NH catches up with founder of PHB Ethical Beauty Rose Brown
What inspired you to start your business?
I founded PHB Ethical Beauty with my partner and his mum in 2012 to provide a completely natural and ethically conscious alternative to mainstream beauty products. I feel that what you use on your body should fit with your beliefs and principles. For me, this means products that are manufactured in an entirely natural and ethical way with full consideration for not only our health and wellbeing, but also that of animals and the environment.
At a young age I was made aware of the harmful ingredients you commonly find in beauty products like petrochemicals, parabens and animal derived ingredients. A lot of people don’t realise that most products contain unethical ingredients that can irritate skin, cause harm to the environment and animals and have long-term negative effects on our health.
What do you love most about your job?
It’s so much fun to wake up in the morning and do something you enjoy. I love that my job gives me an outlet for my creativity and it’s taught me so much about the power of nature to enhance, heal and improve our bodies and lives. I also really like researching new ingredients for our products and learning about their properties.
You’re the first brand in the UK to combine halal, organic and vegan credentials. How does this affect your business and products?
Halal Certification ensures the products are free from alcohol and GMO ingredients and having this has helped us to gain popularity around the world. We opened the first store dedicated to natural, vegan and halal beauty products in 2012 and franchised the idea soon after.
Do you think beauty products are compromised in any way by being natural and vegan?
Not at all – in fact, I truly believe they work better! The skin is our body’s largest organ and absorbs up to 60 percent of what we put on there. It’s like choosing to eat natural and organic produce rather than chemical-laden or processed food. Your skin and body can recognise when you nourish it with something pure and natural but when you use synthetic or heavily processed products your body isn’t sure how to deal with it. These substances can enter the blood stream and build up in our bodies causing long-term harm to our health and wreaking havoc on our skin.
At PHB we believe that the earth provides us with everything we need to have healthy, happy skin. Nature offers remedies for all of our skin’s needs and it isn’t necessary to use harmful chemicals, animal-derived ingredients or to test on animals. We feel it’s our responsibility to have a positive impact on the planet and to care for our environment and the welfare of animals which is why our entire range is certified vegan and cruelty free.
What three beauty products do you swear by?
PHB’s Brightening Moisturiser, Mascara and Hair Conditioning Mask.
Have you got anything new and exciting in the pipeline?
We have just launched our new cosmetics range which I’m so excited about – this has been a real labour of love and taken over two and a half years to develop. It’s a fabulous new collection which blurs the lines between makeup and skincare. We use organic ingredients, botanical actives and pure, ethically sourced minerals to create colourful and dramatic makeup which also looks after the needs of your skin. We’re also developing a new range of facial oils for 2017 and I’m already in love with them!
Article by
Emily McMullin
Article by
Emily McMullin
By Emily McMullin
