Annabel Boom turned her adversity into her advantage and that is when she launched her brand, Spritzy.
With an inspiring backstory, we couldn’t wait to find out more…
Tell us about the journey that led you to launch your brand, Spritzy…
I have always wanted to run my own company but it was only when I delved into the world of botanicals and Ayurveda, after I suffered a severe allergic reaction over 10 years ago, that I realised I wanted to build my own natural luxury skincare brand. I healed my skin through a lengthy exploration of pure plant extracts and having lived with eczema my whole life (and gone through endless pots of E45 cream) I was excited to develop my own skincare products that really helped nourish and support my skin.
Anyone who has sensitive skin knows how frustrating it can be and how unglamorous it can make you feel, so with Spritzy, I wanted to create a sense of luxury when using our products and to make our customers feel amazing, which we have done through the quality of the ingredients we use, the packaging and design. Our aim is to take our customers on a luxury sensory journey wherever they are!
I really love working on and evolving our skincare range, and so, to expand my knowledge and understanding of formulating skincare products, I took a Natural Skincare Diploma, which has really supported our new product development.
Being a vegan and sustainable brand is at the forefront of what you do. Why is this important to you?
Our ethos is to be mindful of the planet, so from the very beginning, we made sure that sustainability was at the forefront of our business and product development. We cannot ignore the impact of global warming or plastic pollution and the effects it is having on the planet. As a brand, we feel that it is our responsibility to produce products that have as small an impact on the environment as possible. We are by no means perfect, but being sustainable, vegan and cruelty free is hugely important to us. We believe in natural ingredients and sustainable growth.
For the launch of our natural, vegan hand sanitiser we partnered with Sea Shepherd @seashepherduk – an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organisation, whose primary mission, is to end the destruction of habitats and illegal killing of wildlife around the UK’s coastline and across the world’s oceans, in order to conserve and protect marine ecosystems and species. We donate 10% profit from the sale of our Blue Tansy Hand Cleanser to Sea Shepherd.
As we develop and grow our brand, we ensure that our products and packaging can be infinitely reused, refilled and recycled and our products are free from parabens, SLS and palm oil.
What’s your skincare routine?
I have always found that simplicity is key, so not overloading the skin with too many products/ingredients is really important to me. It also makes a good regular skincare routine manageable (especially with a busy lifestyle).
Learning to care for my skin began very early on – growing up, my Mum always told my sisters and I “your face has to last you” so she always made sure that we used a good quality cleanser, toner and facial oil. I love face serums and oils, which is why I created our Organic cold pressed Rosehip Facial Oil and I use it every day. It feels incredible on the skin, provides daily support for all skin types and is very high in Vitamin C and A which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
I also dry brush when I can. This is hugely beneficial as it helps with circulation and it promotes lymphatic cleansing by stimulating the lymphatic system which is so important for overall health.
For any skincare beginners, what would you say is a must have product regardless of their routine?
I would say a must have product is our Geranium, Pine & Rosemary hand and body wash (which recently won an award). It is a castile soap derived from organic sunflower and coconut oil and is incredibly soft on the skin. Making sure you have a high quality soap that you can use on your whole body, that doesn’t dry out your skin is really important. Regardless of your routine, this is an easy place to start for anyone, no matter what age or skin type you have. The scent we have created for our Geranium, Pine & Rosemary soap is also very luxurious and uplifting. It is a fantastic product, easy to use, effective and you can enjoy it daily. Making sure you are washing your skin with the right ingredients is a really good place to start and you can build from there.
Looking back since launching the brand, is there anything you would do differently?
Overall I am really happy with the way the brand launched and is growing. It is hard to say if I would do anything differently, as I have learned so much along the way. I think the key thing is to be open to learning and having clear communication within the team.
Who’s involved in the business and what are their roles?
Spritzy is a small family business, founded by myself and my husband Omar (the creative brilliance behind the scenes) so as you can imagine, the pair of us are really busy and we juggle a lot! However, we also have an amazing team of freelancers who work with us and make the day to day running of the business much easier. We also work with a fantastic team of suppliers for our ingredients and products, ensuring only the best goes into what we make and create.
Talk us through an average day in your life…
Whatever’s going on in my life, I try really hard to give myself at least 5- 10 minutes to meditate at the start of each day. The house then comes to life around me and an average day always starts (and finishes) with looking after my beautiful 3 year old daughter, Lola. After nursery drop, my husband and I then head into the studio where we focus on new and existing product development and work on our sales and marketing strategies.
What do you do when you are lacking creativity?
If I need a bit of inspiration and motivation, I always talk with Omar and soon enough we are bouncing ideas off each other. Otherwise I absolutely love to listen to a really good tune to re-energise and re-set me!
How much has social media played a role in the success of your brand?
It has really helped a lot – it is a great way for new brands to get exposure and followers. We have had a lot of interest on our posts.
What is your go-to quote when lacking motivation?
“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe” (Oprah Winfrey).
I love this quote and I truly believe in myself and our vision here at Spritzy. Thanks to the support of so many amazing female empowering networks – such as ‘The Stack World’ and ‘All Bright’ – I have grown in my self confidence and determination, which plays a huge part in starting a business and turning an idea into a reality. Female-owned businesses in the UK are on the rise but it is still very male dominated and it is also very difficult for female businesses to attract the same funding as men. These networks are empowering women in business and we are lucky to have such easy access to this support and create these strong connections.
Our readers love to travel, what destination is on your must visit list?
I would really love to visit Egypt. I have never been and my husband is half Egyptian so it would be so special to explore their culture, especially as it is one of the oldest civilizations and offers so many different experiences.
What does self care mean to you?
To me, self care means looking after myself both mentally and physically. Both my life’s experiences and my career path have taken me on a personal journey to find this out.
In regards to my physical health, I spent 8 years working for a cooking agency and we were so interested in nutrition, we wrote a book exploring various diets (raw, vegan & vegetarian). It was great fun trying all the recipes but we agreed that balance is key – so having a healthy, varied diet is a good way to nourish and support yourself. A year of Nutrition Training further helped me to gain an understanding of anatomy and physiology and discover all that the body needs and wants to function beautifully.
Mental health is equally as important to me – I learnt to meditate after I lost my Dad to cancer, which was a very difficult time in my life. A friend recommended I try Vedic Meditation and it helped me enormously. After a career change, I spent a year working in the meditation and mindfulness industry and I still meditate regularly today.
Also – nothing beats spending time with my family and friends. It is essential “food for the soul” and this is what keeps me happy and healthy.
Where do you see the brand in the next 5 years?
What is really important to us is that Spritzy remains a quality, trusted and accessible brand, with a really good customer base. Spritzy’s core ethos is to be part of the necessary shift towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly products – that’s why our skincare range uses organic and 100% natural ingredients to support and nourish the skin. We are currently working on an amazingly clean and nourishing ‘Spritzy Mama’ and ‘Spritzy Baby’ range (spoiler alert), which will be the epitome of natural and organic cosmetics for children and Mums-to-be. So, as long as we continue to evolve the business, by creating quality natural products that also give our customers that sense of luxury and self-care that they deserve, then we will be very happy.
@spritzy_ldn
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