THE GLOSS partnered with Modern Botany to celebrate the relaunch of this Irish natural beauty brand …
A special celebration of natural beauty was the order of the evening at THE GLOSS X Modern Botany event at The Westbury on May 29th. The attendance of more than 100 guests demonstrated the growing interest in ethical beauty, and the desire for products made from natural or organic ingredients, free of parabens and sulfates. Guests enjoyed botanical cocktails, champagne and canapés before an expert panel discussion on all things skincare, emceed by broadcaster Ciara Doherty, with Rachel Gallagher, Brand and Marketing Manager of Modern Botany, Olga Kochlewska, international skin expert and Founder of Skin by Olga and Sarah Halliwell, Beauty Editor, THE GLOSS.
Modern Botany first came to the attention of Beauty Editor, Sarah Halliwell back in 2016 when the brand was founded by Dr Simon Jackson, a pharmacognosist. In 2023, the Gallagher family purchased Modern Botany with the ambition to build a global ethical brand as an Irish business. The vision of the business is centred around premium, high-performing Cosmos Natural plant-based products that are good to our skin and the planet. Modern Botany features a collection of exceptional multi-tasking products teeming with powerful natural ingredients derived from Ireland’s native plants.
Sarah Halliwell, Beauty Editor, THE GLOSS, Olga Kochlewska, international skin expert and Founder of Skin by Olga and Rachel Gallagher, Brand and Marketing Manager of Modern Botany.
The panel shared their experience and insights of working within the modern beauty industry and the benefits of opting for natural skincare products. Introducing the brand, Rachel Gallagher of Modern Botany explained its philosophy of “Revel in Nature” and its natural and sustainable ethos.
Olga Kochlewska’s reputation for advanced non-invasive skincare is well known with appointments at her Skin by Olga salon in Donnybrook highly prized. Olga’s account of her own issues with her skin as a teenager, her subsequent career in skincare, and how her skincare business evolved in Ireland, provided the backdrop to the way she deals with skin on an individual basis, creating bespoke skincare regimens for her clients based on their specific needs. Asked about Irish skin, in particular, she attributed the challenges to a combination of climate and genetics: “Irish skins tend to be thinner, more fragile, prone to rosacea and sensitive to sun damage.”
Explaining that the plant world has provided the beauty industry with the vast majority of its most effective ingredients, Rachel said that “Modern Botany has captured some of those effective ingredients from Irish native plants.” She described the five “hero” plants used in the Modern Botany formulations: Chamomile, Calendula, Irish Flax, Serrated Wrack, Borage, and their soothing, anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties.
The panel agreed that as the world of skincare evolves, and with new products and treatments being developed all the time, it’s easy to overdo one’s skincare routine by using too many products, and too many products with active ingredients. “Over-use of moisturisers and serums can stress your skin,” said Sarah, “it’s best to invest in good products – not necessarily expensive products, but those that you know suit your skin – and scale back so you use the minimum.”
She added: “It’s key to use products that make us feel good – that smell nice and are quickly absorbed, leaving skin feeling good. The sensorial aspect and sense of ritual are important.” Olga and Sarah agreed that they have observed that women are pulling back from interventions such as Botox and injectables in favour of non-invasive procedures that involve micro-current, oxygen and light therapy and that can be super-effective.
A lively Q&A session followed with the panel addressing queries from the audience on a range of topics from menopause to aspects of “clean beauty”. A show of hands revealed the vast majority of the audience were interested in natural ingredients and carefully read labels, only purchasing products on the basis of the ingredients. One key takeaway from the expert panel was that while a few years ago natural deodorants would have been viewed as a hippy marketing ploy, fast forward to today and with everyone more vigilant about what is going into our bodies, Olga and Sarah’s all-time favourite Modern Botany Natural Deodorant has achieved cult status and is the first product into their summer travel beauty bags! www.modernbotany.com
Click into the gallery below to see all the guests in attendance …
Photography by Conor Healy / Picture It Photography.
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