Of Nature: Luxury Natural Skincare

Meeting with Of Nature's co-founder Emma Griffiths

I've been trialling Of Nature's beautiful, eco friendly, skincare products. I have got really sensitive skin. This became more noticeable as I went through the perimenopause and I noticed the elasticity and texture changing as I went through the menopause. I’ve been using the unscented Simple range for years now because I react to so many other skincare products. I’m grateful for Simple, but I’ve been longing for something more luxurious.

I used to feel quite frustrated about having sensitive skin but now I see this more through the lens of my Loving Your Sacred Vessel approach. I’ve realised that my skin is telling me very clearly what is good for it and what is not. It deserves my care and respect. These days I want to honour my skin and I recognise that when she reacts she isn’t just being awkward!

I saw Of Nature's skincare adverts on my social media feeds and noticed a friend of mine regularly liked their posts so I messaged her and asked about her experience with the products. I got a very enthusiastic response and the welcome news that they were a local company, based in our area of Mid Wales. I contacted them and arranged a meet up with Of Nature’s co-founder Emma Griffiths. We sat together one sunny afternoon over soft drinks in a hotel courtyard and she told me about her skincare journey.

Trying Of Nature's The Day Cream with creator Emma Griffiths

“I started making Of Nature products because I am really sensitive and I couldn’t find anything that was natural that my skin wouldn’t react to. I found out that I react to alcohol and that’s used in almost everything as a stabiliser. I’ve made these products without alcohol and I’ve stabilised them a different way. We get good feedback for rosacea, and for other sensitive skin, people tell us it calms their redness down.”

Of Nature soft-launched about 2 years ago, but this year Emma says the business has taken off and it is growing bigger now with interest from Wellness centres and dermatologists. Reports are coming in that it is really helping people with a variety of skin conditions including psoriasis. As the name suggests the range is nature based and created with plant extracts and essential oils.

Much as I love nature my personal experience of trying natural skincare products has not been good in the past, which is why I resorted to the Simple range. I haven’t been able to figure out which particular ingredients upset my skin; they are clearly very common as so many products affect me. If I apply the wrong thing my skin feels like it is burning, then it goes red and if I don’t get the product off within a few minutes tiny painful blisters may erupt that take several days to calm down, so it's been unscented, sensitive skin formulations all the way for me. Very dull!

Of Nature is a small family business run by Emma with her two grown up sons. Emma is the product creator with her knowledge of plants and she does the making. She studied Plant Medicine and then did further courses to learn about product formulation. Emma explained it has taken a lot of trial and error to get the formulations right.

"It’s not just about the ingredients and the amounts to include, it’s also the process we use which will change the result. It took me ages to get these products to where I wanted them, because I don’t like greasy and I don’t like sticky. I got them to the point where I really liked them and then they went through testing, first in-house, then out to external labs and finally they got registered.

We started out with five creams, The Day Cream, The Night Cream, The Cleanser, The Eye Cream and The Exfoliator. We have tried to make things as simple and inclusive as possible so that the whole family can use them, no needing different things for each person. You only need to use a tiny bit so it will last a long time. It’s actually important that you only use a small amount as there’s no fillers in these products. People are used to putting loads of stuff on their faces. I’ve got little cards printed to tell people our stuff is different, just use a tiny bit.

Next we made our three serums, one is a hydrating formula especially for perimenopause and menopause dry skin, which is one of the reasons I started making skincare in the first place. I tend to make things for myself and if it works on me I think okay, this will help somebody else. We have the Rejuvenating Serum which supports positive aging, I never say ‘anti-aging’ I always use ‘positive aging.’ We all age!”

I love that attitude, it fits so well with my Sacred Vessel philosophy. We don’t deny that we are aging, or ‘fight’ our age. We work gracefully with our aging bodies and treat ourselves with loving care, recognising our changing needs as we get older.

Emma has some new products that are about to go through the testing process –three face masks and a toner with hyaluronic acid which she says is really hydrating. I asked Emma what hyaluronic acid is as you hear the term used a lot in beauty products. She explained that although you get chemical versions this is a natural one made out of olives. She also has body lotions in the pipeline and a scalp and hair serum. That’s one I’m particularly interested in trying as soon as it comes out. I have had an itchy scalp for as long as I can remember. I know it is probably reacting to some of my haircare products, but it is hard to find anything gentle enough and effective. Currently I’m using Noughty’s Caretaker range which I do find helpful, particularly the treatment mask, but it’s not a complete solution. Emma says her own itchy scalp got worse through peri-menopause. She’s been getting good reports from her in-house testers at the moment and one lady with thinning hair has even reported it’s helping her with hair growth.

Of Nature is rightly proud of their environmental credentials. They are 'carbon negative' – which in this context is a positive! Emma says, “The environment is massive for me, I am passionate about it. 40% of our profits go to supporting the environment, including to the Amazon and to rewilding projects locally. My dream would be to create our own charity so that the money could go directly, perhaps through women’s co-operatives.”

Emma had brought a cute little wicker basket of products along with her. The glass bottles have a stylish wooden collar and a pump action top. They are really attractive and look good enough to leave out on display – a far cry from the mass-produced plastic bottles I’ve been resigned to. Of Nature also runs an ecoloop scheme where the bottles can be returned for free to be cleaned and reused, or recycled when necessary.

I started by trying the products out on the back of my hand. I admit my skin is so sensitive that I was nervous, but I was aware that the hotel washrooms were not far away if I needed to wash them off quickly! I warned Emma that I would be running if I sensed that familiar burning! I began with The Day Cream. It feels light in texture and thankfully was no discomfort as it went on, just a pleasant calm sensation. I noticed my skin felt immediately smoother and more moist and there wasn’t any stickiness. I was surprised how much coverage there was in one pump of the product. Just two little pumps of The Day Cream are enough to treat your whole face and decolletage. That interested me as I have noticed that going through the menopause along has particularly affected the skin around my neck.

My sense of smell is at least as sensitive as my skin. I find most commercial perfumes and cleaning products overwhelming, and I have to give people a wide berth if they are wearing strong scents. Some products will give me an instant headache or set me off sneezing! I needn’t have worried about Of Nature. The smell of The Day Cream is wonderful. I wish I could send you a scented blogpost! It reminds me of a high end spa treatment; something I haven’t been able to indulge in for a long time because of fear of how I will react to the products they use.

Emma told me she wanted to create something that's earthy and the scent is a blend of coriander, cedarwood and black pepper oils. This combination took me by surprise, I know my essential oils and how overpowering black pepper and cedarwood can be if you are heavy-handed with them. This blend is beautiful. Emma has got the level just right for my nose.

I tried out The Night Cream too which also smelled lovely, scented with mandarin, but The Day Cream was definitely my favourite. The Eye Cream is cooling and very gentle. This one contains calming chamomile and just one tiny pump is plenty for the eye area.

As we parted Emma gave me bottles of The Day Cream and The Eye Cream. I have been using them consistently for a week now. They feel smooth and silky as they go onto my skin. I pat The Eye Cream into the delicate skin around my eyes and I give my face a gentle massage as I apply The Day Cream. I love them and so does my skin. It is feeling really good; smooth, hydrated, calm and comfortable. I am celebrating finding this classy product that makes me feel I am giving myself a daily treat when I apply it. Thank you Emma, it’s bliss!

You can find Of Nature here. I’d love to hear how you get on with their products.