A Short Story of Us

by Kasia, founder of NHL

Have you ever stood in a store in front of a shelf full of cosmetics, thinking that you had nothing to choose from? If yes, you’re not alone. For a really long time this is how I felt. I couldn’t understand why there were so many chemicals in skincare. Why were they there? Were they necessary? Reading the ingredient lists would leave me even more perplexed. On top of that, it seemed that, since I started using skincare, not only did my skin not have gotten better, I have started to develop some new skin problems, like eczema. I noticed that I needed more and more of a cosmetic to do the same job. It started to feel like an addiction.

When I first found out that, despite being tested for safety, some cosmetic ingredients have been linked to cancer and hormonal imbalances, I was shocked. I pledged never to put on my skin anything that wasn’t 100% natural. However, despite finding natural skincare products, I still wasn’t convinced that they were what I was mean to put on my skin. Because, is a cosmetic made out of only 10% active ingredients and 90% water, preservatives, stabilisers and texture enhancers (even if there are of natural origin) really going to be effective?

There must have been a better way! There must have been a simpler way! As luck would have it, I stumbled across a wonderful herbal store. I was fascinated by their collection of plant oils. That day I left with my first couple of oils – Neem Oil and Tamanu Oil. Back home I dove into research and at the same time I experimented with the oils I bought. I was amazed how quickly the oils absorbed. My skin was incredibly soft and first time since at least a decade I did not have to use a face powder every few hours to mattify. This was one of the most exciting times in my life.

Tens of research papers and new oils later, I was creating bespoke oil blends for myself and my friends. The concept was easy – 100% plant based active ingredients and none of the

the “placeholders”, as I started to call them. I developed a method of using them on a wet skin to overcome the need of including water in the cosmetic and therefore having to preserve it. My friends were asking for more and telling their friends and family. This was when I started to think, that my concept could work as a business.

At the beginning it was just me. I passionately researched all topics skincare and created products I would like to use myself– where every ingredient made sense. I came up with the name while riding my bike home. It was dark and cold and I was trying to think of something to represent what my company should stand for: the connection between us and the earth, the transparency, but also the scientific approach. My first labels were printed on a craft brown paper I bought and on a conventional printer. Needless to say that they became unreadable as soon as the first drop of oil touched them. We improved the label durability since then, but the craft paper design stuck.

Naturally Honest Labs isn’t just skincare products, it’s a philosophy. If it makes perfect sense to you, then you already are one of us. You’re a Clean Beauty Rebel! Welcome to the community.

Follow the links to find out more...

...about our philosophy

...about skincare tips

...about how to use our products