Therapi Honey Skincare
Therapi is a British-born organic skincare line based on the therapeutic properties of honey and propolis.
Here co-founder Esme Hawkes talks us through how the brand "listens to nature" when they harvest this core ingredient sustainably.
We know certified organic beauty and wellbeing is better for people and the planet- but what, in particular, lead you to originally certifying with Soil Association Certification?
When we first started keeping bees over 30 years ago, we noticed that every time the nearby fields were sprayed, the bees would become disorientated and would seemingly drunkenly stagger around on the grass, unable to find their way home. Years later, these agrochemicals were found to be neurotoxins and are now linked to the dramatic decline in insects we now see. Looking back, it’s this memory that stands out as a key moment in our journey to organic.
We’ve spent our lives outside in nature because of our backgrounds in beekeeping and ecology so we see the impacts of industrialised conventional farming out in the field first-hand. Hedgerows are pulled out to make way for crops and large machinery, synthetic fertilisers are used that deplete natural soil health and pollute waterways, and agrochemicals are routinely sprayed that decimate micro-organisms and insect populations – all of which have a huge impact on our wildlife and our own health.
Organic reverses all of this. At Therapi, it’s our baseline for sustainability and lies at the heart of everything we do – it’s part of our holistic approach to growing and harvesting ingredients, which looks after our soil, enriches our wildlife, boost our heath and protects our planet for generations to come.
How does your brand “Listen to Nature”, and how will you be doing so this Organic Beauty & Wellbeing Week?
As beekeepers we practice regenerative beekeeping techniques, working with the rhythms of nature to only harvest our honey, beeswax and propolis when it can be done sustainably without compromising the integrity of the honeybee colony.
We donate 5% of our profits to bee conservation work year-round and run the TreeHive project at FarmEd, which is an amazing educational farm in the Cotswolds, where we teach people about how honeybees operate in the wild and how we can all support them by providing natural habitat in the form of hollow trees and good forage.
How do you think we can get more consumers to “listen to nature” by opting for certified organic beauty and wellbeing products?
When we get outside and connect with nature, we can instinctively feel when an ecosystem is thriving. The same is true with our bodies – when we choose organic food and beauty, we’re choosing real nourishment. Amazing changes happen when we tune into our bodies and establishing an everyday self-care ritual is one of the most transformative steps we can take to do this – these moments of self-care bookend our days and feed both skin and spirit. Connecting the dots between our own health and that of the planet allows us not only to listen to nature but to be part of it.
