FAQs

Essential oils are powerful ingredients as they are the concentrated essence of a plant and can function like medicine for the skin. As with all medicines, however, the dosage and purity is important. Ingredients are our pride and joy and we painstakingly seek out only the best and purest skin-compatible plant oils, waxes and extracts. We use our essential oils at well below sensitising levels in our formulas, with total respect for the ratios and balance that they should be used at, to achieve skincare that is beautiful, effective and safe for sensitive skin.

Do you test on animals?

No, we are completely against animal cruelty in any form. Our ingredients are not tested on animals, nor are our finished products, and we do not sell in any countries that require animal testing. Our ethos is centred around caring for you, the planet and all the creatures we share it with.

As beekeepers we practice sustainable beekeeping, only taking what we need from the bees without compromising the integrity of the colony. You can read more about our sustainable and regenerative beekeeping practices here.

What is the difference between organic and natural?

There are so many terms banded around the world of beauty - clean, green, eco-luxe, sustainable - but natural and organic are the only industry terms that have thoroughly thought-out and widely recognised certification schemes behind them. However, unlike food, beauty products do not legally have to be certified to claim they are organic or natural. Our third party certification by the Soil Association gives you that trust that we have jumped through hoops of fire to bring you only the best of the best - it's their stamp of approval that not only do we talk the talk, but we really do walk the walk too!

Certified organic products have to reach a minimum requirement (as a percentage) of organic ingredients used in order to be called organic. Some ingredients such as clays, minerals and certain more processed compounds are classed as inorganic and so cannot contribute to this percentage. Wherever possible we opt to use organic ingredients - for our own health and the wellbeing of the planet.

We choose to be organic as we believe organic is so much more than natural. Natural only means that the ingredients come from nature but it sadly does not stipulate how these ingredients should be grown. In other words, sustainability and protection for the ground these ingredients come from is not built into this standard. Natural ingredients can be grown in soils containing artificial fertilisers, sprayed with toxic pesticides and herbicides, grown on farms that do not support wildlife, and the bees can be mistreated under conventional practices.

Organic, on the other hand, has sustainability built in. For us organic is a key part of the solution to building a better world. It is something we are truly passionate about and spend much of our time campaigning around - for us, the bees and the planet. You can read more about why organic is part of our DNA here.

How do I recycle your products?

We try our utmost to integrate conscious and loving choices into every element of our business, not least when it comes to packaging. 

• Our cartons are all made from FSC certified, sustainably sourced card and we print with non-toxic vegetable-based inks. Please recycle these with the rest of your paper. 
• Our full-size bottles and jars are made from glass, which can be easily recycled. This process can be done time and time again without loss of quality or purity.
• We use aluminium for the lids of our Honey Lip Nectars and are hoping to soon be able to swap our moisturiser lids over to this material too. Because glass and aluminium are endlessly recyclable, they are in fact the perfect circular economy materials.
• Our moisturiser lids are currently made from PP, which is a highly recyclable and widely recycled plastic. Please separate the insert in the top of the lid before popping it into the recycling bin. The insert should go into your normal rubbish.
• We package our orders in cardboard boxes with paper gum tape and use loose corn-starch chips to protect your products when shipping. These chips can go into your compost or washed down the sink as they dissolve in water. The box and tape can be recycled with the rest of your paper.

Fancy something a little different? We also love repurposing our containers - for example our toner bottles make great misters for watering plants and our jars make handy little holders to keep bits and bobs in. We've even been known to make puddings and compotes in our moisturiser jars!

We truly appreciate your efforts to reuse and recycle - this is such an important part of a products life cycle and a key way we can reduce our impact on the earth. Thank you so much for taking the initiative to be eco-responsible!

Do you offer refills?

We would love to be able to offer refills and are always looking for ways in which we can make our business even more environmentally-friendly. At the moment, we do not have a viable method of refilling products but this is something we are constantly reviewing. 

We have yet to discover refill packets that would meet our ideals - checking our boxes of eco-conscious, non-leaching, plastic-free, beautiful and able to protect our fresh organic formulations. Sadly shipping bottles and jars back to us is not an option because of the extra delivery costs, the transport miles and the risk of microbiology issues that may be introduced when filling second-use containers.

Wherever possible we use glass and aluminium as these materials can be continually recycled. We also use PP lids on our moisturisers, which is a highly recyclable and widely recycled plastic. We truly appreciate your efforts to reuse and recycle - this is such an important part of a products life cycle, which is to be celebrated and embraced.

We do our best to integrate conscious and loving choices into every element of our business and welcome the opportunity for further growth and dialogue - if you have any questions or have seen a refill idea that you think could work for us then please do drop us an email.