AO+ Mist - contains a live culture of a specific bacteria that has been clinically proven to restore clarity and balance to skin within four weeks. Jasmina explains that even though their science showed that 'rethinking clean' was indeed the way to go, Mother Dirt faced almost insurmountable challenges in getting AO+ Mist to market. The beauty industry, from manufacturers to distribution networks and retailers, isn't geared up to handle cosmetic products with live cultures requiring refrigeration. It is used to dealing with long shelf-life products. Listening to Jasmina, you'll learn to sort the facts from the fiction in skin microbiome skincare. You'll also hear about never giving up if you have a sound, revolutionising beauty concept to bring to the market - even if it flies in the face of received industry wisdom!  In this episode on skin microbiome skincare, you'll hear about: How Mother Dirt is challenging the traditional, perceived notions of healthy skin and personal care products and what that means for the beauty industry; Why not all bacteria are bad and what damage the accepted norms of eradicating and sterilising bacteria can do to skin; How dirt, literally soil, contains bacteria that can in fact help alleviate skincare issues such as inflammation and hyper dryness; and Why skin microbiome skincare products need to be backed by sound science not hyperbole. Key take-outs include: If you are bringing a new cosmetic concept to market, be prepared to educate your market, including your partners such as potential retailers and distributors on the product, its needs and how to sell it to consumers. A totally new-concept skincare product might be best served selling direct to consumer to start with. Do your market research and, if you can, run your products through focus groups to hone your positioning and messaging. Being a first mover comes with a price but there are rewards. If your product is niche but has no specific consumer niche, you will need to work hard to think through how to position it in the market and about its branding and brand story. On the other hand, there are advantages to be had from cutting across traditional marketing silos. Get to understand your early-adopter customers and gauge their responses to help guide you in your marketing and retail choices. Find out more about Mother Dirt and the science behind its skin microbiome skincare: Mother Dirt website. Mother Dirt on Facebook. Mother Dirt on Instagram. Mother Dirt on Youtube. Mother Dirt on Twitter. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.

At Formula Botanica, we receive a good many queries from prospective students wanting to know if they need to be a qualified cosmetic chemist to formulate skincare products.  The cosmetic chemist vs skincare formulator conundrum has gone higher up the agenda in recent years as we've seen ever more non chemists as formulators and founders of indie beauty businesses. At Formula Botanica, we teach diplomas and certificates in cosmetic product formulating. An increasing number of our graduates go on to formulate beautiful, high-performance products as well as run successful indie beauty businesses having been inspired and empowered by the courses they took with us. This is possible because in nearly all parts of the world, irrespective of whether the formulator is a cosmetic chemist or skincare formulator, the cosmetic products themselves must meet strict compliance regulations to be sold legally. What we teach at Formula Botanica are the key concepts of chemistry; a competent cosmetic product formulator would need to know to create products that are safe, stable and meet - and often exceed - consumer expectations. Some core components of cosmetic chemistry that we include in our Diplomas are pH measurement and monitoring, emulsification, methods of natural cosmetics' preservation, and the use of solubilisers and surfactants. Some Differences between a cosmetic chemist vs skincare formulator There are of course some fundamental differences between a cosmetic chemist and skincare formulator. A cosmetic chemist would be steeped in the science of how cosmetic ingredients work together and would know the likely outcome of any formula even without a practical lab trial. A cosmetic chemist would need formal, recognised, usually graduate-level qualifications in chemistry along with a specialist training (a post-graduate qualification) in cosmetic science. They may well end up working in the R&D lab of a large cosmetics' firm. A cosmetic product formulator would not necessarily know the in-depth science of how ingredients work but could, through applied study and practical application of their formulating skills coupled with detailed observation, build up a considerable knowledge bank about their ingredients and formulation outcomes. A cosmetic chemist working in a large lab might not be the one who dreams up the lovely new formulas as they might be more restricted in how much of the route from first creative idea to marketable product they get their hands on. However, they may be at the forefront of R&D bringing innovative cosmetic ingredients to market. It is inevitable that there is some overlap in roles and also a lot of grey areas and misconceptions about what both careers involve. In this podcast, Formula Botanica School Director, Lorraine Dallmeier and podcast host and Relationship Manager Gemma discuss the two roles and career paths along with their respective pros and cons. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone wondering about the training and career options in formulating cosmetics' products especially if looking to focus on natural, organic formulation. In this episode tackling the roles of a cosmetic chemist vs skincare formulator, you'll hear about: Why your decision to choose one training route over the other may be more down to personal circumstances such as lifestyle, finances, commitments and time, and your desired career in the cosmetics' industry; How a cosmetic chemist has the chance to work in world-leading beauty brand labs but conversely how a product formulator may enjoy more freedom and creativity in formulating products and in career options; Why a cosmetic product placed for sale in most parts of the world, whether it is formulated by a chemist or product formulator, will have had to undergone the safety, stability and microbial testing to be placed legally on the market for sale; Why it is imperative that any cosmetics' business founder is transparent about their own personal or their employees' cosmetic formulating qualifications and must be confident in explaining how and why their qualifications  - whichever route they choose - enable them to do their job professionally; Why building a successful cosmetics' brand requires a swathe of skills that are not inherent in either product formulation nor chemistry backgrounds and would require extra skill sets; Why the lack of formal, tertiary-level cosmetic chemistry courses worldwide and the costs entailed in continuing in higher education might make a shorter-term, distance-learning formulation course a more accessible option for some. Key take-outs include the three main steps to becoming a competent, natural cosmetics' skincare formulator: Step one: First, get to know your ingredients thoroughly and learn how to research their properties. This will give you a sound basis on which to build your formulating skills. Step two: Practice formulating and never stop testing out new combinations and ratios of ingredients. Only through practice can you create more advanced formulas that consumers demand. Step three: Learn how to test your formulations professionally (safety, stability and microbial tests are mandatory). Develop the patience to test and make understanding testing one of your most important learning goals as a cosmetics formulator. If you enjoy this podcast, you may also like our podcast on How to Comply with Cosmetics' Regulations and our post Why I love natural, by a Cosmetic Chemist. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on: Facebook. Twitter; and on Instagram.