It was early 2020 and Nienke wanted to try and make her own hand cream. All of the creams she could find in shops contained a long list of complex ingredients and always some kind of chemical preservative. After some research and experimentation in her kitchen she made the perfect natural hand cream for all those hands that were raw from 20 washings per day. It sold out within 2 days.
There was just one problem with this hand cream: because creams are generally an emulsion of water in oil, they need the addition of a preservative to keep them stable, or you need to keep them in the fridge and use them relatively quickly. We had both started using natural oils for our face and body a few years earlier and loved the effects. Simple oils are more potent than creams so you need less of them - the same amount of oil will last much longer than a cream. Also, since you don’t need to make sure the water stays suspended in the oil to keep the consistency of the cream, you don’t need to add emulsifiers or preservatives. Since what we put on our skin gets absorbed directly into the body, we have started looking at our skincare products the same way we look at our food - we prefer all natural ingredients and products that contain only a few potent ingredients.
We decided to start researching and experimenting with oils to make the perfect face and body oil, testing the products on ourselves and friends. Nienke has worked as a model for years and has extremely sensitive and dry skin. Products that are harsh, drying or too perfumed will make her break out in an itchy rash. Marguerite has more oily skin so thick or heavy products will give her clogged pores. We were convinced we could create a formula that worked for everyone - a light, nourishing, pure face oil to use in the morning and evening instead of a cream moisturiser. The body oil could have a stronger smell, a feminine scent of spring flowers, so that if you use it after your morning shower you don’t need any perfume.
After a few months of experimenting we finally came to the perfect formulas for our first face and body oils. The next step was to source the best ingredients possible. The potency of natural products depends on the way they are grown, so making a great product requires ingredients that were grown in good soil without pesticides. Of course we would never test any products on animals or use ingredients coming from animals. We wanted to go straight to the source to ensure transparency and be able to offer the highest quality at reasonable prices for our future customers.
We are especially excited to have created something that can let people experience the power and beauty of nature directly. We highly recommend you use our products in combination with lots of forest bathing, swimming in the ocean and gardening to cultivate joy and a direct relationship to the earth.
xx
Nienke & Marguerite