Beauty Kitchen is a sustainable beauty company making natural and effective beauty products.
I had an opportunity to meet the founder Jo Chidley at the Cosmetic Exective Women and sampled Beauty Kitchen’s ‘Free From All Over Lotion’ and ‘Wish-a-Wash compostable Wet Wipes’.
I loved the products and as a BIG advocate of clean beauty and sustainable beauty, I had plenty of questions to ask to learn more, and Jo was kind enough to respond to each and every single one of these questions!
If you’ve ever wondered how Jo started this business, why she chooses natural beauty vs. unnatural beauty brands, what inspires her, and some of Jo’s light bulb moments, then this blog explains her incredible journey.
Beauty Kitchen began in 2014 and has since developed a wide range of products which are also stocked in Holland and Barrett. They’ve also won awards including Jo being named number 2 in the Who’s Who for Natural Beauty!
Q: How did the idea for Beauty Kitchen start and evolve? (was it a passion or always something you wanted to do)
Beauty Kitchen was a dream of mine that was a long time in the making!
I searched for years to try and find fun beauty products that were totally natural, sustainable, and effective. All I found was lots of white, clean brands – that had lovely products – but really missed the fun element and experience side of things! I’ve loved Lush and have been a brand fan for years and wanted to create that fun when it came to skincare, but 100% natural so that;’s what we set out to do.
We like to talk about Beauty Kitchen as being “the sustainable beauty company” – we do things differently because we want to help change the face of beauty for the better. When we started out 4 years ago, we wanted to set out our business model & sustainable principles that would support our growth for the future. We follow the cradle-to-cradle model, we have a sustainable business strategy that mimics the regenerative cycle of nature in which waste is reused and we’re the first retail beauty company in the UK to be B Corporation certified and will soon be Cradle to Cradle certified too so it’s been an exciting journey so far, with more dreams coming in 2019!
Q: How long has the business been running for?
We started selling in 2014 so 4 years and counting
Q : From your experience, how do organic natural ingredients in products benefit, help the skin, help people, the environment more than other ‘mass’ beauty products?
This is such a good question! And one that I could talk to you about for days… There are so many ways in which organic and natural can be better. Here at Beauty Kitchen, we actually talk about sustainable beauty which we think goes one step further than natural and organic …
Our sustainable business principles are a great way of seeing the work we do and understanding the impact we can all have to be better. They include:
1. Innovation to drive change: We have a passion for designing products with the end in mind, using the cradle-to-cradle pillars: material health, material reutilisation, renewable energy, water stewardship, and social fairness.
2. Acting in the interest of all stakeholders: This is the way we do business using B Corp principles, we have written into our articles of association that we are committed to using business as a force for good, giving equal priority to shareholder value, human capital and the planet.
3. Sharing our knowledge to engage: We are open & transparent in everything we do & will continue to lean in to support the evolution of our industry & how that complements the circular economy.
So when we look at natural and organic and make the comparison with sustainable – it really becomes a question of looking beyond ingredients and focusing on the total approach so packaging, as well as ingredients, sourcing, people and the process each product goes through as well.
Q How did you learn about natural ingredients and how to make beauty products?
I’m a chemist, botanist and beekeeper and have always had a passion for natural beauty. This passion led me to creating Beauty Kitchen and it started out as a DIY and interactive experience where people could come to have fun, make their own beauty products and see that natural could be effective. I’m a big believer that there are always lessons to be learned along any path – meeting incredible innovators and discovering new, and even more sustainable ingredients have all taught me how to make and create our products. As a business, we have brand partners on board too who all work incredibly hard to deliver everything we’re setting out to deliver which also helps.
Q: Did you have any light bulb moments on your business journey?
There’s been a few! Engaging with customers – getting out there and getting our products in front of people always inspires me.
I’m also inspired by the networks I’m embedded in and was blown away just recently when I attended a talk by long-distance Scottish cyclist, Mark Beaumont who told us the story of his record-breaking trip around the world. Before taking on the challenge, Mark and his team looked at the previous record of 144 days (as most people looking to take on a challenge tend to do). However, instead of using the previous record as a target to beat, they made a plan of which record they could achieve.
Taking everything into consideration, including terrain, logistics, sleep and nutrition, they discovered that if Mark was able to cycle an average of 240 miles for 16 hours per day, he could make it around the world in just 80 days. So what can we, as business owners, learn from Mark’s journey? Set Your Own World Records.
It’s really easy to look at what everyone else is doing and say ‘one day, I want to be as successful as X’ -I’ve done it myself! We look to other businesses and people that we admire and strive for what they’ve been able to achieve. However, everyone’s circumstances, team and goals are totally different, which makes that level of goal-setting almost impossible to reach. Just like Mark and his team, you can flip traditional goal-setting on its head -instead of setting a goal and working backwards, you set a goal based on what you can achieve on average per day.
Q: Has the goal been to sell the products to a mass market or was it a niche audience in the beginning stages?
When we started Beauty Kitchen, the aim was simple, to excite and engage consumers in natural beauty and teach them how to make and create their very own beauty products. We’re on a mission to bring sustainability to the masses but I think with all small start-ups and entrepreneurial ways, everything starts off in a small niche corner and moves, from there, into a much wider, well recognised and understood space so it’s an exciting time!
Q: What were you doing before? And do you feel like that previous experience/job has helped you in what you’re doing now?
My background is in HR. It’s what I’ve done for years so it’s miles off running a beauty company but it has helped when it’s come to building the teams here and really growing the Beauty Kitchen family.
Green, clean beauty and Ingredients
Q: Are there many other organic natural beauty brands in Glasgow – and is there a demand for greener beauty?
I think the demand for cleaner, green beauty is a global call from consumers – there’s definitely markets who are further ahead than others but we’ve got a strong brand fan base here in Glasgow, something we’re very proud of.
We’re one of only a few sustainable brands doing things the right way, and that’s not just in beauty, it’s across the industry as a whole. When it comes to sustainability in beauty, there’s a good way to go before we see a standard and good way of doing business being implemented but we think we’ve made a good start. We like to think we’re leading the way and we’re proud to be doing this from Scotland
Q: How do you select which ingredients are going to work for certain products?
We’re always researching, looking for the most sustainable ingredients and we’re always looking for ways to innovate and build on the brand and product experience.
We have two key ranges so when it comes to formulating new products for those ranges, we know where we’re going to start but when it comes to our Raw Inventions, we love the blank page and love nothing more than getting creative like our latest launch, Very British Sustainable Beauty Oil: Fuelled by three upcycled seed oils (and nothing else!), this refined and effective oil harnesses the natural power of vitamins and natural anti-oxidants for a rejuvenated complexion.
With Beauty Kitchen’s trademark sustainable ethos, the range uses seed oils harvested from waste products from the juicing industry, but is also is cruelty free and suitable for vegans. Formulated with naturally active berry oils, harvested from waste Blackcurrant, Raspberry and Strawberry, the oil is bursting with naturally occurring vitamins and fatty acids and is a perfect example of how we work with ingredients!
Q: Do you scrutinise the quality of ingredients you work with, and will there ever be a shortage given so many brands are developing organic beauty brands now?
Absolutely and always when it comes to scrutinising! We work tirelessly to make and create totally sustainable beauty products which means asking the questions we need to ask about where and how things are grown and making sure we’re doing the right thing, for the right reason.
Certain ingredients like Argan Oil are absolutely an example of how an ingredient can be overused and become in danger of depleting natural supplies but this is where sustainability really comes into it’s own! We use Abyssinian Oil – a more sustainable version of Argan Oil that can grow all over the world, even right here in Kent!
It means there’s little to no danger of the ingredient being over grown or produced. I’m also a big believer that natural and organic growing in popularity and volume is only a good thing as it pushes suppliers to find new and more ingredients and means we can all move towards a better way of working and behaving as businesses.
Q: There’s a big trend for homemade products now, do you reckon that’ll continue or are people too lazy to make their own and want to pay for quality green, clean products?
I think it’s a split! I think most people love the idea of making and creating their own beauty products but I think the reality is that people will almost always divert to their usual skincare – that said, I think natural homemade beauty recipes for body care, lip balms, and scrubs are so easy I always ask ‘why wouldn’t you?’
Q: Are the products certified by any particular body?
We are! Beauty Kitchen’s full product range is 100% Vegetarian Certified & over 90% over 90% certified vegan, we’re also certified by B Corp for the business and are soon to be cradle-to-cradle certified too! A busy but exciting time ahead!
Product and Retail
Congratulations on winning your awards – #2 in the who’s who in natural beauty, Brand of the year in Health choice awards. And many accolades such as the All Over Lotion being shortlisted for ‘Best bath and body product/ Mass’ at CEW.
Q: Which products that fall into the premium or prestige category?
We don’t really position anything as premium as we’re driven by the simple aim of bringing sustainability to the masses. Some brands shy away from being mass and going for the entry markets but it’s something we’re proud to be working towards!
Q: Packaging is a huge topic at the moment with manufacturers and consumers being conscious about the planet. How do you decide on best packaging to use for specific products to maintain their lifespan and also for the environment?
We precycle! We were once referred to as the wombles of the beauty world – a testimonial we love as it really sums up our approach to things. To date, we’ve saved over 1,000,000 units of packaging from landfill and have plans to save a million more – and beyond – in the coming years too! When we can’t pre-cycle, we look to the most sustainable options around, always opting for pcr plastic and recyclable too.
Q: Are Holland and Barratt the exclusive stockist for Beauty Kitchen products? (where else can people buy it apart from your website?)
Holland & Barrett gave us our big break. They took a chance on us and agreed to stock a small selection of our Christmas Gifts and we’ve grown with them since then. We’ve been exclusive with them since launch but have some big plans in 2019 to venture into new retailer routes in the coming year so watch this space!
Q: Do you still have the actual Beauty Kitchen shop on SaltMarket in Glasgow? Are there more stores opening or is this the flagship store/ where the team works from? Do you make some of the product formulations in this store?
We don’t have the original store anymore – we’ve gone one better and moved our entire HQ out to where I grew up! It’s one of Scotland’s poorer parts of town so we’re hoping to bring back jobs and manufacturing to a town that needs some love! It’s brilliant to be home and see the local community engage. My Mum runs the workshops that made Beauty Kitchen famous and got us the cult following we now enjoy today which is where we make the DIY natural beauty recipes. We work with our partner labs to create the skincare and this is where we take out time – we test our products on family and friends who give us honest and real feedback so we know before we launch that our customers are going to love our latest launch!
Q: What does the Beauty Kitchen retail outlet/store offer customers, that they can’t get online?
Stores will often have offers and discounts running on individual products so you’ll get some good deals in there! That said, we offer some amazing offers and bundles online so that’s a good place to shop for them. We also have a selection on in store Create Your Own units in stores across the UK which you can’t get online – and customers love it!
Q: Will it be primarily a UK product for a UK audience or do you plan on expanding internationally?
We have some big plans ahead for markets all over the world but for now, and the near future, the plan is UK as that’s our base. As we see the interest in sustainability grow and markets expand, I’m sure we’ll see more interest and markets
Q: What’s the thing that makes this brand different? (USP)
Sustainability! When we started out as a sustainable beauty brand, we were a little weird and alone in what we were trying to do. Today, sustainability is huge! It’s a trend we’re seeing so many consumer and brands get on board with and we’re delighted to be pioneering change.
Q: How is the brand different from other brands (e.g. like Dr Organic) sold via H&B?
We don’t tend to compare ourselves to other brands as we do things the Beauty Kitchen way because it’s the right thing to do. I think the answer to this one comes back to our point of difference again in that we’re leaders when it comes to sustainability and it’s that passion which drives us everyday.
Q: What’ is the current hero product and what makes it a hero?
We have a couple of heroes but I would say the standout and best-seller is the High Definition Facial Oil which packs a plankton punch – super easy to add into any skincare routine, lightweight and easily absorbed, this is the one product are customers say they couldn’t live without
Q: Which product (s) would you take or use on a flight abroad? and which are best for overseas travelling?
Has to be Handbag Beauty Balm – this multi-purpose beauty balm is perfect for beauty on the go! Great as a mask, cleanser or lip balm, it’s the one stop beauty product – I take mine everywhere with me
Will you bring out sunscreen in the future do you think?
We’re working on it but natural sunscreen is a challenge so we’re taking our time as we want to get it right – natural and effective, but always sustainable too!
Marketing and Audience Personas
Q Feels like a family brand – toddlers and babies could use it and parents. Which age group and types of audience are you appealing to the most?
We find we have a wide consumer base – we don’t market our products for babies but we know Mums love the brand and kids love the colours and the fun! That said, we have customers in their 20s right through to their 80s so we cover all bases!
Q: How do you reach everyone with a mass product?
We do things our way and we find consumer respond to that! We also work closely with Holland & Barrett to engage with their customer base and target our communications that way to support in store footfall and build brand awareness
Q: How are you promoting the brand?
We don’t advertise but we do lots of social which is where we find people find us!
Q: Which social media channels are working for you to market the brand to your audiences? e.g. Insta, FB, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat
Instagram and Twitter are the main ones for us but we also see Facebook as a good way of engaging with consumers, answering questions and supporting customers there too
Q: What’s the brand’s tone of voice? (e.g. fun, soft, humorous, aimed at millennials? serious, family, considered etc)
We work hard on our tone of voice to try and get our brand personality out there – we’re knowledgeable but not preachy. We believe in beauty without the beasts and believe it should always be done with a sprinkling of fun!
Q: What is Beauty Kitchen’s key brand proposition? e.g. 100% natural, home made, vegan
Sustainable beauty, always
Q: Do you have any brand ambassadors or social media influencers that help to spread the word?
We have some super fans who are brilliant when it comes to supporting us for new product launches and campaigns but just as we don’t advertise, we don’t pay influcners to post about our products nor do we pay celebrities to talk about us either – we may do it one day, but for now we have a real fan base and love seeing them engage with what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it!
Q: Any other plans for Beauty Kitchen in the future?
There’s some major plans in place for us next year that include a new look for the brand, a new logo and some very exciting new launches. All I can say at this stage is to keep your eyes peeled! We can’t wait……
Finally, (yes really).
Q: What do you love most about your job/business?
People, the environment & equality have driven me to create a business that represents this. I have the best job in the world as I can make these things happen in my sphere. When Human beings work together & have an entrepreneurial spirit (which comes with great responsibility & Beauty Kitchen has broad shoulders) we face into the challenges ahead in a positive way & know the journey will be long & arduous however this is what makes life worthwhile.
Actually, I do just have 1 more question…you thought that was the end….but…
Q: If you weren’t doing this job….what might you be doing?
I would be trying to drive change in my local community to create jobs, with jobs comes purpose & with purpose comes self-actualisation (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs), this is what will drive change with the world.
Thank you so much, Jo – it’s been an absolute honour to interview you and discover so much about your amazing business. Wishing you all the luck.
Learn more and try these products at Beauty Kitchen
