Last week our founder Nicky was featured in New Zealand's Woman's Day.  The article touches on the reason why Nicky started a natural beauty line to fix her own health issues.

As a suffer of endometriosis, Nicky was constantly researching ways to help her health and after discovering that some ingredients in beauty products increase the body's toxic load that can actually make endometriosis worse she started to make her own natural, safe body products.  She was also keen to find a solution to help eczema flare-ups for her and her daughters.

Having been a DIY queen from the age of 7 when she 'borrowed' her Dad's ties to make a skirt, Nicky has also run a jewellery making business in London and a cake-pop company in Melbourne.  She knew she could make beauty products that were 100% natural and toxin-free but also sustainable and not tested on animals. 

A first attempt, a deodorant, won approval from her daughter's school friends who asked what perfume they were wearing. The girls told them "it wasn't perfume but my Mum's natural deodorant" and they all asked for one.  This grew to supplying family and friends and in 2017, Raw Nature was born.

Most of the products came about because of personal need and a year after staring the business Nicky could barely keep up with demand of making the products in her kitchen. What began with a few selected stores around New Zealand has now expanded to more than 200 outlets, including Farmers Department Stores and Healthpost. Nicky's natural deodorants, lip balms, perfume, moisturisers and dry shampoo are also stocked by 250 outlets across Australia, as well as in Hong Kong, Thailand, the UK and the Netherlands.

All the products are now produced by an outsourced Auckland facility that uses essential oils from around the globe. Nicky is proud hers is one of the few companies to use New Zealand manuka oil.  

Her reward for all the late nights has been more than 50 international awards.  "But the biggest reward is how these products have improved our own lives and our customers. "Both the girls and I no longer suffer from eczema, and we feel so much healthier, having reduced the amount of toxins we're absorbing into our bodies".

The product Nicky credits helping her eczema flare-ups is the solid moisturiser. Eczema can be the body's way of saying something else is going on internally which needs to be addressed but the itch from the rashes can be very uncomfortable or painful. The solid moisturiser is deeply nourishing to the skin and doesn't wash off like a water based cream, leaving the skin hydrated for up to 12 hours. Used daily this can really help calm the skin.