The Skincare Edit | An Interview With Evolve Organic Beauty Founder Laura Rudoe
There’s no denying the beauty and skincare industry is big business. In a report carried out by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, they conclude the market is set to reach £26.7bn by 2022. This staggering figure is a prime example of the importance that beauty and skincare products play in everyday life. Another factor that is gaining more exposure surrounds the question ‘how ethical and sustainable is my beauty regime?’
Green, vegan, ethical and sustainable are all words that are now making waves across the beauty market. To get an insight into this sector, we recently chatted to Laura Rudoe of Evolve Organic Beauty on starting a brand in this competitive industry and the importance of sustainability for consumers and brands.
The foundations of Evolve Organic Beauty
Laura is a passionate advocate of ethical and environmentally friendly business practices, food and well being. Inspired by natural evolution, Laura’s deep appreciation for nature was and still is at the heart of the business. Laura’s vision for her company was to create a range of natural beauty products that really work to solve skin issues, to support people in their journey towards better skin, and to share her knowledge about a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Launched in 2009 the range is next generation beauty solutions for skin, body and hair, made with the purest and most effective natural superfoods, collected from small producers worldwide and handmade and produced in small batches in the Good Ventures studio in Hertfordshire, England. The brand continues to grow with Laura creating new products in the studio, and the line up consists of 28 products and is now available worldwide in over 20 countries.
Laura, please give us an insight into your industry background
I started working in the skincare area in 2005 when I joined fledgling NUDE skincare as a founding employee. In 2008 I set up Good Ventures, an ethical development company with the mission to create beauty products that make a difference. Before I joined the skincare industry, I worked as a Management Consultant and Venture Capitalist and I gained an MBA from Harvard Business School.
What was the main influence for starting Evolve Organic Beauty?
Evolve is designed to make natural and ethical beauty desirable, accessible and easy to integrate into your everyday life. I’m passionate about ethical and environmentally friendly businesses as well as natural and sustainable living. I wanted to help to make natural and organic products more mainstream.
Tell us the most challenging aspects when bringing your company into the industry?
I spent about 7 years developing Evolve Beauty before it really took off, and that was hard – it takes much longer than you think! I made a lot of mistakes and learnt a lot of lessons during that time. In 2015 we moved to our own studio where we started making a new apothecary style Evolve Beauty range with minimalist packaging and things started taking off.
Are there any challenges the beauty industry faces which new brands should be aware of?
Until now, natural and organic beauty has been a niche which the larger players were not focused on. However, it is now very mainstream which makes our space much more competitive and challenging to enter. However, it is brilliant for the customer as they have so much choice. As a trailblazer in this market, our aim is to stay one step ahead by continuing to innovate our products and our packaging.
What are the key trends/products in skincare that’ll we’ll see in the next few years?
Ingredient manufacturers are integrating sustainability into their operations in a big way at the moment. We are using the pulp obtained from the juicing industry – which is frozen at source and crushed to created exfoliating particles. This upcycled material that reusing existing waste from natural and vegan origin reduces our footprint on the planet.
Can you offer any advice to business women looking to enter the beauty and skincare sector?
I have mentored quite a few women entrepreneurs and I think it is really important to know your numbers as well as being truly passionate about the products you are creating. Can you make your brand financially sustainable? Also, get a great team around you that complements your skill set.
What is your hope for the future of the Evolve Organic?
We have several really exciting products in the pipeline that I am excited about! We have also recently relaunched Evolve’s big sister brand, which is called S5 Skincare. This is an organic treatment range for skin problems such as sensitivity, blemishes and premature ageing. We are very excited about the potential to grow that range in the next few years.