Apothaka Skincare

🌟 PRODUCT OF THE MONTH 🌟
Meet my gentle enzyme exfoliant - one of the products I don't talk enough about! A milky, leave-on overnight serum that works with your skin's natural processes rather than against them.

What is it?
Rather than relying solely on AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), it combines fermented fruit enzymes (pineapple and papaya) with a multi-fruit acid complex and lactic acid to gently resurface and hydrate the skin while you sleep. No scrubbing, no stinging, no aggression - just softer, smoother, glowing skin by morning, whilst keeping your barrier intact. It's perfect for those who want to avoid aggressive exfoliants. Use once or twice a week to keep your skin radiant and glowing.

Why you'll love it:
🍍 Fermented pineapple & papaya enzymes break down the proteins in excess surface skin cells gently and effectively - fermented for better bioavailability so your skin actually benefits

✨ Multi-fruit acid complex & lactic acid brighten, smooth and hydrate in one step - no harsh peeling or timed treatment required

💧 Panthenol and allantoin in the milky serum format keep skin calm and moisturised throughout the exfoliation process - no tight or stripped feeling

🌿 Gentle and completely fragrance and essential oil free (you won't smell any fruits because added fragrance has no place in exfoliators in my opinion!) - suitable for all skin types including sensitive, and perfect for beginner users of chemical exfoliators

♻️ 30ml recyclable amber glass bottle with pump - a little goes a long way (just one pump is enough!)

Note, if you're a seasoned/frequent user of acid exfoliants, then this probably isn't for you - sorry! I wanted to create something specifically for skin that struggles with conventional/high strength exfoliators as there's plenty of those around!

OFFER: Enjoy 15% off gentle enzyme exfoliant until Wednesday 7th October (this gives you 15% off on top of the sale price) - simply use code GEE15OFF at checkout ❤️

Those of you who buy barrier support serum on repeat will be aware that my 50ml super size has been out of stock for some time, as I gradually run down my 30ml size. And by way of apology, I introduced a bundle of 2 x 30ml barrier support serums at the 50ml price a while ago - thought it was worth a reminder about this in case you missed it! So you're getting 60ml for the price of 50ml AND you can get this on subscription with a further 10% off 🙌🏾! There's a separate bundle listing for this offer on my website (under kits & sets), or use the link in my bio!

The original barrier support serum combining niacinamide, ceramides and multi weight HA, fragrance free, oil free in a lightweight gel format - enjoyed by all skin types requiring extra hydration (especially great if you're perimenopausal and dealing with dehydrated skin!).

In other news in case you missed it, I now also offer shipping to a pick up point - ideal for those who are often not home and are worried about missing deliveries! You can collect your order at your convenience. Choose the "pick up point" option at checkout, and it will offer a few local options based on your location (Evri ParcelShops). As with home delivery, shipping is free over £10.

How much good news can I fit into one post, eh?! ❤️

Should I cleanse my face in the morning?

A lovely customer messaged to ask if she should cleanse her skin in the morning (this is someone with a good routine in place, healthy skin & rosacea under control). She'd seen a celebrity with "great skin" talking on social media about how she doesn't wash her face in the morning and it made her start to doubt what she was doing.

When you see people online with seemingly amazing skin - the natural reaction is to think, "if I just do what they do, my skin will look like that too!". There will always be a small number of people that can get away with doing hardly anything to their skin and it will look "perfect". But, they are in a minority and it's likely largely genetic! Most people need a bit of help to support their skin without going overboard (so keeping things as minimal as your skin will allow, and choosing the right products for your own needs).

Back to the question - do I need to cleanse in the morning? There isn't a black and white answer to this - in fact my own approach has changed in the last few years. As always, it depends on your skin type / state, what your evening skincare routine looks like and which cleanser you're using, so a little nuance is needed and getting to know what your skin responds best to is key (rather than listening to celebs or internet experts!).

My basic rule of thumb:
👉🏾 if you love it and you're not seeing negative effects, knock yourself out!
If you're not sure what to do:
👉🏾 if you have oily and/or acne prone skin, use rich products at night or get sweaty at night it's preferable to gently cleanse your skin in the morning
👉if you have drier skin / skin not prone to acne/spots, then you could get away with a quick rinse with water in the morning (or opt for a creamier water-based cleanser to hydrate the skin)

I have balanced-combo skin which is prone to dehydration and is slightly drier as I get older so I often use richer products at night. I'm also prone to closed comedones, so I cleanse my face in the morning with a tiny amount of gentle cleansing gel (or velveteen cloud cleanser) - this works great for me.

What about you? ❤️

🔗Link to cleansing blog post in bio!

SKIN QUENCHING MOISTURISER FOR THE WIN! 💪🏾⭐

Happy to see another lovely customer enjoying my skin quenching moisturiser - a favourite of mine from the range! 🙌🏾 One of the key ingredients, urea, has been an unsung hero in my toolbox for many years (and you know how I love unsung heroes!). It's a very understated ingredient which quietly gets on with its job without much fanfare - much like my brand, Apothaka 😆.

Urea is one of the components found in the skin's own Natural Moisturising Factors (NMF) and it's one of the key ingredients in my skin quenching moisturiser - which has been around for over 6 years (what can I say, I'm always ahead of the trends here 😂)!

This ingredient is a very effective humectant (hydrating ingredient) at low concentrations (which is how I've incorporated it in this moisturiser), and at higher concentrations (10%+) it functions as an exfoliant. You'll also find sodium PCA (also part of the NMF), glycerin and a skin-identical blend of 3 ceramides, cholesterol & phytosphingosine (a ceramide precursor) among other emollients like olive squalane.

This super lightweight, humectant-rich moisturiser with a fluid texture is formulated for normal/balanced-combination and oily skin types - especially dehydrated skin, to hydrate and replenish the water content of the skin, supporting a healthy skin barrier. It's also very popular amongst those with acne. It's really absorbed and leaves the skin feeling supple and comfortable whilst reducing tightness. If you dislike the feeling of heavy, cloying textures, but find gel creams don't provide enough sustained hydration, this moisturiser is for you! And a little tip: if you lean more dry, this also works great as a more substantial hydrating "serum" under a more occlusive moisturiser!

It's fragrance free, vegan friendly and made in the UK (as are all my products). Suitable for sensitive skin (patch test with rosacea - some people are fine with urea, especially at this low usage rate, though others may be sensitive to it).

Someone commented on my nails today so I thought they were worth a spot on the grid! I've chopped them down like I do every so often to encourage healthy nail growth.

My SOS recovery hand cream provides the skin with water-loving ingredients like glycerin and panthenol in addition to nourishing plant oils and rich shea butter. I keep a tube of this on my desk, by my bed, in the kitchen and I also carry a little pot in my handbag so I'm never without it. I notice a huge difference in the condition of my hands and nails when I regularly moisturise them - especially just before I go to bed. It's part of my nightly routine 😍.

You'll adore the buttery, rich texture of this cream - it cocoons the skin without smothering it and it sinks in fast yet leaves the skin feeling soft and nourished. And the fragrance blend was updated from the original formulation with a more floral scent which is gorgeous! This was one of my first ever formulations that I developed and to this day I still love it 💙.

The aluminium tube packaging not only looks aesthetically gorgeous, it's also fully recyclable! 🙌🏾

SOS recovery hand cream is a great treat to have on hand especially as the weather starts to cool 😍.

? Can you help me?

Things have been really tough for small businesses this year (see my previous post for the latest spanner in the works), and trying to remain visible with a very limited budget is proving quite the challenge. I've been running Apothaka for nearly 10 years and there have always been ups and downs, but this year has left me wondering if I can realistically continue with things the way they are. I'm still really passionate about skin health, education and skincare, I still very much believe in my products and know they could help more people, but this alone won't keep the business afloat without more customers ordering from me. And as I've just paid for a very large order to get more of my bestselling skin quenching moisturiser manufactured (in the UK, as always!), it would be great to have some more people lined up to order it :). 

I've been updating my Google Business Profile recently and the only thing that's missing is customer reviews. Now, I have over 900 reviews on my website, which is amazing (I'd love to get to 1000 before my 10 year anniversary but I'll save that for another post!), but there is no way to share these on Google. So I would love it if you could leave a review of your experience with Apothaka and my products on my Google Business profile as I think this would give the profile a lot more weight, and hopefully make Apothaka more visible in searches (this has become more difficult with big brands copying one of my most popular product names 😭).

It's really easy to do and will only take a couple of minutes, you just need to click on the link in my bio (2nd link in the list), which takes you straight to the review page where you can leave your thoughts. 

Thank you so much in advance for helping me with this - hopefully with some reviews added to my profile, it might be a little easier for new customers to find me!

I've also left a link to Google reviews in the comments - just screenshot and copy the text (I look forward to the day insta let's you add clickable links to comments!). THANK YOU 🙏🏾❤️

You may have noticed on my website that I have had to pause shipping to the EU following the introduction of EU packaging regulations (PPWR) yesterday. This is not a decision I've taken lightly, but I was left with no choice.

Whilst I applaud the EU's commitment to environmental standards, the way these regulations are being implemented will have a catastrophic impact on micro-/small businesses that sell to the EU AND within the EU, as well as EU suppliers that UK businesses buy from. Although the UK is a 3rd country, these regulations also go against the principle of a single market through the enforcement of different national rules. It's utter madness!

The idea of manufacturers taking responsibility for their packaging makes sense through volume-based levies (and in some countries there are minimum thresholds for this which exempt smaller businesses), but it's the set up fees that fall disproportionately on micro/small businesses. There is a requirement to register in each EU country you sell to, as well as a requirement to have an "authorised rep" (AR) to manage the process in each country with currently no exemptions for small businesses. Current registration prices range from 350-1,100 Euros per country, per year, and then there are annual AR fees per country on top of this, so the costs will quickly build up for smaller businesses with low sales volumes. What's most frustrating is that these set up costs are the SAME whether you're a micro business like me, or a large company like Amazon, Shein, L'Oreal. Bigger, waste-producing companies are effectively paying less than smaller ones - there is an inherent unfairness in this.

I've tried to be mindful with my approach to packaging ever since I launched my brand. I got rid of outer cartons to minimise waste very early on, use reusable and recyclable filler material to send my parcels, my thank you card inserts are TINY - there's no other branded material in my parcels but I'll need to account for every bit of paper, card and twine that I use to protect my products. No product packaging is perfect as it all has a footprint, but aluminium and glass are at least recyclable (cont'd in comments)...

An oldie but a goodie! Who doesn't love a palate cleanser after weeks of wearing bright nails?!

SOS recovery nail and cuticle oil is a lovely lightweight product - a bespoke blend of carefully chosen cold pressed plant oils and essential oils, formulated to keep the skin and nail plate moisturised without feeling greasy.

Oh and it smells divine with the essential oils of zesty lemon with lavender. This bespoke scent blend also doubles as a mood booster (I really should carry one in the car to avoid road rage)! Packaged in a lovely amber glass rollerball bottle for maximum portability, convenience and shelf life - it dispenses just the right amount of oil so the bottle lasts AGES! The amber colour helps to reduce the risk of oxidation from UV light - this is an important factor for protecting your oils (I'm always bemused with oil products sold in fancy looking clear bottles as they might look cute but won't help!). I've noticed mainstream brands have started copying my unique rollerball format, what a surprise 🤷🏾!

Anyway, this is a dream match with my SOS recovery hand cream which delivers much needed humectants (hydrators) to the skin - a match made in heaven! 💅🏾

The irony of posting this when I said I hate viral trends 😆. But thought this would be a fun way of telling you a bit more about me and my page after seeing one from Dr Hazel Wallace BSc MSc MBBCh

Did you see any reasons to follow or unfollow (😭) me?!

Anyway, if you are here for skin health, perfectly imperfect skin like mine and aren't looking for instant/miracle transformations, I hope you'll stay 🙏🏾❤️

It's been a while since I wrote an industry education piece but I was recently asked if I'd considered obtaining B corp certification for Apothaka® - something I discounted a few years ago. For me, it was a very obvious no, but being asked about this made me wonder if I should explain why I decided against this certification route, which seems to have become more of a marketing strategy than a commitment to genuine environmental and social standards.

So I wanted to share a bit more about what B corp certification is, and how its original (probably honourable) intention has shifted more towards an opportunity for large, questionable multinational corporations to use this certification to mask very real environmental and social harm, whilst misleading eco-conscious consumers.

Big shout out to Jen Jen who I've referenced in my blog post, as she wrote a very detailed article on this topic some time ago. If you're interested in a more credible, nuanced take on environmental issues in the beauty space (and cosmetic science in general), I highly recommend her page.

If you are eco-conscious and rely on certifications / logos for your purchases, hopefully this encourages you to look beyond these. I'd love to hear what you think!

Link to blog post in bio ❤️