Today, let me introduce to our BAS friend, Claire Curtis—the owner of The Remedy Store, a wellbeing and concept store and a sensory haven for all beauty and wellbeing enthusiasts who care about the planet but also how they look after themselves.
Here, I chat with Claire about her green beauty journey, building a community of like-minded people and much more..
What inspired you to start The Remedy Store, and how did the idea come about?
Having trained as a Make-up Artist and working in Fashion and Editorial, my green beauty journey started after being hired as a Make-up Artist at Space NK. This was the first time I was really exposed to high end “clean beauty” products. I learnt that brands like Chantecaille and Caudalie worked as effectively as products with more synthetic ingredients, so these became my go-tos.
During my time at Space NK, I was also building a successful business as a Brow Stylist, working from a studio based in my home. It was during the Covid-19 lockdowns when I was unable to carry out my work, that it became clear that my role was more than frivolous and non-essential to my clients. It was clear that I had built a community where my treatments were essential for wellbeing and mental health and they were empowering the women I was working with.
Historically, in times of financial hardship like the ones we are facing now, the Beauty and Wellbeing sector has been one of few to grow, because people like to feel good. Going into my second period of being unable to complete my close contact work, I used my previous experience in high-end skincare retail to expand my business and stock skincare brand UpCircle.
It was a success with my clients and I was placing a second large order within 4 weeks. This is when The Remedy was born.
How has The remedy Store evolved since you first opened and what do you see for its future?
The Remedy is constantly evolving and the sense of community within our customer base is something that is so motivating for us. We are already building such a beautiful community of like-minded people who care about the planet, but also their own wellbeing, who feel the same way about shopping for their beauty needs as we do at The Remedy, and we want to continue to grow this.
Over the next year we’re looking to expand our make-up ranges and to prioritise education with our customers. We are keen to change the way consumers shop for beauty. As with the fast fashion industry, there has become a trend of quantity over quality and this does not necessarily mean that items being purchased are well thought out or, at times, even used. We want to take beauty back to its roots. There’s nothing I love more than mooching the beauty hall in a physical store like Liberty. The whole experience of smell, touch, holding the product in your hand – you can’t beat it.
What skills or experiences from your background helped you as you grew The Remedy?
When I began The Remedy, I wanted the main emphasis to be on customer experience. One thing I noted from my time in high-end skincare retail, was that the shopping experience should engage all the senses and not just finish at the till. From the moment you enter the shop, I wanted a visually pleasing experience with clearly laid out shelves and a candle always burning.
Knowledgeable and personable staff are key in providing good customer service meaning your experience will not end with your product selection and purchase. Your shopping journey should continue when you take your product home, unwrap and enjoy. So often our customers will pass by the shop and stop into feedback on how their product worked for them, which we love. Building a loyal customer base is really important to us.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about clean beauty?
Defining “clean beauty” is tricky as people define it in different ways. What does “clean beauty” mean to you? For some it means organic, for some it means all natural (which is different from organic), for some it means free from or eco-friendly. It’s just a very grey marketing word which makes you believe a product is safer (people can still react to a plant-based ingredient) or better for the environment.
There is so much greenwashing in the “clean beauty” sector, lots of brands are owned by global pharmaceutical companies which are far from ethical or planet conscious. At The Remedy we promote a slower and more considered process. We want our customers to realise that plant derived ingredients can be just as active and as potent as chemical based synthetic ingredients, but better for you and better for the planet.
We work with independent brands, and I speak with the founders and formulators to place orders or if we or a customer has a query they are there to answer questions. There are no AI bots involved.
All of the brands we work with are looking to do better by the planet, in terms of packaging, ethics and ingredients. Our products are free from microplastics, parabens, silicones and hormone disruptors. They are all cruelty-free and mostly vegan (a few contain beeswax) and are all small batch made, often by hand.
What is your favourite product?
Being asked to choose our favourite products is a tough one. It’s constantly changing depending on the weather, self-care needs etc. The UpCircle Cleansing Balm is a constant favourite of mine. All the lovely oils help breakdown and remove make-up, SPF and excess oil like a dream. It smells divine too!
I love serums, if you’ve never tried one, you really need to try the NINI Organics Crimson Beauty. Containing everyone’s favourite Hylauronic Acid for hydration, and a beautiful red colour from macerated hibiscus flower, this serum also contains two biotech ingredients; Quora Nori, an intelligent Microbiome balancing ingredient that is great for balancing oil production, smoothing imperfections and protecting the skins epidermal barrier against environmental stressors (this ingredient is great for Rosacea).
And Arabian Cotton which is incredible at protecting your skin against HEV (blue-light) rays found in all our electronic devices. It floods the skin with antioxidants, helping it become beautiful and glowy.
I also love love love our Selfcare company candles. There really are none that smell better. They are made with soy wax and with pure essential oils making them non-toxic. Once your nose becomes attuned to essentials oils, you can’t go back. We’ll be burning our Christmas candle in the shop soon, Cinnamon, Orange and Clove. It’s cosy and warming and gorgeous.
What is your approach to educating customers on clean beauty products and their benefits?
We love chatting with our customers and to introduce them to a new green beauty brand that they go on to love, is such a great feeling! They often come in and tell us the results and what they loved about it. These conversations are the only way we will be able to reduce beauty waste.
Whether it’s a skin, ingredient or product (not necessarily a Remedy product) related question, bring them to us! The more you know, the less money you will waste on products that aren’t suitable for you. Over the past year, we have built an incredible community of green beauty enthusiasts, all with the goal of “less is more”, stripping back toxic ingredients.
We have a brilliant children’s workshop in which we talk about suitable skincare for their age group. It’s terrifying what young people are buying, skin care which is completely inappropriate for their age range. We use this time to educate parents on the pit falls of beauty marketing (for the consumer), buzz words and ingredients to avoid.
We also focus a lot on selfcare, rather than the aesthetic, encouraging young people to spend time away from devices to really nurture their bodies and minds.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the clean beauty industry today?
Green beauty is growing rapidly. There are so many brilliant and inventive brands that are doing amazing things. Brands using plants from all over the world, or using food waste, or growing their own ingredients. There is more than profit at stake for these brands.
It’s a passion for change. And change takes time. Sourcing ethical ingredients and packaging takes times. Researching effective ways to ship products that uses less carbon emissions takes time. Small scale manufacturing takes time.
Ingredients and/or packaging that aren’t mass produced, unfortunately cost more, which in turn may drive consumers to a less sustainable brand depending on their budget. These are all struggles that the green beauty sector faces.
Why do you think customers are increasingly interested in clean, natural products?
People are feeling the strain at the moment, the cost of living is increasingly taking its toll on mental health, we are in a health care crisis with the NHS struggling to recover since COVID and the threat of Global Warming not being taken seriously by people in power.
People are more aware than ever that things have to change. I’m finding that our customers want to make small changes wherever they can. Switching out products that disrupt marine life, affect hormones, that use single use plastic, it all helps. Stripping back and applying a “less is more “approach to a beauty ritual is something we are finding our customers are seeking.
If an ingredient isn’t necessary, why is it in a product, or if a more natural ingredient is available, why use a synthetic chemical one? Customers are just more aware.
I believe our customers are more in tune with the wellness aspect of beauty too. Taking the time to discover a ritual that works for them and makes them not only look good, but feel good too.
What trends do you predict for the future of clean beauty, and how will they shape The Remedy?
I really feel beauty in general, is going to do a 360 next year and have more of a physical presence on the high street. Sephora is popping up in many a city, and John Lewis is overhauling its beauty department to keep up with the likes of Space NK and Liberty.
This is great for green beauty, as there will be more opportunity for brands to interact with customers. It will also hopefully impact product waste, with customers being able to try before you buy with samples, having the chance to ask a human question and experiencing the products as a whole, rather than online. Hopefully, we’ll see better packaging solutions and more refill options in these spaces too. This is something the smaller green beauty brands are really good at. They’re always evolving because they really care. It’s not all about profit for them.
Claire loves wearing our Rhea necklace. See the full Rhea range here.
For more information please visit theremedystore.co
Follow Claire on Instagram @theremedystore
READ ANOTHER HUMAN SPOTLIGHT STORY HERE.
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