Green Beauty Conversations by Formula Botanica

If you have been hanging out in our Skincare Entrepreneur Mastermind Facebook group or other beautypreneur forums, you are likely to have come across our guest Rachel Whittaker of Indie Beauty Delivers, who is a tour de force in beauty logistics. She loves telling us why beauty logistics are not boring and why you should consider them as a really important part of how you set-up your business. Rachel has long experience in all aspects of logistics from warehousing to distribution and customer service, and some 17 years specifically in beauty brand logistics. She has worked with everyone from big name brands such as Coty Prestige and Proctor & Gamble (P&G) to indie start-ups launched from homes and garages. She was also a panel speaker at the Formula Botanica 2018 conference and had some key insights to share about why beauty logistics are not boring. And you will find out just how not boring beauty logistics are in this fast-paced interview, "Logistics is a really important and exciting part of your brand", to quote Rachel, "as it's the first time your physical beauty products come into contact with your customers. It's a critical moment to get that encounter right, make a good impression and exceed their expectations." Whether you are intending to DIY fulfill your orders from home, already in business and wondering how to cope with fulfillment when upscaling and growing or need to work out how to distribute to retailers, our interview with Rachel is a must-listen. In this episode on beauty logistics, you will hear about: Why the term logistics these days covers far more than the movement of goods from A to B and their storage. It's a very sophisticated industry with reach into every aspect of ecommerce and customer service; Why fulfillment is the most exciting part of your beauty business as it's about the customer receiving your products and how they delight in or otherwise react to their 'unboxing'; Why it's never too early in your entrepreneurial journey running and growing a beauty business to find out about logistics' options such as outsourcing even if you take them up only later on; and How some fulfillment centres and warehousing firms can act in effect as outreach staff, covering aspects of your business like customer service including running your site's live chat. Key takeouts from Rachel's interview include: The logistics industry runs on word-of-mouth referrals and testimonials as much as any other so ask around in various beauty entrepreneur groups online, as well as search social media and platforms like Linkedin, for recommendations of reliable, beauty-focused fulfillment centres and warehouses. View your warehouse or fulfillment firm as a business partner rather than just as an outsourced service. It is crucial to keep them informed on issues such as your growth plans, change of packaging or branding and other aspects that can help them assist you better. Visit any potential logistics partner; nothing beats having a face-to-face meeting to gauge their level of service, storage facilities and so on. Some logistics partners will have considerable expertise in the beauty retail industry and be able to help you in your approaches to key retailers and know what big name retailers expect from a beauty brand. Successful relations with your logistics partner are based on open, timely communications, which, even when things go wrong once in a while, can help you get back on track with your logistics. Logistics these days is about data and ecommerce tools so find out what kind of detailed insights your warehousing or fulfillment partner can provide you with to assist your business planning and strategy. In the episode, Rachel mentions her free Warehouse Match Service as well as her Indie Beauty Rockstars' Mentoring Programme which opens again for enrolment in the autumn. Find out more about beauty logistics on Rachel's active social media and site where she offers an amazing amount of free advice about all aspects of logistics and running an indie beauty business: Indie Beauty Delivers website Indie Beauty Delivers on Facebook. Indie Beauty on Instagram. Indie Beauty on Twitter. Indie Beauty on Pinterest. Rachel Whittaker on Linkedin. 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 Instagram.

Formula Botanica students and graduates are unsurprisingly mainly women, so we decided in this Green Beauty Conversation to focus unapologetically on women's health and well being; also because we're still in our designated Women's Month of March as we hit the airwaves. In this episode, we talk to Natasha Richardson, herbalist, women's health expert and founder of Forage Botanicals, a business aimed specifically at helping women alleviate and manage the stress and symptoms of period pain and other menstrual cycle issues through health coaching, education and herbal products. Host Gemma met Natasha at Stylist Live, one of the UK's main beauty events of the year, where Forage Botanicals had a stand and thought it would be fascinating to catch up with her for several reason relating both to women's health and building a small, niche business. This podcast gives us also another chance to celebrate women's achievements in business as we extend the tenets of International Women's Day throughout this month. Natasha started her herbalist coaching and product company straight out of university and explains how she refocused her business from pure coaching and custom services to an online course and multiple products so she could reach and help more women. She has some great insights into crowd funding which has been the main source of her funding. Expect some frank and open chat as Natasha and Gemma home in on the taboos women still face in discussing menstrual issues both with friends and medical experts. We tackle issues that are usually spoken about in hushed tones, dealt with alone and often meet a stonewalled silence from regular medical services. In this episode on women's health and small niche business, you'll hear about: How passion for a specific niche, such as in Natasha's case women's menstrual health, can be an incredible force and driver for a small business; Why it makes sense to shift the focus of your business from creating custom products and offering one-to-one services to including a product range to help you scale up faster and also serve a lot more customers; How products and services that address sensitive issues that people perhaps feel far more comfortable searching for answers to online can be a useful business niche to consider; And conversely, why you may come across some harsh critics in online fora and social media if you openly address issues that some feel uncomfortable being aired and discussed. Stay strong, be honest and transparent and serve your tribe who will look to you as an expert in your niche to guide them; and why Going to events to meet target customers face-to-face helps generate ideas and insights into which products to bring to market. Key take-outs from Natasha on crowdfunding your niche business include: Just do it rather than procrastinate! Not all advice on how to go about crowdfunding 'the right way' will fit your needs or necessarily work for you. Be guided by your own personality, passion and purpose; You don't necessarily need to have investors and offer products all lined up in advance of launching a crowdfunding campaign; Natasha used her regular products and even sold them for more on her crowdfunding pitch page than on her site (explaining the extra cash was for a donation); Work out a figure you need to raise crowdfunding, and then double it! You will always need more than the minimum viable amount as there will be hidden costs like PR and marketing you will have forgotten to factor in; and Make your campaign about one specific, identifiable goal as investors need clarity and transparency - Natasha raised funding for a new product - her Moon Time Belly Balm - that she wanted to bring to market. Find out more about Forage Botanicals and Natasha's Women's Health education, coaching and products: Forage Botanicals' website. Forage Botanicals on Facebook. Forage Botanicals on Instagram. Forage Botanicals on Twitter. Forage Botanicals podcast archives. 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 Instagram.

Most of us in the green beauty sector are familiar with long-established organic brands Weleda and Dr Haushka, but what we might not know is that they run their skincare businesses according to biodynamic principles. Biodynamic skincare is often described as 'organic plus' as it takes a caring, holistic approach that defines not only the farming of botanical ingredients for skincare products but also their entire life cycles from field to face. The Biodynamic Association defines biodynamics as a "holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition". That is a powerful statement combining as it does three prongs of business that generally don't feature in equal weight in the commercial realities of big name cosmetics' companies. However, this definition might still leave you wondering what exactly biodynamic skincare is. We felt we needed real-life examples of biodynamics in action and what it means in practice to the natural skincare formulator. Our Green Beauty Conversations guest for this episode is someone who has practically grown-up with the philosophy and practices of biodynamic farming. Sebastian Parsons of Liv, a biodynamic collaborative foundation based on a working farm in Worcestershire, UK, was introduced to biodynamics in his teens by a farmer uncle. He and his team run workshops, an online store retailing biodynamic skincare brands and also, of course, the farm itself. Sebastian says that biodynamics is all about consciousness; your deep desire to grow and use the best ingredients you can, working with the rhythms of nature. It isn't simply harking back to a traditional way of growing plants that our ancient forebears would have used as it is anchored in contemporary science. But, it does involve an emotional connection to place and a deep synergy with and understanding of the land. In this episode, you'll learn more about biodynamic skincare and practices, such as: Biodynamic practices are about a commitment to life and the living organism. It sees growers seeding, planting, nurturing and harvesting, and manufacturers creating products from biodynamic ingredients on the calendar days best suited to the plants' needs - not ours. Demeter Biodynamic Certification started in 1928 and is the largest worldwide biodynamic regulatory body. It certifies a large range of 'gold standards' in biodynamic farming and production ranging from biodiversity and ecosystem preservation to soil husbandry and the prohibition of genetically-engineered organisms. It guarantees consumers the ultimate in high quality products, whether personal care or food. Biodynamic skincare is considered more vibrant and 'alive' with beneficial ingredients thanks to the way the original botanical materials have been handled in tune with the rhythms of nature. The biodynamic calendar is one of the most known aspect of the practice. It is drawn up based on the influences of the moon, planets and constellations on plant growth and lays out what day is most propitious for doing various farming and growing jobs. Key take-outs from Sebastian include: As with any movement that requires a paradigm shift to become part of, the biodynamic community can seem overwhelming to the newcomer. Sebastian recommends dipping your toes in, reading and researching biodynamic practices and gradually getting involved. See the links below for some good places to start. Biodynamic practices aren't only about farming. They translate into ethical business practices. Biodynamic business will not be driven by the need to generate profits over all other concerns. In the skincare sector, biodynamic approaches don't stop at the cosmetic product in its pot. Therapists and other beauty practitioners can adopt biodynamic principles at the point of service delivery to the customer who will experience the therapy differently as a result. See the Liv workshop details below. If you are interested in following a biodynamic approach to formulating and selling your cosmetic products, try to embed some of its values from the start; it will then become second nature to work to biodynamic principles fully as your business grows. Conscious Connecting Workshops & Discount Offer Liv runs regular Conscious Connecting workshops throughout the year. Sebastian is offering the Formula Botanica community a discount on the early bird price. To find out more about upcoming courses see Skin & Soul Within: Conscious Connecting workshops. To gain the discount, just contact Liv quoting code: Formula Botanica. Discover more about Liv and biodynamic skincare over at: Liv website Liv on Facebook. Liv on Instagram. Liv on Twitter. Links Sebastian mentioned to useful resources on the biodynamic movement, ingredients and practices: Biodynamic Association, UK. Biodynamic Certification, UK. Demeter ingredients directory. Listen, Download and Subscribe to Green Beauty Conversations Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conver

If you thought solid shampoo bars were a recent trend, you should listen to our latest Green Beauty Conversation with Akua Wood who is the founder of Sheabutter Cottage, a pioneering business that supplies natural haircare ingredients as well as skincare and haircare products. Akua's solid shampoo bars have been best sellers in her online store almost since she started out in the early 2000s. Ghanaian-born Akua arrived in the UK in 1994 and it was while her daughters were very young that she launched her first business, Cioccolatina, after finding a lack of natural haircare and skincare products suited to her needs. Recalling her childhood, her father's kitchen remedies and her grandmother's cocoa farm, Akua realised that her native Ghana was a fantastic place to source the pure oils and butters she needed. Cioccolatina was rebranded as Sheabutter Cottage as the supply side of Akua's business grew fast out of the necessity of sourcing larger amounts of the natural ingredients she needed for her own products. The business grew fast but Akua kept the word 'cottage' in the name to reflect her origins as a founder-led business, and also to tally with her ethics which see her sourcing directly from small-scale Ghanaian farmers. Continuing our focus in February on organic, natural haircare formulation, we chat to Akua about the incredible properties of raw, unrefined natural haircare ingredients and bust the myth that natural haircare ingredients are more complex, and difficult to source and work with. Never was there a better time to explore the depth and breadth of haircare ingredients available to the natural formulator. In this episode, you'll gain insights into natural haircare ingredients and formulating, including: Be curious and adventurous in your haircare formulations as consumers are looking for innovative ingredient combinations - Sheabutter Cottage catches the eye with its use of black molasses in one of its best-selling shampoo bars. First, work out what haircare issue you are trying to resolve and then focus closely on ingredient properties to work out what best addresses your customers' needs; Don't for one minute think that natural haircare products take a back seat to skincare; there's a large untapped market waiting for customised haircare solutions; Haircare is a diverse market with myriad niches as products can tackle not just issues like oiliness or dry hair but can address also various hair textures and external factors affecting hair manageability. Essentially, formulating for haircare is parallel to formulating skincare products; the same formulating techniques are used. Key take-outs from this episode include advice on running an ethical business: Akua started her first business with two, pre-school age children at home and with no outside financing. She believes that it is possible to start small and grow organically if you work within your means and do what you can when you can. Running an ethical business sourcing direct from growers rather than from middlemen suppliers has its challenges but is a very powerful message to put out. Today, consumers are scrutinising the values and ethics of retail businesses they purchase from. Don't feel you need to run a huge business to contribute in some small way to charities that tally with your business ethics. Sheabutter Cottage contributed first by buying direct from farmers, and now helps in a very personal and life-changing way in Ghana by sponsoring teaching assistance for individual autistic children. Again, it's a case of doing what you can, and when you can afford it, and remembering also that even small steps towards running your business more ethically can make a difference to lives. If you are interested in learning more about starting and running an ethical natural organic skin or haircare business, listen also to our podcast with Anju Rupal of Abhati Suisse. You might also be interested in finding out about the Formula Botanica Diploma in Organic Haircare Formulation which is open for enrolment twice a year. Find out more about Sheabutter Cottage and its range of unrefined natural ingredients here: Sheabutter Cottage website. Sheabutter Cottage on Instagram. Sheabutter Cottage on Facebook. Sheabutter Cottage on Twitter. Sheabutter Cottage on YouTube. 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 Instagram.

We met Jo Chidley, beauty entrepreneur and founder of Beauty Kitchen, effective, natural, and sustainable beauty, almost a year ago and have been stalking her ever since to give us some airtime. We are so excited to have caught up with her in her busy schedule running a multi-million turnover business from her native Scotland. Jo has won multiple industry awards, including the Natwest Everywoman Award in the Brand of the Future Category and was recognised as one of the 10 most influential people in Natural Beauty in the UK. She's been featured in the likes of ELLE, Woman & Home magazine and BBC News and is a founding member of the Global Advisory Board for Sustainable & Natural Cosmetics. Jo was voted Nr 2 in the 2018 Who's Who of Natural Beauty. In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Jo takes us back to her early days in the beauty business, and talks us through her start-up strategies and how she grew from small beginnings to where Beauty Kitchen is today. We realised talking to Jo that while some connections and opportunities come through sheer luck, there are many others that are out there for the taking, if you know when and where to look for them. These include free business advice and numerous sources of funding. Jo and her husband knew they wanted to start a sustainable beauty business and spotted a gap in the sustainable, natural beauty market between the "fun of Lush and the efficacy of Neal's Yard", as Jo describes their niche. However, even though hugely successful now, Beauty Kitchen started small and took its time to thrash out that market niche and point of difference. Jo tells us that her big break came in a rushed, rather impromptu but nonetheless very cleverly pitched 10-minutes to a retail buyer over a coffee in Starbucks. The beauty entrepreneur has to know how to plan and yet be super calm and flexible at a moment's notice to make the most of golden opportunities. Listen to Jo's experience, infectious energy and sound advice and you'll gain invaluable inside tips from a seasoned beauty entrepreneur. In this episode, you'll gain beauty entrepreneur tips including: Don't rush your market research and the ground work needed to map your business model. Early sales at markets and fairs might seem a time waste but realise that the feedback you get and the resilience you gain personally from these experiences can help you define a better business and products later on. You need to be curious and do your research and have your antenna tuned to funding and networking opportunities. There are more funds out there for start-ups that you might think, from free business advice to grants. Use your gut feeling too. If you have a product ready for market, but your 6th sense and market research is telling you it's not quite the right time for it to be understood, hold back. Start slowly but surely educating your market first and then try again. If your product or business doesn't succeed in its early days, learn to "fail fast, fail cheaply and move on and learn from it". A wise entrepreneur knows to cut their losses, be strengthened by the experience and save their energy to start again, differently. Key take-out from this episode on becoming a beauty entrepreneur are: One opportunity often leads to another. Once you've gained one pot of funding, won one small award or some seed funding, you start to get noticed and to notice other sources of business know-how and start-up funding available to you at low or even no cost. Retailers, bank managers, and other entities you might wish to approach as you build your business are generally time poor. Try scripting out standard one-, three- and five-minute pitches that say everything important for your audience to know. Edit these pitches for different audiences. Getting hands-on and showing how your products work and how they differentiate themselves can do more than words on Powerpoint slides sometimes. So, get creative with your approaches to third parties. Seek out networking events and communities with like-minded businesses; someone will no doubt have had your issues and be able to offer mutual help. Sustainable business is not a trend but a new way of doing business. See how you can implement sustainable business practices transparently and ethically into your processes and products, whether in terms of packaging or moves to zero waste. Do what you can when you can. Small transparent steps are better than rushing and then not being able to deliver on promise. In this episode, Jo mentions several funding entities and other resources: Entrepreneur Handbook - a complete list and guide to small business funding in the UK. Entrepreneurial Spark - accelerator, intrapreneur and mindset enabler organisation and network. Startup Grind - global community of entrepreneurs. Find out more about Jo Chidley and Beauty Kitchen, the brand and her story here: Beauty Kitchen website. Beauty Kitchen on Instagram. Beauty Kitchen on Facebook. Beauty Kitchen on Youtube.

There is no better time to take stock and review indie beauty trends and events than the start of a new year; nor is there a better time for a change. So, in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations podcast we see a role reversal with host Gemma in the hot seat as our interviewee, while school director Lorraine asks the questions. This is one of our longer podcasts as Gemma does an extensive, insider round-up of the value of attending, as a visitor and as trade, both Indie Beauty Expo, which had its inaugural European debut with its London show late last October, and Stylist Live which took place at Olympia, London, in November. Gemma describes Stylist Live as "indie brand heaven" as it combined beauty with a range of lifestyle, homes' style and wellness sectors to offer a really great day out. Just as exciting are the indie beauty trends that Gemma noticed emerging at these events which ranged from brands offering varying levels of product customisation to those promoting a more holistic, wellness view of outer beauty. What struck Gemma as she took on her roving reporter role was the number of Formula Botanica students and graduates whom she met at these two major UK events, both as brands exhibiting and as visitors doing market research and simply having a great day out and a meet-up. Above all, what we and everyone we know who attended both IBE and Stylist Live noticed was the overriding atmosphere of collaboration and genuine eagerness to move the global green beauty movement forward together. As Gemma says: "Both shows had a feeling of indie entrepreneur collaboration. Stall holders, though technically in many ways in competition, showed real kindness to each other." To conclude this episode, our duo focuses on two of last year's major achievements for the school: the Formula Botanica 2018 conference - our largest and most successful to date - which took place in London in early November; and the Cosmetic Executive Women Award Ceremony which saw Lorraine receive the Digital Achiever Award sponsored by Google. Both events were remarkable for bringing pioneering people in the beauty industry together to network and forge opportunities. In this episode, key indie beauty trends you'll hear about include: The noticeable growth of crystal-infused beauty products either made with or containing crystals in various forms and offering a holistic concept of beauty; Part-customisable skincare using pre-made bases which give consumers the option to choose their own active and other ingredients, such as fragrance, to tailor products; The boom in natural make-up brands keen to demonstrate that all-natural cosmetics can be high performance too; and Ingestible beauty and food supplements that work hand in hand with topical cosmetics to help provide a holistic approach to beauty and wellness. Our key take-outs about attending indie beauty events include: First, define your trade or consumer show objectives. Work out your goals in attending, whether market research, sales, networking or meeting prospective retail buyers. Do your homework on events and shows to see if they are a good fit for you. Indie Beauty Expo (IBE), which is set to expand further into Europe, is primarily a trade show aimed at getting your brand before retail buyers, distributors and so on. There is a consumer 'Shop Indie' evening, but otherwise it's mainly a trade opportunity. Stylist Live has a real buzz to it and is a three-day consumer show. It offers a great opportunity to get your brand before potential customers and gain all-important feedback. You will need stamina to exhibit at either event! If you exhibit, do ensure you have your marketing and brand collateral on point and in an easy format for customers to pick up and take away. You may be too busy to chat to everyone, so ensure your give-aways send out a clear message about your brand, products' differentials and so on. Both IBE and Stylist Live are annual events in London, with IBE set to appear in other European cities, such as IBE Berlin (22-23 March, 2019). You might be interested in listening to our podcast Why beauty tradeshows are good business with guest Paula Francis of SuperFoodLx. 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 Instagram.

It takes one to know one, so the adage goes and never more so than when referring to the incredibly diverse and mysterious roles played by the green beauty influencer. To help shed light on how new indie and niche beauty brands can make the most of collaborating with green beauty influencers, we invited Callie Lions of The Green Beauty Mom fame to the podcast. Callie, a graduate of Formula Botanica, straddles the green beauty influencer world. She started out in 2011 blogging and running her social media as a way to indulge her passion for all things green beauty as she learned the practical formulation skills on our diploma course. Driven by a desire to share news and reviews of often lesser-known yet brilliant new green beauty products with other mums and mothers to be, Callie says her mission was and and still is to help them step-by-step transfer their beauty and personal care regime to green beauty. However, all along Callie knew she eventually wished to launch her own brand, which she did this year. Callie has therefore been on both sides of the green beauty influencer fence; working with brands but also being a brand needing her own social clout and help from influencers. She occupies a unique space in the green beauty influencer world as she still shares information on fellow green brands; coopetition and cooperation are her watchwords as Callie feels that the more that's out there on all green beauty trends and brands, the better for all involved in making a living from this sector of the beauty industry. In fact, a leitmotiv running through our fascinating interview with Callie is the need for constructive collaboration in which everyone gains. Listen in for Callie's highly practical advice and tips on just how to create, manage and benefit from meaningful relationships with green beauty influencers, in particular on the do's and don'ts of Instagram collaboration. In this episode, you'll learn: why it's imperative to work with influencers who are passionate about your space but that finding partnerships outside of your regular zone can be rewarding and mutually beneficial too; that polite persistence and perseverance in connecting with influencers pays off; don't be put off because you don't hear back immediately; why approaching accounts with less than stratospheric follower numbers can be the best way to dip your toes into working with green beauty influencers; why and how Instagram remains a preeminent social space for PR, marketing and potentially sales for any beauty brand with great visuals and prepared to work it hard; about how face-to-face networking at events such as trade fairs and green beauty shows can help you cement online connections with influencers; and why local connections with retailers, media and like-minded groups, are valuable to growing online influence too. Key takeouts on how to collaborate with green beauty influencers include: Do be prepared to talk legalities and deliverables up front. If things get formal with a green beauty influencer, it is best practice and advisable, especially if you are paying reasonable fees, to talk through the paperwork and even sign a contract. Ensure you and the influencer have good communication channels. Don't leave unanswered questions or any doubts lingering in your collaboration. Do try working with more than one influencer and don't put all your eggs in one basket. Review performance, research the influencer market and monitor the results you get from working with several. Watch our Meet the Entrepreneur webinar with Callie and join The Green Beauty Mom on social media: The Green Beauty Mom website. The Green Beauty Mom on Instagram. The Green Beauty Mom on Facebook. The Green Beauty Mom on Pinterest. The Green Beauty Mom 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 Instagram.

We are excited to welcome fragrance industry expert and practitioner Karen Gilbert to Green Beauty Conversations because Karen not only works actively as a perfumery trainer but also has a wealth of experience in the world of natural skincare. Karen, who is also a trained aromatherapist, started her perfume industry career with one of the large fragrance houses, IFF, as an evaluator of fragrance in products ranging from luxury brands to functional household cleaners. In the late 1990s, Karen joined Neal's Yard, a UK company that helped pioneer natural ingredients in skincare and retails essential and carrier oils. Karen developed their in-house training arm and was key in helping retail staff understand the therapeutic and holistic benefits of naturals, including fragrance, in Neal's Yard products. Who better then to pass on some practical advice to the Formula Botanica community about using fragrance in natural skincare? We learnt a lot from Karen in this packed interview which covered topics ranging from why fragrance can be contentious in the world of natural skincare formulation to scent having the power to create a direct intercession with our emotions and memories. As natural skincare formulators, we might think of fragrance oils primarily for their therapeutic benefits. However, as Karen points out, fragrance is usually a customer's first impression of a personal care product and can influence their purchasing decisions. Perfume, fragrance or scent, whichever term you like to use, has its own semiography. As natural skincare formulators, we'd be wise to understand how scent can sway our potential customers. In this expert series' interview on Green Beauty Conversations, Karen shares her deep industry knowledge and offers a host of practical examples and tips on how best to work with fragrance in natural skincare. [bctt tweet="Perfumery industry expert and trainer @karengilbert shares expertise and practical tips on using fragrance in natural skincare on the #greenbeautyconversations podcast. #fragrance #essentialoils" username="FormulaBotanica"] In this episode, you'll learn: about how our brain processes our sense of smell and why it's important to understand this in developing fragrance blends for our skincare formulations; how odours trigger emotions and memories which in turn can cause us to react to certain scents positively or negatively based on our individual experiences; why fragrance in natural skincare is as important for its aesthetic reasons as for any therapeutic benefits; why scent development needs to take place at the same time as product formulation and why you need to treat scent as an equal partner to other natural ingredients; about how consumers have certain expectations of how personal care products should smell and why you need to take that into consideration when formulating; and why going fragrance free or using unusual fragrances in natural skincare products might require you to educate your potential customers about your brand's ingredient choices. Key practical takeouts on working with fragrance in natural skincare include: Learn how to evaluate the smell of your product bases and raw natural ingredients such as carrier oils and natural extracts. In this way, you can make more informed choices about the right fragrance blends to work in harmony with, enhance or perhaps even mask your base product's aroma as well as provide any desired therapeutic benefits. Be aware that the same fragrance blend won't necessarily have the same odour profile nor be experienced the same way by a consumer across a range of different products. An emulsion, an oliogel, a micellar water, a balm, an exfoliator and so on all have different properties, viscosity and different consumer uses which influence how the scent is experienced. You may need to adjust your fragrance blends or even product formulae to ensure your target customers will enjoy the scent of your products before, during and after use on their skin. Learn to think like a consumer again - not a formulator! To understand how fragrance works in your product you must evaluate it using the product as a consumer would. Test your chosen fragrance blends as they perform in your products from first opening of the tube or pot, to application and evaporation or wash-off. Make detailed notes on the fragrance's performance to guide any reformulations needed. More on Karen Gilbert and her Online Perfume School: Karen runs her online perfumery school as well as some live classes during the year. One of her courses deals specifically with how to formulate fragrance in skincare products. Live classes: Perfume Business Bootcamp 21-22 January, 2019, central London, UK: two-day class on the business aspects of starting and creating a fragrance business. Bespoke Perfumery Masterclass, 23-25 January, 2019, central London, UK: three days of live practical perfumery creation teaching you to create custom perfumes and during which Karen can help you on your

What is CBD skincare? If we'd told you even a year or two ago that CBD skincare is related to cannabis, it's likely to have triggered an automatic association with scheduled drugs. However, today, certain bio-active compounds, or cannabinoids, found within both cannabis and its relative hemp are being used not only in medicine but also far more recently as legitimate, active ingredients in high-performance skincare. In brief, cannabis itself is scheduled as an illegal drug in most western countries although as recently as October 2018, it was legalised in Canada for recreational use. It has hit the news in the UK in particular this autumn with the case of a boy with epilepsy who was denied legal use of cannabis oil to ease his symptoms. It seems timely then to look into the rising trend of cannabinoids in skincare formulations. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is one of just under 500 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids. Another group of cannabinoids however do not contain the psychoactive elements; these are cannabidiol (CBD) and it is these compounds that have been subject to cosmetic science research for their anti-ageing and other beneficial properties. The journey of how cannabinoids came to be regarded as botanical compounds of huge interest to the beauty industry is of course a complex one. To help unpack the virtues of hemp cannabinoids in CBD skincare, we invited Samir Juneja of CBD of London, the UK's first luxury CBD skincare brand to Green Beauty Conversations. Launched early in 2018, CBD of London is pioneering CBD ingredients in luxury skincare and has had coverage in major UK magazines such as Tatler, GQ and Vogue. But, as Samir says, there's a lot of education on CBD skincare to do yet for high street retailers to engage. This is why we invited CBD of London to the podcast to spread the true information on CBD skincare. In this episode, you'll hear about: The science behind CBD and its differences from THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid compounds; How the human body has its own cannabinoids, which act as receptors to topically-applied CBD; The powerful benefits of CBD in anti-ageing, anti-pollution and anti-inflammatory cosmetic products; How CBD is extracted from hemp and the pros of certain methods of extraction, like super-critical CO2; and Why CBD, while a trending new ingredient, is still misunderstood. Key take-outs from this episode include: It can take time to build a brand using new, unknown ingredients, especially those with connotations or a legacy of use in other ways. However, pioneering does bring its rewards as you have near-on first-mover advantage; Make time to educate your audiences and customers on the power of your ingredients, pointing out the positives and benefits; take every opportunity to speak to them using blog posts and social media to the maximum; Make the science behind your ingredients accessible and understandable. Remember people can research online but also find misinformation, so be transparent and helpful. Think carefully about your branding and brand positioning, as these are key to giving the right impression of your product offer. CBD overcame the cannabis connotations by creating a visually-appealing and high-end offer communicated consistently across its website, packaging and other collateral. Find out more about CBD of London, its story and about CBD skincare science here: CBD of London website. CBD of London on Instagram. CBD of London on Facebook. 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 Instagram.

If you are creating natural, organic cosmetics with a view to selling them, the chances are you are also keen to run a sustainable, ethical skincare business too. Green beauty goes hand in hand with sustainability and transparency in all aspects of producing natural skincare, from field to face. We've talked a lot recently about the need to drill into the sustainable sourcing of botanical ingredients and also discussed the true meaning of formulating with green chemistry credentials. We've also reviewed some of the trending, top environmental and sustainability issues facing the green beauty industry. There is no end in sight to the challenges and market pressures facing the natural skincare formulator wishing to ensure their skincare products, at any point in their life cycle, don't harm our planet's resources and the people we rely on in our supply chains. Zero waste and damage limitation aren't the only concerns of an ethical skincare business. Many of us also wish to do good, actively, by supporting campaigns, charities and causes that align with our business mission and resonate with us personally. How do you go about factoring in all these concerns and at which point in your business plans? There are no easy answers, but our guest in this episode of our Green Beauty Conversations podcast has a wealth of experience on running a profitable, sustainable and ethical skincare true to its original mission and vision. Anju Rupal, founder, visionary, former social worker turned social activist, runs Abhati Suisse, a botanical organic skin and haircare business that makes a truly positive, measurable difference to the day-to-day lives of not just customers and employees but now also thousands of people and environments half way around the world from its offices in Switzerland. Abhati Suisse was conceived at the outset as an ethical business so much so that Anju says it was almost a by-product of her activism. Abhati's high-end, organic botanical products drawing on Anju's Ayurvedic roots in a British Indian family is a social enterprise spearheading several campaigns and causes from a reforestation charity and support for tribal farmers to education programmes for women and girls in India. While ethical, transparent business was the core of Abhati's mission from the start, Anju shares her experiences to inspire other formative brands to embrace ethical business not as an add-on, but as an integral part of their reason for being. Anju won a place on the Sephora Accelerate 2018 mentorship programme and also shares some invaluable insights on how this initiative works hard to help women, founder-led beauty companies gain traction and fulfill their missions. In this episode, you'll hear about: How consumers are voting with their wallets these days and choosing brands that can demonstrate transparency and do more than pay lip service to ethical business. Why new skincare brands should look at the bigger picture beyond their industry to think not just about how they can minimise their negative footprint but also make a positive impact on the world. Why you don't need to go it alone in your mission building a social, ethical enterprise; be confident and ask for help even from celebrities and bigger players in the beauty industry. You may be surprised at the support you can receive and the pro bono offers to contribute to your ethical business. Why you should think about the kind of profits you wish to make and how you'd like to reinvest them and make your decision clear in your mission from the start. Why using natural botanical ingredients at all costs, without understanding how they are sourced, harvested, processed and sold may be doing more harm than good. How to balance your brand communication between mission and product benefits as consumers are discerning, even if they value being able to buy from ethical enterprises. Anju has some key insights on the Sephora Accelerate programme too, including: Don't be scared to apply! Sephora looks at nascent ideas as well as up and running businesses, so it's never too early in your business plans to apply so long as you have a clear mission and brand promise. The programme now extends to Europe and Asia so beauty entrepreneurs worldwide can apply. It extends to technology, and other innovations in beauty, not just cosmetics' product companies as Sephora wishes to be seen pushing the boundaries in every facet of the beauty industry. The year-long mentorship is like a fast-track MBA in the cosmetics industry and is there to help you grasp all facets of business, from branding and accounts, to packaging and retail distribution. It includes a kick-off week in Los Angeles, USA, where you meet your personal mentor for the year, and includes also a pitch session to investors. The initiative fosters a fabulous network of women founders and entrepreneurs who share expertise and experiences as well as offer support. Find out more about Sephora Accelerate. Based on previous years,

Isn't green chemistry always at work in our artisan labs when we're formulating natural organic skincare? Our answer would be, yes it is, but probably not to the extent it could be, nor in line with how we would define green cosmetic chemistry. Believe us when we say we're not trying to make your formulating lives harder! However, take a moment to think about how consumers are increasingly asking penetrating questions about the green credentials of skincare brands, both large and small. You'll realise that the artisan formulator with business aspirations needs to work to green chemistry principles to survive in today's ever more sophisticated green beauty market. To truly adhere to green chemistry, you need to go way beyond what is in the pot and think about the whole life cycle of your products. This includes knowing how they are harvested in field and forest to how they are finally flushed down the drain at the end of their lives. In this episode, Formula Botanica Director Lorraine Dallmeier, who is a biologist and environmental scientist, opens our eyes to the gamut of issues we need to be aware of and start to address in our efforts to formulate to green cosmetic chemistry principles. As Lorraine says, "No one ever said it would be easy being a green formulator". But by listening in to this podcast, you'll discover that what seems an overwhelming agenda of measures can be tackled in increments, as and when you can. Awareness is the first step on the green chemistry road. In this episode, you'll find out about: The definition of green cosmetic chemistry and how it breaks down into manageable areas to tackle in your own formulating careers; Why prevention is better than cure and how you can do this by devising formulae that reduce your carbon footprint from the start; How even natural botanical ingredients can be hazardous to plant and animal life; Why including fewer ingredients and choosing local ingredients is one easy, first step to adhering to green cosmetic chemistry principles; Why you need to think about the total life cycle of your products and think about how they wash off and out into the eco-system; and why you need to help customers dispose easily and safely of wasted product and packaging. During the podcast, host Gemma mentions some of our related blog posts and episodes which are ideal further reading, listening and references on green issues in natural organic skincare formulating. Take a look at the links below: Sustainable Beauty: discussing the top issues and concerns with Green Chemist & Consultant Barbara Olioso. Zeroing in on Zero Waste in Green Beauty 7 Tips on Sourcing Sustainable Botanical Ingredients. Key take-outs from this episode on green cosmetic chemistry include: Work on building excellent relations with your suppliers so you can find out as much as you can about the provenance of your ingredients, including whether they are harvested, produced and delivered sustainably and ethically. Design for degradation! By this we mean working out how your product will degrade and be disposed of. Green cosmetic chemists don't focus only on how it will perform its skincare function but take a holistic look at its impact on the environment and human health and well being. Remember, that even so-called natural and organic ingredients can cause eco toxicity and be harmful to the plant. Learn more about how your chosen ingredients are produced and try to discover if any undesirable bi-products are either used in their processing and extraction or created as a result of their production. The fact that the ingredient doesn't contain harmful substances doesn't mean it hasn't caused them. 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 Instagram.

Knowing how to price your skincare products is one of the most important factors in getting a viable beauty business off the ground. You're passionate about natural skincare formulation, but are you guilty of shirking the numbers? It's all too easy to get our heads in the pot enjoying making skincare but forget the nuts and bolts of running and growing a business, such as profit, retail and wholesale margins. Spreadsheets not just formulae sheets should be your number one priority once you've decided to make a serious business out of your skincare products. To help talk you through the numbers and how to factor enough wiggle room into your margins, we welcome a familiar face in the skincare business world, Melinda Coss. A several times entrepreneur and pioneer in the natural beauty industry, and experienced skincare business mentor, Melinda walks us through the most important things to think about in pricing skincare products. She takes us from working out the unit cost of products to the percentages retailers and distributors might expect and which you have to factor in. We don't speak accounting jargon but we do recommend hitting replay so you can take down notes as Melinda packs in a lot of advice for new skincare entrepreneurs. This episode is a goldmine if you're currently doing back of the envelope or worse, finger in the wind accounting in working out how to price your skincare products. So get your notebook open, and dust off your ability to do percentages. However, don't worry as you're in good company; Melinda has run and sold several successful businesses and says that with some help, savvy and willingness to learn, the number crunching can become second nature. In this episode, you'll learn: Why working out your reasons for wanting to run a skincare business are key to understanding what profits you wish to make, or, simply put, why your mindset makes your market; How your branding and your brand's positioning in the market are critical to determining how to price your products at a level that meets consumer expectations; Why natural and organic skincare is rarely cheap; How a 'time and motion' analysis of every cost aspects of your activities in producing products will give you the insights on which to base pricing; and Find out how and when it makes sense to run discounts and other incentives like 'buy one, get on free', or to offer free shipping. Melinda doesn't talk in abstract terms. She runs through some ballpark percentages that you should be aiming for when working out how to price skincare products and gives examples of other key facts and figures you need to know to run a business. Key takeouts about how to price your skincare products include: Take time to work out what you wish or need to earn from your business in its first year. On that basis, you can make the financial and production forecasts required; Work out in minute detail your unit costs, not forgetting to factor in your hourly rate and everything relating to packaging down to the sellotape! Then, add on 70% and you'll arrive at your base trade costs. After that, add on 7% for contingencies so you ensure you have some leeway for costs you've not envisaged up front; and Remember that your figures are your most important tool. Business is about making money whatever the passion that lies behind it. More on Melinda Coss Find out more about Melinda Coss's Ultimate Skincare Business Masterclass, a six-month programme which starts in January 2019. It covers not only the financial aspects of your skincare business, but also takes you through an intensive training programme to get your business dream from paper to reality. Use the Formula Botanica affiliate link entering the code Hello Success to claim £500 off the Skincare Group Masterclass if you book before the 6th of November, subject to availability of places. Melinda Coss website. Melinda Coss Skincare Mastermind on Facebook. Melinda Coss 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 Instagram.

A year ago, if you'd searched online for the term zero waste as it relates to the beauty industry you would most likely have found few search results returned. What a difference a year makes. These days, it is a buzzword in the cosmetics industry and nowhere more so than in green beauty. What might surprise you is that a body promoting zero waste was set up as long ago as 2002. The Zero Waste International Alliance drafted its first definition of the term in 2004. It is only relatively recently, due in part to the widespread publicity of key environmental issues such as the impact of ocean plastics - including the cosmetic industry's now vilified microbeads - that the term is taking centre stage as a concept. How to go from concept to practical action on zero waste is the dilemma facing large, let alone indie beauty brands. Unsurprisingly, the natural, green and indie segments of the beauty business strive to live up to consumer expectations that their products go from field to face adhering to production practices that are as sustainable and environmentally-friendly as possible. However, zero waste goes way beyond dealing with sourcing sustainably-harvested ingredients and recyclable packaging. It implies reducing your beauty brand's waste impact to zero. On the face of it, this is an impossible feat. Never ones to shy away from a great beauty debate, Green Beauty Conversations decided to put Formula Botanica Director Lorraine Dallmeier in the podcast hotseat. In this episode, Lorraine sheds light on zero waste goals and how to put them into action, feasibly and practically, in our day-to-day formulating and business building. In this episode, you'll find out: Why zero waste is achieved best in small steps and starts with you defining it for your own business and circumstances. How setting yourself realistic goals can help you avoid overwhelm. Why you need to play zero waste detective to find out where waste is preventable across your entire business and its supply and retail chains. Why one of the first ways to tackle the issue is, counter intuitively for businesses, to perhaps produce less in the first place. Think of the mantra 'less is more'. Why understanding how your customers use and dispose of your products is a vital part of implementing zero waste policies. As moving nearer to zero waste requires buy-in from across the beauty industry, Lorraine also gives advice on how to get help from your partners, from suppliers to retailers and consumers. Key takeouts include: See zero waste as an opportunity for your brand rather than an onerous burden. It's a chance for you to talk openly about the less transparent side of the beauty business and to gather a like-minded tribe of customers. Talk to your current or prospective retailers about what your brand is doing to adhere to zero waste principles. In this way, you can 'educate' them and bring them on board about your choices, for example in areas such as outer packaging. Discover more about how your ingredients and packaging are used and recycled. For instance, some localities or countries might not be equipped to recycle all colours of glass or be able to dispose of cosmetics. Be aware of how your ingredients can cause inadvertent environmental or infrastructural damage even if they are all natural or come without packaging. Check suppliers' MSDS sheets carefully for each ingredient you buy. You might also like to read these related posts as you research zero waste: When to Choose Bio-based Packaging for Cosmetics Sustainable Beauty: Discussing the Top Challenges & Concerns 7 Tips on Sourcing Sustainable Botanical Ingredients How to Comply With Cosmetics Regulations (discussion on definitions of 'natural'). What Does Natural Skincare Mean? Is Zero Waste Beauty the Next Big Trend (Huffington Post) 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 Instagram.

With the sheer number of hair and beauty trade shows around the globe these days, you might feel intimidated by the prospect of exhibiting at one, especially if you're new to the beauty industry. You know the score; you sign up for the details months in advance but when the time comes, you feel you either can't afford it or that your business isn't at the right stage to benefit from attending. Beautypreneurs face overwhelm in terms of the sheer effort and financial outlay required to get prepared and ready to make the most of trade shows. But, as you'll find out in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, there are innumerable spin-off benefits that go way beyond making sales. Our guest Paula Francis is co-founder, along with her mother Cherry, of SuperFoodLx, a vegan, natural hair and skincare brand offering personal care products as well as nutritional supplements. Podcast host Gemma met Paula earlier this year at a fair, as it happens; Beauty Exchange organised by Enterprise Nation. Paula's professionalism in managing her brand at the show prompted us to find out more about how beauty brands make the most of these events and, in particular, learn her own secrets for success. We guarantee this is an episode no beauty entrepreneur should miss. In this episode you'll hear about: Why starting small by taking a stand at a local farmers' market or school fair can be a great way to gain confidence and not break the bank; The invaluable customer and market research you gain into your products by doing live, face-to-face beauty trade shows; The networking opportunities in the spirit of cooperation - rather than competition - that trade fairs foster among new beauty brands; How beauty trade shows help you develop fast the skills you need in retail and sales to build a business; and How those first customers at beauty shows can turn into repeat business and help boost online sales. Paula however doesn't stop at discussing trade shows. She offers a wealth of insights into starting a beauty brand. The key takeouts of this episode on the value of attending beauty trade shows: Exhibitions and shows put you out there as a new beautypreneur and get you to scrutinise yourself and work out where your strengths lie. These situations put pressure on you and can be great self learning opportunities. Be personal in your approach to customers but don't take their honest feedback personally; they are seeing you as a brand, not a founder. Listen to their comments carefully. Use this customer feedback to drive your business forwards and to work out where and how to improve, for example, product formulas or branding. Meet, greet and treat your last trade show customer of the day as you would the first. Remember, they are finding out about you for the first time even if you've been on your feet saying the same thing for 6 hours. Research and ask fellow entrepreneurs which shows worked for them. But, don't see any beauty trade show as a complete waste of time or cash as there are lessons to learn and valuable feedback to gain from almost every face-to-face event. Find out more about SuperFoodsLx here: SuperFoodLx website. SuperFoodLx on Instagram. SuperFoodLx on Facebook. SuperFoodLx on Twitter. SuperFoodLx 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 Instagram.

Our last three episodes of Green Beauty Conversations formed our Beauty Branding Week and gave you plenty of strategies and practical tactics to help you get under way on your branding journey. However, if you've already launched your brand but feel that it's looking tired or is not doing your business justice or perhaps you've simply fallen out of love with it, now might be the right time to consider rebranding your beauty business. If you are at this juncture, then our guest in this episode has plenty of insights to help you work out if a rebrand might be good for your beauty business. We chat to Formula Botanica alumni Heather Urquhart, founder of Huna Natural Apothecary about the gains and pains of a rebranding exercise. Huna Apothecary is based in Winnipeg, Canada, and creates 100% natural and organic high-performance skin nutrition. Although having launched her business only a few years ago, Heather realised that Huna needed to enhance its brand positioning to be able to attract more retailers and compete with well-known, larger names in the natural beauty industry. When Heather started out she wisely bootstrapped most of her business and branding, but when she started missing out on market opportunities, she decided it was time to invest seriously in Huna's branding. In this episode, Heather talks us through her rebranding journey with its highs and lows. In this episode, you'll find out about: Why investing in your branding as early as possible is essential not peripheral to growing your business; Why retailers are a great resource and can help give you a reality check and feedback when you face a rebrand; How working with creative professionals on rebranding your beauty business makes all the difference to its success; Why you need to allow a good six months, or more, from creative brief to finishing a rebranding exercise; What outcomes you can expect from taking the plunge to rebrand. As Heather moves Huna from its first years as a start-up beauty business to running a premium natural beauty brand stocked widely in her native Canada, and soon further afield, she has plenty of business advice too. Key takeaways from this episode on the reasons to rebrand your beauty business include: Communicate closely with your retail partners throughout your rebrand process. They have their finger on the pulse of consumers probably more than you do. Don't underestimate how much time and money can go into sourcing the right packaging. Note also that premium beauty may require a look and finish with high minimum order quantities. Don't forget about the website in your rebranding exercise. Hire web design and build experts with a proven track record in delivering on time and to brief. You will make mistakes in building your brand and business but remember, this is part of your growth and learning curve. Just remain agile and be prepared to change course. We're in the beauty business where image counts. Don't forget that in your quest to showcase its green, clean face. Find out more about Heather's journey from botanist to successful natural beauty brand by following Huna Natural Apothecary: Huna Natural Apothecary website. Huna Natural Apothecary on Instagram. Huna Natural Apothecary on Facebook. Huna Natural Apothecary on Twitter. Huna Natural Apothecary 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 Instagram.

One of the questions we are most often asked at Formula Botanica is whether it's worth hiring a designer to help with branding your beauty business. With start-up beauty brands pressed for cash flow and with the proliferation of free or low-cost design apps and programs, it's tempting to think we can do it all ourselves. In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, we answer most of those FAQs, and hope to clarify why and when you might wish to outsource to a designer. We go behind the scenes of a typical branding process to talk you through what you can expect from a graphic designer or branding agency, and how best to work with them in smooth collaboration. Our guest is Nancy Poller founder of Aligned Design Co, which is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs with their branding from initial discovery phases to fully-fledged visual interpretation. Nancy has a long-held passion for the beauty sector, having, as she admits, spent hours trawling the aisles of Space NK and top department store cosmetic counters. She has developed a keen eye for what's trending and shares some good advice on how to stand out from the pack of competitors. Nancy kindly shares her Workbook on Brand Discovery, which might prove food for thought before you hire a designer. It helps you dig deep into what your brand stands for and is a mini version of Aligned Design's Client Discovery process. In this episode, you'll hear about: The ingredients of brand identity; The latest trends in beauty branding and why it might not be a good idea to follow them; Why your competitors are a great resource in helping you define your brand; How to decide on which brand designer to hire, whether freelancer or an agency; and What to expect when collaborating with a designer in branding your beauty business. Key take-aways from this episode on branding your beauty business include: What part of the branding process you can do yourself, and what is best outsourced; Why you need to budget for a professionally-designed logo, even if they look simple and easy to do yourself; Why and how your branding contributes to defining your tribe and your business vibe; and Understanding that your branding is meant first and foremost to resonate with your customers and retail partners. For more gems from Nancy on how to go about branding your beauty business, find Aligned Design Co here: Aligned Design Co website Aligned Design Co on Instagram Aligned Design Co on Facebook Aligned Design Co on Twitter Nancy Poller 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 Instagram.

As we watch indie beauty brands crushing it on Instagram with amazing eye candy images and gathering tribes into the tens of thousands, we may think that kind of brand visibility is an impossible dream for our own beauty businesses. While it does, of course, take hard graft to get that kind of brand awareness, you can go far if you know from the start how to define, style and build your brand on strong foundations. Our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations offers some invaluable advice and practical to-do's on branding a beauty business for success. Joining us is professional photographer and branding guru Briena Sash, founder of Wellness Stock Shop, which is an extensive resource of stock photos tailored to the needs of the natural beauty and wellness industry. Briena has joined us for a branding webinar in the past at Formula Botanica, but here, for the first time, she shares three key branding exercises to work through before you rush out to hire a graphic designer or talk logos! Listen in and then download the workbook Briena has kindly shared with us and put your new insights to work. Even if your brand is up and running, there is plenty here to help you hone your beauty branding strategies for greater success. In this episode, you'll hear: How both visual and emotional elements combine to form the essential building blocks for branding a beauty business. Why you need to invest up front, as early as you can, in defining and styling your brand. But why you need also to dig deep and map your brand voice yourself before hiring a graphic or brand designer. About how branding is never static, and why you need to revise, refresh and rethink your branding periodically. Briena shares three practical exercises in the Branding Workbook accompanying this episode. We recommend you take your time working through it. Key take-aways from this podcast include: Successful beauty brands are those that connect with their customers and audiences on an emotional level. Visual branding - from the fonts you use to your Instagram images and packaging - derive from and support your brand voice. They are powerful, but they aren't the first things to start with in a branding exercise. Branding a beauty business is more about developing a lifestyle people enjoy or aspire to! Think of your brand as a personality: what kind of person is it, and what kind of people would be attracted to chatting with it? Above all, think of your customers and potential customers. What are their needs and how do your products solve their issues, light their fire and inspire them? Find the Wellness Stock Shop: Wellness Stock Shop website Wellness Stock Shop on Instagram Wellness Stock Shop on Facebook Wellness Stock Shop on Pinterest 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 Instagram.

We kick off a series of podcasts on branding indie beauty businesses with a marathon interview packed with actionable advice. You've no doubt heard the one about your brand being more than your logo, but have you worked out what this means in reality? Here, at Formula Botanica, we thought we knew all about branding, and how it applies to indie beauty businesses, but our chat with Rob Moore of The Design Co certainly opened our eyes. We'll give you a clue to just how much more there is to branding: it's only by Tip 8, that we start talking about logos and visual design. The eye-catching visual elements that we tend to think of as branding are only the tip of the brand iceberg. A truly strong, successful brand is one that creates touch points with its audiences from the very start and pays attention to fine-tuning the little details that go into running a business day to day. Rob is an energetic, inspirational designer who went through this self-same checklist when he set up his own branding agency just a couple of years ago and needed to define what he wanted for his business. Since then, he has been key in branding several start-ups turned successful indie beauty businesses such as Pink's Boutique and Proverb Skin whose founders were guest speakers at the Formula Botanica 2017 Conference. As he admits, it's not an easy task to brand, or rebrand, but he hand-holds us through his top 10 tips giving us a clear action plan to follow. If you're thinking of turning your passion for natural cosmetics into a business, or even if you're already running one, Rob's advice will revolutionise how you've thought about branding or growing your brand. Rob is offering us his Essential Guide to a Strong Brand, which we suggest you download and use as a checklist once you've listened in. In this episode on branding indie beauty businesses, you'll hear about: Why your brand name is a big deal and needs as much planning as your entire branding exercise; What to look out for when buying domain names and applying for trademarks; Why your brand's reputation is built from the very start, and from those little everyday interactions with your audiences; Why your product is not your brand; How your customer service and your employees are critical brand ambassadors; and How your own story and journey to starting your business is key to captivating customers and making an emotional connection with them. Key take-aways include: Each product sale can take as many as 12 brand touch points with your customer. Bear this in mind when designing your website, your daily customer service touch points and post-sales follow-up. Leave nothing to chance. Don't talk up your products nor use hyperbole in how you portray your brand. In some ways, it's best to undersell and then over deliver in order to gain happy, loyal customers. Remember that customers are key in branding indie beauty businesses. They build your brand reputation, not you. They are highly influential in marketing your brand on social media and through word of mouth. Think of the bigger picture: don't make every single action sales related. Get out there and do good in your local community or for example by donating a percentage of some sales to charities or causes that are in line with your brand mission. You can find The Design Co here: The Design Co website The Design Co on Facebook The Design Co on Twitter The Design Co 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 Instagram.

In our very first Green Beauty Conversations podcast, we discussed what natural means in skincare and this week's topic about sustainable beauty is another of those hotly-debated issues that has no clear-cut definition. We'd go so far as to say there are even more interpretations of the term 'sustainable' as used in the natural beauty world than there are shades of green. To help us unravel sustainable beauty and shed light on the top concerns, we spoke to Dr Barbara Olioso, a cosmetic chemist with a long-standing fascination for the traditions of herbalists and formulating with natural ingredients. With over 20 years in both the beauty and food science industries, Barbara now runs her own business, The Green Chemist Consultancy. In this episode, Barbara talks us through the perennial dilemmas about sustainability that face us in our everyday formulating, let alone when we start a beauty brand. From bio-based packaging to sourcing sustainable ingredients and from child labour issues to cruelty-free claims, we touch on just about every elephant lurking in the offices of green beauty businesses. We admit that you might come away from listening to this episode with more questions raised than answered! We hope it helps you make your own conscious choices in deciding what sustainable beauty means to you, whether you are home formulating, buying green beauty or running a cosmetics' business. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why the label 'green' or 'natural' does not mean a cosmetic product or brand is a sustainable beauty entity; Benchmarking your own formulations and green beauty business against 17 UN sustainable development goals; How unsustainable practices can lurk in the most unlikely corners of the green cosmetics industry; How the food industry is influencing and helping drive sustainability in beauty; Why there is no 100% sustainable natural or synthetic ingredient; and Why there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to implementing sustainable practices. Barbara gives us plenty of pointers on what to think through as we map our own path in sustainable beauty and articulate our mission and ethics. Key take-aways from this podcast include: Don't assume that a naturally-sourced, botanical ingredient is a more sustainable raw material; do thorough homework on its provenance, in particular on the supplier and grower. Zero waste is desirable but the cosmetics' industry needs to use packaging that protects both product life and consumer health and safety. New developments in how we formulate cosmetic products - for example, solid shampoos that reduce plastic consumption - are pioneering sustainable beauty; this is a trend to watch. Barbara Olioso's consultancy offers a range of services to natural beauty businesses, including skincare formulation and certification advice as well as short webinars on areas such as Cosmos certification and natural alternatives to synthetics. You can find Barbara online here: The Green Chemist Consultancy Website. Dr Barbara Olioso on LinkedIn. Dr Barbara Olioso on Twitter. 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 Instagram.