The Vendeur Profile: Laura Rudoe
As part of Organic September, we are taking a deep dive into all things Organic Beauty. Who better to speak to than Laura Rudoe, Founder of not one, but two successful Organic Beauty brands.
Laura Rudoe may not be a name you are familiar with but you’ll have likely used (and loved) her products. Laura appeared on the beauty scene in 2005 when she helped to set up NUDE skincare with Ali Hewson. In 2008 she decided to go it along, setting up Good Ventures. Over 10 years on, Good Venture’s two eco-friendly skincare brands are highly successful. Both maintain their original ‘small batch’ production process and use only the best ingredients. As part of Organic Beauty & Wellness Week, we caught up with Laura to discuss all things natural and organic.
The Vendeur: What is Good Ventures and what inspired you to start your own company?
Laura Rudoe: Good Ventures is the company behind Evolve Beauty and S5 Skincare, two eco- friendly skincare and beauty brands which use natural, organic and cruelty free ingredients. I was actually apart of setting up a brand called NUDE, which I loved! This experience is what inspired me to then go on and create my own natural, vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands.
TV: Why did organic natural beauty appeal to you specifically?
LR: When I was younger I suffered from acne, and it was only when I did my own research and really changed my diet, lifestyle and skincare routine that I really noticed a difference in my skin and my overall health. I decided to base my brands on my own beliefs that natural and organic ingredients are better for us and for the planet.
TV: How do you source your ingredients?
LR: We try to source our ingredients from as close to home as possible and always from sustainable sources. When using ingredients that come from further afield we usually buy them in powder form in order to make shipping them more environmentally friendly.
TV: What are the challenges you face when working with organic ingredients?
LR: There are fewer organic ingredients available, however there is still quite a wide range of effective and high-tech natural ingredients to choose from and incorporate into our products.
TV: When you create a new product do you start with solving a skin concern or with the ingredients you want to use?
LR: It really depends! We’re always researching new and effective ingredients but we also always listen to our customers ideas, as we love to create products to suit their skin and their needs.
TV: Why was it important to offer Evolve products at such competitive price points?
LR: We try to offer Evolve Beauty at an accessible price point because we want to encourage as many people as possible to make the switch to natural and organic products. We believe that the natural and organic ingredients we use are better for us and for the planet, so we like to make our products affordable and fun, without compromising on quality.
TV: Both Evolve and S5 are made by hand in small batches, why do you continue to use this process even as your grow as a company?
LR: We create our products in small batches to ensure that they are as fresh as possible when they reach our customers. We also think it’s really important to know where what you are buying comes from and so we choose to produce everything in-house, rather than out-sourcing our manufacturing process.
TV: Having built two successful beauty brands, do you think that people’s appetite for organic beauty is growing?
LR: Definitely! We think it’s a great thing that people are starting to think twice about what they are putting on to their bodies and are starting to think more about the products they use.
TV: When looking for good quality, natural organic products, what should we look out for to avoid brands and products that ‘greenwash’?
LR: We would always recommend just doing as much research as possible into the products you’re using!
TV: Are there any organic beauty myths you want to dispel here?
LR: That organic ingredients aren’t as effective or pleasant to use as man-made synthetic ingredients!
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Disclaimer: The content of this article is for general advice only and should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare or beauty advice. We make every effort to ensure we only recommend safe products however you should always do a patch test when trying new products. This post may contain affiliate links
