Interview with the founder of Sana Naturals, Kasia O’Reilly.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Kasia, I’m Polish and a Cavan man stole my heart over 10 years ago. We live in the Cavan countryside, with our little boy, where we moved nearly 4 years ago to lead a greener life closer to Nature and my husband’s family. We have a beautiful Nadreegeel Lough at our doorstep and we feel very lucky to call this stunning lake land our home.
How did you get started in skincare business?
My love for Nature has been passed down in my family for generations. Growing up I’d spend days in my granny's luscious garden picking wild plants and digging clay from the rich Polish soil. Since I was little I’ve been making herbal potions and forcing anyone I could to drink them.
I’ve done several courses in natural therapies and this passion has developed into making my own natural skincare products, especially important for me as I struggle with challenging skin. It's dry and oily in places, sensitive, easily irritated and prone to breakouts and broken capillaries. I’ve discovered throughout the years that when it comes to our skin, less is often more.
I’m a big believer in simplicity and back to basics. I find the current skincare routines complicated, confusing and time consuming. Personally, I don’t see the need for, and don’t feel like applying, so many layers of products onto my skin twice daily. In my opinion all we need is only a few skincare essentials that are truly natural and effective, and my skin has never been happier for it.
Sana Naturals simple yet luxurious collection of skincare essentials is created with problematic skin in mind, offering superfood nutrition to skins of all types and ages.
Do you work from home? Tell us about your working space, where do you create your products?
Yes, my studio is based at my home. For me, this beautiful part of the countryside is a perfect place to live and work. I spend a lot of time in my studio hand making the products and doing the office work.
Every single jar and bottle of the skincare bliss is handmade and individually poured here. With some of the products, the production continues over a few days, after which the products reach maturity and are then hand labelled with attention to the smallest detail.
Describe your brand in 3 words.
Natural, eco- friendly, pure.
Getting positive feedback from customers who tell me that my products helped them feel good in their skin again makes me incredibly happy. It's the inspiration and the motivation for what I do. I'd love to sell more products nationwide and start exporting abroad with the main goal to share the beautifying magic of plants and minerals to help heal and nurture the skin, bring joy and a peaceful mind and inspire to reconnect with the healing powers of Nature.
Working for yourself can be tricky in terms of planning your days / weeks. What helps to stay motivated and organised in order to achieve a productive work day?
Running your own business and a household means juggling millions of tasks at the same time. I work irregular hours and often work until late evenings when my boy is in bed and weekends. It isn’t easy to have a perfect work and personal life balance this way. Planning ahead and making lists is the key but I always have a feeling that the day is too short.
I read an interesting article recently on how to get more productive. A very top tip I learnt is very simple - schedule regular breaks throughout your day. You are more productive when you are recharged.
I knew that before but naively I thought that a 15 min tea break while scheduling social media posts counts as a break. But a real break should be just for YOU to help you replenish your energy in one of the three areas: physical, emotional, spiritual. So now during a work break, to replenish my physical energy I go for a walk in Nature or do a few minutes of yoga. For emotional energy I ring my friend for a chat or listen to my favourite song and really tune in. For spiritual energy I keep a gratitude journal. It has made an enormous difference to my work productivity and life in general.
What do you enjoy most about your job and what do you find challenging?
I find great delight in working with the beautiful natural ingredients, such as nourishing oils, healing clays, smooth waxes etc. I love their vibrant colours, different textures and scents, mixing them up and playing until a formula resonates with me is so blissful. I also love engaging with customers, either directly at the events where I sell my products or via social media. I also enjoy packing orders for individual customers. If you have ever been at the receiving end of one of these packages you’d know how much love, care and attention goes to them.
As cliché as it sounds, my work is my passion, except for doing the accounts. That to me feels like paying for all my sins!
You have recently promoted your products on Ireland AM and you did a great job! How did you come across this opportunity and has it helped you in your business?
I contacted Virgin Media months ago about an opportunity to be featured on Boost My Business program. Luckily my brand fitted the sustainability topic that was scheduled to be featured at the time and I was invited to the studio.
I was expecting just a couple of inquiries after the program but I was very surprised with a great viewers’ response. The volume of inquiries, possibilities of collaboration with different brands, new social media followers and the engagement was incredible. I’m very grateful for this opportunity as it helps small businesses like mine grow.
What is your most popular product at the moment?
The most loved product by the customers at the moment is the Serum. This unique blend of botanical oils and a powerful antioxidant vitamin C serves as a moisturiser, serum and an under eye serum all in one. This multitasking superhero is especially designed to tackle multiple skin issues at once, depending where the skin resides each day, helping to restore its natural balance. It’s especially formulated with problematic skin in mind but it offers indulgence and soothing comfort to skins of all ages and types. I’m often told that it’s a skin saviour.
Your dedication to sustainability is so refreshing! The eco-friendly recyclable packaging is what sets you apart from many skincare brands. Is it challenging to avoid plastic in terms of the cost?
Production of all skincare products to some extent impacts the environment, however all the choices and steps are taken with the wellness of our planet on top of my mind. And although not perfect, I’m constantly learning how to improve things and I’m thriving to lead this small business as sustainably as possible.
Plastic packaging is certainly cheaper, lighter and safer to post and transport in terms of the risk of breakage but as sustainability is one of the brand’s core values, using glass containers is non-negotiable.
I also opted for no outer cardboard box to reduce waste and instead, the products come with a reusable cotton eco pouch. I’m committed to using as little plastic as possible. Any inside filling in the postage boxes, e.g. paper insert, bubble wrap or the filling chips are reused from the ingredients and containers packaging. I’m delighted that many of my suppliers choose green alternatives too, such as compostable filling chips made of potato starch, even though these ‘greener’ options are more expensive.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting a beauty business?
To be honest I'm not yet an expert by any means as I'm still learning. But I would say start with your local enterprise office that usually offers a wide range of trainings and is very helpful to new start-ups, as well as existing businesses. Joining your local networking group may also be useful. I’m blessed with a continuous support from very talented women from my local Cavan Business Women Club.
Follow your dream, move one step at the time while enjoying the journey and hope for the best.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m often asked by customers for a face toner and to fulfil the requests I’m currently working on a new toner formula. The oil Serum needs water or a water based product to penetrate the skin and seal in the moisture and I feel that a face toner would complement the existing collection very well. It will take much more time though to test and it will be sometime next year by the time it’s launched so stay tuned.
https://www.sananaturals.ie/
____________________________________________
