Our interview with Laura Rudoe, founder of Evolve Beauty

How have you arrived at your current role?
I've always had an interest in skincare as a consumer as I tried to fix my own skincare problems (I suffered badly from acne when I was younger) and when I was given the opportunity to help start-up nude skincare in 2005, I deepened my research and became an expert on natural products and ingredients in my role as head of Operations and Development. Once nude launched, I decided to develop my own ranges of natural and organic products and set up an ethical development company, Good Ventures. Our expertise is in creating and supporting ethical businesses, with a special focus on organic and natural personal care. We launched evolve beauty, our first brand, in 2009.

What was the inspiration for the evolve brand?
evolve is designed to make it easy for people to live a little better by taking small steps towards being healthier and greener. We use natural, food based ingredients that the body has evolved to understand, focusing on highly effective natural superfoods which really make a difference to skin and hair.

How is evolve different from other skincare brands?
evolve is probably the greenest brand on the market today as all of our bottles and jars are made from 100% recycled plastic, mostly derived from milk bottles. Our products are also certified organic, which means they are independently verified to have a high level of organic ingredients, and not to contain any synthetic nasties. They are also cruelty free.

Where are we likely to see evolve products for sale?
evolve is available at www.evolvebeauty.co.uk, Ocado, Love Lula, Wholefoods Market and selected onlIne retailers nationwide and across Europe. The full list of stockists is available on our website.

What is your prediction for the next big thing in skincare?
I'm working on a new treatment range at the moment that fuses nutrition and skincare as I think that will be the next big trend in skincare.

What are the everyday benefits of using organic products?
Certified organic products have been independently verified to contain no nasty ingredients and contain high levels of pure, plant based ingredients which means you can rest easy that your skincare products aren't going to cause any health issues and are purer than conventional alternatives.

What obstacles have you encountered when trying to create organic products?
Some organic products are very tricky to create because the raw material options are more limited. There are very few certified organic shampoos, for example. We've done a lot of work this year on new haircare formulations so the performance matches or exceeds synthetic products by using some cutting edge natural ingredients. Check them out at www.evolvebeauty.co.uk/shop/haircare and let us know what you think - I'm very proud of what we have achieved!

What three skills have helped you progress to where you are now?
I soak up information like a sponge, which is how I have researched and learnt about natural product formulation over the past 5 years. I also read extremely quickly, which is very helpful when you are a researcher. 

I'm a bit of a jack of all trades as I currently run my business pretty much singlehandedly. I'm not scared of taking on a new challenge or learning something new in fact I thrive on it. 

I love what I do and really believe in it, and bring that positive energy to work with me every day. I feel very lucky to be doing what I do.

You have a son Daniel – how do you juggle your career with being a mother?
By being very focused when i am working, keeping strict work hours, and never trying to work when I am looking after Daniel - if I don't give him my full attention it is very frustrating for both of us. I'm very lucky to have lots of support from family, which makes a huge difference.

What advice do you have for women wanting to start their own business?
Learn your own value as women often underestimate it and find it hard to negotiate. I often pretend I am negotiating for someone else as it helps me drive a harder bargain.

Women are known to have high levels of emotional intelligence and empathy – build on this strength to create lasting relationships with suppliers and customers that pay dividends longer term.

Women are also known to be great at multi tasking but this can lead to a lack of focus – I find it helpful to make a list of the 3 big things I want to achieve each day and stick to it.
 

Interview by Abigail Challenor

For more information on evolve visit www.evolvebeauty.co.uk