Report: About Botanicals (page 28 of 28)
Based near Melton Mowbray in rural Leicestershire, Botanicals was founded by Wendy Stirling, a mother of two young girls.
A passionate believer in natural remedies, Wendy explained: “I decided to develop the products after one of my daughters suffered an allergic reaction to a natural-sounding ‘herbal’ shampoo.
“The shampoo label said it contained ‘high quality ingredients derived from pure renewable plant sources’. But when I looked closer I found it contained a number of potentially harmful detergents, chemical emulsifiers and preservatives.”
Wendy added: “The tiny amount of herbal ingredients in the shampoo may well have been grown under organic conditions and without chemicals, but the shampoo itself was full of them.”
With a background in marketing, Wendy decided to do some detailed research. “I found very few producers of truly natural products in the UK,” she explained. “So I decided to develop my own range.”
Two years later, and with the help of a Rural Enterprise Grant, and the specialist skills of phyto-chemists based at Loughborough University, the Botanicals range was launched.
“Although they are based on traditional herbal remedies, all of our products have been professionally formulated and comply with the strictest standards and regulations,” said Wendy.
“They are hand-made in small batches and preserved naturally. We don’t use any harmful preservatives, artificial colouring or chemical fragrances. And no genetically-modified or animal-derived ingredients.”
