In Conversation With Emma Lewisham

1. Congratulations on the launch of your beautiful new Sleeping Mask! What was the inspiration behind this product and why did you feel we needed it in our routine?

I was inspired by the skin’s own physiology! The way we design our formulations is skin-first, which means that before we even look at ingredients, we get to know the skin’s own processes and the behaviours that are involved in what we’re trying to achieve. Through immersing ourselves in scientific research around the skin’s day vs night activity, we recognised the important restorative activity that the skin performs overnight. This became a key foundation of our formulation design – by amplifying the skin’s own beneficial night time activity before we look to enhance it, we elevate our starting point. This means we can redefine what can be achieved by an overnight treatment and deliver a new level of results.

To enhance this restorative overnight activity, we looked to melatonin – a hormone that can trigger those beneficial processes. We discovered an extract found in Gardenia Jasminoides that can boost the activation of our skin's melatonin receptors. It’s an incredible and innovative ingredient which we have included alongside powerful hydrators, specialised peptides and cellular energy enhancing molecules that can boost the skin’s collagen inventory.

3. The last year was a big year for Emma Lewisham - becoming B.Corp certified, achieving Carbon Positive Status, being endorsed by the amazing Dr Jane Goddall. What do these milestones mean to you, your business and the future of Emma Lewisham as a brand?

These milestones make me incredibly proud. I feel proud of the people in my team - I am lucky to be surrounded by people I believe to be leaders in their respective fields, and all share an underlying belief that businesses can be a force for good reformative change. And, I’m proud of our growth.

When we started working on Emma Lewisham nearly five years ago now, I’d never imagined that we would have accomplished such phenomenal growth in the two years we’ve been on the market – with our range being stocked in some of the most iconic retailers around the world. Being personally endorsed by Dr Jane Goodall has also been a real business highlight and personal career highlight as she’s been an inspiration for me from a young age. In terms of what our sustainability milestones mean for the future of Emma Lewisham, I feel they set a strong foundation and example of the type of systemic change that is possible within the beauty industry, and proving that these changes are not only possible but can go hand in hand with a successful, profitable business. This makes me very excited for the future and continuing to drive the transition towards a circular, carbon positive, transparent and collaborative beauty industry.

2. How have you been using the Sleeping Mask and how do you work it in with your other products?

I use this product two to three times a week in place of my Emma Lewisham Supernatural Crème, for supercharged results. Once I’ve cleansed and exfoliated, I apply the Sleeping Mask generously onto my face and neck and allow it to soak in for a few minutes before bed.

I leave it on overnight, allowing the nutrients to completely absorb, and then rinse off in the morning. While you sleep the mask works to stimulate collagen production, cell turnover, and repair the skin barrier for visibly brighter, plumper, firmer and deeply nourished skin by morning.

4. You're one of the sustainability champions of New Zealand - has the wellbeing of our planet always been something you have been passionate about?

Yes, it has. Growing up on a farm, I have been surrounded by nature for as long as I can remember; it was integral to my upbringing, so caring for it has always been instinctual for me. As I’ve got older my understanding of the principles of sustainability - particularly those of the circular economy and the importance of regenerative farming - have grown, and my passion deepens the more that I learn and educate myself. I believe that we should all be doing what we can to contribute to a better future, and I believe that businesses have an integral role to play.

5. Emma Lewisham products are not only natural but scientifically backed. Can you talk us through this process and the measurements behind achieving an efficacious product and results?

Natural and science-led formulations co-exist beautifully! We harness both bio-identical ingredients found within the skin as well as the specialised, scientifically proven natural plant extracts. We can think of this as speaking the skin’s own language, which means the skin can respond powerfully.

The way that we formulate is to first understand the complex cellular processes that are involved with our skin, create a blueprint for how we want to interact with the skin, then find proven ingredients that deliver on this blueprint. Our synergistic ingredient systems create a network of activity in the skin to deliver incredible efficacy without the need to use concentrations that would commonly cause irritation. This means that we don’t need to compromise between efficacy and tolerability – we can deliver powerful results with products that work in harmony with your skin.

We also have all our products independently tested to ensure that they are scientifically proven to perform and deliver the desired results for our customers.

6. Beyond incredible skincare, how do you look after your skin, your health and importantly, your wellbeing?

Lifestyle plays a huge part in maintaining not only healthy skin but my general wellbeing. There is nothing more powerful than nourishing your body from the inside, so I drink lots of water, eat healthy (predominantly plant-based foods), get plenty of sleep and I meditate daily.

7. Pre Emma Lewisham you helmed a global tech company, how different is co-founding and driving your own brand? What are some of your learnings from such a quick trajectory?

Since we launched around two-and-a-half year ago, we’ve grown quickly, both in terms of the number of markets we’ve expanded into as well as the growth within our team and wider network of partners. It’s definitely been a much steeper growth curve than we ever could have anticipated. Through this process I’ve learnt the importance of always taking a strategic approach to stockist partnerships, ensuring their values align with our own, that they are engaged with our circularity programme, and that wherever possible they are partners who can satisfy your existing needs but have the capacity to expand as you grow. I’ve also learnt the importance of investing in the resources and processes needed to support and promote our launch into new markets.

In a fast-growing business I’ve learnt to wear many hats and stay as agile as possible, because things change quickly. Having the ability to be as reactive as you are strategic is an important skill to nurture, as is ensuring that reactive decisions, while made quickly, are always calm and considered. I have also learnt the importance of anticipating growth in order to have the resources and processes in place before a big growth spurt arrives. And finally, a small but significant lesson I’ve learnt is to trust my gut. I’ve found that I always intuitively know when an opportunity, person or situation is the right or wrong fit.