With so much consumer interest in wellness, naturals, and edible beauty, tea is a compelling ingredient for not only its benefits but its cachet as well. (Indeed one of the brands considered here is even called Edible Beauty.)
Hair care
Forever Wild Organics makes hair teas, brew-able herbal blends that can be used either as a topical hair treatment or as a beverage.
In remarks shared with Cosmetics Design earlier this year, brand founder Chelsea Cannon explains consumer response and product benefits of the hair teas: “I have received such beautiful feedback about the uniqueness and positive results from using our product,” she says.
“It feels unreal to be able to share the recipes that I have been using on my family, friends, and clients for years,” adds Cannon. “Unlike commercial conditioners, our herbal hair rinses have no harmful ingredients, leave no residue, and rinse clean. Herbal hair rinses can provide deep cleansing, enrich natural hair color, soothe irritation, prevent dandruff or stimulate the scalp to increase growth.”
(Read more about Forever Wild Organics and other brands working with food-grade inputs here on Cosmetics Design.
Skin care
Nutritionist Anna Mitsios launched Edible Beauty to fill a niche she saw in her practice, a niche for pure skin care from edible ingredients that was hormone friendly. The brand comprises a full range of what might be called conventional skin care items: serums, lotions, face oils, an eye balm, an exfoliant, sheet masks, etc.
The Edible Beauty product portfolio also includes seven Beauty Teas and a couple of product bundles incorporating those teas: an Acne Away Set and an Anti-Aging Trio. The brand’s site refers to these teas as skin care supplements and inside beauty products.
Explaining her concept in an interview with theechoedit.com, Mitsios says, “I am a huge believer in the powerful ability of herbs and nourishing foods to transform and revitalise us on a daily basis. They operate at a higher level than vitamins and powders as there is a synergy in the interplay of nutrients and minerals found in whole foods.”
Fragrance
Ellis Brooklyn, the popular indie fragrance brand led by New York Times columnist Bee Shapiro, includes notes of tea in its Sci Fi fragrance, one of six scents in the brand’s limited edition Adventure Fragrance Layering Kit.
Tea works well as a familiar, earthy fragrance note. And the Sephora product page for the kit describes the fragrance like this: “Sci Fi is an otherworldly vanilla—an intriguing, unforgettable blend of green tea, pink freesia, bitter orange and vanilla beans.”
Tea—in fragrances, in skin care and hair care formulations, and in supplements—is by no means the sole purchase of startups and indie brands; but it’s always worth watching what creative entrepreneurs building brands close to consumers chose to do with seemingly ordinary materials.
---
Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.
