A TEA WITH.. LUCY, FOUNDER OF SANS[CEUTICALS]

It’s no doubt Sans[ceuticals] is by far my most favourite skincare brand. And that’s because it’s honestly natural. I find the word ‘natural’ to be overused in food and cosmetic labelling, and purely for marketing reasons- which is not okay!

I’m a big believer in only putting on your skin what you would in your mouth- and that’s because we absorb everything that goes onto our skin. Then, it travels straight into the bloodstream (rather than bypassing the liver as food does).

So, I’ve done all of the research for you, read and approved all of the ingredients, personally used (and fallen in love with), and sold these stunning products to our customers for over a year now.

A CUPPA WITH LUCY, THE FOUNDER OF SANS[CEUTICALS]

We caught up with Lucy, the founder of Sans[ceuticals] to chat about why she started Sans, her personal skincare regime, and of course down to the nitty gritty of the Sans ingredients.

1. What inspired you to start Sans?
When I was 13, my Mum gave me a book called The Herb Book by Arabella Boxer. It was a 70′s-style book on how to grow your own herbs, their nutritional value and medicinal benefits, how to cook and heal with them, and how to make skincare. It is a book that has influenced me profoundly as it is a blend of everything I do and love today. I started developing sans [ceuticals] in 2007. The first product I developed was our hero – Activator 7. It was born out of a frustration of not being able to find clean, natural products that were really active, well designed and sustainably minded. I wanted products to be highly effective and have a noticeable effect on skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis and also the ability to repair the most damaged of hair. Cosmeceutical technology was just starting to hit – this is where cosmetic and pharmaceutical technologies merge, however what was on offer was synthetic formulations and uninspired packaging. I discovered through research that the key actives with the best studies (vitamin A) were more often natural, so we dialed them up really high and suspended them in clean, natural ingredients. The results were incredible, so much so, a local naturopath started recommending his chronic eczema and dermatitis clients to use it. This is was a great moment for us.
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2. What particular ingredients are important to add in/leave out of skin care, in your opinion?
My philosophy is not to over complicate and make sure what is in a formulation serves a true purpose. We spend a lot of time researching which oils are the most skin compatible and combine with vitamin technologies that have long standing clinical data, proven to be highly effective and support on a cellular level.
What we leave out, anything unnecessary and anything unkind to cells. for instance —Paraben, Phthalates, PEGs, Sulphates, artificial colours and fragrances. This list goes on.
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3. Tell me about your personal skincare regime?
Because I have kids, I live by the rule of quick, simple but effective! I always cleanse all over with our Goji Cleansing Oil followed with a mix of Activator 7 Oil and Synergie Super Serum C. I rarely wear makeup but if I do its RMS Un-Coverup and I tend to end up applying my mascara in the car. My personal favourite, and our product with a cult-following, Activator 7 Body + Hair + Face Oil does everything! It’s a super serum that packs a punch with it’s high concentration of Vitamin A. I put a few drops in my face cream at night for an added boost, use it on the ends of my hair as a smoothing and hydrating serum… I shave my legs with it, remove my eye make-up (when I remember) and also use it post shower as an amazing daily body oil.
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4. What are your motives for new products, and are you currently working on any?
We are working on a concise collection of skincare products for the face called the Superdose Collection. I was chatting to a dermatologist recently who said he sees a lot of inflammation and skin sensitivity from overly-complicated skincare regimes. After working in the beauty industry for over twenty years, I have been frustrated that most cosmeceutical skincare requires purchasing multiple creams and serums to be effective. We are working on a more simplified yet targeted approach, combining key actives such as A,B,C & E in one formulation to really deliver results.
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5. How do you unwind?
A night at home cooking for my boys, followed by a hot bath and a glass of wine!

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