If you've never heard of Silvan Skincare, you need their products in your life! Not only are they super effective at helping us to manage our skincare and self care needs but they're also vegan, considerately packaged and made with natural and organic ingredients.
We caught up with Founder Marian to get the lowdown on all things Silvan Skincare
What’s your role in the business?
I am the brand founder. I formulate, make, package, post the products, and administer all aspects of the business!
How did you get started in the beauty industry and what led you to start your brand?
I was working as a holistic and remedial massage therapist and became really interested in the products I was using. I wanted a therapeutic grade massage oil that added benefits to the treatment process utilising the oils available. For example the anti-inflammatory properties of jojoba oil or the scar healing properties of rosehip oil and the wonderful range of antioxidants and omega fatty acids which are wonderful for the skin offered in a broad range of oils.
I studied properties of oils and how to bring them together into holistic well rounded products fitting this around my massage work, so the range of products has grown in this ‘organic’ way. I have been producing skincare products for the last 5 years.
Also, I come from a family with differing skin types, dry, sensitive, reactive so we are all really interested in finding products that work for us. I have always been passionate about the environment and sustainability issues, I have a degree in Environmental Science so I am at home in a lab but am also keen on products that enhance natural beauty. So the coming together of these influences I think can be seen through the brand. Effective, gentle, affordable, truly natural and sustainable skincare products.
What is the story behind your brand name?
I wanted a name that wasn’t too obvious in meaning. The roots of the word silvan mean ‘of the woods’, I live in Herefordshire/Powys borders and I find the woodland here inspiring.
What is your brand’s ethos?
My ethos is to create products that are truly natural and don't irritate or harm the body or the environment.
What is your most popular product and why?
Muscle Balm is my current best-seller – it is fab for easing out muscle tension post-workout or after a tough day.
Which product did you launch the brand with?
Soothe Face Oil and it promptly won the face oil category in the Janey Loves Platinum awards in 2016.
What’s the best product for dry skin?
Our luxurious Radiance Facial Balm is rich in organic shea butter, rosehip oil, and camellia. It is a true multi-tasker, use as a cleanser or facial mask.
What’s the best product for oily skin?
Oily skin still needs oils to help balance the production of sebum, jojoba is perfect. Our Petitgrain and Everlasting Flower Cleanser is both effective and gentle.
What are the products you’d recommend to someone who is trying the brand for the first time?
Rescue Balm for troubled areas.
Citrus Lip Balm for soft, nourished lips
Rejuvenate Face Oil for an everyday treat for the skin
What hints/tips do you have for using your products?
Lots of the products are multi-purpose, for example, use lip balms on lips but also you can tame wild eyebrows and frizzy hair, soften cuticles, stop the tip of your nose from peeling by applying lip balm to it every so often when you have a cold. Lastly, for a highlighter, just use your finger to dab some product on the high points of your face, your cheekbones, brow bones and nose.
What are your top skincare tips?
- Take time to give yourself a facial massage. The muscles in the face will benefit from the massage and the increase in circulation will boost your natural radiance.
- Skin is living tissue and will respond to changes in the internal environment, adapt your routine according to changes in weather, diet, stress, etc.
- Allow the skin to perform its vital functions, choose products that work with the skin harmoniously.
Do you have any certifications or awards that our customers should be aware of?
Silvan Skincare is certified as cruelty-free with the Leaping Bunny Programme. All our products are vegan, and our body and lip balms are registered with the Vegan Society.
We've also won multiple awards for our Soothe Face Oil (Janey Loves Platinum Awards 2016 winner face oil category, Beauty shortlist 2017 Editor’s Choice), our Mama's Balm (Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards 2019, Best Buy and Best Baby Balm, Janey Loves Platinum Awards 2018, winner mother and baby category) and our Petitgrain & Everlasting Flower Cream Cleanser (Janey Loves Platinum Awards 2017 Gold in the cleanser category)
And our Radiance Balm, Sleep Balm and Muscle Balm were all awarded Beauty Shortlist awards in 2019. (Beauty shortlist 2019 Editor’s Choice), Muscle Balm (Beauty shortlist 2019 Commended), Sleep Balm (Beauty shortlist 2019 Commended)
What have been your biggest successes so far?
Awards are great of course, but customers coming back and repeat buying their favourite items is really pleasing.
And your biggest learning?
Watching people make buying choices is really informative. I started off with two face creams, both with no aroma, pure and gentle! But people want things to smell yummy and I discovered the wonderful additional benefits essential oils can bring which opened up a whole new avenue for my range.
How are you standing out from the crowd?
Staying true to my roots, I make everything myself in my production space in small batches. People appreciate buying from ‘artisan’ makers, this way I ensure good care is taken over each batch.
How are you tackling sustainability?
I am always looking at this from packaging choices to ingredient choices, I do my best to weigh up the options available and check-in with what is important to me and my customers. I keep packaging to an absolute minimum. I always choose organic whenever I can. I choose well where I can for example, we source our shea butter from a women’s co-operative in Ghana. Our sustainability policy is a work in process and a search for continual improvement.
What’s next for Silvan Skincare?
I am updating my face creams and I have a hand cream coming – watch this space. It takes around 6 months to develop new products, lots of research then testing, testing, testing. My friends are pretty well stocked with versions of new products.
Discover the range