Gender-neutral skincare is a buzz term right now, but it wasn't four years ago when Grigore Madikians started making skincare in his kitchen in California.

We're all familiar with this US State's pioneering environmental protection. California and green credentials go hand in hand. However, even in a place as eco-friendly as California, it still takes hard graft to enter the market with a sustainable, organic, vegan and gender-neutral skincare brand.

When Grigore Madikians first started spending most of his spare time away from his day job making natural skincare, even those close to him were sceptical. Many didn't consider skincare a 'manly' enough business. Now, they are among his most loyal and supportive customers and his brand Gaffer & Child is retailing in one of Los Angeles' hippest stores.

Grigore's vision wasn't for a men-only range; he wanted to create a gender-neutral skincare brand that works for every age group and is kind to the planet. With the slogan 'Conscious skincare for mindful living', it was quite some mission!

In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, we chat to Grigore about his Californian dream and discover a new breed of heritage brand.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• The fascinating back story of a green-living founder and brand.
• How a natural skincare brand can buck niches and appeal across genders and generations.
• Why multipurpose products could be the most environmentally-friendly skincare options.
• Why we don't need to wash our faces every day!
• The rise of the new heritage brand.

Grigore gives us invaluable insights into building a skincare brand that bucks the trend. The key take-aways from this episode:

• Don't be afraid to follow your dream for a new life or business; just do it if you believe it.
• Being brave enough to buck trends. Going against the grain can be truly liberating.
• Self care is not about vanity, but is part of your general approach to health and wellness.
• Real men take care of themselves too.
• Just start doing what you can to make your brand and business sustainable. Take the steps you can when you can.
• Don't be afraid to change your brand messages to ensure you attract your target audience and customers.

You can discover Gaffer & Child retailing in the United States and join it online here:

Gaffer & Child Website

Gaffer & Child on Instagram

Gaffer & Child on Twitter

Gaffer & Child on Facebook

Gaffer and Child are offer the exclusive opportunity to purchase their products with 40% discount. Simple the enter the code FB40 at the checkout to claim your discount.

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 decided it was high time to take stock of the natural beauty market now that it has matured and is going mainstream. Immediately, we thought of our graduates Elsie and Dominika from BYBI Beauty as the ideal interviewees to discuss a raft of perennial issues such as greenwashing and the use of those vague terms we see liberally and often erroneously used in the beauty business, such as sustainable, cruelty free, and even the word natural.

Entrepreneurs, beauty bloggers and Formula Botanica graduates Elsie and Dominika of BYBI Beauty more than have their fingers on the pulse of the natural beauty market. In the space of three years, they have launched not only a successful beauty blog Clean Beauty Co, but also in the summer of 2017, their own high-performance natural skincare range BYBI Beauty. Their blog has developed into a major content platform tackling natural beauty market issues head on, while their brand, which stands for 'By Beauty Insiders', has raised serious start-up funding and is now retailing in some leading retailers.

As natural beauty consumers, formulators, pundits and entrepreneurs, Elsie and Dominika know the natural beauty market inside out and raise more than food for thought in this Green Beauty Conversation.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• • The numerous shades of green that exist in the natural beauty market today.
  • How greenwashing is alive and well and confusing consumers more than ever.
  • Why bashing the use of synthetics and scaremongering about 'chemicals' is not helping anyone.
  • Why consumers are focusing first on efficacy when choosing skincare.
  • The next big thing in natural beauty - clean, green, vegan make-up.

Elsie and Dominika also shared valuable insights that can help anyone thinking of starting a natural skincare brand today.

Key take-aways include:

• Consumers are asking more these days about brands' ethical values such as Fair Trade and labour issues not just about their impact on the physical environment.
• There are many shades of natural that can be acceptable to the green consumer; just be honest in how you explain your brand values and product ingredients. Don't use vague or trending terms for the sake of it.
• The natural make-up market is trailing green skincare, so might be a good niche to investigate if you're thinking of starting a brand.
• Don't underestimate the power of social media to make or break a new skincare brand. Lever its potential strategically and wisely.
• Don't assume beauty consumers understand the true meaning of organic, nor organic certification. They often use it interchangeably with 'natural'.

You can find Elsie and Dominika over at Clean Beauty Co and BYBI Beauty:

Clean Beauty Co website. Clean Beauty Co on Instagram. Clean Beauty Co on Facebook. Clean Beauty Co on Twitter. Clean Beauty Co on Pinterest.

BYBI Beauty website BYBI Beauty on Instagram BYBI Beauty on Facebook. BYBI Beauty 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.

Working with beauty bloggers is easy; you just send them a few products and they will review them. After all, beauty bloggers typically spend their days leisurely indulging in trying out products or heading to the spa for some pampering.

This might be the glamorous image we have of the life of a typical beauty blogger, but for successful bloggers who have made it big time, it's far from the truth. We needed some great insider tips on working with beauty bloggers from someone in the know.

To rise through the ranks of thousands of beauty blogs in just three years, Ailish Lucas, founder of natural beauty, health and wellness blog The Glow Getter puts in a solid 12-hour working day. Surprisingly, very little of it is spent reviewing unsolicited natural products that arrive in the mail.

In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, we posed Ailish a dozen burning questions gathered from our Formula Botanica student community on the hot topic of working with beauty bloggers. Ailish gave us the raw and uncut truth about what beauty bloggers actually do and what they expect from brands.

If you're an indie or start-up beauty brand keen to collaborate with bloggers or are thinking of starting your own personal or brand beauty blog, this interview is an invaluable listen as it cuts to the chase about the business of beauty blogging.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Top, insider tips on working with beauty bloggers.
• The surprising, creative and hard-working ways a beauty blogger earns a living.
• The big difference between collaboration and sponsored & paid-for content, and why it matters.
• Why the beauty blogosphere is all about relationship building.
• Why beauty bloggers love brand packaging not just product performance.

With Ailish a powerhouse on social media platforms and now growing a holistic, 'Glow Getter' wellness movement from her blog, she gave us insider insight into how to present yourself and your brand online.

• Do your homework on beauty bloggers and comment on their work before approaching them.
• The natural beauty industry is a people business, so relax and don't be scared of being personal and approachable.
• Top beauty bloggers aren't your PR agents even if they charge for product reviews and mentions.
• Don't scaremonger about chemicals, toxins and 'nasties' when you're posting on social media or your blog; instead, celebrate the good that's within the natural beauty movement to gather loyal fans and followers.

Ailish Lucas does more than run The Glow Getter blog. Look out for her Glow Getter Summit series of interviews with leading lights in the wellness, health and natural beauty movement. Ailish also runs a Green Smoothie Challenge leading to her 'Glow Life' online course.

The Glow Getter blog The Glow Getter on Instagram The Glow Getter on Facebook The Glow Getter on Twitter The Glow Getter 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.

Men's grooming products and male grooming in general consist simply of a bit of hair gel, some deodorant and perhaps a quick trip to the barbers? That's what we thought until we discovered in this Green Beauty Conversation that men have their fair share of bad hair days too. Rarely, however, are they a catalyst for starting a business. But for two 20-something lads from London, that's exactly what happened.

In this episode, we talk to Josh Blackburn who along with best friend Liam Jennings founded Regal Gentleman in 2014 as an online retailer of men's grooming products. Starting out at the height of the beard boom, Josh and Liam went on to build an impressively loyal and large community of customers.

Today, four years on, the entrepreneurial duo are about to launch their own men's grooming products under the Regal Gentleman label.

Talking to Josh, we discovered that male grooming means a whole lot more to men than about creating image. With Regal Gentleman making men's health and well-being central to their brand's ethos, we feel they are capable of fulfilling their company's mission to 'Redefine the Modern Man'.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

1. The trends defining men's grooming products.
2. How men's grooming brands are helping challenge age-old stereotypes of manhood.
3. Why we may see men buying make-up within five years.
4. What men think about natural grooming and skincare products (for now, anyway).

Josh also gave us valuable insights into what it takes to build an online business, and had some key take-aways for anyone thinking of launching their own brand:

• Entrepreneurs are the average guy or girl and learn on the job - so don't believe the hype!
• Value your customers first and foremost as a community of individuals with incredible stories and insights that can help your product development.
• Focus on creating great content that addresses your customers' questions.
• Get yourself on camera! Don't wait to use video such as live streaming, Youtube and Instagram stories. Just do it!

As you'll hear, we're not just talking men's grooming!

Regal Gentleman launches this summer, so check it out on the links below, where Josh and Liam loom large. The duo are great examples of how to use social media to its best.

Regal Gentleman website Regal Gentleman on Instagram Regal Gentleman on Youtube Regal Gentleman on Facebook

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 recently came across a New York Times article on the risks of making 100% natural claims in food and beauty. The article in question drew attention to the fact that there has been a spate of lawsuits against natural and organic skincare brands and retailers (particularly in the US).

These lawsuits came about largely as a result of there being no legal definition of the word natural. They specifically targeted brands who made claims about being 100% natural, all natural or having 'all-natural ingredients'.

The reason why we found this topic so thought-provoking, is because it showcases how much confusion there is around the term natural and the problems it causes in the green beauty sector. We discussed this topic in our podcast on What does natural skincare mean? and addressed the fact that the definition of natural can take on very different meanings depending on who you talk to.

This confusion and lack of clarity over the word natural is ripe for exploitation as well as misrepresentation. Now imagine expanding that term further to include 'all-natural' or 100% natural, and you see why so many consumers are confused.

1. What the recent spate of lawsuits against natural brands and retailers could mean for the green beauty industry moving forward.
2. Some examples of recent lawsuits and what the issues were with their claims.
3. Why some of the 100% natural claims made by natural skincare brands are problematic

1. Recent lawsuits that targeted brands for using synthetic preservatives are fuelling fear around the safe use of preservatives.
2. Always make sure you examine the marketing terminology you are using when you sell your products.
3. Before you start selling or marketing, define what natural means to you.
4. Some law firms are 'robo-filing' almost identical lawsuits, which may start to spill over to the green beauty sector.

We felt that it was important to openly discuss this issue within our community and talk about what steps a green beauty brand can take to protect its business. We have seen lawsuits start to spill over from the food industry into the natural beauty industry, so we feel this is an important topic that indie formulators need to discuss openly and honestly.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few misnomers and myths that circulate within the green beauty sector (Listen to: Are you looking for chemical-free cosmetics?). It is important for us as a community to work at questioning what they are, to determine if they are misleading and to assess if they open up the industry to further litigation.

We hope that you find this episode interesting and thought provoking and please do get in touch if you have any feedback.

Please share, subscribe and review on iTunes

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.

This year Lorraine and Gemma attended the In-Cosmetics Global 2018 exhibition in Amsterdam. In-Cosmetics is now in its 27th year and is billed as the leading event for personal care ingredients. The exhibition aims to bring together ingredients suppliers with product manufacturers with a focus on networking and building relationships.

With around 780 exhibitors and 9000 visitors, to say that In-Cosmetics was jam-packed, busy and a tad overwhelming at times would be an understatement. However, the weather in Amsterdam was glorious, Lorraine and Gemma got to hang out and speak to loads of people in the industry and most importantly we got to see our students and graduates and hear what they had to say about their experiences at In-Cosmetics.

The event is typically dominated by the mainstream cosmetics industry with little focus on the green and natural beauty movement, but we were pleasantly surprised at what we learnt during our two days at In-Cosmetics.

Lorraine came up with the idea of creating a trend report summarising what we saw at the In-Cosmetics exhibition and how these trends tie into what we are doing with the green beauty industry so obviously Gemma thought 'let's do a podcast about it'. In this podcast you will learn about the top ten trends that we saw at In-Cosmetics Global exhibition.

1. Lorraine & Gemma's top 10 beauty trends for 2018 (and beyond), based on what's happening in the mainstream cosmetics industry, as well as our discussions with Mintel.
2. How indie beauty brands can use this information to storm ahead in the industry by making their formulations with natural ingredients while still hitting all the latest trends.
3. Our thoughts on In-Cosmetics Global 2018 in Amsterdam and why you should attend, if you're interested in where the green beauty industry is headed.

1. The Unicorn trend is influencing ingredients suppliers to design ingredients that work for people wanting to formulate with glittery, sparkly and holographic style products.
2. Gels are becoming a massive formulation trend. There were so many different sorts of gels at In-Cosmetics, such as gel emulsions and gel balms. Gels can be hard to make for natural formulators but they are in high demand and were a major trend.
3. Skin yoghurts such as after-sun, cooling and moisturising yoghurts were a massive theme and we saw many examples of interesting and innovative formulations based on the concept of a yoghurt for the skin.
4. The continued search for the elusive, natural, botanical extract: there were loads and loads of botanical extracts around with a key trend being on locally sourced botanical extracts. These were all touted as the new 'wow' ingredients and we provide plenty of examples in the podcast.
5. Sustainability and how ingredients suppliers are keen to embrace the concept in their business but in reality, they could not back up their claims of sustainability in a real way. We feel that indie brands are really leading the way in this area.
6. Athleisure is taking off as the cosmetics industry is copying what's happening in wellness trends. We see a great opportunity to develop some very innovative niches for indie brands using the Athleisure trend.
7. Genderless products and ranges are on the rise and we saw numerous ranges formulating and designing ranges that are not driven by the rigid gender binaries but embrace the concept of gender fluidity.
8. Anti-blue light pollution: the market is developing actives that can cater for anti-blue light pollution and there are some great suppliers who are designing ingredients for this trend which is getting bigger and is here to stay.
9. DIY skincare: Consumers are driving the desire for beauty regimes that can be personalized and put together by the consumer to address unique individual skincare needs.
10. Skin microbiome: This is a hot topic in the industry right now and Mintel had it listed as a key trend. There are brands that are formulating skincare that is sensitive to the skin microbiome.

The brands, speakers and blog posts we refer to throughout this podcast can be found here:

• Honest Beauty Talks - DIY Unicorn Balm
• Herbal Earth
• Malee Natural Science
• The Soap Co
• Anti-pollution skincare
• Zero-waste beauty
• Content Beauty & Wellbeing
• Old Faithful

We hope you enjoyed our latest podcast on the top 10 beauty trends for 2018 (and beyond), based on our recent visit to In-Cosmetics Global 2018 in Amsterdam. If you have any feedback or suggestions for us please don't hesitate to get in contact.

Please share, subscribe and review on iTunes

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.

'Robert Tisserand has just joined our Facebook group', Lorraine messaged me excitedly. 'The Robert Tisserand?' I replied. 'YES, THE Robert Tisserand'.

This was an exciting moment for us at Formula Botanica. As organic cosmetic formulators, Robert Tisserand's seminal work on essential oil safety had been a staple resource for Formula Botanica for years and his research into essential oils are highly regarded and respected within our wider community.

Last year Lorraine and I were able to arrange a meeting with Robert in London and we kept a steady dialogue flowing since then. When he agreed to be a guest on the podcast we were thrilled and we were determined to make the most out of this opportunity and share it with as many of you as possible.

Robert Tisserand is an expert in aromatherapy and essential oil research.

1. Why essential oil safety is an issue and why he decided to write his book 'Essential Oil Safety' back in 1995.
2. Some of the issues with the EU guidelines and what the current research on essential oils shows in terms of allergens in citrus oils and why his safety guidance differs.
3. Some examples of why safety guidelines are necessary and why essential oil safety is still such an important topic and worthy of our attention.
4. The benefits of using essential oils in cosmetic formulation.

1. Get Robert's opinion on the recent lavender and tea tree oil controversy where recent research suggested that both oils were hormone disruptors.
2. Why you should research essential oils carefully when using them in skincare or haircare formulations and why some research can be considered scare-mongering.
3. Why legislation continues to be a challenge, why it is likely that it will increase in the coming years and how this relates to safety.

To help people make informed decisions about essential oil usage, The Tisserand Institute has launched a six-part, certified Essential Oil Safety Masterclass with Robert Tisserand. Follow the link to register. Registration is only open until the 12th of April so make sure you act quickly to take advantage of this great course.

You can find out more about Robert and The Tisserand Institute by following the links below:

• Tisserand Institute website
• Tisserand Institute on Facebook
• Tisserand Institute on Instagram
• Tisserand Institute on Twitter

We hope you enjoyed hearing Robert talk about essential oil safety and what it means to him. As usual if you have any feedback or suggestions for us please don't hesitate to get in contact.

Please share, subscribe and review on iTunes

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.

I was sitting quietly at my desk, head-down, getting on with my work (as all good working-from-home employees should do) when I received a message from Formula Botanica's Director Lorraine: 'Two of our graduates from Daughter of the Soil are on Dragons' Den right now! You need to watch it.'

I stopped what I was doing right away, tuned in and watched Hellen Lawuo-Meena and Maria Magembe from Daughter of the Soil pitch to the Dragons. (For our readers/listeners who aren't in the UK - Dragons' Den is the UK's version of Shark Tank where entrepreneurs pitch to a panel of 'dragons' to raise funding for their business). It was nail biting and the entire Formula Botanica team was rooting for them.

After watching their epic performance, I said to Lorraine: "we need to interview these two very inspiring women". We were so proud of them and what they had achieved so far and we really wanted to share their story with the rest of our community.

Daughter of the Soil is a UK-based African Heritage natural beauty brand with a simple philosophy – to give back to the earth and communities celebrating the natural treasures within our rich soils. Their pledge is to make a real difference to the lives and future of African rural women in Africa – providing them with an ability to earn a sustainable and protected income.

Hellen and Maria's brand goes full circle - it showcases some of Africa's most unique and treasured ingredients so that women can look supremely beautiful on the outside – and it helps them to support the communities who give those treasures to us, so that they can harness their power and beauty from the inside too, and give something back.

• Hear how Maria and Hellen came up with the name and inspiration for their brand (SPOILER: it's a great story. Like, really great).
• Find out how they started working together.
• Hear what REALLY happened on Dragon's Den and how they supported each other through the entire process.
• Learn the ethos and values behind the Daughter of the Soil brand.
• Find out what it's like growing a natural African Heritage brand and why Hellen and Maria see such a huge gap in the market.

Visit Daughter of the Soil online:

• Daughter of the Soil website
• Daughter of the Soil on Facebook
• Daughter of the Soil on Instagram
• Daughter of the Soil on Twitter

We hope you enjoyed listening to the interview with Daughter of the Soil founders Hellen and Maria as much as we did. Maybe you now feel brave enough to dare Dragon's Den or a similar programme in your country?

We hope that you enjoyed listening to this episode and please get in touch with us if you have any question or comments.

Please share, subscribe and review on iTunes

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.

When we met two of the sisters from Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil at the In Cosmetics conference in 2017, we immediately fell in love with their plum beauty oil. Once we heard more about their story and the development of the plum beauty oil we knew that we wanted to interview them and find out more. At Formula Botanica we love oils. We also love meeting skincare entrepreneurs and finding out more about what they are making, their processes and how they find inspiration.

In September 2016, siblings Jacqueline, Allison and Elaine Taylor co-founded Le Prunier, an innovative and organic beauty line based on the Power of Plum. The sister's story begins in 1916, when their great grandfather, Earl Taylor, began farming the rich soils of Sutter County, 30 miles north of Sacramento. Their grandfather, George Taylor, continued the family tradition, followed by their father and uncle. The sisters spent much of their youth on the farm, helping with harvest, working farmers markets and attending trade shows to promote their product.

In 2014, they made the decision to explore alternative uses of the plum by partnering with two world-renowned labs. Their goal was to uncover the hidden benefits of this powerful fruit, while maintaining sustainable, organic farming practices. Among one of the areas they explored was utilizing the overlooked byproducts of the plum. What they discovered—the most precious and powerful oil—is now Le Prunier. Today, the sisters carry on the farm's legacy with a 4th generation perspective—tradition meets innovation.

• Learn the story of how they developed a skincare range from waste on their farm.
• Be introduced to the science behind their plum beauty oil and why it makes a great choice for all types of skin.
• Find out how Le Prunier secured retail deals with Neiman Marcus and other routes to market.
• Learn what it's like to launch with one product and then work on diversifying your range.
• Find out they work together as sisters and play to each other's strengths.

You can have a look at the benefits of plum beauty oil as well as the heritage and sustainability behind Le Prunier by visiting www.leprunier.com or by following them on social media:

• Follow Le Prunier on Facebook
• Follow Le Prunier on Instagram
• Follow Le Prunier on Twitter

To claim your 10% discount on the LePrunier Plum Beauty Oil - which won best facial serum oil at the Indie Beauty Expo 2017 - enter the code FB2018 at checkout.

We hope that you enjoyed listening to this episode and please get in touch with us if you have any question or comments.

Please share, subscribe and review on iTunes

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 recently hosted a chat in our online classroom to find out what people's biggest fears were about starting their business. We had many varied and interesting responses but there was one issue that kept coming up - formulators are scared of non-compliance with cosmetics regulations.

In this podcast episode Gemma and Lorraine discuss what global cosmetic regulations are, what they mean to cosmetic formulators, how important they are and the steps that you can take to make sure you comply with cosmetics regulations in your region of the world.