Why small batch specifically
Small batches aren't a marketing choice. They're a formulation choice that changes what you can and can't put in a product.
When you make a product that needs to sit in a distribution centre for months before it reaches a customer, you need either synthetic preservatives, or high concentrations of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, or you need to add enough water-binding agents to keep the texture stable through temperature fluctuations. Each of these is a reason to add an ingredient that doesn't benefit your skin.
Small batches that turn over quickly don't need as much preservation. They also mean the botanicals inside are still effective — rosehip oil degrades over time once opened, and keeping batches small means you're getting oil that was pressed recently, not oil that has been oxidising in a warehouse. The difference is meaningful, not cosmetic.
What "handmade" actually means here
Each batch is weighed, mixed and packaged by hand in a small studio. There's no production line, no contract manufacturer, no automated filling machinery. That means every batch is slightly different. The texture of shea butter varies seasonally, rosehip colour shifts depending on the harvest, carnauba wax firmness changes in summer.
These small variations are a sign of a real plant-based product. If everything looks exactly the same every time, someone has standardised out the natural variation, which usually means heavy processing of the raw materials. We'd rather have the variation and keep the active compounds intact.
What we believe about skincare
- Short ingredient lists are better for reactive skin. The fewer ingredients, the easier it is to identify what a skin is responding to. A product with three ingredients is a much cleaner trial than one with thirty.
- Most skin doesn't need much. A cleanser, a moisturiser, an SPF. Possibly a face oil in the evening. The rest is largely optional and driven by marketing rather than dermatology.
- Transparent labelling is not optional. Every ingredient on our labels uses its INCI name so you can look it up independently. We don't use trade names or generic terms that obscure what's actually in the product.
- Vegan isn't a compromise. Plant waxes, plant butters and plant oils can do everything animal-derived ingredients do. We don't miss beeswax or lanolin. Neither will you.
- Small is the point. We don't plan to scale up, because scaling up would require changing the formulas. The whole thing works because of the size.
Get in touch
Questions about specific products, skin types, ingredients, or how to get started — I'm happy to answer. Email me at [email protected] and I'll get back to you within a couple of days.
