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A Journey of Passion & Purpose
A Soap Story
The start of a love affair with skin
It was the eighties, working on outback cattle stations in the Pilbara WA, where we had monthly stores brought in from the nearest town three and a half hours away. Unless I got lucky, the only soap available on the station was a masculine smelling, generic brand, which seemed fine for the stockmen but mixed with hard bore water was extra harsh on my skin. The generator only ran power for a few hours each day on the station, so washing water had to be boiled up in a rusty 44-gallon drum. I often ended up with nasty dry, scaly, red skin and at the age of 18 this was especially not desirable, so I started researching and experimenting with old recipes from CWA books and craft books from the 1970's (which I still have today).
From Necessity to Opportunity
There were not many people making soap, and it certainly was not considered a hobby back then but a necessity. The first time that I thought that I might earn something in return from creating was when I was working on a cattle station in North Queensland. The owner of the local tiny, craft store asked me if she could put some of my product in her shop to sell to the tourists.
Learning Through Experience
In the very beginning, there wasn't any internet to research on, so to develop my skills, I dabbled and made lots of mistakes. Later, I worked for a pharmaceutical company and had a stint working for a skincare manufacturer where I honed my expertise. As my love affair with skin continued and I learnt how to make really beautiful creams, balms and scents to add to my range.
Building a Skincare Legacy
Over the years my enterprise progressed from supplying locals in the outback to a full-time business in regional WA, and Victoria. Through this journey, I never imagined the huge amount of support I would receive from my amazing customers that allowed me to live my dream in a meaningful livelihood that also supported my family when my children were young. I worked a lot of markets, travelling long distances and it was tough. Back then no-one knew the difference between products made with synthetic colours and fragrances and my natural products that were made with pure oils, butters, essential oils and coloured with natural clays. I had to educate my customers. It is different now and people are waking up to what is good for their bodies and the planet.
A Vision for Change
Since the beginning my vision has always been to make a difference to the way that people think about their skincare and consumables. I am passionate about being part of the change from an industrial system to a community driven model. Creating affordable, natural, wholesome, and effective products that are sustainable, traceable, people and planet friendly. It is all about doing something I really love and paying it forward. Educating the public on the importance of keeping things healthy, local and full of integrity. I am in awe of our local resources and continuously work with local growers to create affordable plant based, skin care products, free from synthetics and harsh chemical detergents, that everyone can use. After all everything that we use on our bodies goes back into the earth and we need to look after her.
A Love for Australian Ingredients
I love our diverse and colourful country of Australia and I am totally inspired to create skin care by nature…. the colours & scents that nature provides are truly amazing. I really wanted to make skincare that was naturally healthy for people and in tune with the Earth too.
From Local Farms to Luxurious Skincare
As for the raw materials that I use - I love using ingredients sourced as locally as possible. Besides being high quality, it supports our community and boosts the local economy. I love the silky feel of olive oil, pumpkin Seed oil harvested and pressed in North East Victoria, and nut oils of Walnut, Almond, Hazelnut and Sunflower oil. The honeyed scent of fresh beeswax from local apiaries that goes into the balms and the beautiful earthiness of Australian clays that colour the soap and purify the skin. The combination of all these beautiful elements and how we can then use it to cleanse nourish and purify the skin is completely awesome. They are all grown locally, they are organic, and using this amazing resource gives back to our farmers.
Cheryl Webster ~ Founder
