Can you tell us a little bit about Neal’s Yard?
This year is our 30th birthday – we opened our doors on 4th December, 1981 in Neal’s Yard, a once forgotten corner of Covent Garden, in the heart of central London, England. Our founder, Romy Fraser, a former teacher with a passion for natural, ethical, holistic health, beauty and wellbeing, planted the seeds for what was to become the UK’s foremost destination for natural and organic beauty. Just like our shops today, the original store was fitted out with reclaimed materials. Discarded wood from local theatres became shelves, Romy was given a slab of marble which became the shop counter, and old sweet jars were carefully washed out and used to store the many varieties of dried herbs.
Our eco-principles have driven us from day one.
We are the UK’s:
- FIRST certified organic health and beauty company
- FIRST high street retailer to sell certified organic essential oils
- FIRST CarbonNeutral® high street retailer
- We were one of the FIRST companies to launch Fairtrade Foundation certified beauty and skincare products in the UK
- We are the UK’s LARGEST high street retailer of therapeutic herbs
- We offer the LARGEST range of certified organic health and beauty products.
What’s the inspiration behind the brand?
Health is at the heart of all we do. The tree in our logo symbolises our belief that beauty is the outer expression of our inner health. Every one of our products is designed to enhance your beauty by enhancing your health, either from the inside with our herbs, tinctures and remedies, or from the outside, with our effective skincare formulations.
Why do you think people should use organic products?
Neal’s Yard Remedies ingredients are harvested from strong, naturally healthy plants, organic ingredients which contain higher levels of natural antioxidants, vitamins and essential fatty acids. By supporting organic farming we are not only looking after our own health, we are acting as responsible stewards for our environment – protecting the air, water, soil and wildlife from chemical contamination, both for today and the future. Tens of thousands of man-made chemicals have been created in the last 50 years; most have never been tested for safety on humans or wildlife. Using organic products means not being exposed to them.
Which are your most cherished Neal’s Yard products in the range and why?
Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Nourishing Cream – This product is iconic and has been around for our full 30 years. Commonly known as ‘The Pearl of the Desert’, the rejuvenating, firming and toning properties of frankincense have been revered for over 2000 years. We combine the finest quality frankincense with deeply replenishing herbal extracts to create this award-winning rejuvenating product.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm – All skin types will feel luxuriously pampered, nourished and enriched with this wonder product. It can be used as a rich cleanser, gentle exfoliant or deeply nourishing balm, to quench areas of dry or dehydrated skin, and even comes with its own muslin cloth. We can’t live without it!
What inspires your daily work?
The idea that we are changing the world – one blue bottle at a time!
Thank you Helen!
Discover our Neal’s Yard Remedies collection by visiting Neal’s Yard Remedies at Bath & Unwind.com. Inspired by Provenance runs until mid September, and we will be bringing your more insightful Q & As by Trilogy and Guam over the next few days!
