At the School of Natural Skincare, we’re excited to offer a premium community experience in our own private Circle community and app. 

It’s a welcoming space, free from the noise and distractions of social media, where you can feel supported, make connections, and celebrate your progress together—with the added benefit of direct access to our team and professional cosmetic scientists who are here to guide and support you.

Keep reading to discover what’s on offer inside our community, including:

• Tutors Lab
• Formulation Challenges
• Formulators’ Forums
• Library of past Formulators’ Forums
• Tutor Q&A
• Community Hub
• Member Directory
• Find a Study Buddy

Or join Gail for a quick video walkthrough:

Community app for easy access

Our online community lives on a brilliant platform called Circle, and you can access it wherever you are by installing the Circle app on your iPhone or Android — it’s super easy and keeps the community just a tap away.

We’ve moved our community off social media to give you something better—a private, distraction-free app focused on connection, learning, and creativity. Inside, you’ll find direct access to our Cosmetic Scientists, plus a supportive group of like-minded members. No ads, no noise—just real conversations, exclusive content, and all the inspiration you need in one place.

Advance your formulation skills in the Learning Lab

Connect, learn and discuss directly with our Cosmetic Scientists inside the Learning Lab!

Inside the Learning Lab, you’ll find:

• Tutors Lab
• Formulation Challenges
• Formulators’ Forums
• Library of past Formulators’ Forums

Who has access? The Learning Lab is an exclusive area of the community that’s only available to students of a Diploma or Advanced Certificate course and members of our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. This is a more advanced space where our Cosmetic Scientists help you develop your formulation skills.

Learn and discuss directly with our cosmetic scientists inside the Tutors Lab

Each week, one of our tutors will share a post, start a discussion, or set you an activity. You can expect a range of content, including topical discussions, quick tips, troubleshooting advice, formula fixes, challenges, ingredient guides, activities, and more. 

Topics covered include fun, expert-led chats about trending skincare topics and ingredients like:

• Beef Tallow – what is all the hype about? TikTok Trend or Skincare Win? Beef tallow is having a major moment in beauty right now – but is it worth the hype?
• Slugging – what is this trend, and how can we make a slugging product with plant-based ingredients instead of petroleum-based ingredients?
• Peptides – do you really know what they are, what they do and how to incorporate them into your skincare products? Let’s dive in!

Get stuck into activities like analyzing INCIs, fixing formulas and substituting ingredients to build your formulation skills.

Stay up to date with this week’s topic or delve into our archive of past conversations.

Become a better formulator with our Formulation Challenges

Formulation is all about getting creative, experimenting, and having fun – and our Formulation Challenges are the perfect way to do just that.

Each term, our cosmetic scientists run an exciting Formulation Challenge to help you boost your skills, grow in confidence as a formulator and enjoy the process along the way. They’re hands-on, interactive, and full of support to keep you motivated. 

Plus, you can explore past challenges anytime you like – perfect if you want to keep practicing or try something new. Previous challenges have included reverse formulation, where you get to crack the code of an INCI list and even reverse-engineer popular skincare products.

Connect with other members and our scientists LIVE at our Formulators’ Forums

Chat live with members and scientists during our monthly Formulators’ Forum. Tune in to our live teaching sessions with Gareth or Gail and our Cosmetic Scientists, then connect with your community members for informal chats in private breakout rooms. A great place to learn more, collaborate with your peers, and grow together.

Enjoy our library of Formulators’ Forum Recordings

Dip into our library of past presentations as and when you like! With more than 20 presentations to choose from currently (and new ones being added most months), it’s like Netflix for formulators! 

Popular topics include Substituting Ingredients, Cosmetic Packaging, Hyperpigmentation, Cosmetic Ingredients from Food, Making Botanical Extracts, and more.

Have your questions answered personally by a Cosmetic Scientist in our Tutor Q&A

One of the key distinctions about studying with the School of Natural Skincare is that you’ll be supported by qualified and experienced Cosmetic Scientists with decades of experience in both teaching and formulating for natural and organic brands.

Our Tutor Q&A is the place to ask them any questions you have about the class or course you’re taking with us. They check in regularly throughout the week to offer answers, support, and guidance.

Who has access? We have a separate Tutor Q&A for each Diploma and Certificate course, plus one for the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club, too.

Community Hub

Ask questions, jump into discussions, and share your wins, tips, and discoveries!

Looking for support and insightful conversations with natural and organic formulators? The Community Hub is the heart of our peer-to-peer community. This is a place to ask questions of other students and members, engage in discussions, share learning successes, and more.

Share your goals and wins each week, and let’s cheer each other on! Post a photo or video from your lab, kitchen, or formulating space showing us what you’re working on. Formulated a gorgeous product? Discovered a cool new ingredient? Share your successes and discoveries with the community!

If you have a question or need advice on a product or ingredient, ask your fellow formulators! The community has a wealth of experience to share.

Who has access? Students of our Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma courses and members of the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club.

More ways to connect: Member Directory and Find a Study Buddy

If you’d like to make deeper connections with other students or members, you can use our Member Directory and Find a Study Buddy areas. If you’re new to a course and want someone to study alongside for a bit of accountability and support, this is the perfect place to reach out and find a buddy.

See you inside our School of Natural Skincare online community

We would LOVE to welcome you to our community!

You’ll receive an invitation to join with enrollment in one of our Certificate or Diploma courses or when you become a member of the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club.

Our community is the perfect companion to your studies – offering encouragement, support, and exclusive access to content and formulation expertise.

We can’t wait for you to explore everything waiting for you inside!

The post Look inside the School of Natural Skincare Online Community appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

We’ve been busy behind the scenes at the School of Natural Skincare, building a brand new community for our students and members of our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club! Keep reading to learn about the exciting new features and events coming your way soon, as well as how to gain access to them.

We have two inspiring live events scheduled for September. If you join our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club or enroll in a Diploma course, you will have access to these exclusive events hosted by our Cosmetic Scientists:

Reverse Formulating and Decoding INCI Lists – 3rd September 
Substituting Ingredients with Confidence – 25th September 

For more details on these events, please see below. 

Community app for easy access

Our new community lives on a brilliant platform called Circle, and you can access it wherever you are by installing the Circle app on your iPhone or Android — it’s super easy and keeps the community just a tap away.

We’ve moved our community away from social media to give you something better — a dedicated, distraction-free space that’s all about connection, learning, and fun. Inside the private app, you’ll get direct access to the School’s Cosmetic Scientists, and a fab community of like-minded members and students. No ads, no noise, just real conversations, exclusive content, and everything you need to stay inspired and in the loop — all in one place, right at your fingertips.

Advance your formulation skills in the Learning Lab

Connect, learn and discuss directly with our Cosmetic Scientists inside the Learning Lab!

Inside the Learning Lab, you’ll find:

• Tutors Lab
• Formulation Challenges
• Formulators’ Forums
• Library of past Formulators’ Forums

Who has access? The Learning Lab is an exclusive area of the community that’s only available to students of a Diploma or Advanced Certificate course and members of our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. This is a more advanced space where our Cosmetic Scientists help you develop your formulation skills.

Learn and discuss directly with our cosmetic scientists inside the Tutors Lab

Each week, one of our tutors will share a post, start a discussion, or set you an activity. You can expect a range of content, including topical discussions, quick tips, troubleshooting advice, formula fixes, challenges, ingredient guides, FAQs, activities, and more. 

Coming up: fun, expert-led chats about trending skincare topics and ingredients like:

• Beef Tallow – what is all the hype about? TikTok Trend or Skincare Win? Beef tallow is having a major moment in beauty right now – but is it worth the hype?
• Slugging – what is this trend, and how can we make a slugging product with plant-based ingredients instead of petroleum-based ingredients?
• Peptides – do you really know what they are, what they do and how to incorporate them into your skincare products? Let’s dive in!

Become a better formulator with our Formulation Challenges

Get ready for our first exciting Formulation Challenge, running from September to November 2025 – a Reverse Formulation Challenge!

In our live Kick-Off Call on 3rd September, you’ll discover what reverse formulating is, why it’s such a powerful skill for formulators, and exactly how to do it.

We’ll take a deep dive into understanding INCI lists and decoding product labels, giving you the tools and knowledge you need to confidently participate in the challenge.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your skills, this is your chance to explore, experiment, and grow – all within a supportive, creative community.

Join us to go behind a product label and learn how to reverse engineer popular skincare products!

Connect with other members and our scientists LIVE at our Formulators’ Forums

Chat live with members and scientists during our monthly Formulators’ Forum. Tune in to our live teaching sessions with Gareth and our Cosmetic Scientists, then connect with your community members for informal chats in private breakout rooms. A great place to learn more, collaborate with your peers, and grow together.

September Formulators’ Forum: Substituting Ingredients with Confidence

“What can I use instead of…?”

 It’s one of the most common questions formulators ask — and in this session, we’re giving you the tools to answer it with confidence.

Join us on 27th September for September’s Formulators’ Forum, where we’ll explore how to choose suitable substitute ingredients and what to consider when making swaps. Whether you’re out of stock, can’t find a specific ingredient, need to adapt for a different skin type, or tailor a formula to suit your brand, knowing how to substitute effectively is an essential skill.

What to expect:

• A focused presentation from Tina, one of our Cosmetic Chemists, on ingredient substitution strategies
• A hands-on challenge to put your new knowledge into practice
• Confidence-building guidance so you never feel stuck again

Don’t miss it — ingredient swapping just got a whole lot smarter!

Enjoy our library of Formulators’ Forum Recordings

Dip into our library of past presentations as and when you like! With 20 presentations to choose from currently (and new ones being added most months), it’s like Netflix for formulators! Popular topics include Cosmetic Packaging, Hyperpigmentation, Cosmetic Ingredients from Food, Making Botanical Extracts, and more.

Have your questions answered personally by a Cosmetic Scientist in our Tutor Q&A

One of the key distinctions about studying with the School of Natural Skincare is that you’ll be supported by qualified and experienced Cosmetic Scientists with decades of experience in both teaching and formulating for natural and organic brands.

Our Tutor Q&A is the place to ask them any questions you have about the class or course you’re taking with us. They check in regularly throughout the week to offer answers, support, and guidance.

Who has access? We have a separate Tutor Q&A for each Diploma and Certificate course, plus one for the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club, too.

Community Hub

Ask questions, jump into discussions, and share your wins, tips, and discoveries!

Looking for support and insightful conversations with natural and organic formulators? The Community Hub is the heart of our peer-to-peer community. This is a place to ask questions of other students and members, engage in discussions, share learning successes, and more.

Share your goals and wins each week, and let’s cheer each other on! Post a photo or video from your lab, kitchen, or formulating space showing us what you’re working on. Formulated a gorgeous product? Discovered a cool new ingredient? Share your successes and discoveries with the community!

If you have a question or need advice on a product or ingredient, ask your fellow formulators! The community has a wealth of experience to share.

Who has access? Students of our Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma courses and members of the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club.

More ways to connect: Member Directory and Find a Study Buddy

If you’d like to make deeper connections with other students or members, you can use our Member Directory and Find a Study Buddy areas. If you’re new to a course and want someone to study alongside for a bit of accountability and support, this is the perfect place to reach out and find a buddy.

Join our new community! 

Want to join us inside the community?  Enroll in one of our courses or become a member of the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club to get access to the new community, connect with fellow formulators, and explore everything waiting for you inside. Sign up by the 1st September and you’ll also be able to join our two exciting live events — we’d love to see you there!

All of our current students and Club members will be automatically added to our new community during the last two weeks of August 2025, ready for our exciting events in September.

Have questions? Our customer service team is happy to help. Please reach out to us at hello@schoolofnaturalskincare.com.

The post New School of Natural Skincare Online Community! Launching September 2025 appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

To celebrate the School of Natural Skincare’s 15th anniversary, we’re sitting down with our founders, Gail and Gareth, for a candid Q&A. From their proudest moments to the biggest challenges, their favorite skincare products to how they unwind, they’re sharing it all—plus a few surprises!

Join us as we look back, reflect, and celebrate 15 years of passion, nature, and creativity.

Plus, we’ll share some of Gail and Gareth’s favorite natural skincare formulas with you. 

Ready? Let’s dive in!

1. What is your favorite skincare ingredient?

Gail: So many to choose from! I love versatile ingredients that are quick and easy to use. Tetra-C (INCI Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate) is one of my favorites – it is a very stable oil-soluble Vitamin C derivative that is easy to work with and provides excellent results. It can be easily mixed with carrier oils for an antioxidant facial oil and also used in emulsions. Vitamin C is most known for its antioxidant and collagen synthesis-stimulating properties and is therefore considered a potent anti-aging ingredient. We’ve included a lovely Vitamin C Antioxidant Serum featuring Tetra C in our Quick Guide to Formulaing with Vitamin C, which you can download here.

Gareth: I have too many! Historically, I would say rosehip seed oil, coconut oil and shea butter are my best friends and form the base of many of my favorite products. These ingredients have helped me so much since I was a teenager, and they are still my go-to ingredients today. But I think things like sea buckthorn CO2 Extract (rich in essential fatty acids and bioactive compounds), phyto-retinol, and co-enzyme Q10 (strong antioxidants with anti-aging properties that both help to reduce photo-aging) are the ones that I like the most in my products today. They pack that little bit of extra punch.

2. Which of the School’s skincare products do you use every day?

Gail: Lots! One favorite is our Orange Lip Balm, which I’ve made for over 15 years! It is by far the best lip balm I have ever used (much better than anything I have ever bought). The cocoa butter leaves lips so smooth, and beeswax creates a lovely protective barrier. Our children love making and using this product too. So simple and so effective. Give it a go!

I use many of the solid skincare and haircare products featured in our Diploma in Zero Waste Skincare and Haircare Formulation, including a shampoo, conditioner, and facial cleansing bar. I get very dry hands, so the Coconut and Shea Hand and Foot Cream from our Natural Skincare Recipe Book is always on my nightstand.

Gareth: I also have LOADS to choose from. Firstly, the Coconut and Ylang Ylang Whipped Shea Body Butter from our Certificate in Making Natural Skincare Products. I enjoyed teaching people to make this in our live in-person workshops, and I still love it today!

I love using many formulas from our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club, including the Soothing After-Shave Gel-Cream from our Formulaing Men’s Skincare class, which is light in texture and very soothing.

We also use lots of the household cleaning products at home, such as the Eucalyptus Dishwashing Liquid from our Formulating Natural Household Cleaning Products class, plus lots of zero waste cleaning products from our soon-to-be-released Formulating Zero Waste Household Cleaning Products class.

3. What’s your favorite essential oil?

Gail: It really depends on what I’m using it for and what time of day it is. If it’s for a facial product or in the bath in the evening, then I love frankincense essential oil, which has excellent skin benefits and such a calming aroma. For a general, all-around helpful oil, I love lavender, of course. Gareth always has a bottle of lavender essential oil in his bag; we never go anywhere without it!

Gareth: Well, as Gail said, I always have lavender essential oil with me wherever I go. Lavender is a bit old hat and old-fashioned, isn’t it? But, I don’t care. I just love it, and the fragrance is so diverse depending on which one you get. The oil pretty much does everything, and the fragrance is simply divine. Lavender Stoechas is my favorite. Besides lavender, I especially like ylang ylang extra (this one in particular), bergamot, neroli and rose.

4. What is your favorite formula?

Gail: As I’m approaching my mid-40s, I love our Frankincense Face Cream For Mature Skin With Coenzyme Q10 from our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation. It’s a rich moisturizer that nourishes the skin, alleviates dryness, and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. It features some of my favourite ingredients: rosehip oil, shea butter, aloe vera, panthenol and frankincense essential oil. The hero ingredient in this formula is coenzyme Q10 for its strong antioxidant properties, and for the ability to lower wrinkle depth and reduce signs of photoaging.

Gareth: I would have to agree with Gail here. I’ve used this formula for nearly 10+ years now, but I tweak it a little to make it more suited to my skin, which tends to be more oily. I merely take out shea butter and wheatgerm oil and increase the amount of rosehip and it is perfect for me. As much as I LOVE shea butter, it’s a bit too thick for use on my face.

5. What is your proudest achievement?

Gail: I can’t narrow it down to just one! I’ll choose three. Firstly, our family. Secondly, establishing and growing the School of Natural Skincare into the fabulous school it is today. Expanding our courses to include skincare, haircare, soap, and makeup, and setting up our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. Thirdly, living and working in China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in my late teens and twenties. It was quite the adventure!

Gareth: Well, does Gail count as an achievement?? It might be…But again, as Gail has said, our family and growing the School of Natural Skincare whilst raising and homeschooling our three lovely children. Speaking several different languages, travelling, and living abroad for a few years.

6. What is a personal highlight of yours from the last 15 years?

Gail: Family holidays are always a highlight! I love exploring new places and spending time together as a family. In 2023, we had an amazing holiday in Slovenia, where we spent time in beautiful nature (lakes, rivers, mountains) and did some very adventurous activities, including zip lining and white water rafting. We also visited Tina (our awesome Cosmetic Scientist and tutor) at her home.  Our boys got on so well and had fun making a tree house together!

Gareth: I think travelling around the US, Australia and New Zealand for a year in 2014-2015 with our then-baby daughter whilst growing the School of Natural Skincare. It is perhaps the most amazing thing I have ever done. A real sense of adventure, freedom and possibility. We visited some incredible places, met some amazing people, went on some fabulous hikes, and one day I would like to go and do it all again. 

7. What is a professional highlight of yours from the last 15 years?

Gail: Publishing the A-Z of Natural Cosmetic Formulation was a highlight! Holding a physical book that you’ve poured hours and hours of care and intention into is quite an incredible feeling. Setting up our beautiful office and cosmetic lab was also a great achievement. It’s in a beautiful converted barn and is a joyful place to work.

Gareth: There have been many, but perhaps the highlight has been the launch and growth of our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. We’ve put so many hours of research and development into our Membership, covered an enormous amount of exciting topics, and produced some simply incredible learning resources from it all. I am not sure there is anything else like it, to be honest, and the ideas for future research and learning materials continue to pour out of us! It’s an inspiring project to work on and be part of.

8. What’s been your biggest challenge of the last 15 years?

Gail: Getting up each morning whilst completely sleep-deprived when our twins were born back in 2015 was a challenge! And the sleep deprivation continued for about 5 years. It’s incredible how your body adapts and continues to function on so little sleep! Coffee was most definitely my friend. Thank goodness all the children are good sleepers now. 

Also, the year I turned 40, I learnt that I have an autoimmune disease. For about a year, I felt really unwell. Fortunately, now, I have found ways to keep the symptoms at bay, and I feel better than ever. 

Gareth: I think juggling everything we have to do to not only to run and grow/evolve the School of Natural Skincare but to manage it around raising our kids, homeschooling them and running a household with all the extra-curricular activities we all do is a challenge but also perhaps what I am most proud about. Somehow, we do it all and at times, as Gail has said, with pretty much zero sleep!

9. Tell us something that followers won’t know about you.

Gail: I recently qualified as an Advanced Flower Essence Practitioner and Producer at Chalice Well in Glastonbury. I simply adore flowers, trees, and tuning into the energy of the natural world. My most used essences are Elm from the Bach range for when I’m feeling overwhelmed (juggling a business and family life is busy!) and Apple Blossom from the Chalice Well range for nourishment, replenishment and support – essentially it’s self-care in a bottle! 

Gareth: I used to play national league and international hockey (field hockey to our American friends). It pretty much was my life until I was about 28, and now I have returned to it as our children have started to play. I am now running the youth hockey at our local club and playing a bit for the men’s teams.

10. How do you relax?

Gail: I love listening to audiobooks, walking in nature, and swimming in the sea! In the winter, I love taking a bath with aromatherapy bath salts (homemade, of course!) and a face mask. Also, snuggling on the sofa with the children and watching an uplifting movie. 

Gareth: Yoga. I have practised yoga for a little over 20 years now. My practice keeps me sane, emotionally balanced, and physically fit, supple, and strong. It helps to keep me grounded and spiritually connected. Also lying with my legs up the wall at the end of the day. I like cold plunges, swimming in rivers and the sea, bodyboarding, walking, and hiking. I think my two favorite things to help me relax and unwind are being in nature and yoga.

11. How do you connect with and enjoy nature?

Gail: In lots of ways! Through the skincare I make and use that is rich in botanical extracts, plant oils and essential oils. Through my work with flower essences. And of course, being out in nature. Walking amongst the trees, admiring flowers. Being immersed in the energy of the elements – feeling the warmth of the sun, the wind in my hair, and wild swimming in rivers and the sea. Also bodyboarding! We as a family love bodyboarding in the Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Cornwall.

Gareth: I love walking in nature, taking the same paths through the seasons to observe the shifting landscape — trees budding in spring, flowers in bloom, the golden hues of autumn. I have favorite trees to sit with, places where I pause to soak in the warmth of the sun or notice the changing light from winter’s retreat to summer’s glow. Sometimes, I pick a distant hill or landmark and walk there, trusting I’ll find my way. Nature isn’t just something I admire — it’s something I want to be immersed in. I embrace natural health, from herbs and homeopathy to essential oils and skincare. And while I prefer being in nature rather than just looking at it, sometimes, you do have to stop and admire the view!

12. In what ways has the School changed over the last 15 years?

Gail: In the very beginning, the School was run solely by Gareth and me. It was a creative and inspiring time as we built it from an idea into a global school. Now we are supported by an excellent team, and our professional cosmetic scientists, Tina and Nicole, share their expertise and experience with our students and members.

Gareth: The School has changed a lot over the last 15 years. In the early days, we just offered skincare classes. Since then, we’ve expanded that to teach skincare, haircare, makeup, and color cosmetics, soap and zero waste, and branched out into subjects like household cleaning products and oral care. I love how we’ve challenged ourselves to keep on innovating, and of course, that has all been made possible by our fantastic team, especially our Cosmetic Scientists Tina and Nicole.

13. What is a personal goal of yours for the next 15 years?

Gail: Gareth and I really want to walk the South West Coast Path! It is England’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath and is 630 miles (1,014 km) long! It follows the coastline of the southwest peninsula, through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. We need to wait until the children are older, as none of them enjoys hiking!

Gareth: Yes, I agree with Gail. I think walking the South West Coast Path is the big one. As I am from Wales and the land is really dear to me, I would also love to walk the Wales Coast Path. And something that Gail doesn’t know about yet is travelling the world to visit some of the most amazingly beautiful and divinely inspired buildings like Mont Saint-Michel, Hagia Sofia, St Mark’s Basilica, Saint Basil’s Cathedral and La Sagrada Familia – just to name a few!

14. What is a professional goal of yours for the next 15 years?

Gail: Continuing to build a strong community of natural skincare formulators and empowering them with the skills to formulate beautiful products through our courses. Continually adding new and exciting classes to our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club so our members are at the cutting edge of natural and organic beauty.

Also, as our daughter is now entering her tween and teen years, I am particularly interested in educating this age group about how to look after their skin naturally and empowering them to formulate skincare products that are so much better for them than the synthetically laden products promoted to this age group.

Gareth: I think it has got to be about inspiring and empowering the next generation to embrace a natural and organic lifestyle — teaching them to create amazing cosmetic products, launch their own brands, and enjoy the journey along the way. 

I am really excited about all the work we have planned for our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club, which is the place where all of our experiments, research, development and innovation go. We’d love to dive deeper into topics like natural household cleaning, zero waste, and oral care, while also exploring new areas like flower essences, crystals in cosmetics, homeopathic beauty, and natural perfumery. Exciting times ahead!

15. What is one piece of advice you have for people wanting to learn skincare formulation?

Gail: Beware of what you read and watch online! There is a shocking amount of incorrect and unsafe information on social media, YouTube, blogs, and AI. It is something we are working really hard to educate people about. Most people start making natural skincare because they want to use gentle and safe products, so ensure you learn from reliable sources. 

Gareth: Thank you and welcome! It’s an amazing hobby that many have taken further. It’s a creative thing to do, huge amounts of fun, and you get to use excellent products yourself out of your hobby/business…it’s a great way of empowering yourself to look after yourself in a meaningful way that aligns with your values. There’s so much potential, we hope you’ll join us. We do this because we absolutely 100% love it, live it, and believe in it. Come and join the fun. 

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The post Celebrating 15 Years: A Candid Q&A with Our Founders, Gail and Gareth appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

Read on to discover when Gail and Gareth met, how the School started, how we transformed from running in-person classes to teaching online, which course we created first and much more.

1. Where it all began

In 2010, after completing a sustainable living internship in New Zealand the previous year, Gail took a leap of faith and started the business! In March 2010, after finalizing her formulas, she received her Cosmetic Product Safety Reports (CPSRs) for her first collection of skincare products and launched her natural skincare brand, Goodness & Wonder.

In April 2010, after studying for several years, Gareth qualified as an IEB Certified Aromatherapist.

In April of 2010, Gareth qualified as an IEB Certified Aromatherapist.

2. Teaching in-person classes and workshops

Gail ran her first in-person skincare-making workshop in May of 2010 in Bristol, UK, and in November of the same year, Gail and Gareth met—the start of a beautiful partnership!

We discovered a shared passion for teaching in-person classes and dedicated much of 2010-2013 to teaching in venues around the UK. We loved seeing students’ joy as they discovered the process of creating skincare and how proud they were of their creations. Imagine our delight to see that some have since established their own award-winning brands.

Gail created our new website, and the School of Natural Skincare was born.

When a student traveled all the way from the Philippines to attend a class, we knew then that we had something truly special and began to build our business with a global mindset.

3. Quitting our jobs and first online courses

2013 met us with some major new creative energies—some we had planned and hoped for and others happy surprises! In May 2013, we launched our first online course, which would eventually become our Certificate in Making Natural Skincare Products–still one of our bestselling courses.

A video from 2013 from our very first online course!

We were so committed to building the School of Natural Skincare that we quit our office jobs in the summer of 2013. More than a few people thought we were a little crazy, especially since we had just discovered that we were expecting our first child!

4. Going global: Becoming experts at teaching online

In our naivety, we had organized to teach an in-person class when our daughter was just 6 weeks old! The class was a success, but we soon realized it was too much of a juggle to care for a baby and keep teaching the way we had been.

So, from 2014 onwards, we doubled down on our online teaching.

Teaching online turned out to be a wonderful experience. More and more students could join us without needing to travel, and we could work around the unpredictable schedule of a baby.

Our students asked for a more advanced course that would teach them to formulate skincare products from scratch, and we were excited to offer it at last! Two months after releasing our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation, we welcomed the first 80 students to the course.

By 2016, after just six years of operation, the School of Natural Skincare had students in 50 countries, and by 2019, this had grown to students in 130 countries worldwide. Today, in 2025, we have students in more than 150 countries!

5. New tutors, advanced courses and a growing family

Cosmetic Scientist Chandni Patel joined our team early in 2016, bringing with her much expertise from the beauty industry. She supported students with questions that arose during their studies and worked on new course materials, including our Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation.

Our identical twin boys were born in November 2015. For several months, we had three children under two years of age—and not much sleep!

6. Accreditations and certifications

Between 2016-2017, we focused on building a business aligned with our ethics and values. This led us to become an accredited ethical business with the Ethical Company Organisation.

Accreditation by the CPD certification service followed, showcasing the high standard of our online teaching. All our courses have since been accredited – a testament to the quality of our teaching.

7. Tina joined our team, and we created our Diploma in Natural Haircare Formulation

Cosmetic Chemist Tina Svetek joined us in 2017, bringing exceptional expertise in skincare and haircare formulation. A key member of our team, she shares her passion through our Formulators’ Forums and Tutor Q&As, making complex concepts accessible and inspiring our students. Her dedication and guidance enrich our courses and empower the next generation of formulators. We’re incredibly grateful to have her.

Tina spent much of 2018 formulating haircare products. In July 2018, we launched our Diploma in Natural Haircare Formulation, our first course focusing exclusively on haircare. Students of the course have gone on to formulate beautiful haircare products and launch successful haircare brands, including Curl Love and Beaute Blossom.

8. International bestselling book

In May 2019, we were excited to release our book, The A-Z of Natural Cosmetic Formulation, co-written with Tina Svetek. It was an international Amazon bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia simultaneously and has more than 500 5* reviews to date!

We wrote the book to dispel common myths and to give people the correct foundation of knowledge to support them on their formulation journey.

Also, in June 2019, we got married!

9. Entrepreneur of the Year and Best Online Organic Skincare Formulation School

In October 2019, the School of Natural Skincare was honored to win the Health and Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award recognized entrepreneurs making a meaningful difference in health, beauty, and wellbeing. It was the perfect way to kick off our 10th anniversary celebrations in January 2020, marking a decade since Gail and Gareth founded the School.

Many awards have followed since then, including Best Online Organic Skincare Formulations School 2020, Online Natural Skincare Formulations School of the Year 2021, Online Natural Skincare School of the Year 2022 and Best Online Natural Skincare School 2024!

10. Office and cosmetic lab

In June 2019, we finally got the keys to our beautiful office in a gorgeous village in Devon, UK and established our own in-house cosmetics lab.

Our team grew, and for the next few years, we worked hard updating our flagship courses, including filming hundreds of video tutorials and product-making demonstrations.

11. Preservative Efficacy testing

Having our own lab enabled us to enhance our testing protocol. In 2020, while most people were at home baking sourdough and banana bread, we doubled down on Preservative Efficacy Testing (PET). We have since sent hundreds of products to a specialist microbiological lab. The test results prove the effectiveness of our preservative systems, meaning our students have the reassurance that they are learning best practices from safe and effective formulations.

12. Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation (Third Edition)

Our flagship Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation had a complete makeover, and we released a brand new edition in 2020. Featuring new formulations, new step-by-step product demonstrations, PET reports and much more, it’s the all-in-one course that helps our students formulate stunning skincare products and launch their own beauty brands!

13. Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club

In 2021, we were so thrilled to open the doors to our membership, the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. The Club is full of exciting hands-on masterclasses created by our cosmetic chemists, helping our members advance their expertise, innovate with new ingredients and create all the incredible natural cosmetics their heart desires!

14. New cutting-edge courses: Makeup, Soap and Zero Waste Diplomas

Between 2022 and 2023, we created three new innovative Diploma courses: Diploma in Zero Waste Skincare and Haircare Formulation, Diploma in Soap Making and Diploma in Formulating Natural Makeup and Advanced Color Cosmetics.

Through our complete suite of courses, our students can now learn to formulate every type of cosmetic product, and we are a global leader in cosmetic formulation education.

In 2022, we welcomed Dr. Nicole Vorster to our team as a course tutor. Nicole is a distinguished chemist with a profound passion for education and formulation science. With her wealth of knowledge, Nicole provides invaluable support to students during their studies. She offers guidance and expertise in our regular Tutor Q&A, presents at our Formulator Forums, leads live teaching sessions and marks course assignments.

15. New website and 15th anniversary!

Our brand new website went live in 2024, and we couldn’t be more pleased with it!

That brings us to 2025, the 15th anniversary of the School of Natural Skincare, a milestone we are thrilled to celebrate.

Our school continues to innovate, with new classes and formulations developed each month for our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. We are also busy behind the scenes creating a new community app for our students and Club members—watch this space for news later in the year.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are eager to see what the next 15 years will bring!

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

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Over the last few years Green Friday has become more popular. This movement opposes the over consumption of Black Friday and encourages consumers to think and act sustainably. 

So… How can you support Green Friday?

In many ways really

For example….

You could practice Mindful shopping

We’re all tempted at times to buy more than we need and to get rid of things that are actually still fine to use. So before going on a shopping spree it’s good to take some time to reflect what you actually need to buy and why. 

• Do you have to replace the item? 
• Could it be fixed? 
• How often will you use the item? 
• Can you buy this sustainably? 
• How is it made?
• What will happen once you’re done with it? 
• How do you dispose of it? 
• What company are you supporting by buying it? 
• Does it match your values?

Mindful shopping is a great way to shop more sustainably.

Another great way of participating in Green Friday is by…

Shopping locally!

Why not support some small local business in your area? Supporting local producers is the easiest way to reduce the carbon footprints of your purchases. It can be so nice to just walk around your neighbourhood to discover local, unique little shops. Lots of them can be family run and provide personalised customer service! 

While this isn’t necessarily an option for everyone today due to lockdown restrictions – some local shops have innovative ways of delivering to the community – such as by bicycle. It’s always worth checking out.

Charity or second hand shops

Charity or second hand shops often contain hidden gems. You can discover so many pre-loved items, often for a lot cheaper than their original price! And by doing this you not only reuse items, but also reduce the demand for new products and their carbon footprint. If you buy from a charity shop you also support a good cause at the same time! 

And whatever you don’t need or want anymore you can donate to the shops yourself.

Borrow or swap

Did you know that there are tons of apps that allow you to share or borrow items rather than buy them new? 

How amazing is that?! 

Apps like Vinted and Swopped make it easy to exchange your pre-loved clothes with others online.

For DIY and gardening tools, travel, music equipment and a whole host of other items you might only need for a short time, apps such as Streetbank and Badlee offer a solution. 

If you’d rather visit a shop in person, the Library of Things in Crystal Palace, London is a nice option with an extensive catalogue of useful products that can be reserved online.

Recycle

Why not buy some recycled items as Christmas presents, better even if they can be recycled again! That way you’re gifting something not only to your loved one, but also to the planet by minimising the waste ending up in landfill!

Christmas present shopping 

We know Black Friday is really tempting for buying Christmas presents. And we understand that. But why not give your loved ones a different Christmas present this year? 

Instead of buying them an item you could gift them an activity you can do together, make a donation in their name, or maybe you could cook a nice meal for them and finish the evening with a games night. 

You could make some of our fantastic natural skin care products for a fraction of the price they would retail in the shops.  Check out some of our recipes, here

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

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As a leader in the $4.2 trillion Health, Beauty & Wellness industry, this is a tremendous milestone for the online school and a huge honour.

Since the school was founded in 2010, Directors Gail and Gareth Després have been combating misinformation and correcting inaccurate claims that have spread across the internet regarding skincare formulations. With much of this advice becoming almost mainstream, it has led to many homemade products that are dangerous, unstable or simply not effective. The School of Natural Skincare helps students overcome this false information, teaching them to create their own natural skincare products from scratch and promoting safe practices while following industry cosmetic regulations.

It is such an honor and a wonderful way to mark our 10 year anniversary which we have started celebrating this month!

The merit led process to establish winners’ spanned over three months as the Lux Life research team carefully gathered and analyzed customer testimonials, product ranges, treatments and formulations to establish School of Natural Skincare as one of the very best that the $4.2 trillion Health, Beauty & Wellness industry has to offer.

We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award! 

The School of Natural Skincare has tutors that include cosmetic scientists, cosmetic formulators, aromatherapists, beauty business experts and safety assessors. Every faculty member is extremely passionate about helping students create safe and natural cosmetics that can lead to exciting business prospects in the future. The school has already been featured by the BBC and in print magazines such as Green Parent, Spirit & Destiny, and Country Homes and Interiors Magazine.

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

Loved reading about this? Why not pin it to remember?

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I remember waiting for the tube early one morning. The tube station was absolutely packed. It was crowded with the usual morning rush, and everyone was drinking their energy drinks. The tube would pull into the station, everyone would pile on, and I remember thinking,

“Gosh, there must be more to life than this.”

In that moment, I realized that I had been living in my little bubble, my little routine, day in and day out. I was spending so much time commuting to and from work, and so much time working, that going out after work or even trying to enjoy the sights of London on the weekends was too much. My lifestyle had really worn me down.

And I knew there had to be more to life than what I was doing.

This moment was what kick-started me to think about what else I might like to do. What else was out there for me? I didn’t really know but I knew I had to do something. I was so inspired to change this pattern that I took what was, at the time, a quite drastic action: I quit my job, and decided to go off exploring and see what else the world had for me, what else I could find. And I decided to follow my instinct, follow my interests, my passion, and my intuition, rather than just staying with the work-sleep-commute grind any longer.

I had always had a fascination with New Zealand, and when I was looking around online, trying to figure out what I was going to do next, I found this amazing-sounding course in New Zealand—a Sustainable Living Internship. It was being run in a community in a really beautiful part of the northern South Island. I took a huge gamble. I bought a ticket and booked myself on this course, not knowing entirely what to expect. In September of 2009, I flew to New Zealand to start this internship.

The program was a 6-month course focusing on all aspects of sustainable living. We studied permaculture design, learned to live off the land, and studied organic farming, learning to grow our own vegetables. I remember one morning after I’d started the course, I was outside, planting seeds, and I looked up and thought what a massive change this was from my lifestyle in London. I was out in the fresh air, sitting in the sunshine, with my hands in the earth, doing something practical and amazing. It was a far cry from commuting on the underground in London and sitting at a computer in an office all day.

We did all sorts of other things as part of the sustainable living course, including making our own cheese (which was amazing) and learning how to do willow weaving. One of my favorite things, however, was when an herbalist came in and took us on some amazing foraging walks, pointing out all the different herbs and plants, and teaching us what they could be used for. We harvested some of these and learned how to make simple medicines as well as some skincare products. She taught us how to make healing salves by infusing various herbs in oils and turning these into salves.

This was the first skincare product I had ever made, and it really captured my imagination.

As part of this huge lifestyle change I was undergoing—from very urban to an appreciation of a more natural, organic lifestyle—skincare became part of this. Not only was my diet improving by growing fresh vegetables and learning more about nutrition and cooking, but I had developed a real interest in natural and organic skincare. I started to ask myself, what was in the skincare I was buying and using?

What was in the commercial products I had been using?

Did I even know how to read an ingredient label, and understand what was in the products I was buying?

The more I asked myself these questions, the more I investigated my lifestyle and learned about other, more natural ways of living, the more I wanted to take what I had learned to a much deeper level, especially the herbalism and skincare knowledge.

Towards the end of my stay in New Zealand, I was involved in a minor car accident, and broke my nose. I had to be given general anaesthetic while it was reset, and while I was still groggy and coming around from it, in that dreamy state I had a vision of myself selling my skincare products at a farmer’s market. I remember telling a friend about this when I woke up. It was a bit strange, but it was significant for me! Clearly, my subconscious knew what it was that I was meant to do, what really spoke to me.

Eventually, the course came to an end. I was sad when it was time to return home to England, but I had been so inspired by what I had done and what I’d learned that it caused a massive shift for me. I knew I didn’t want to just go back to the way things had been before. I certainly didn’t want to go back to London, and I was exploring my options to see how I could take the knowledge I’d learned and the passion that I’d developed so I could use this back home.

I continued studying natural skincare.

I wanted to find out more—how to make more products, what types of ingredients to use, and where to obtain them. After taking in-person lessons from a skincare manufacturer in Wales, I had a much better handle on the practical skills of making a lot of different products. My absolute passion was in making sustainable skincare from local supplies, but that can be quite difficult in the UK where we don’t grow everything you might want to use.

I also wanted to make preservative-free skincare products, so I developed a small range of products for sale that were preservative-free, anhydrous products, and I used as many local ingredients that were grown in the UK as I could. Although that selection was quite limited, we did have hempseed oil, a variety of essential oils, lavender and chamomile grown in the UK, so I combined those things with things like shea butter from fair-trade cooperatives. My brand back then was called Goodness and Wonder, and I sold these products in local farmers markets and craft fairs and things like that.

I started really small, selling to friends and family who were early supporters.

I went to Christmas fairs and also ran at-home parties. A lot of my friends were very generous and I went to their homes and that’s how I started, with a small but lovely (in my opinion) range of skincare products.

In those early days, selling my products at fairs and farmers markets, I found myself quite often explaining all the ingredients in my products and the process of making them. I began to realize that people were actually really interested in not only buying natural, organic, and locally-made products, but learning how to make them for themselves. This was back in 2010 before there were hundreds of tutorials on the internet.

This was in the very early days of natural skincare, way before sites like Pinterest and YouTube made all these DIY tutorials popular.

It was kind of the start of a natural skincare revolution!

What I realized after explaining this to all these people was that I could combine my background in event management and teaching with my new knowledge and passion for skincare. It was a recipe for running and teaching classes.

Once all of that clicked, I started organizing some workshops and classes in Bristol, where I was living at the time. I remember putting fliers and leaflets all around the city, contacting all my friends and anyone I thought might be interested.

In May of 2010, I ran my first workshop, and it was an amazing experience!

I loved leading it, and it was great to see how much the participants enjoyed it. Everyone finished the class with this amazing range of products they’d made themselves, and it was really a wonderful, positive experience.

Funnily enough, though, that first workshop nearly never happened. I had a run of unfortunate events that led up to it, including my car breaking down the night before. I didn’t know how I was going to get to the workshop with all the equipment and everything I had spent weeks preparing. At the last minute, my brother loaned me his car, which was this really old, clapped-out car that I didn’t even feel confident driving, and didn’t even know if it would get me to the venue, but luckily (thank goodness!) it did get there. And then, during the workshop, we got to the point where we had to heat some ingredients, and I couldn’t get the cooker to work, and I had about 15 people there who were ready and waiting to make some products… it wasn’t always smooth sailing! But we found our way through it, and I learned quite a lot, and ultimately, the class was a great success.

I had a good few years of running live workshops like these, taking what I had learned each time and incorporating it into my classes. I ran them in Bristol, and then started running them at colleges, and even ran some corporate events when companies started asking me to come in and teach. I went to all sorts of different venues around the UK, and was excited to get a job with the magazine called Country Homes and Interiors to run a series of workshops for them during one summer. I traveled to York, Bath, London, all sorts of places to run workshops on their behalf, and that was really fun.

Along the way, I had built my first website by teaching myself how to get a very simple one up and running. In those days, I was a one-woman show! I also had a part-time job on the side to help support me, so it was a real juggling act to work that job, keep the website up to date, refine my courses, make and sell my own products, do some marketing, all of it by myself. But not for long.

By November of 2010, I’d been running workshops for about six months or so.

My best friend from university said she’d started a new job and was working with a guy she thought I’d really get on with. She said he’d just finished an aromatherapy qualification, and he’s really into his essential oils and natural products, so she set us up on a blind date.

Of course, this guy turned out to be Gareth.

For a year or so as we dated, he was very supportive of me as I was running the business. He helped me with his essential oil knowledge, and although he had a full time job, I eventually convinced him to run a workshop with me. We did some winter wellness workshops together where we made skincare products inspired by aromatherapy to help keep people healthy and well during the winter months. Gareth then also went on to run some of his own workshops on essential oils for health and wellness, as well as workshops for creating natural perfume.

We had a joint passion for teaching people and sharing our natural skincare knowledge.

After a while, we began running weekend workshops together, evolving and expanding our half-day courses across a whole weekend. One day would be facial skincare, and another would be bath and body care. These workshops were really popular, and we had people traveling from all over the UK to attend. And then one weekend, we had a student that had flown all the way from the Philippines to join us for a weekend workshop. That was what made us realize there really was a global market for what we were doing. We had other students fly in from Portugal, Ireland, all sorts of places, and we knew that there were a lot more people who were interested who might not be able to fly to the UK, so we decided to turn the courses that we’d created into online courses.

We took all the materials that we’d been using, created videos and workbooks, and set up an online classroom. This was in the very early days of online education, and there wasn’t the same availability for software as there is now. It wasn’t easy, but we did it, and as soon as we launched online, our reach expanded enormously.

We had become a global, international skincare school.

From all of the in-person workshops, and all of the studying we had done and experience we had gleaned, we developed our workshops into online courses that really brought what our students were learning to life. We had experience teaching our practical workshops, and we know what kind of questions came up and what kind of challenges students might face, so we worked that into the online classes, which went on to become what’s now our Certificate in Making Natural Skincare Products. We knew our students wanted a great course for beginners that was very practical and came with loads of recipes to help them make their own products.

From a question in the middle of a crowded tube station to an epiphany half a world away, School of Natural Skincare has grown from a tiny, one-woman shop to a global school serving students every day. We are so proud to help our students learn, expand their skills, and launch their own skincare businesses. Since those early days, and even since our first official online launch, we’ve added so many courses and broadened our availability to include so many more kinds of skincare products, haircare, makeup and soap as well.

Growing our team of cosmetic scientists

Our team has expanded to include other experienced cosmetic formulators and experienced cosmetic scientists, plus all of our support team—editors, videographers, customer service, marketing, and everyone who helps keep the School of Natural Skincare going.

We are incredibly proud of our team of qualified and professional cosmetic scientists and consultants who are the driving force behind our exceptional quality course materials and the classes in the Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club. With degrees in chemistry or cosmetic science and extensive experience in the beauty industry, they’re committed to delivering first-class student support as you learn to master the skills and excitement of formulating.

Celebrating 15 years of the School of Natural Skincare!

2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the School of Natural Skincare. So, from our home to yours, thank you for being with us on this tremendous journey. I hope all of us can continue learning, making, and changing the world, one skincare product at a time.

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

Liked learning about the beginnings of the School of Natural Skincare? Pin this to remember!

The post Gail’s leap of faith: How the School of Natural Skincare began appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

The Ethical Company Organisation prides itself on setting the benchmark for corporate social responsibility, and awards Ethical Accreditation to successful candidate companies based on a number of key factors. 

Commitment to animal welfare, progressing human rights, and building a greener future are values that we are proud to share with the organisation, and so we were delighted to see our own school achieve Ethical Accreditation in July of 2016 (and every year since).

As people and as a business, we are deeply conscious of the impact that humans can (and do) have on our environment. To that end, we’re constantly looking for ways to become more ethical, sustainable, natural, and organic, both in our personal and working lives.

It isn’t an easy task and there are definitely constraints, but we make conscious and concerted efforts to improve every day, and that is a great starting point!

The Ethical Company Organisation conducts in-depth research audits in order to assess eligibility for Ethical Accreditation, ensuring that companies meet the standards of a broad range of ethical criteria. 

Here are some of the factors that contributed to our business successfully qualifying for the award:

1. We’re a green business

Ecotricity and the Good Energy Company power our business at both locations. 

Both of these companies are dedicated investors in the development of renewable energy. This way, even when the energy we receive does not come from a renewable source, we are still helping to fund and grow the renewable energy sector. We are proud to support these companies that are seeking to move us all towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

2. We’re an online business and are almost completely paperless 

Any paper we use is recycled paper. We also ensure that any paper coming into the office is recycled at the end of its life, and that confidential paper waste is shredded and recycled, too.

3. We teach people how to make how to make skincare and cosmetic products using only natural and organic ingredients

 Where possible, or required, we also help our students to create vegan, halal, kosher, Fair Trade, sustainable, ethical, and Rainforest Alliance products.

4. We only recommend reputable and ethical suppliers

who are specialists in their domain and who seek to provide organic, natural, and ethical ingredients. These are suppliers who share our vision of a green and sustainable future that cares for and respects the natural world.

5. We actively promote using ingredients that are ethically sourced

One example is our promotion of sourcing sandalwood essential oil from Australia rather than India, as Indian sandalwood is an endangered species. We also encourage our students to seek sustainable sources of palm oil or, where possible, alternatives to palm oil for their cosmetics. We encourage students to identify and use locally sourced ingredients where they can, or to use ingredients from co-operatives, communities, and Fair Trade sources.

6. We’re Rainforest Guardians and a certified Fair Trade business

We are proud to support the Rainforest Foundation as Rainforest Guardians. We also use fair trade tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, biscuits and other goods in our office. To our audience, we promote the importance of Fair Trade and of protecting our rainforests, and demonstrate that every one of us can impact our world for the better, no matter how small the steps we take!

We believe in constantly improving!

Since being awarded Ethical Accreditation in 2016 we have not stopped in our efforts to become more ethical! 

Rather, we have continued to raise the bar for ourselves and our business by setting ourselves new sustainability goals, and seeking to improve the systems that we already have in place.

Here are some of our favourite examples of ways in which we’ve evolved our business in recent years:

1. We’re Corporate partners to the Soil association and the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil)

We help them to campaign for and raise awareness around organic farming, agriculture, land management, food, drinks and cosmetics, and sustainable palm oil.

2. We hold weekly yoga classes

in our office! We strongly believe in the importance of all of our health and wellness and are proud to give our staff the opportunity to join our weekly yoga classes. Our yoga teacher, Natalie, from Love Yoga Tree, comes in every Thursday to host an hour’s yoga class which is popular with the whole team.

3. We’ve twinned our Toilets

2 billion people don’t have somewhere safe or hygienic to go to the toilet (WHO/Unicef). Toilet Twinning enables families living in poverty to have lifesaving loos that improve sanitation, health, and wellness. We have two toilets in the office, and Gail and Gareth have two at their home. All four toilets are twinned with toilets from around the world through the Toilet Twinning organization.

4. We are an approved Brand of Inspiration

We’re delighted to have teamed up with Positive News as one of their Brands of Inspiration. Brands of Inspiration are purpose-led organisations with positive stories to tell and Positive News journalists report on the positive social and environmental change that we are passionate about contributing to.

5. We’re doing what we can to be a plastic-free business by 

• Removing and not bringing single-use plastics into the office.
• Making better purchasing decisions so that we can choose alternatives to plastic.
• Highlighting alternatives to plastic to our audience.
• Ensuring that what little plastic does come into the office is either used for as long as possible or is recycled.

 6. We’ve also teamed up with a number of organizations in 2020 to deliver some valuable training to our audience about sustainability!

The RSPO are delivering training to our audience this year on the subject of sustainable palm oil.

Baraka Shea Butter will also be delivering a number of different training sessions over the coming few months! They will be sharing the importance of sustainable community projects like theirs and explaining the process of creating sustainable palm oil production with smallholding.

Wayne Dunn, President & Founder of the CSR Training Institute and former professor of practice in Corporate Social Responsibility at McGill University will be delivering training to our audience about how businesses can make a difference in the world and become a force for good.

7. In addition to that, we’re creating a new course this year

oriented around reducing plastic waste and packaging in cosmetics. It also answers the call amongst consumers for more waterless beauty products (click here to find out more about what waterless beauty is).

Our Certificate in Making Zero Waste Cosmetics is coming soon!

As our global audience continues to grow, and more and more students enroll in our courses, we are raising awareness of natural and organic skincare as an ethical option for consumers. 

In addition to this, our students and graduates are contributing to the availability of beautiful, safe, and effective natural skincare products across the globe.

Achieving our Ethical Accreditation was a proud and important moment in the history of our company, and we are so excited to continue exploring the many ways in which we can keep expanding our commitment to running a green business and having a positive impact on our world!

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• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

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The post How we achieved our Ethical Accreditation appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

Quick to follow was the daunting task of kitting the entire place out… and, for a business like ours, that meant a little more than just finding desks and chairs.

First of all, we wanted our office to serve as far more than just an administrative function – we wanted to build a cosmetics lab and video recording studio, too!

Most importantly, we wanted the School of Natural Skincare to be ethical, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. It was of paramount importance to us, therefore, that we were running as plastic-free an operation as possible. 

Our goal was to create an office environment that would prioritise not only the wellbeing of our staff, but that of the planet, too.

As was to be expected, we came up against a number of challenges along the way. 

Some essential kitchen equipment (namely our dishwasher, fridge, kettle, toaster, microwave and water filter) were items to which plastic-free solutions simply didn’t exist, and so we had to make a concession on this point.

Financial constraints and practicality came into play, too, specifically with regards to choosing chairs and tables. We hold weekly yoga sessions to which all of our staff are invited, and so we knew we would have to be able to move the office furniture as quickly and easily as possible.

As a result, the chairs and tables that best suited our needs included elements of plastic coating, but we ensured that these elements were kept to a minimum. The chairs were primarily metal, and the tables a combination of metal and wood. 

Delivering the fit out to a budget, and building a space that worked for all of our specific needs was a demanding project, but we maintained the mentality throughout that no step is too small to be taken seriously. 

From our daily cups of coffee to the kitchen roll we used – we were determined to find the most ethical solutions to everyday tasks.

Let’s start with the kitchen and bathroom

Wherever possible, we avoided plastic completely – turning to natural materials, metal, and wood, instead.

There was no need for plastic to come into play when we were eating or drinking. Bamboo is an excellent natural alternative to plastic, and a highly renewable material. So, for the kitchen, we purchased a cutlery drawer, table mats, and chopsticks all made of bamboo.

The rest of our cutlery is either entirely metal, or a combination of metal and wood. Our crockery is ceramic, and we provide glasses rather than plastic cups. 

Tea and coffee are at the heart of any office! 

We ensured that our teapot, cafetiere and milk frother were all metal, as well as our containers for sugar, coffee and tea. 

Our coffee is provided by Percol – the first ground coffee to be Fairtrade certified. The brand’s beans are organic, climate-neutral, and delicious, to boot!

Washing dishes is a plastic-free process, as we installed a sink, draining board, and cutlery holders that were all metal. Our EcoForce dish brush is recycled, and our washing up pad by LoofCo is a 100% plant-based, biodegradable product. 

Supporting like-minded businesses whose ethical values we admire was a fantastic bonus as we worked on fitting out our new space.

Ecover is another company whose environmentally friendly ethos is reflected in their products. Our dishwashing liquid and all of our cleaning sprays are from Ecover, and we utilise the brand’s refill service in order to cut down on packaging waste even further. 

For the toilets, we use EcoLeaf toilet roll, made from 100% recycled paper. We also use their kitchen roll, and both products come in compostable packaging.

We take care to recycle wherever possible at the office, and made sure upon purchasing recycling and general waste bins that we chose the metal options, rather than plastic.

And now for the office itself…

The yoga equipment for our weekly classes comes from Yogamatters – another company that endeavours to minimise its carbon footprint wherever possible. 

We use yoga mats that are all natural, and made from sustainably harvested tree rubber. Our yoga blocks are made from sustainably sourced cork, and our cotton yoga blankets are organic. 

As we all work mainly from MacBooks, it is important to ensure that we look after our posture, and so we procured bamboo laptop stands to prevent unnecessary discomfort or strain for ourselves and our staff.

We have very little need for storage at our workstations, but made sure that the containers we did buy were metal, wood, or bamboo.

The School of Natural Skincare is an almost entirely paperless business, as so much of our work is conducted online. What paper we do use is always recycled, recyclable, or both!

Looking to the future

As we begin the exciting process of kitting out our very own cosmetics lab and video recording studio, many more decisions will have to be carefully mulled over. 

For now, we’ve invested in some stainless steel workstations, as well as plastic-free storage solutions, and a metal breakfast style bar.

We are well aware that new projects present new challenges, and we are already gearing up to meet these with energy, enthusiasm, and creative solutions.

Our vision is for humanity to live in harmony with nature.

The essence of our business is one of inspiration. We want to inspire ourselves and others to 

• innovate and create sustainable change.
• be individual; to stand up for what we believe in and create the lives we want to live.
• act with integrity, honouring both ourselves and the environment, and making a difference in the world.
• approach life intuitively, in alignment with the natural world.

That means we take it upon ourselves to ask the big questions, and to find solutions that will keep taking us closer to leading a sustainable, ethical and natural way of working and living.

We’re not perfect, and sometimes the right answers can be difficult to find. Sometimes we have to concede or compromise – just for the time being, but our goals of sustainability and integrity remain resolute.

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

The post Finding plastic-free solutions for our new office appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.

Whether your dream is to start a natural skincare business, or simply to create products for yourself, your family and friends, we know it’s not always easy to find the time to develop your passion.

To help you with this challenge, I (Gareth) will be sharing my own experience and advice when it comes to the art of juggling life with doing what you love.

1. Start with your passion – your ‘why’.

The School of Natural Skincare grew from just two people and a shared passion for natural skincare.

Gail and I founded the business whilst both working full-time jobs. And as if that wasn’t enough, we then went on to start a family, including twins!

Somehow, amidst all these commitments, we managed to turn our shared vision into the wonderful, thriving community and online business that you see today.

It wasn’t easy! But it is possible.

So, how did we do it?

We have always believed in what we do, 100%. We find joy in doing it, and we look to the future with unwavering faith. What we needed was focus.

Finding out that we were expecting our first baby got us VERY focused indeed.

Now, we only had eight months to get things moving! Otherwise, we knew our dreams would only be pushed further and further down the line.

So, ask yourself, what is your passion – your ‘why’? What do you love to do, and why do you love to do it?

2. Figure out a way to do it around your family.

Our business grew dramatically after the birth of our baby girl. We had both quit our full-time jobs, and I can still remember vividly working on material for our flagship courses well into the early hours of the morning. My office hours became 9pm-4am!

Gail and I shared night shifts looking after our daughter, feeding and changing diapers – and writing course material in between!

It was the best and hardest experience of my life.

Being able to do work that I loved, as well as having quality time with my baby daughter was wonderful, and a joy I’m all too aware is not always possible for working dads.

Figuring out a way to work around our family was extremely important to us. We have always sought to find the fun and the excitement in our job – the things that get us going – and to incorporate these things into family life.

We even took our business and our baby travelling the world for 8 months – going from the USA to Australia, and then New Zealand.

Though balancing a baby and a business was definitely daunting at times, these months were our commitment to living the one life we have to the fullest. This was a time we will always treasure.

Juggling parenthood with starting a business taught us that if you want something badly enough, you will find the time to do it. Sometimes that means staying up late – after the family’s gone to bed – or waking up early.

Whilst doing this crucial work, remind yourself that these challenges won’t last forever, and that nothing feels as good as seeing your hard work pay off.

How could you make your passion for natural & organic skincare work around your family commitments?

3. Find your focus.

Our business was growing, and demanding more of us than ever before. And then… the twins arrived! OMG!

We weren’t sure how we were going to cope – but we did! And you know what?

Our business grew because of our children.

There’s no doubt about it: looking after three children under the age of two, as well as running a relatively new business, gave us no choice but to focus!

What could have been an obstacle became a strength! Without any spare time to waste on procrastination, we found our minds, senses, and energies more centered than ever before.

And the focus and hard work paid off.

In that time, our business more than quadrupled in size. In 12-18 months, we went from what was a very part-time business, to becoming a fully fledged, internationally recognized online school, with students all over the world who loved what we did and were as passionate about natural skincare as we were.

4. Listen to your customers.

For those of you aiming to start or grow a business, feedback is your best friend. Early feedback from friends and family is especially helpful.

Of course, because this is your business – your passion – feedback (especially the critical kind!) may be hard to hear. It may even make you feel defensive. But never forget that your customers can teach you so much. This is why having a platform where your customers can connect with you is vital to success.

When you create a platform to connect with your customers, you open yourself to a wealth of constructive feedback, and, in turn, your customers can connect with your vision and with you.

We believe that when you communicate with passion, belief, and honesty, people can sense that you speak from the heart, and this resonates with them. Whilst building our business, we focused on problem solving, and in maintaining an unwavering faith in what we did. We aimed to stay calm in times of stress. And to figure things out together, as a team.

Listen to your customers’ comments and criticisms. Take in their praise and answer their questions. It is your gift to be able to deliver solutions to their problems and to create a community of customers who truly love what you have to offer.

What feedback would be helpful for you and who could give it to you? How could you receive this feedback in a way that helps you improve and grow?

5. Embrace mistakes – no one is perfect and you will mess up!

Nobody’s perfect, and we all mess up from time to time – we’re only human, after all! We’re sorry whenever we do and we do our utmost to correct the mistakes we’ve made.

We also recognise that mistakes offer an important opportunity to grow.

Now, when Gail and I look at the past, we cherish our growth and the work that we’ve done. At the same time, we are always aiming to improve and to grow, to evolve and develop, and to find the best solutions possible to any new challenges that arise.

6. Seek help!!!

You can’t do it all on your own. Seriously. You’ll likely experience burnout if you try to. We did it alone for a while, until we realised we needed help in order to stay sane.

For our business, we sought expert advice from across the board. From graphic design to advertising, from book-keeping to tech support, from business coaches to life coaches, and online courses of one kind or another.

Over time, we gathered a team of freelancers who have helped our business go from strength to strength – beauty business experts, cosmetic formulators and scientists.

Now, with a number of full-time staff members, we can reach and inspire more people than ever before and give opportunities for more people to learn and grow!

At home, when our twins were three months old, we hired a childminder for 12 hours each week. This carved out dedicated time for work. As our business has grown, we’ve been able to increase the amount of support we have at home in order to continue to grow our enterprise.

This means that a cook, a cleaner, and our childminder all play integral roles in helping us to juggle life with what we love.

Let me be clear though, we are still hands on parents – we still cook, clean, and tidy every day.

We dry tears, wipe bums, clean up sick, and deal with sleepless nights and very early mornings. We do the shopping, play with our kids, organise family adventures, and do as much as we possibly can to ensure that we are able to live our most authentic truth as a family and as a business.

As well as this, it was important to us that we could home-school our eldest daughter. She is now nearly six, and we intend to do the same for the twins. There’s no question that it’s all hands on deck, but still we do it!

And why?

Because this is the path we choose. It may be hard, but our faith is unwavering, and at the end of the day, we know that we believe in what we do.

What help do you need? Who can help you to achieve the dreams you have? What training could you get and what support would be most helpful?

7. Don’t wait around.

It’s easy to put our dreams on hold because we feel that we need more knowledge, more money, more time. But the truth is that with this mindset the ‘perfect day’ might never arrive. Realising that NOW is the time to connect with your passion is the only way forward.

Harness your passion! Be consumed by it! And work hard to find ways to bring your goals to life.

Ask yourself what’s stopping you. What is standing in the way of you progressing, learning, and dedicating time and energy to your passion for natural and organic skincare?

Not enough money and time are always big reasons we hold ourselves back. But money and time are problems that may never go away. What we can choose to do is to find a way to pursue our passion regardless.

How could you help yourself to keep going, to keep working on your passion, no matter what the obstacle?

8. Plan Ahead

A few years back, Tara Gentile (now Tara McMullin), shared with us this golden nugget: design your business now as if you were already achieving your three year goals. That is to say, dream big, and as you dream of your future, put the required infrastructure in place now. Then you can start the next dream, and the next!

By following Tara’s advice you are setting your business up to grow. And this works for learning a new craft, too!

Here’s why:

1. You’re more likely to successfully achieve your goals because you feel as if you almost already have.

2. Upon achieving your goals for your business/craft, you will already have made sure that the necessary people, processes, and systems are in place for your next goals to be reached.

And so the cycle of success continues!

Planning ahead is also about cultivating the art of dreaming, ofImagining the future and mapping out what it could be like, then making a plan to make it happen. Everything starts with an idea! And planning ahead is what allows our ideas to take flight.

Without needing to rely on anyone else, think right now how you could plan ahead.

9. Cultivate the art of marketing

If you want to start and grow a business, you must cultivate the art of marketing. It doesn’t matter how good your product is – if no-one knows about it, how will your business grow? Who will come knocking at your door? And how will your business endure?

Start small, by dedicating an hour a week to finding customers, then build that up to an hour a day.

Find experts to help you with everything. We’re talking web design, photography, advertising and selling online; don’t take bad advice or engage with anyone who will devalue your offering and limit your sales.

10. Find your tribe!

Most important of all, find people who want to buy from you – who listen to and are inspired by you, and who enjoy being part of your business.

The customer enables your business to exist – so get searching for people who will love what you do. Ask yourself, how will you find and connect with potential customers? And how will you help them to find you, too?

With hard work, a good attitude, and plenty of nurture and care, the rest will take care of itself.

What tribe could you join? Where can you get support? Who can help you to learn, grow, develop and progress? Who could help and support you to do what you want to do?

11. Never forget your ‘why’.

At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than your ‘why’. Whether natural skincare is your hobby or your career, always remember the real passion that put you on this path in the first place. Never forget your love for what you do.

In times of challenge or uncertainty, find pockets of time (they can be big or small!) for learning more. Then, watch and take pride as your newfound knowledge elevates your creative endeavours to a whole new level.

What is your ‘why’? Try writing it down.

Ask yourself, why do you make your own products? What is the underlying meaning and joy of your passion for natural skincare?

Why do you do it, and what does it give you, in turn?

12. Be a lifelong learner AND be kind to yourself.

Masters of their craft are lifelong learners. They invest their time and money into their craft because they know they’re investing in more than just learning.

An investment into your craft is an investment for your heart and soul, your health and wellbeing, and ultimately, your happiness.

Because we’re happiest when we’re learning, developing, and making progress. We’re happiest when we do the things that make our heart sing. We’re happiest when we allow ourselves to see how good we are at what we love.

What steps will you take to become a lifelong learner?

If we could only all spend more time doing the things we love, spending time with the people we love the most – surely life would be that much more pleasant.

This is why we choose to be lifelong learners. To never stop growing and never stop trying new things.

The most important thing in all of this life juggling?

Be kind to yourself. Seriously.

Take pleasure in treating yourself from time to time – in practising self-care, and just remember: follow the fun, speak your truth, and practise unwavering faith in yourself.

How could you be kind to yourself?

Free Online Organic Skincare Formulation Course

Fundamentals of Skincare Formulation

Learn the essentials of skincare formulation with our FREE course!

If you’re confused by all the misleading information out there, we’re here to guide you. Learn how to create natural and organic products confidently, using industry best practices, under the guidance of professional cosmetic scientists.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now.

Sign up now

We look after your data in accordance with our privacy policy.

What you’ll learn:

• Formulation Foundations: The basics of cosmetic chemistry and skincare formulation.
• Bodycare: Make a shea-butter-rich body moisturizer with our pro formula.
• Facial Skincare: Rejuvenate your skin with our two facial oil formulas.
• Creams & Lotions: Create shelf-stable moisturizers using our tried-and-tested formula.
• Natural Ingredients: Understand the key natural and organic ingredients used in formulations.

Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and start formulating your own natural products today!

The post The Art of Juggling Life with What You Love! appeared first on School of Natural Skincare.