An Interview with Lena Wild Founder
I sat down with Yelena Serebryakova to chat about her skincare range - Lena Wild. I fell in love with Yelena's products after she sent me a bottle of her Harmony Bloom Oil, and it quite literally transformed my acne-prone, oily skin. I love her passion for her products, her ethics and her desire to want to help and transform her customers skin by formulating the most beautiful, highly effective skincare.
So what was the inspiration behind starting Lena Wild?
My brand and my products represents my journey of exploring the healing powers of nature and the importance of it when it comes wellbeing. It was through my battle with adult acne in my mid 20s that I discovered natural skincare and the importance of holistic approach to heal my skin and health challenges.
Tell us more about the key ingredients you use in your products, why did you choose them specifically?
When it comes to ingredients the key is their quality and origin. For me it is very important that ingredients are organic, wild-crafted, where possible and most importantly do not undergo a huge refining process, where they lose their quality, nutrients and healing properties. Also, that they are ethically sourced and do not cause unfair treatment of farmers or the land where they are grown.
My philosophy is to focus on ingredient’s ability to naturally support skin balance and optimal function. Skin is clever and knows what to do, all we need to is to offer a gentle but effective support for it to do its thing, instead of bombarding it with harsh treatments.
I fell in love with natural plant oils after I discovered their incredible benefits for the skin. Which is the totally opposite of what I have learned as a teenager, when every possible skincare product aimed to make my skin squeaky clean and mattified. The oils were represented as evil particularly for acne-prone skin. Hemp, Rosehip, Evening Primrose and many, many others can bring multitude of benefits and they are incredibly light, nourishing and penetrate fast in to the skin. They offer increased moisturisation as they lock the moisture in the skin, improve skin’s texture and elasticity, provide nutrients and antioxidants. These oils are also rich in linoleic acid, which acts as anti-inflammatory and helps to decongest clogged pores.
CO2 plant extracts are another jewel from the nature as they offer high potency therapeutic benefits! These type of extracts have been obtained using CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) gas. This the purest and gentlest way of making botanical extracts without the use of either high heat or solvents.
I love using Sea Buckthorn and Carrot Seed they help skin with encouraging cell regeneration, scarring and improve the tone.
Clays have been used through centuries to deeply purify and detox the skin, making it soft and supple.
Green Tea is a powerhouse when it comes to antioxidants which support skin from environmental stressors, help to regulate sebum production and fight inflammation.
We love that so much thought goes into your products, you can really tell they are such high quality ingredients! How do you go about choosing the suppliers and sourcing the ingredients for your products?
Thank you very much, this means a lot! I always aim to use certified organic ingredients, this way we avoid synthetic fertilisers and pesticides used in farming. Supporting ethical practices helps not only to obtain best quality ingredients but also support sustainable producers who are passionate about protecting and enhancing fertility and biological diversity of the soil.
I personally source, test and evaluate each ingredient we use in our formulations. I only work with suppliers who are transparent and are genuinely passionate about what they do and take on feedback. For example, one of my suppliers was using excessive protective plastic materials for shipping purposes. I contacted them saying that there are biodegradable and recyclable alternatives available, such as starch base loose fill or paper tape. Few months later they have improved and with time they completely stopped using their original packing materials. These are the exact suppliers I am proud to work with.
Talk us through your formulation process for the range. What are the first steps you usually take when wanting to create a new product? Do you decide on the ingredients first? Or the desired effect on the skin you want to achieve?
Harmony range formulations were the results of finding a way to help me dealing with my own skin challenges. These formulations have been refined as I went on to study Organic Cosmetic Science and I was learning more about ingredients and formulation techniques.
Usually the creative process starts with research and planning, putting a formulation together, testing it, addressing feedback, tweaking the formula if needed. As well as working on all aspects from functionality, sensory experience and aromatherapy benefits.
Sometimes the ingredient itself can be an inspiration too, for example when I learn about its benefits and use throughout the history, I can get inspired. I then search for ingredients which work in synergy, I experiment a lot and putting it into a formula to create a product for a particular skin need.
What benefits, both for the skin and for the mind, do you hope your customers will achieve from using your products?
Our products are packed with skin caring and nourishing ingredients to balance and protect your skin. They also posses precious aromatherapeutic essential oils to calm and uplift the senses. Most importantly we want to inspire you to take care of your skin and wellbeing, gently and patiently. Learning to slow down, appreciate each step in your skincare routine and to have a loving relationship with your skin. Most of the skin conditions and health challenges are related to stress and emotional wellbeing.
You can really experience what I mean when you start using our Rescue Mask. It is not a quick “apply, wash and go” mask, it is the one that requires you to set a bit of time for preparation to pamper yourself. A little caring gesture goes a long way.
Apart of the skincare aspect, through our values, packaging design and messages, we want to inspire people to rethink our fast pace, disposable lifestyles, encourage them to consider environmental footprint and promote conscious consumerism!
Do you have any top tips for using your products?
Our multiple award winning Rescue Mask is a true multi-functioning hero! It is a treatment mask, gentle exfoliator/cleanser and a targeted spot treatment. For longer treatments, in is important to keep the mask moist, so adding few drops of a facial oil, honey or yoghurt will add extra nourishing properties and will prolong the treatment time!
Bloom Oil should always be applied well hydrated/slightly damp skin to lock that moisture in! So perfect after your facial mists, hydrosols or hydrating serums. Also, it is great as a makeup base.
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