Pinks Boutique is a professional spa organic skincare range designed,
formulated and made in the UK with full certification from the Soil Association
providing Eco-Luxury manicure, pedicure, facial, body and waxing products to
spas and high end salons who want organically sourced ingredients but also
demand professional performance. Here we catch up with founder Kirstie Sheriff.
What do you think sparked your passion for natural and
organic ingredients?
Believe it or not- from professional Rugby. When I launched
our first business Pinks Academy- a fast track beauty school for adults
changing careers over 10 years ago Luke my husband and partner in Pinks
Boutique was playing at Harlequins RFC for 7 years. Every pre season they would
have a fitness coach or nutritionist who would make them do ‘odd’ things- one
year they had to skip everywhere for 6 weeks and one summer before organic had
gone into the mainstream they had to adopt a completely organic diet and
lifestyle. Being in the house too I lived through it- the organic steak and
broccoli cooking for breakfast at 7 am and the results for the boys were
incredible. It started to make me worry about the fact I was teaching every
day, bathing in product and covering my students in it. 
We were teaching approximately 1000 students a year and our tutors had a real influence on their career, what products they wanted to use and what they understood about ingredients. So, I started to research cosmetic formulation and once you do there is no turning back!
There was no professional organic range at this point in the
Spa and salon sector and we launched Pinks Boutique to be the first complete
range- i.e not just face and body but manicure, pedicure and waxing too. The
strategy was and still is to be able to offer the professional sector and
crucially the clients that walk in the door a genuine natural and organic
version of Elemis. The spa sector really struggles with ‘natural’. Every brand
that isn’t a medical spa brand claims to be natural. All the product houses
teach this, their employees believe this and so in turn do the therapists and
clients. There is no mention of what is really in the bottles underneath the
sprinkle of natural essential oils they may have in there.
Pinks Boutique, how you chose the name?
Pink- why? For us Organic is too obviously white or beige
with green leaves. We wanted to create a
brand look which appealed to all whether they care about organic or not. This
for us is the future, to make even those that are not aware of what is in
normal cosmetics use a luxury skincare product that is effective and not toxic.
The brown bottles stand out from a crowd, the brown gift boxes and bags with
pink or white highlights are very visually appealing- the aim was Eco Luxury.
Boutique- why? I had a list of everything I hated about
dealing with the large spa product houses and I wanted to undo these and create
a real boutique concept for our individual clients. As we specialize in
attention to detail and arrive at the door of each client with a unique
offering- 4 prongs.
1) UK made spa products with full certification from the
Soil Association providing Eco Luxury manicure, pedicure, facial, body and
waxing products to spas and high end salons who want organically sourced
ingredients for professional performance skincare.
2) Training- our products are linked to signature treatments
in which we provide training to our spas but we are also accredited to offer
Insurance level qualifications in all the base beauty, nail and holistic
courses so can support our spas training needs- e.g Brazilian waxing, Hot
stones, Reflexology.
3) Spa Essentials is a one- stop concept for all the
finishing touches to perfect your spa or salon decor.
4) Spa consultancy and advice- with our Boutique offering we
have worked with many of our clients on projects from developing new sites,
reorganizing spa structures and redesigning menus and full spa concepts. Ultimately
our offering wasn’t simple and so we created a Boutique to house it all!
This is 'The Organic Beauty Month' you are launching in
September is a fantastic idea. What inspired this?
We have over 85 spa and salon accounts now in the UK that
all have owner, spa managers of hotel group sustainability policies that have
led them to select an Organic brand. However, when we return to visit our spas
it is very difficult in a busy back to back treatment world to find the time to
really educate the clients on why the products are different and what they are
going to do to your skin. Spa life is about treatments, we make incredible
treatments due to our training background and this is what we all do all day
long. Most people who enter our salons may have never met an Organic product
before and in truth are not really looking for one- just genuine results for
their skin. So the idea was to create a focus and some time to actually go back
to this and celebrate the organic in what we do.
The Soil Association in the past have been so focused on
food that we felt we could help support them and really fly the beauty flag
with a nationwide covering of spas. For the spa visitors they will be getting
lots of nice extras in September- samples, advice and tips and full Organic
brochures explaining the science of organic to take away with them. This will
be sent out with Naturisimo purchases too.
Where do you see the brand 5 years from now?
The plan is continue the UK expansion supplying more and
more salons and spas and to work with colleges to get some formulation and
organic education into the beauty syllabus- this doesn’t exist currently. We
will be expanding to the Middle East and Asia- Luke and I have travelled
extensively there- our second home so I can’t wait for that part!
What do you wish you’d known when you started?
The list is too long in honesty; you make so many mistakes when
you first start a business. I would be so good at it if I started again now!
What is the most challenging part of your job?
It is all a challenge but I think in truth that is why I do
it, my husband and resident philosopher tells me that Life is a game, a great
game and we all have to fill it with something or make a difference somehow. I
have found a role that does both. Right
now, a personal challenge is watching my Oxford contemporaries working in the
City or Law reach a peak in their careers 10- 15 years after graduation when
their wage slips are becoming fairly incredible. When you have your own
business cash is always going back in, never out to you it seems! On the flip side on a weekly basis I am
either in my home office or in 5* spas in the UK or abroad- no tube commute for
me Also my skin is looking very good for my age!
What are your every day beauty essentials?
Toner- I use our Ocha Toner. I think people underestimate
toner. It is always the one that gets left out of the facial regime but they
are crucial to helping retain your skin’s natural moisture- just like your
actual moisturizer. We refer to ours as a skin drink- you are missing out on a
trick if you are not using a great Organic Toner.
If you could treat yourself to one thing this month it would
be...
A Pinks Boutique Signature Pedicure- described by Marie
Claire as the best pedicure they have ever had, then coffee and cake with Luke
and Layla. Frankly- any one of our treatments would be nice. Therapists never
get treatments as a rule!
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