4 Irish Farm to Face Beauty Brands You Need to Know
Words: Ruth O’Connor
Whether it’s a business of just one or millions (keep reading), there are a growing number of Irish beauty brands drawing from a well of ingredients close to home – from their own backyards, the local seashore or from family farms.
Bánór: Harnessing the goodness of sheep’s milk
You can’t get more local than the milk that’s used in Bánór products from Co. Tipperary. Founded by friends Nicola Lyons and Elaine Crosse, the single origin milk is sourced from the sheep farm of Elaine’s brother in Cashel. The two founders combine backgrounds in the pharma and food and drinks industries and are exacting in their approach to their products.
Meaning ‘white gold’, the Bánór product range includes nourishing scrubs, lotions and creams that smell great thanks to the addition of essential oils such as geranium, lavender and ylang ylang.
According to Crosse, sheep’s milk is abundant in lots of good stuff, including proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins.
Research carried out on their products at the Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre found that Bánór’s sheep milk products had antioxidant and anti-aging properties, increased collagen production and offered skin barrier protection – what’s not to love about that?
Soak: sustainable indulgence from Sligo
Sligo-based brand Soak is grounded in the local and the sustainable. Keen to bring a sense of therapy and luxury into our homes, their products are designed to help nurture and soothe both body and mind.
Founder Kaz Kearney combines Atlantic sea salt and Irish seaweed with homegrown organic herbs and premium essential oils to create bath salts and scrubs with gorgeous names like Bedtime Bliss, Breathe Deep and Joy Connects. And the best bit? They’re finely ground so you don’t have to spend ages cleaning the bath when you’re done luxuriating.
Clarke's of Dublin soaps: elevating skin care with home-grown herbs
Speaking of home-grown ingredients, Suzanne Clarke, founder of Clarke’s of Dublin, creates artisan soaps, soaks and oils and has been using homegrown herbs from family gardens in her products for a number of years now.
A key area of development is an acre of land on which the family is propagating roses, lavender, chamomile and bay using a permaculture technique.
Clarke also incorporates other Irish ingredients including beeswax from Co. Meath and gorse from the Hill of Howth.
Recently an Artist in Residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris with thanks to Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Clarke has also collaborated with Foxford to create a bespoke herbal pillow using offcuts from their beautiful woollen throws – yet again echoing her love for the local and the sustainable.
Bragan Skincare: the science of slime
Bragan Skincare harnesses the power of snail mucin in their products which have received an incredible reaction from customers since the brand was launched during the pandemic, when farmer Kieran Corley found himself with time on his hands.
According to Corley (who is also a gas man on social media), snail mucin is already found in many commercial skincare and cosmetic products due to its unique properties which include collagen, hyaluronic acid, nutrients and antioxidants, glycoprotein enzymes and copper peptides.
Corley works with a manufacturing partner in Italy to produce products including their anti-aging cream and cleanser for sensitive skin, their restless legs and feet cream and firm customer favourite, the Atopic Skin Repair Cream which is excellent for treating psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis and stretch marks.