Brains Behind The BEAUTY…
In the first of a new series of features that takes a peak behind the scenes of the beauty industry, Gallery meets Kristy Cimesa, founder of Elemental Herbology. The skincare brand has put using fair trade ingredients and sustainable farming at the heart of its business and supports the Phytotrade project in Africa. It’s dedicated to producing holistic skincare products, using natural actives and leaving out synthetic fragrances, mineral oils, sulphates, parabens and preservatives. Gallery caught up with Kristy and asked her about the brand’s big hearted approach to beauty…
Gallery: What prompted you to create Elemental Herbology?
KC: There was a great divide between high performance doctor brands and tactile and sensory natural skincare. I wanted to create a line brimming with nutrients and ‘performance efficient’ natural actives that also had a ‘feel good’ factor that emulated a home spa experience.
Gallery: What was the first product you developed?
KC: Cell Food was our first product and is still our best seller around the world. I think this one product completely embodies our whole core philosophy. It provides wonderful nutrition for the skin, is high performance but aromatherapeutic and beautiful to use.
Gallery: Tell us more about how the brand gives back.
KC: We support the responsible harvesting and production of all raw materials and work with projects that regenerate the environment and help local communities. For example, we work with Phytotrde in Africa, The Argan project in Morocco, purchase Sacha Inchi Oil through a sustainable community project in the Amazon Basin and we are a Green Palm member.
Gallery: What’s PhytoTrade and why did you choose to support it?
KC: PhytoTrade are a wonderful organisation supporting sustainable farming in the sub-Sahara region. We source Umbutut Bobab Oil and Kalahri Watermelon Seed Oil and Xemenia Oil through this organisation. As an example, women in Southern Africa can harvest seeds from the Baobab tree to produce an oil that we use in a number of our products. This increases their income, helping them to pay for healthcare and their children’s education. We maintain this sustainability by trading through PhytoTrade.
Gallery: What is the Green Palm mark?
KC: The production of palm oil is not always sustainable and the development of some plantations has resulted in the conversion of large areas of forest and threated the biodiversity of these ecosystems. GreenPalm is a certificate trading programme, which is designed to tackle the environmental and social problems created by the production of palm oil.
Gallery: Closer to home, why ‘made in England’?
KC: We wanted to support our local farming community and resources as much as possible and to ensure integrity of ingredients and supply chains.
Gallery: What skills from your previous career did you bring to bear on your new role as founder of a skincare brand?
KJ: My Traditional Chinese Medicine background was pivotal in our treatment and product development. But it’s also taken an enormous amount of energy, love and commitment. Elemental Herbology is my third child!
Gallery: What are your favourite ‘must have’ products from the range?
KC: I couldn’t live without Cell Food, our radiance and vitality skin serum; Cell Plumping, one of our moisturisers and an exfoliating mask called Facial Glow, plus Eye Elixir. I’m also using our new Harmonising Cleanse and in wintertime add I add our overnight cream – Facial Soufflé that provides instant hydration for dry skin.
Gallery: Who else from the industry inspires you?
KC: The guys behind LeLabo inspire me for their wonderful and clever branding; Six Sense Spa and Hotel Group always impress me for their unwavering commitment to sustainable, ethical, beautiful and life-affirming treatments. I also admire Marcia Kilgore for being so smart!
Gallery: Finally Kirsty, can you describe the brand in three words?
KC: Nutritious, Indulgent and Holistic
Elemental Herbology is now available in Guernsey at Plaisirs.
words | Nichole Sweetsur
