FASHION & BEAUTY | 67
“I LOVE WHAT I DO AND HOW MY PRODUCTS MAKE PEOPLE FEEL” TANIA WEDIN, CREATOR OF SHADE, AWARD-WINNING NATURAL SUNSCREEN
Tania Wedin could be introduced as an entrepreneur, but to do so would be somewhat misleading. Her ambition isn’t the usual acquisition of fortune or power, but her business acumen, vision and drive are no less impressive for this.
H
er present career started when, as a new mother in 1999, she helped launch a near-miracle natural cure for breathing difficulties (YamoaTM ) before going on to establish a company dedicated to offering a rigorously selected range of efficacious natural health products, Not the Norm Ltd. She has recently become a trustee for her father’s charity, the HOCl Trust for Hygiene and Safer Water (hocltrust.org) who are running a campaign to fill the gap in PPE for frontline key workers by providing free antiviral sanitiser to those in need, and on top of all of this, she is the inventor of Shade – a toxin-free, organic, sustainable sun screen balm which has steadily, by word of mouth, gathered devoted users, a host of awards and widespread acclaim since its launch in 2014. How did you come up with the formulation for Shade? I researched which were considered the safest, most effective broad-spectrum sunscreen ingredients, decided what seemed to be unnecessary in terms of function (e.g. fragrance, preservatives, etc.) and thought about what might be used to make the blend more solid so it could go in a tin. I had to consider which percentages would be best for achieving a certain SPF and then chose the very best quality
of ingredients I could find. I literally played around over a bain-marie until I was happy with the consistency and efficacy. I came up with the name (and couldn’t believe nobody else had it!), trademarked it and – when I had enough money – sent it off for testing. It came back not as the SPF30 I had hoped for, but a very acceptable SPF25, and the rest is history. With just four ingredients, what does each bring to the party? I’ve chosen Soil Association-certified organic unrefined Shea Butter for our formula; antiinflammatory, prevents premature ageing and highly moisturising. Coconut oil is widely known to be healthful and versatile but it also has a natural, although low, SPF. I’ve chosen a pure, sustainably-sourced unrefined beeswax, which is completely non-toxic. It locks in moisture, has excellent water-repellent properties and, as it has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-allergenic and a germicidal antioxidant, it’s a perfect sunscreen ingredient. As a vegan, as much as I would like to offer a beeswax-free version of Shade, I have to be convinced that the product will be as good in function, as well as ethically and sustainably sourced. The beeswax we use is sourced from several sustainably managed small beekeeping JULY 2020 OX MAGAZINE
