ABOUT US - WHY DID WE START?

Im sure Im not the only one that wants to know how a business started, why they do what they do. Starting a business is not easy, no one said it would be and  having solid reasons builds a solid business! 

I started out being a cake designer. I made cakes for Disney, wrote books about making cakes, sugar modelling, made wedding, birthday, christening, really any cake for any celebration. When my youngest was 10, he was getting to be a great tennis player but it was interfering with his schoolwork so we decided to take him to a tennis academy in Spain, train there and homeschool. 

 

 I tried to continue my cake business but with mixed results. The delivery time of day was tough... delivering 1\2 way up a mountainside at 9pm at night with no streetlights and more importantly no cliffside barriers was the final straw and I folded the business. 

 

But, not the kind of person to sit at the side of the tennis court twiddling my thumbs I thought about what would be a net step. I loved making cakes, being creative. I tried making cloth bags, interesting but not captivating. I noticed that I was having trouble with my skin... the sun, the water, so much dryness that I decided to try making a more moisturising soap.... and My Cottage Cosmetics was born! 

Whilst still living in Spain I worked on formulations for soap, hand cream, body butter, moisturisers but with very specific parameters in mind. It must remain artisan using traditional methods, no chemicals, all plant based, vegan, no plastic, probiotic. 

As time went on I had some robust formulations. 

Then covid struck, we had to return to the UK and in some ways this was when my business could take shape. I complied with UK cosmetic regulations in that my formulations were toxicologically and laboratory tested so I could start selling!

 We are a small business in Harrietsham, at the bottom of the North Downs. We are so lucky to live and work in such a beautiful area and due to this we have been inspired by nature to create skincare and homeware products that do not harm our environment. We create probiotic skincare for Men and Women - face, body, and foot moisturiser, handcreams, deodorants, natural perfumes and soaps alongside oyster shell soap dishes that are made using the byproducts of the oyster shell industry in Whitstable so we have recycled them into elegant soap dishes for our probiotic soaps. 

We use springwater from the North Downs in our probiotic moisturisers, soap and handcreams. Our ethos is to use only 100% plant based ingredients, including scents and colour. We use no plastic, ethically source all our ingredients, include ultra-effective botanicals to enhance the probiotic ingredients.There are no chemicals used in any of our skincare or homeware products. And not only that, we use solar power in the production of our products( as much as possible in the UK)

We sell in the UK and USA at fairs and festivals, pop up shops, The Refinery (Canterbury) with many more opportunities on the horizon!