TWO Scottish sisters who turned to creating skincare products as a positive outlet following the passing of their mother are set to have their innovations stocked by Holland & Barrett and a major Irish retailer.
The news comes after Haddington-based Raven Botanicals underwent a major packaging revamp following a period of rapid growth and increasing interest from retailers.
Founders Arabella and Charlotte Harvey started out creating skincare products for friends and family, before deciding to take the leap and commercialise the operation in 2020.
“We just wanted to do something that our mum would have been proud of,” Charlotte, who has a degree in botany and forensic science, told Packaging Scotland. “It’s something that she would’ve loved – she would’ve been joining in and helping.”
The ethos of Raven Botanicals is heavily influenced by both parents, with the duo describing their childhood in the Scottish Borders as ‘free-range’. They were encouraged to explore and respect nature, fed on a diet of homegrown produce, and rolled their eyes as teenagers at their father’s strict plastic waste ban – not yet realising how ahead of his time he was, and how much it would influence their future business.
A skilled craftsman, their father headed the Edinburgh College of Art’s School of Sculpture, whilst their mother had an ‘encyclopaedic knowledge’ of plants and a natural ability to nurture injured animals back to health in the family home.
The name ‘Raven Botanicals’ pays homage to that nurture and love, with two such rescued animals being crows who, upon recuperating, rejected the chance to leave the family home and instead became loyal pets – one remaining for over 17 years!
The new packaging is intended on sharing the family story with their customers. The texture and colours represent the rich tapestry heritage and nature of the Borders, whilst the bird emblem is taken directly from the steel memorial to Hugh McDiarmid that their father created on the Langholm hillside. The scalloped flower symbolises the ‘all-encompassing influence’ of their mother and her knowledge of plants and flowers that was instilled in both Charlotte and Arabella.
“Being personal is everything,” Arabella replied, when asked if it was ever intimidating sharing such intimate details of their story through packaging, before revealing the importance of being close to customers in an age where studies show 72% of people struggle with low confidence linked to their skin. “Our brand has a strong family-story, and we embed that in our messaging – so I think a lot of customers feel quite familiar with us and feel that they can ask questions and that’s so important.”
With the story now set to be told on a national stage, it was no mean feat getting to this point. The brand is run entirely by Arabella and Charlotte, and whilst both have experience creating skincare, packaging was an entirely new world, and they admit it was a learning curve.
“It’s been a lot of trial and error,” Charlotte explained. “Also, the balancing act of being as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible, whilst also being fit for purpose.”
The packaging revamp didn’t just bring about aesthetic improvements, but also in sustainability. The new bio-photonic glass bottles compliment the natural ingredients used by the brand allowing for the freshness to be preserved, whilst the dark colour makes it a standout on shelf and is hoped to incentivise customers to reuse it.
Meanwhile, newly introduced pulpable foil retains the luxury feel whilst increasing recyclability, with the new recyclable labels proving to stand up to the test of remaining resistant to oil, whilst the aluminium containers further their reduction on plastic.
“We had a really long journey with labels,” Arabella explained. “We’re watching all the time for packaging innovation. We’ve made changes, we make changes, and we will make changes – we look at the whole business with the same ethos of continuous improvement.”
A crucial addition, and one heavily influenced by their father’s dislike of unnecessary plastic, are the new product boxes. Featuring a natural sheen, they are 55% pure FSC-certified fibres, 40% recycled fibres, 5% fibres, are acid-free and biodegradable, and are crucially EU-compliant ahead of the launch in Ireland.
“Absolutely, it’s a pinch me moment,” Arabella replied, when asked what it was like being approached by major retailers. “When we started Raven Botanicals we had no business ambitions, it was a reaction to a tragedy in our life and all we wanted to do was pour our energy into something positive as a reaction against it.”
“When I look back at how we started the business, how we’ve grown and nurtured it, and the ethos we’ve embedded, I realise it’s been totally guided by our mum,” Arabella concluded. “At the time it was unconscious, but what we’ve created is rooted in nature and nurture – sharing that same sense of being cared for and valued that she gave to us.”
