Odylique by Essential Care is an amazing skin care, hair care, and makeup brand dedicated to providing consumers with clean, organic, handmade products with ingredients you can pronounce! I especially admire that Odylique also prioritizes ethical shopping and responsible packaging.
Founder Abi Weeds graciously sent me some lipstick to review and agreed to do an interview with me for my readers! I cannot wait to update you in a future post about Odylique’s lipstick, but until then, please enjoy our chat below!
I think it’s really cool that you hand-make each of your products! What are the benefits of making them in a workshop rather than mass-producing them in a factory?
Thank you! Hand-making our products means that our own love and passion goes into every single one! We can also keep a really close eye on quality – for example, each of our lipsticks is individually finished. We also think that less energy is used compared to outsourced mass-production, and the overall carbon footprint is lower. Mass-produced items are often made overseas and components shipped from place to place. Handmade also generates less waste – the percent waste on large machine production runs is often high – our customers enjoy every drop! And last but not least, because we make frequently in small batches, the products are fresh and full of vitality.
What obstacles have you faced in creating and growing this company? How did you deal with them?
We were one of the pioneers of genuine (certified) organic skincare in the early 2000s. Ever since we’ve been battling against greenwashing. There’s no law to stop a brand calling themselves organic, even when they use the same chemicals as mass-produced brands do. We’ve just done what we can to try and help consumers and shops understand the difference.
Can you tell me about your experience with becoming Fair Trade Certified? What was the process like?
In many ways it’s a great journey because you find out a lot about the producer and can tangibly see how Fairtrade helps. – For example, how the Fair Trade premium is invested in communities. In some ways it is also a bit frustrating as I feel the Fair Trade movement could grow more if the different fair trade organisations (Fairtrade Foundation, Fair for Life etc.) worked together and recognized each other’s certifications. More ingredients and more products could get certified and more producers would benefit.
What does ethical consumerism mean to you? Why do you think people should care about how their skin products and makeup were produced?
Ethical consumerism encompasses so many important values. What you put on your skin doesn’t only have a direct impact on your health and wellbeing (your lotions and potions are absorbed into your body!). When you shop for ethical products, you also support the farmers and people producing them, who may get treated and paid poorly otherwise. Shopping ethically can also reduce your carbon footprint, protect wildlife and encourage others to shop in the same way.
Consumers have so much power depending on where they spend their money. When you can have a positive impact on other people’s lives by buying yourself a treat, then why wouldn’t you?
Yes! As consumers, our buying power is so important. Your products are also cruelty-free. Why is it important for customers who value Fair Trade products to also shop cruelty free and vice-versa? Are the Fair Trade and cruelty-movements linked?
Those who shop for Fair Trade products are conscious consumers looking at the bigger picture and the ripple effect of their actions on others. When you shop cruelty-free, it’s very much the same idea, but as well as thinking about the people behind the products, you’re also considering the animals! The more people who shop cruelty free, the greater the desire for corporations to stop testing on animals – it’s voting with your money!
I completely agree! What do you think is needed to move people from being aware of unethical labor practices to actually altering their behavior as consumers?
Speaking out consistently about a subject eventually prohibits someone from being able to put an idea to the back of their mind. Ethical brands need to keep the conversation going to remind people that purchasing the alternative is just not worth it. Making ethical products more visible in the marketplace and making it as easy as possible for shoppers to purchase as a conventional product will also help.
The easier it is to shop ethically the better for everyone! On your website, you talk about corporate social responsibility. What is this and why is it a core value of your brand?
Corporate social responsibility is when private companies take ownership and control of their impact on society. As a company, we want to leave a mark that is positive – for example, we want to give back to society through charity, and create products that use sustainable materials and ingredients. This not only benefits those who use them, but the environment and all those associated with our supply chain. We take our values seriously and it isn’t just a ‘front’ to sell products, we truly live our values – we implement them in our headquarters, from recycling to using energy efficient lighting in our building.
What are some of your favorite Odylique products and why?
My 3 favourites are Gentle Herb Shampoo (I have an incredibly sensitive scalp and it’s about the only shampoo I can use), my daily staple black eye liner which goes on like a dream (it’s also the only eye liner in the world with both organic and Fairtrade certification), and our Superfruit Concentrate – it’s a simple but incredibly powerful facial oil that makes me look like I’ve slept well even when I haven’t!
What is your vision for the future of conscious consumerism?
That eventually shops are filled with more ethical products than not, and to do this, stores must take action to vet the products they are putting in front of consumers. Also, that collectively, we can all make a positive impact on the current climate crisis, environment and people behind the products we buy. We can literally change the world with more education on consuming organic, fairly traded, cruelty free, minimal-waste products.
Lastly, what can shoppers expect from your brand in the future?
Our customers can always rely on us to stand by our values no matter what. Every single product will always be certified organic, Fairtrade wherever possible, use the best in green chemistry, and we will continue to agonise over our packaging choices to make the right choice for the environment. Shoppers can look forward to new makeup, skincare and haircare in response to ever-expanding wishlists!
Thank you again to Abi Weeds and the Odylique team for doing this interview with me! Please check out my Odylique lipstick review here. Spoiler alert: they’re amazing!
Featured image credit: @Odylique on Instagram
