For years we’ve enjoyed Burt’s Bees products—and luxuriated in the knowledge that they were made from no-nonsense natural ingredients that truly cared for our skin. Now, the brand has launched a new beauty range, featuring luscious lip colours, about-face foundations, blushes and BB creams, and nourishing mascara that tells te usual suspects (think parabens, phthalates, petrolatum and synthetic fragrances) to move over. We recently chatted with Abena Antwi, associate research fellow over at Burt’s, about what it took to create this stellar cosmetics range without compromising the company’s natural code of ethics. —Noa Nichol
Hi Abena! Tell us a bit about yourself and your background in the beauty biz.
I was born in Ghana, West Africa, and moved to the U.S. in 1992. Many of the natural ingredients and approaches to caring for the skin from my roots continue to influence and inspire my work in caring for the skin today. As a student in the U.S., I initially studied nursing—I was motivated by the fact that both of my parents were nurses. In my second year, I changed my major to chemistry, a subject that interested me more and more. While at school, my chemistry teacher told me about an internship with a conventional beauty brand. The idea of working in cosmetics—the mix of science, creativity and art—drew me in. After working in the traditional beauty industry for several years, I joined Burt’s Bees in 2008 as a senior chemist. I’m now an associate research fellow here, and I bring my creativity to the art of formulating with natural ingredients and unique approaches to solving skin-care problems.
What does the somewhat buzzy term "natural makeup" mean to you?
In the world of beauty, there’s a lot of talk about being “real” or “natural,” but it often stops there. For Burt’s Bees, clean beauty means that we formulate with natural ingredients—and without parabens, phthalates, SLS, petrolatum, talc and synthetic fragrances or dyes. In the wilds of Maine, Burt’s Bees was founded on the belief that the best solutions come from nature, and that’s been a principal guiding our work for over three decades. (in the cases of our beauty line, between 98.9 and 100 per cent natural). Working with leading makeup artists, we worked to develop formulas rooted in our proven history of nourishing the skin with natural ingredients—beauty products that help people look and feel their best because of how they’re made, not in spite of it.
Why did Burt’s Bees decide to expand into cosmetics, and why now?
As a pioneer in the category, it was the natural next step in our evolution. Our heritage in balm led us to develop lip colour that nourishes lips. As we expanded that range and our skin-care ranges, makeup was the missing piece at the intersection of lip colour and skin care. With our success in lip colour, we’re confident as we expand into the white space for natural cosmetics at mass. Not only are we offering a premium product at an accessible price point, but one made with natural, responsibly sourced ingredients and sustainable packaging. The new beauty line now includes liquid makeup for the face, foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara, glossy lipsticks, eyeliner and brow pencils.
What was the most challenging natural beauty product in this line to make and why?
Typically, the two products that can make or break a cosmetics collection are mascara and foundation. These were also the most challenging ones to make! We didn’t rush—we took our time, worked with a panel of leading makeup artists. Burt’s Bees has high standards and benchmarks to make—it was tough finding a natural way to create foundation that has that bounce and stretch that silicone provides, without using that synthetic ingredient. We were able to achieve the look and feel we wanted using meadowfoam seed oil and squalane, which is plant-based.
Which natural beauty product in the line is the most successful, and why?
The blush has beautiful buildable coverage in three very versatile shades: Shy Pink, Bare Peach and Toasted Cinnamon. The Toasted Cinnamon shade can also work as a bronzer. The formula is features bamboo, honey and vitamin E to nourish skin.
Personal question: what’s your daily natural beauty routine?
My personal routine is very simple! I start with a natural moisturizer for my skin, and then focus on my eyes with our natural, lengthening mascara and Dessert Bloom eye shadow for a pop of colour. I finish up with a bold lip in a deep red. That’s it!
Win! A Burt’s Bees Prize Pack!
We have a winner! Congratulations to Sarah L. of Toronto, who won a Burt’s Bees Beauty prize pack including many of the products mentioned above!
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