Suffering with sensitive skin, psoriasis flare ups and vitiligo through her teenage years and early twenties, Charli Rees struggled to find products that her skin didn’t react to. It felt intuitive and natural to start blending her own skincare, believing there had to be kinder, more effective alternatives that worked with her body rather than against it. It became a life-long passion for holistic approaches to health, to support herself and her family. Made by hand in her home, Lore Botanicals skincare products are natural, kind and nourishing, while being as sustainable and environmentally low impact as possible. Here Charli talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind what she does, how she balances work and family time, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve had a love and affiliation for all things natural, botanical and fragrant. I’m fascinated by the beneficial properties of herbs and plants in general… there is so much to learn! I am in awe of the plant wisdom our ancestors would have used in everyday life that now seems to be disappearing in our modern world. I wanted to create products that honour that tradition and respect for our planet.
I’ve always had sensitive skin and as a teenager I developed psoriasis and then vitiligo in my early twenties. I found it really hard to find skincare products that I didn’t react badly to. I intrinsically believed there had to be kinder, more effective alternatives to what was being offered. Alternatives that worked with my body rather than against it.
This led me to search for simple, effective ingredients to create my own blends that calmed and soothed my skin.
As my family has grown, I have enjoyed developing skincare products for their use, alongside simple herbal remedies.
We spent a defining year in southern Spain and southern France, where I took a sabbatical from my career in midwifery. It gave me the time and space to work out what the next stage of my life could look like, highlighting what was important.
We were immersed in absolute nature – no distractions – very much away from the city life that we knew. Every walk was filled with inspiring herbs, flora and fauna – there was an abundance of organic, fresh produce. We felt more connected to the provenance of the food we found at local markets and the natural environment.
This setting really inspired me to focus on what we have in our localities that can be beneficial to our health and wellbeing.
Friends and family had been telling me for years I should start a skincare business – it’s funny how our nearest and dearest can often see it all so clearly, but it took me some time to realise this for myself. Our time abroad was definitely the catalyst I needed to get started with Lore Botanicals.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
As mentioned, I had spent many years making my own skincare for myself and my family and I decided during our time in France and Spain that I really wanted to turn this life-long passion into a full-time job. So I set about doing some research: product testing, legalities around launching a skincare business, sourcing organic and sustainable ingredients and really thinking about branding and how my products would be packaged… and the exciting bit – lots of experimenting with ingredients to bring my formulations to life.
I wanted to start off with three perfectly balanced products. It was really important to me that they suited all skin types and ages. Each product must be tested, so I didn’t want to start off with too many and I wanted to keep it manageable but still exciting.
My first three products I launched with were:
Rosehip, Jojoba & Squalane facial oil for all skin types – a really beautiful blend of 14 oils that balance, brighten and nourish the skin. I have been making versions of this facial oil for over 20 years!
Sea Buckthorn, Rosehip and Jojoba cleansing balm for all skin types. I love the colour and texture of this balm – a juicy golden orange that really shows off all the plant-powered nutrients. A bit of a wonder balm that cleanses and cleans the skin whilst also moisturising.
And finally…
Sweet Orange & Almond lip balm. It’s a nod to our time living in Spain as orange and almond trees were in abundance. A handbag essential – nourishing, practical and gives a lovely natural sheen to the lips.
I felt this trio made a perfect, simple skincare package to launch my business. Each complimenting the others.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
One of the most profound breakthroughs for me was redefining what my idea of success means. I have come to realise how important real customer connection is to me.
There might be a moment when I am at a market and have the loveliest of chats with a customer or I get a message or email about how converting to my natural skincare products has impacted on them and helped their skin, which means everything.
When you start a business there are many aspects that can take you by surprise, no matter how much research you’ve done or how prepared you think you are. There are moments that have brought me right back to the very essence of why I do what I do… which is making a difference not only to people’s skin but to their overall wellbeing.
Encouraging my customers to take a self-care moment once or twice a day can have a profound effect, and for some it’s the first time they have given themselves permission to carve out a skincare routine or self-care moment. So it feels quite holistic really. Yes, it’s about the skincare products being the best they can be, but it’s also about the message of self-care and the wonderful connections with my customers.
It has been such an unexpected and beautiful aspect of running a business that I had not anticipated. People need to trust in what I do and this doesn’t happen overnight. It happens very naturally but it’s continuing to build and this is a very positive feeling.
