Fragrances inspired by fynbos _______________________________________________
lmvelo Body Care a range of products based on the fragrance of local plant, fynbos.
For many years, Maureen Russell has been spending holidays at South Africa’s PringleBay - a small, coastal town in the Western Cape situated within an internationally recognised biosphere reserve. Surrounded by the diversity of flora and fauna, it wasn’t long before Russell fell in love with the fynbos that the area is renowned for. While viewing these wonderful plants the idea of extracting oils from the plants was born and, after much research,
I learned a lot about the wonderful properties of the plants,’ says Russell.
Initially, with the help of Brunel Manufacturing, she created a range of body care products for spas and salons, based on essential oils extracted from the fynbos. ‘I wanted to share the secrets of fynbos with the world, focusing on tourism and allowing visitors to South Africa to be able to take a little piece of the country home with them,’ says Russell.
It has been quite a journey for Russell who, having no previous experience in cosmetics set out on her own to find components for the range which were as local as they were functional.
One of the items in the range is a massage body candle with coconut, palm oil, shea buffer and beeswax. The candle is packaged in a ceramic jug with a spout that allows the user to pour it directly onto the skin without any mess.
We found that other packaging would get too hot too quickly which made it difficult for consumers to handle. So I did some research and discovered Potter’s Corner in Maraisburg,’ says Russell. The company was started by owner Jannie Bezuidenhout in 2007 and creates a number of ceramic products, including the embellished jug for the lmvelo massage candle. ‘He created a special mould for the candles, which even has our logo carved into it.’
Russell is extremely passionate about the range which includes the Pure Essential Body Wash, Pure Essential Body Lotion, Invigorating Body Scrub and Indulgent Body Butter, as well as the candle.
‘Each of the products comes with a tag explaining the story and importance of fynbos to the local culture. Fynbos consists of a number of different plant varieties which gives it the unique fragrance that inspired the range,’ says Russell.
In order to get the exact fragrance she wanted, Russell ensured that all fragrance - oils were naturally-derived and, using a combination of other essential oils, such as buchu and CapeGeranium, was finally able to get the exact fragrance she desired.
The range was launched at Professional Beauty in 2011 and has already seen success in the hospitality industry.
Hotels and spas throughout South Africa have shown interest and Russell is excited to expand the range.
Originally from Scotland, Russell has been in South Africa for 17 years and has never looked back. ‘It’s a great country. It really gets in your blood. I hope that my products will show the rest of the world all the benefits this country haste offer.’
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