The words 'handmade beauty' likely conjure up images of chintzy craft fairs or handicraft bar soap sold at a rickety stall. But in 2018, the concept is much cooler.
The conscious consumption movement is growing, which means small-batch and handmade beauty brands are booming, and their offerings should be taken seriously. "More and more people are leaving their jobs to become small business owners," Jillian Wright, founder of the Indie Beauty Expo, told us, "and as the demand for independent and niche brands grows, many people look to the beauty industry." The best part? "Many of these beauty brands want to use their businesses to give back or provide a better future, whether it is educational or environmental," added Jillian.
Working on a small scale means these brands have much greater control of their environmental impact at every stage of the production process. "These brands think about the entire lifecycle of a product including the farming, fertilisation, harvesting, fair trade, cruelty-free extracting, production, waste, packaging, fulfilment, transport, usage, and disposal," Jillian explained.
Kate Protopapas, founder of Isla Apothecary, expanded: "Small-batch production means we can source packaging from local suppliers rather than buying huge bulk quantities from somewhere like China. This keeps our carbon footprint significantly lower, while also supporting the local economy." Beyond packaging, the ingredients themselves are green-approved too. "We choose to use no synthetics or plastics in our products, thus minimising the impact on the environment," Kate added.
While this approach certainly appeals to those concerned about their plastic waste, this new breed of small-batch brands proves that results-driven formulas needn’t be compromised. Brands that hand-make their products in small batches tend to do so out of a necessity around longevity, and more often than not, they use natural ingredients and forgo chemical preservatives. "We make our products more or less to order so that they go out fresh to consumers and retailers," Kate said. Although the shelf life is shorter, you’re getting high quality ingredients at their most potent, which means they work better.
In the increasingly overwhelming world of beauty, these brands strip it back to the basics and offer customers carefully considered INCI (ingredients) lists that feature hardworking components and no fillers. This streamlined approach makes it easier to understand what’s in your product (a dream scenario for those who suffer with skin sensitivities), and subsequently offers more bang for your buck.
Click through for seven small-batch beauty picks...
Chances are you've spotted Austin Austin on Instagram. Produced by a father-daughter duo in East Anglia, their small-batch hand, hair and body range is 100% organic, nasty-free and uses 100% recycled or recyclable packaging. With drawings by Christian Newby on the front label, showcasing artists' work is an important part of the brand’s ethos.
Austin Austin Neroli & Petitgrain Body Soap 300ml, $16, available at Austin Austin
Created by hand on a weekly basis in their London studio, Isla Apothecary takes pride in using natural, ethically sourced and, where possible, organic ingredients. Housed in reusable glass jars and bottles and sent in the post in recyclable boxes with 100% biodegradable void-filling chips, they aim to leave as little trace as possible. Their Refine & Radiate mask contains coconut milk and turmeric to hydrate and smooth rough, bumpy skin.
Isla Apothecary Refine + Radiate Beautifying Face Mask, $22, available at Isla Apothecary
When Sarah’s sister Lauren was diagnosed with leukaemia, she struggled to find non-toxic products that didn’t come with labels demanding a chemistry degree to decipher. So she decided to create her own, and following Lauren’s recovery a few years later, the brand was born. Every ingredient they use has been chosen for a specific function. For example, green clay in this cleanser (which you can apply straight over makeup) dislodges oil and grime without stripping the skin. Each ingredient is clearly stated on the front of the label, and products are hand-blended and packaged in the brand's Sussex studio.
By Sarah London Green Clay Cleansing Balm, $29.5, available at By Sarah London
Crafted in small batches at their Hackney HQ, Skin & Tonic is a big believer in the 'less is more' approach. Eschewing the use of sensitive skin-aggravators, such as harsh preservatives, synthetic fragrances and SLS, each product contains no more than seven ingredients sourced from small producers in the UK and France and women’s cooperatives in Africa and Sri Lanka. This makeup remover melts away heavy foundation and mascara in a few spritzes.
Skin & Tonic Makeup Remover, $18, available at Skin & Tonic
As a certified B Corporation, using business as a force for good is at the heart of what Beauty Kitchen does. Their packaging credentials are seriously impressive and they implement forward-thinking solutions like using other brands' unwanted packaging, choosing labels made from waste limestone rock and relinquishing the use of extra layers like outer boxes. Plus, their No Nonsense Beauty guarantee means you know what you’re getting is seriously effective. These wipes are 100% natural and compostable.
Beauty Kitchen Beauty Wipes, $5.99, available at Beauty Kitchen
AMLY Botanical was created by two friends, both natural beauty fans, when one moved to a farm in East Sussex and discovered a mineral-rich water source on the grounds. Blending this with other healing botanicals to create a face mist, their brand was born. Housed in eco-approved packaging, the range has expanded to include serums and masks, all with the same conscious ethos. The divine Sleep Face Mist gets our vote for soothing skin and senses simultaneously.
AMLY Botanicals Beauty Sleep Face Mist, $52, available at AMLY Botanicals
Palm oil is often a dirty word when it comes to sustainability but this is something The Kind Plant Company is hellbent on changing. Proving palm oil can be farmed in a sustainable way, the brand uses red palm oil sourced from a cooperative smallholder farm network in Sierra Leone and Ghana. Not only is this Rainforest Alliance certified, but the farmers are paid a Fair for Life premium, too. Back home in Kent, the brand’s founders blend this red palm oil with eight other ethically sourced ingredients (including shea butter and rosehip oil) to make their Power Balm – a wonder, do-it-all balm suitable for chapped lips, dry patches, splitting cuticles and more.
The Kind Planet Company Power Balm™, $15, available at The Kind Planet Company
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