A journey to skincare

Hi, I’m Emma Chevrel and I’m the founder of L’Organiq, a skincare range that puts people and planet first.

I’ve always had a love of skincare, in my previous career in the City, I would pore over products and exclusive spas, but I never imagined that I would one day build my own beauty brand.

Back then I had a great life – I worked hard, I loved living in the city, I had lots of friends but looking back, it wasn’t my true purpose. Sometimes it takes a bomb in our lives to wake us up to what we’re really here for.

That bomb for me was when, early in 2009, I was diagnosed with Grade 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer. To start with, the diagnosis wasn’t great. I had to give up work and move back home and endure a gruelling chemo session every three weeks for five months. After that, it was daily radiotherapy.

Throughout it all, my confidence shattered. My skin was ravaged by the treatment and had become super-sensitive. I turned to the traditional beauty industry to help, only to find that there was very little there. Perhaps the biggest turning point for me was when a beautician in high street department store told me to “come back when you’re better”. I had approached her to help me find natural skincare to soothe and nourish me during the radiotherapy, and to help me cope with losing all my hair.

The motto of L’Organiq is 'Be clean, Be kind, Be beautiful', which summarises the brand in its entirety; no harsh chemicals and cruelty free. But it also speaks to my other passion of sustainable living. In the hard times I always found respite in nature, and when I decided to launch my brand it had to be ethically packaged.

So, the brand is for everyone, and especially those that share the belief that we don’t have to compromise for luxury. What does clean beauty mean? For me, it means that I only use quality natural and organic ingredients, each formulated using vitamins, fruit extracts and minerals, carefully selected for their natural anti-ageing, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

I’m careful about my sourcing, but there’s a whole journey to consider – from source to what happens when you’ve finished the product. Many ‘clean’ brands are still selling their products using copious amounts of plastics and non-recyclable materials and so few were committing to off-setting such waste. I created the return and reward scheme to encourage customers to retain their packaging and return their empties (using a Freepost service), so that they can be reused or recycled responsibly.

These products take your skin on a journey to clean, beautiful health, but they themselves are part of an ethical journey to your bathroom. We can’t have one without the other and that’s my firm belief.

I never imagined the company would grow as fast as it has. I’m now partnering with others to bring dual benefits of my skincare range and their expertise. The brand has gone from strength to strength, and I’m delighted that L’Organiq has already touched the lives of so many.

Be clean. Be kind. Be beautiful.

Emma x

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