Former primary school teacher Rosemary Amey first started making soaps just before lockdown to help combat her anxiety. Her friends and family all loved the results of her newfound hobby, and since she was keen to do something more holistic, Rosemary decided to make this her next career move.
“I had always been interested in environmentalism and during lockdown I started gardening and found a new level of respect for the world around me. Before this my mentality was “what can I do?” but given the time and space I thought that perhaps if I started to make changes and do something I will be able to influence others.”
Rose & Mary Cosmetics is a vegan, sustainable and holistic line of products, which are all handmade my Rosemary herself. The business has grown organically from the start and to reach more people Rosemary took the decision to apply for a Start Up Loan.
“Skincare is a part of everyone’s routine, and it is so often full of plastic and toxins. Rose & Mary Cosmetics only uses sustainably and ethically sourced ingredients. I am very careful when choosing suppliers and ensure as many ingredients as possible are sourced in the UK. My packaging is all recyclable or recycled.”
Up until taking out the loan in December 2022, Rosemary had used her own savings to fund the businesses. The Start Up Loan enabled her to move into a business premises and workshop, just 10 minutes from home. This set up provides more scope for building the brand so that she can take on larger wholesalers and focus on building partnerships with larger UK retailers.
For anyone out there looking to set up a sustainable business, Rosemary has this advice:
“Do your research! Don’t just pluck things out of the air. Before setting up Rose & Mary Cosmetics, I asked the question, “What does my business need?” If you want to be sustainable, make sure that your suppliers can match your ethos.”
Follow the Rose & Mary Cosmetics journey
