A SCOTTISH botanist has become the first in the UK to attain Wildlife Friendly certification for her beauty products.
Dr Sally Gouldstone, from Tranent, East Lothian, built her beauty brand around sustainability using all natural ingredients that can be found in Scotland.
Her company Seilich, attained the certification from the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network recently.
Wildlife friendly products contribute to the conservation of over twelve million hectares of diverse wetlands, forests, and grasslands; protect keystone endangered species in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin and North America.
It also benefits over 200,000 people through increased food security, income and employment.
Seilich creates native wildflower meadows at the hub of its business from which ingredients for their products are grown and harvested.
These Scottish meadows are comprised of a native seed mix created by a local seed company. This seed mix comprised from native seeds of local provenance, was developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh to not only benefit pollinators but also to ensure no food scarcity gaps through the year for pollinators.
Dr. Sally Gouldstone, botanist and founder of Seilich said: “Joining forces with the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network offered an opportunity for us to demonstrate that natural products can not only be 100% natural but actually be a force of good for nature.
“The botanicals we use in our products are based on Scottish wildflower species such as yarrow, comfrey, plantain and wild carrot, all of which we grow in our meadow. These species not only produce powerful ingredients for our cosmetic products but also provide amazing habitat for wildlife, and with over 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK being lost since the 1930s, they form an important habitat in their own right.
“For this reason we are really careful about the way we harvest, ensuring a food source for pollinators even post-harvest, and to compensate for any losses, we also work with community groups in the wider area to create a network of wildflower meadows throughout East Lothian.”
Through Seilich, Dr. Gouldstone is also keen to increase awareness about so called ‘natural’ cosmetic products, which often conjure images of pristine ecosystems buzzing with life but all too often have negative impacts on the natural world. She runs a habitat creation service as well as a number of workshops and botanical courses to support this.
For more information visit www.seilich.co.uk.
