Persephone Beauty is proud to share the first in a series of blog posts that bring you closer to our brands and the wonderful people who run them. What inspired them to create their brand? How did they take their vision from concept to customer sales? What are their views on the exciting world of organic beauty, and what advancements are on the horizon? Here’s your opportunity to learn all this and more - we call it ‘Meet the Maker’.
For our first installment we catch up with Fiona Toomey, mother of three and the founder of Nessa. This innovative brand, named after a warrior queen in Irish mythology, offers 100% organic skincare products to help women take control of their post-pregnancy recovery.
What made you want to start your own brand?
“For me, it was the lack of recovery products after having a baby. I felt there was no choice whatsoever, everything for new mums was either fluffy and pretty or too time-consuming. I didn't have any time to lather myself in oil or take a bath after having a baby, I just needed something that worked and also made me feel nice.
So I started making my own products, being very careful about the ingredients I used (as I am allergic to everything!) I gave it to a few friends to start with, and then decided more mums deserve better cleaner skincare in their post-pregnancy journey, so I started NESSA.”
What's been the biggest challenge so far in creating Nessa?
"Time! I have 3 kids so fitting in business & life has been the biggest challenge. There are good days, bad days, mum guilt...it can all be a bit exhausting sometimes, but I love it. I think of NESSA as my 4th baby!"
Tell me more about the organic ingredients in your products…?
"Organic ingredients are, and always will be very important to NESSA. We want to know exactly where each ingredient came from and, to ensure the goodness of each ingredient is never compromised, we want the highest quality nutrients in your body.
There is a full transparency with the organic ingredients we use - this means you can track exactly where it was farmed, how it was cultivated, and how it got from the source, right into our UK manufacture. All our plant based ingredients are organic, and we continue to use organic ingredients wherever we can."
What's your number one beauty secret?
I have a few!
- Take your makeup off!
- Always go for oil cleaners - they’re so much nicer that water-based in my opinion
- Invest in a jade roller - perfect for “puffy no sleep mum face”.
- If you are a new mum, find a hydrating eye mask so you will look like you actually got some sleep!
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