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Neal’s Yard Remedies Has Luxurious, Organic Skincare That Doesn’t Cost The Earth

Neal's Yard Remedies is a Great British Brand 2024

By CTH Editors | 3 months ago

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Neal’s Yard Remedies is an entry in our Great British Brands 2024 book.

Neal’s Yard Remedies: Great British Brand 2024

‘Neal’s Yard Remedies has always believed in the power of organic ingredients. Back in 1991, we worked with the Soil Association to create and launch the first ever organic certification standards for the beauty industry, laying the foundations for the movement towards the planet-positive products we are witnessing today.

‘Not only do organic ingredients benefit your skin with their natural antioxidants and high levels of vitamins and minerals, but they are also much better for the environment. Cultivated without the use of pesticides and other chemicals that can find their way into the final product, organic growing helps to protect biodiversity, too.

‘Since 2011, we’ve campaigned to protect bees, recognising their vital role in our daily lives, with one in three mouthfuls of food dependent on pollinators. Despite biodiversity being low on the government’s agenda, we successfully secured a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides in 2013 through a Downing Street petition. Today, I’m leading a coalition of over 100 British businesses and organisations dedicated to preserving British biodiversity

Anabel Kindersley, Owner

‘We’ve maintained long-term relationships with our suppliers and growers, supporting many through the process of securing organic certification. As the owner, I know what a finely balanced equation it is choosing planet over profit, but it’s firmly in our DNA to put kindness first. Our brand is built on foundations of transparency and trust, and our commitment to responsible practices is the reason our customers stay with us; a recent survey showed brand ethics is one of the most important purchase drivers – secondary only to our 27,000 five-star product reviews.

‘Technology helps us to take the incredible stories behind our products to a wider audience – but it can’t replace the human connections that form the basis of those stories. We’re watching AI closely, and believe it can be a force for good if used ethically. I’m hopeful that it will allow us to re-focus human energy into working as a collective towards a better, kinder future.

‘Human connection is irreplaceable for our wellbeing and is very much a foundation of our brand. Some people come into our stores simply for a chat or to ask for wellbeing advice, plus most of our stores have treatment rooms attached that literally depend on the human touch, which we’ll all need even more as the world becomes more digitised.

‘We’re all in this together, sharing our planet, and our brand is more than a collection of products. It’s a tapestry of the choices that resonate between our individuals, citizens, communities and us.’

Anabel Kindersley, Owner

Five Proudest Moments

In 1991 we became Britain’s first health and beauty brand to be awarded organic certification by the Soil Association.
We launched our multipurpose Wild Rose Beauty Balm in 2004, which became a bestselling, multi-award-winning beauty editors’ favourite.
In 2008 we were the first UK high street retailer to be certified Carbon Neutral. We’ve offset our greenhouse gas emissions every year since
In 2014 we became the first health and beauty brand to receive a score of 100/100 for ethics by The Ethical Company Organisation – and have achieved the same score every year since.
In 2018 we successfully lobbied the UK government, alongside Greenpeace and Fauna & Flora International, to #BanTheBead. We’ve never used plastic microbeads in any scrub or polish – just natural exfoliators like rosehip seeds, rice and pumice powder.

What I’ve Learnt…

Collaboration and standing together are the only ways we’re going to make meaningful changes.
Stand up for what you believe to be true – for us, that’s proving that you can have high-performing skincare without compromising nature.
Put kindness first across everything. We’ve always put people and the planet before profit.