Skincare For The Ages: An Interview With The Lovely Rose Apothecary Founder Ashley Black
The Lovely Rose Apothecary is a vintage-inspired skincare brand that takes real skincare recipes from 1920-1940 and introduces them to a modern-day audience through their handmade skincare products. I had the immense pleasure of speaking with The Lovely Rose Apothecary founder Ashley Black about skincare, vintage, and running a business in a COVID-19 world. Check it out below.
How did you get into the skincare business?
I’ve suffered from cystic acne since I was 12 and was tired of still having breakouts in my 30s. At that point, I had tried literally everything and nothing worked to keep my skin clear. So, I started researching what women back in the golden age of Hollywood used for their skincare since they always had such beautiful skin in the old photos (prior to the days of digital retouching!). I got my skin clear and soon others began asking me to make them products. One thing led to another and I opened The Lovely Rose Apothecary.
How did you come up with your company logo?
The girl that is on all of our packaging is actually an old stock photo that I found and I thought she was just perfect! The logo we use was designed by the same woman who makes the labels for all of our products.
For people coming to your shop for the first time what are some items you recommend?
For first time customers, I always recommend our Travel Beauty Sets. We have them in Rose, Lavender, and Geranium to suit all different skin types and each set includes a 1 oz size of each of the products in our main Beauty Set: skin tonic, vanishing cream, and cold cream. The Travel Beauty Sets are a great way to test the products on your skin before purchasing the full-size set. They are also the perfect size for travel when we are able to start doing that again.
We also have a product recommendation quiz on our website that can tell you which set is best for your skin.
What is it about the skincare recipes from the past that makes them so much better than modern-day ones?
The recipes that we use are full of natural ingredients that are powerful yet gentle on your skin. They don’t contain any chemical preservatives and are also multi-tasking so you need fewer products in your skincare regiment. Plus they make you feel glamorous when you use them!
Are there any misconceptions people have about skincare from the past?
I think there is a misconception that skincare from the past is full of dangerous ingredients like mercury and lead and some products were! But many products were a simple emulsion of wax, oil, and water and are much gentler and better for your skin than their modern-day, chemical-filled, equivalents.
What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned since opening a skincare business?
Honestly that something as simple as a few carrier oils, hydrosols and essential oil could clear cystic acne! I had used literally everything, including prescriptions from a dermatologist and nothing cleared my skin. But these simple ingredients did. And I hear the same thing from customers all the time. It’s so amazing to me how powerful nature is!
What is your favourite thing about your skincare products?
I love how simple they are. I love that our skincare routine consists of two products in the morning and one in the evening. I also love how quickly you see results. Our products really feed skin what it’s missing.
If you decided to one day expand your business to more than just skincare, what product from the past would you like to try and recreate?
I am actually currently looking into expanding our product line to include hair care products. We currently have a conditioning hot oil treatment and I would love to recreate a lustre cream shampoo.
Are there any other parts of your life that your love of vintage touches?
What part of my life doesn’t have a vintage touch?! My first car was a 1966 Mustang, I listen to swing, old school jazz, and ragtime. I love pin curls and seamed stockings and red lipstick. I use cake mascara and live in an apartment built in 1926. I love fashion from the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. I love furniture and architecture from the Art Deco period. I could go on and on.
If you could go back in time to any time period where would you go?
I would probably say the 1920s. The music, the fashion, the speakeasies! People were just letting loose and having a good time after the ravages of WWI and the 1918 Flu Pandemic. And pushing boundaries and breaking down old barriers. I think it would have been a fun time to be alive.
Lastly, how has COVID-19 affected the way you do business?
I’ve had to increase my order processing times. It has made shipping a lot more difficult. Transit times on some packages are a lot longer than pre-COVID. Also ordering inventory for our raw ingredients way before we run out. My suppliers are having difficulty keeping things in stock and their processing times are a lot longer. But I have amazing customers who have been incredibly supportive and understanding through this entire year so I’m very lucky.
Check out all the amazing skincare products The Lovely Rose Apothecary has to offer and take your skin on a little journey back in time.