My promise
My products:
- have been carefully and uniquely formulated by me alongside my amazing chemist, no pre-made bases/ private label formulas are used giving me complete control of ingredients and formulations
- include only ingredients that provide a clear benefit, with no unnecessary additions and no "trendy" ingredients
- contain carefully chosen ingredients at recommended usage rates. Less is definitely more and I want to deliver effective products whilst minimising any risk of irritation
- are vegan and not tested on animals. They're tested on me, friends and family! NB. it is a legal requirement that ALL cosmetic products sold within the UK/EU and the ingredients in them must not have been tested on animals. Furthermore my products are not sold in countries which require animal testing
- are free from fear: If there's one thing that drives me mad it's brands that sell on the basis of fear of ingredients!
- are based on the reduce, reuse and recycle principle: my range will be tightly curated and minimalist with no "trendy" ingredients which are likely to adversely impact the environment. I avoid ingredients that are at conservation risk and my products are responsibly packaged using aluminium and glass as much as possible. I also offer refill options where possible and stopped using outer cardboard packaging for bottles a few years ago in order to reduce unnecessary waste. Of course there is always scope to do better so I'm always looking for ways to improve!
- are carefully packed using recycled and recyclable packaging, with the minimum amount of packaging used to ensure products reach you safely (and undamaged!). I encourage you to reuse this packaging to reduce waste
- are packaged in UV filtered amber glass aromatherapy bottles or aluminium to preserve the freshness of the ingredients and minimise oxidation of the oils
- are made with care in the UK
List of charities Apothaka donated to since launch:
EVELINA LONDON CHILDREN'S CHARITY
This was prompted by my gorgeous nephew Kai. Kai is 17 months old and has spent a lot of time under the care of Evelina Children's Hospital as an inpatient. Having been a regular visitor at the hospital, it's clear to see the fantastic, innovative work that this hospital does, pioneering new technology and treating babies / children across a wide variety of conditions.
Medecins sans frontieres - UK
Medecins sans frontieres do incredible work providing life-saving medical care in crisis zones. And unfortunately there are so many needs around the world right now - they operate in places like Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine & Afghanistan, working in very difficult and often dangerous situations.
Emergency Medical Aid for Ukraine
My Slovakian friend, Michaela Ruby is working closely with an amazing Slovakian charity ADRA which is based at the border helping with emergency medial aid purchases and transport to Ukraine. Apothaka, together with Luneia Skincare donated a proportion of sales from a collaboration to these efforts.
Incredible Brilliant Youth - London
Incredible Brilliant Youth is a fun, innovative youth organisation that was set up in July 2012 to help empower and improve the confidence of young people aged 11-30 through courses, workshops and talks on self esteem, beauty, education and employment. To date they have worked with over 2000 people across the South of England.
After the success of the IBY Complete Hair and Makeup Artist course in the Summer, all six graduates went on to paid work on photoshoots, adverts, TV shows and films. How amazing is that, especially in an industry that's been hit so hard by COVID19?!
Stephen Lawrence charitable trust (now called Blueprint for all)– London
Blueprint for all (formerly Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) works with young people and communities to create an inclusive society in which everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity or background can thrive.
Their programmes provide inspiration, opportunities and support to talented young people, enabling them to succeed. They work with innovative organisations and businesses to address disparity of opportunity, so everyone’s talents, skills and perspectives are valued. And we empower communities across the UK to tackle inequality and discrimination for long term, sustainable change.
NHS Health heroes (Healing Hands – Hemel Hempstead & Kings College ICU staff)
Apothaka donated a number of larger hand cream samples to a local initiative in the area, Healing Hands, which gets much needed skincare products to front line NHS workers. A batch went to Hemel Hospital and in total, Apothaka has donated over 70 samples, including some to local NHS staff in Berkhamsted and to King's College ICU staff (thanks to Yasmine @peels_masks_and_scrubs who has been doing an amazing job of getting goodie bags to the wonderful staff there)
DENS - Dacorum, Herts
This wonderful local charity supports and empowers those in my area that face homelessness, poverty & social exclusion, by providing access to temporary accommodation, food and provisions as well as supporting them with the development of skills and confidence to build a better future.
The Joseph School – Haiti
50% of Haitian children don't have the opportunity to attend school. The Joseph School believes that through education students will teach and empower hundreds— transforming the future of Haiti.
The money went towards health assessments & medical needs, a food programme which provides locally grown food for the students’ meals, and some desperately needed books.