We spoke to director, Tina Harris, about their brand GinGingers.
Tell us more about your company.
Our journey began three years ago amidst the chaos of Covid. I found myself wracked with anxiety, unable to visit my parents, whom I used to see six to seven times a week. Furloughed from work, I needed something to keep my mind busy and my active little girl entertained. That's when I decided to channel my lifelong passion for skincare.
My daughter and I would sit at the dining room table, making simple formulations using cold processes, which allowed her to be involved safely at every stage. It didn’t take long for the formulating bug to take hold. After getting my daughter to sleep on a night I'd found myself sat studying well into the early hours of the morning, week after week, month after month.
One particular formulation gradually became an obsession: one that included an old favourite of mine, apple cider vinegar (ACV). Over the years, I had used ACV for various purposes, from treating spots to bites and sunburn. However, its strong smell and liquid form were sometimes impractical so I started out on a mission to make ACV more user-friendly and gentle on the skin, leading to the creation of a moisturizing gel.
Fast forward three years, and I've collaborated with the Biorenewables Development Centre and an Innovation centre (CPI), both of which conducted extensive research on my behalf.
GinGingers products are now proudly certified COSMOS natural through the Soil Association and cruelty-free through Cruelty Free International (Leaping Bunny). We're vegan-friendly, use cold processes in manufacturing (reducing our carbon footprint by up to 50%), and prioritize local suppliers.
The ACV we use comes from a farm on the Yorkshire coast, known for its exceptional quality. While my initial plan was to use fully organic vinegar, a visit to the farm and a conversation with its owner led me to a different choice. She shared her family's story of farming organically for over 40 years, explaining her reasons for not seeking formal certification. Her passion and commitment convinced me to choose her non-organic vinegar for our gel.
Is there a specific product you've particularly proud of and why?
Our gel, enriched with ACV (with 'The Mother'), is blended with witch hazel, licorice root extract, tea tree oil, a natural emollient, and a non-comedogenic oil. This blend creates a light, clean, non sticky and moisturised feeling upon application. Personally, I've been using the gel twice a day for the past three years on my face to tone and balance my skin's pH. I apply it under my regular moisturizer and have seen improvements in skin texture and pore appearance. My family and friends have been using this gel for the last 18 months for various skin issues, from soothing ingrown hairs, helping with leaking oedemas to addressing psoriasis and eczema, facial and back spots, and even foot odours. However, it's important to stress that our product isn't FDA-approved, so it's not considered a 'medical' product. Legally, I can only market our gel as a 'cosmetic' product that can help with spots, balance skin pH, and reduce foot odour. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that our ACV gel, with its natural antimicrobial properties, deserves its 'multi-purpose' label.
My red-headed daughter, my little Ginginger, is the face – or more precisely, the hair – behind the brand. She allows me to showcase her beautiful locks on our website and social media and even designed our logo when she was just four years old. The brand truly revolves around her. She now helps with packaging our orders and is my daily motivation.
Our packaging consists of 50% PCR (post-consumer recycled plastic) and is fully recyclable. We've opted not to use an outer box to minimize waste, and our shipping materials are also fully recyclable.
What do you most enjoy about running your business?
I’m so proud of what GinGingers has achieved. We’ve created a product that works spectacularly well, using minimal and all-natural ingredients, with family at the forefront of every step. I love that my daughter is such a massive part of this journey, enabling me to educate her on sustainability and responsibility.
What I enjoy most is working with my daughter and creating highly effective products from nature's powerhouse ingredients.
For the founder/face of the brand - when you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing?
I don’t have much spare time and typically work until around 2 am most mornings. I see my parents every day, so I work around them and my daughter's school run. When I do have any time, I love visiting the beautiful Yorkshire coast and Yorkshire Dales.
How many people work for the business?
Currently, it's just me running the show, but my little Ginginger is never far away. She helps with packing orders and loves taking pictures for our social media posts.
Who do you sell your products to?
At the moment, we are selling directly to customers through our website, but we are looking to collaborate with retailers.
What are your ambitions for your company?
We already have a second cold-process cream waiting in the wings, ready to be launched further down the line. We also have several exciting and innovative projects coming up, collaborating with fantastic organizations. So, there's lots to look forward to in the future. I'm particularly eager to incorporate more food waste into our products and continue using cold processes and all-natural ingredients.
What do you think of the free Product Guru platform? What encouraged you to join?
I love the free Product Guru platform as it allows you to navigate the website and get a feel for a brand's values and ethics without a full commitment. I had considered two other companies offering similar services, but I found better value and customer service with Product Guru.’
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