When I made the jump into the world of a Natural Skincare Company, I would say that I was curious of what I was getting myself into. Working with skincare was always an interest of mine as I have a passion for makeup, something which goes hand in hand with the skincare industry. To be honest, switching roles from a Restaurant manager to a social media coordinator & maker of all thing’s skincare, it was pretty daunting. Switching jobs will always be a nerve-wracking task as being the “newbie” means there's so much to learn.
Months have passed since starting my new job role and I have learnt a bunch of things when it comes to what working in the skincare industry is like.
Chemicals are Not All Bad -
Chemicals, a word always associated with and spoken about in a negative light. I used to think that all chemicals were bad and that they would cause damage to my skin. But this isn't the case, not all of them are nasties. Dorrie explained to me that “chemicals” is quite simply the term used to describe a substance, which contains ions and molecules. Certain ingredients that we add into our products are called chemicals even though they are plant derivatives. They are natural ingredients which help to preserve and emulsify the product that they are used in.
Making Products is Fun, But Hard Work Too -
When I started, I was excited to have a go at making the creams and lip balms. I found it interesting learning the multiple different stages of how to make skincare from scratch. As we’re a small business all our products are made in batches to be time effective. It can range from 70 to 1000+ for lip balms and around 20-30 depending on the cream. So, as you can imagine, a whole load of natural ingredients is added into the mixture.
I would say it's a straightforward job weighing out the raw materials and melting them down. Until you reach the mixing stage. Hand whisking the cream can take more than 30 minutes to do and, no matter how long it takes, the arm ache is a real struggle. By the end of it you will have worked up a sweat. Sophie and I normally take it in turns to mix the cream although there are the odd few occasions where we mix on our own.
A Lot of Work Goes Into Handmade Products -
Quite often large skincare companies will mass produce their products using machines that mix, pour, and package each one. However, lots of small skincare businesses tend to hand make all their products. All our products are produced by our team of three women at our HQ. The timeline from raw material to a ready to buy cream or lip balm does differ. But it is always a lengthy one. The process for lip balms involves, weighing out, melting & mixing ingredients, pouring the mixture into tins. Once the balms have set, each one is wiped, lidded and then the stickers and packaging are added.
Creams are slightly different; ingredients are weighed out in phases, melted down, blended and then the mixture is hand whisked until it homogenised. When it has cooled, we can fill tubs with the product and finally add labels and stickers. Our products are always made with care and love as each one of us enjoy making skincare. Being a handmade company means that we can ensure our natural skincare range is produced at a high quality. You can find out more about what handmade means to us in our blog “Handmade Skincare, what does it mean?”.
Planning For the Christmas Rush is Vital! -
Christmas is a crazy busy time, so ensuring that production is organised is so important. I was surprised when I first started at Sweet Cecily’s to find that the planning for Christmas started in September. 3 months to plan for the Christmas season seemed a bit extreme but, the time went by so fast. Without the well thought out plan, we would have been running out of stock and rushing to get it made in time. Instead, it meant that in the month of December, our full attention could be on picking and packing the hundreds of orders we received daily.
Natural Skincare is the Way Forward -
Since my teenage years, using skincare has become more of an important factor in my life. Although, it has only been in my recent years that I have started to take it seriously. I thought that I had my products set in stone. Until I learnt how beneficial natural skincare can be for my skin. I’ve found that natural skincare leaves my face feeling and looking much healthier. The ingredients used in natural products often contain vitamins and minerals that help our skin to thrive. As well, they do not contain petrochemicals and microbeads which contribute towards damage of marine life, water, and air pollution. In general, natural is the better option when choosing which skincare products to use.
Propolis Works Wonders -
Propolis was something completely new to me before working for a natural skincare company. I did not have a clue about what it was. In my first couple of weeks, I learnt that it is a substance that bees produce, and it is known to have powerful healing properties. It can be used as a remedy for a variety of different health conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Propolis is naturally produced from honeybees and is ethically collected so that no bees are harmed in the process. We add propolis in the form of a liquid into our Soothing Skin Cream which is a cream that specifically targets dry and problematic areas of the skin. If you would like to learn more about the many great benefits of Propolis, check out our blog “Propolis in Skin Care products”.
I really enjoy working in the natural skincare industry as I am always learning new things about natural ingredients. Whilst at the same time having fun making the products.
