An Interview with Luxe Botanics founder - Jené Roestorf

We managed to steal some time from Jené Roestorf's busy schedule to interview her about her brand Luxe Botanics. With a stunning new look and skincare formulas that merge science with nature and botanicals, we predict some huge growth for Luxe Botanics this year, and we are so excited to be on that journey with her!

For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of LUXE Botanics, how would you describe your brand?

LUXE Botanics is an intrepid natural skincare brand powered by the planet’s most transformative botanicals and leading edge green chemistry.

We say intrepid because we believe in beauty activism. This means we are uncompromising in selecting botanicals with unparalleled, targeted skin benefits; in pioneering a new scientific standard in green beauty; and in our commitment to do good.

What was the inspiration behind launching LUXE Botanics? Did you feel products like these were missing in the market? 

I founded LUXE Botanics on the belief that nature is the ultimate innovator and wanted to design the most advanced natural skincare in the marketplace to reflect this.

As a biotechnologist by training I am always questioning the status quo and looking for proof. The green beauty space, and the wellness industry as a larger whole, is a target for cynics, sometimes with good reason. I wanted to stand above the fray and approach everything through a scientific lens.

The lack of scientific standards in green beauty means there is a gap in the market, which is why each of our botanicals are backed by clinical research and each of our powerful innovative formulations uses ground breaking green chemistry to avoid the harsh, potentially harmful compounds commonly found in skincare products.

I love the new look! Was there a reason you decided to update it?

Thank you! It’s been 10 months in the making. We’re so excited to be finally sharing with the world. We wanted to refine our look so that it would connect deeper to nature’s most powerful botanicals, from the abundant lands of Africa to the Brazilian Amazon, as well as reflect more strongly the intersection of nature and science in our award winning formulations, which is where LUXE lives.

So you use 3 core botanicals in your products, could you tell us the benefits of these and why you chose to use these specifically?

Our range focuses on three distinctive botanicals: Camu Camu, Kigelia Africana, and Marula. Each own a unique set of properties that are hyper targeted to work on specific skin concerns and each align with a way to give back.

1. Camu Camu is an Amazonian superfruit with potent concentrations of vitamin C, helping to support cellular energy, fade the appearance of dark spots and repair skin from environmental damage. It is the heroine of our brightening line helping skin achieve its peak radiance.
2. Marula nut oil, wild harvested and cold pressed by Masaai women in Kenya, provides an intensive burst of essential fatty acids and antioxidants to improve appearance of tone, firmness and elasticity to uplift skin. This is our hydrating line ideal for dry, mature skin.
3. Kigelia africana is a tree native to Southern Africa, whose fruit possesses gentle yet potent purifying properties to address unsightly skin concerns and support cell regeneration. We call this our corrective line because it is ideal for repairing skin while calming inflammation or sensitivity.

The Kigelia line is my absolute go to skin saviour, because this powerful extract saved my acne prone, hyper sensitive and prematurely ageing skin from harsh prescription medications. I would recommend it to anyone who has a similar skin type and skin concerns. 

Tell us a little about your background and how that has helped you with launching your skincare line.

I’m native South African, so my earliest memories are of roaming in the bush, exploring one of the most the diverse and vibrant ecosystems in the world. That wanderlust has never left me.

Growing up I also had a fascination with science, which led me to study biotechnology and nanotechnology. I’ve since spent the better part of a decade working in clinical research on oncology and dermatology trials. 

While I had a successful career, everything I could have wanted, a trip to Tanzania in my early 30s reawakened this love of nature, and I knew I had to get back to my roots.

I think we can all relate to having such busy lives now that we feel disconnected from the natural world and other people. LUXE Botanics was about reconnecting with both. This primal understanding of the healing powers of nature, my scientific training and wanting to address the imbalance of social injustice I’d seen growing up in Africa. These are the individual parts which make up LUXE Botanics. While I come from a family of entrepreneurs, this is my first venture, but I truly believe that if you’re authentic about ‘why’ you’ve started your business, your values system and the problem you help solve for people, this is the bedrock of building a successful brand that extends beyond skincare alone. 

I love that you have a social initiative and choose to support the local communities harvesting your raw ingredients. Could you tell us a little more about this and how it helps them?

Yes! Beyond efficacy, the science, the botanicals, this is what makes me most proud about LUXE Botanics - nature’s ability to nurture others. Our strong commitment to sustainability means each botanical had to have its own way of giving back.

Paramount is the wellbeing and livelihood of our harvesters, which is why we’re proud to source wild harvested, certified organic botanicals that enable us to work with local co-operatives to ensure fair trade standards which uplift our harvesting communities.

As an additional layer on top of that, we are part of Buy1Give1, a global business community that’s inspiring positive change in our world through its philosophy of 1 for 1. This means with every purchase of LUXE Botanics, proceeds go directly to support community projects where we choose to focus on women and children. 

So for example our Marula supports school child in Kenya with educational resources to progress academically and make a contribution to Kenya’s future. Camu provides children in Ethiopia with essential and basic nutrition to grow into healthy adults and Kigelia invests in the future women in Malawi providing business training to enable her to support her family and contribute to their livelihood.  

This means that every time you purchase a product from Luxe Botanics proceeds from your purchase go directly to support,  and fully fund these community projects, one individual at a time. 

If you could offer one piece of skincare advice, what would it be?

Explore what works for you and don’t be afraid to experiment. Your skin is as individual as you are and it’s never going to be a case of one size fits all. Perfect example – for years I tried everything for my cystic acne, and then discovered Kigelia. While it is now my go to, I often use different combinations of our botanicals depending on the needs of my skin on any given day.

If you’re finding your current regime isn’t delivering results, set yourself a challenge to pay close attention to your skin, carefully taking note of what is working and what is not. Learn your skin type and any skin conditions that you're prone to. Once you know your skin basics you should strive to become ingredient focused. Then take time to test out new products, commit to them and truly engage with your skin to find the right regime. When choosing your green skincare, you should no longer have to comprise on efficacy, your wellbeing or your values.

Thank you, Jené!

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