Natural, pure and organic. Raw, unprocessed and whole. These words are often used to describe the food sources we seek when focussing on healthy eating and holistic wellness, but what about our skin?
Following the worldwide food and fitness trend focussing on what we put into our bodies, it’s only fair that focus will transcend to what we put on our bodies too. Organic, all-natural skin-care is becoming more sought after than ever before and we’ve found a little piece of organic skin goodness, right here in Gold Coast City.
Combining organics with luxury, Gold Coast City sisters Kate Sampson and Anna Hamilton have perfected the art of transforming nature into nurture, with their all natural skin care botanicals range derived solely from the earth.
Cedar + Stone Botanicals launched earlier this month and offers a sophisticated scope of sumptuous all natural skin care products, including body mists and scrubs, luscious lip balms and skin serums and salts.
Dedicated to preserving our natural environment and committed to creating products free from chemicals, toxins, additives, preservatives and artificial fragrances, Kate and Anna have truly embodied the natural skin care movement.
Inspired by her continual skin irritations thanks to chemicals in skin care products, Anna sought help from her sister Kate, who had studied natural therapies and together, they found a niche in the natural skin care market.
“Through our discussions, Kate and I discovered that it wasn’t as accessible as it should be to get our hands on a one hundred per cent natural skincare that has absolutely no ingredients made in a lab” Anna said.
“Even going into health food stores, we found most products still had one or two ingredients that were not natural, despite claiming to be. It was from this obvious market gap that Cedar + Stone evolved”
Embarking on an experimental journey, the two sisters set about the trial and error process of creating the perfect, unique botanical recipe for each product.
“We create each recipe and experiment with different herbs, plant extracts, oils and essential oils. The key to knowing what works is getting hands on with it! Everything is tested on OUR sensitive skin. We are so incredibly against animal cruelty and there was never a question during the production process of how we would test our products.”
“Some things sound like they would work together but end up cancelling each other out. It’s a meticulous, exciting and sometimes frustrating process but when the final products comes together and you see the stunning results, you feel a great sense of achievement and gratitude” Anna said.
Ingredients included in each product are listed on the labels, in layman’s terms and staying true to their environmentally-friendly ethos, you won’t find any words in the lists that you can’t pronounce.
Mixing family and business can spell disaster, but these two sisters have got it sussed with an effective division of labour and sisterly support system.
Busy Mum of three Kate juggles creating for Cedar + Stone with managing a very hectic schedule of kids school, social and learning calendars and is grateful for the help of her sister, who is yet to have her own children.
“My days are pretty crazy – it’s nonstop from 4.30am when I wake up until about 10pm when I close my computer for the day. Luckily, I have a pretty awesome business partner in my sister Anna, who holds down the fort when I am busy running the kids between appointments, school and all their additional lessons” Kate said.
Social media superstar Anna spends her days working through endless to-do lists and managing Cedar + Stone’s social networks and online presence.
“A day in the life of Anna includes ticking off to-do lists, working on different social media avenues, writing pieces for the website and finalising orders. When all is done for the day, I can be found pinning away on Pinterest into the wee hours” Anna said.
Browsing through the Cedar + Stone product list, Kate and Anna’s meticulous experimenting, careful collaboration of ingredients and commitment to creating earth inspired skin care are unmistakable. Juniper berry essential oils, sea kelp, aloe vera, clear quartz crystal essence, turmeric root and pomegranate are just a few of the vast and varied range of natural herbs, plants, minerals and crystal essences found within the Cedar + Stone range.
Setting out to change the world, one perfect skin potion at a time, Anna and Kate hope to make a difference to the skin care market and to the skin of our nation.
“On a large scale, we hope to shape the way skincare should be – chemical free. On a smaller scale, we want to provide our customers with satisfaction, rejuvenation, relaxation and a feel good experience.” Anna said.
“Beauty is far from everything, but it definitely helps to feel confident in your own skin.”
To get your hands on some Cedar + Stone natural skincare luxury, visit their website, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.
