SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY IS A NATURAL BUSINESS SUCCESS When it comes to entrepreneurship in the Irish beauty sector, Jo Browne, who created her eponymous beauty and wellbeing brand in 2013, has emerged a leader in natural skincare and sustainable beauty brands. An holistic therapist, Jo Browne originally spotted a gap in the market for solid perfume and cologne. Her bamboo-packaged natural handmade fragrances are beautifully sensual and uplifting and being non-spill, no waste and lightweight for carrying and travel, they were an instant success. And, not least because a solid perfume doesn’t need help drying, so has no alcohol or other irritants! Handmade in Ireland, the Jo Browne range now includes natural skincare, including an award-winning cleansing balm and hydrating facial serum, luxury soaps, bamboo aroma diffusers and a new sustainable bamboo pillowcase collection. The beautifully designed bamboo diffusers can be used with the brand’s signature range of five different blends of essential oils, with fragrances that are variously fresh, invigorating and calming for the mind. Popular with spas and salons that favour diffusers over candles, Jo Browne bamboo aroma diffusers create scent lightly and quickly throughout a room, reducing dust and helping purify the air.
Jo Browne’s passion is essential oils and their natural capacity for healing, invigorating and calming. Having worked in natural therapies, Jo knows the health and wellbeing benefits of natural ingredients and aims to create sustainable skincare and lifestyle products that work incredibly well, feel and smell amazing, and are affordable; essentially without costing the earth! Natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, mango butter and organic beeswax are included, with bamboo extract being a powerhouse ingredient in Jo Browne skincare, and sustainable bamboo packaging used across the range. This Carlow-based natural therapist, with a novel idea for a solid perfume, has now seen an international beauty brand evolve. She prides herself on the Jo Browne environmental credentials too, which include recyclable packaging, sustainable sourcing, and avoiding harmful ingredients like parabens and palm oil. The latest new addition to the Jo Browne collection last Christmas was bamboo pillowcases. Made from luxuriously soft and smooth bamboo fabric, the pillowcases are naturally hypoallergenic and breathable, keeping skin cooler in summer and warmer in winter, for restful sleep and relaxation. Beauty and lifestyle stockists in Ireland include Meadows & Byrne, Kilkenny stores, House of Ireland, Blarney and independent gift shops. Sales and product detail is also available online at https:// jobrowne.com.
