Meet Kerry & Lisa: Founders of Amly Botanicals

Backed with knowledge in homoeopathy and holistic health, along with a huge passion for natural ingredients, Kerry Moore and Lisa O’Connor founded Amly Botanicals to provide organic beauty range that leaves the skin feeling nourished and fresh. 

A key element of the Amly products is silver-rich spring water which is known for it’s healing properties, along with the anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. This enables the brand to create effective, clean and protective skin products. 

Tell us a bit about Amly Botanicals – what was your inspiration behind it?

I would say as with many things it was something that naturally evolved. I am a holistic practitioner, having had my own practice for over 15 years. My interest in wellbeing extending to what we eat and also what we use on our bodies in the way of skincare, body products etc.

Lisa who has a background in fine art & I have been friends for 20 years & have a shared interest in wellbeing, her family moving to an organic farm in Sussex where they have converted the farm buildings into eco holiday homes, maintain the ancient wildflower meadows and woodlands and hold regular foraging courses. With a desire to keep things as pure as possible they had a dowser search for a water source & after having it tested discovered not only was it incredibly pure due to the depth and bedrock but, it was rich in both minerals & naturally occurring silver. This prompted us to use our combined knowledge to create a range of facial waters – hello Amly!

Your bottles and packaging is so beautiful, does it also protect the plant-based bioactive?

Thank you! We want our products to reach our customers with the same potency with which they were created. To ensure this we use violet glass to preserve the bio-energy of the precious ingredients by blocking the complete spectrum of visible light with the exception of the violet part.

Research carried out with beekeepers analysed the quality of honey preserved in violet glass, specifically the active ingredient that inhibits the growth of seeds, and the aroma in honey. It concluded that the honey stored in violet glass not only doesn’t break down its ingredients but actually conserves & enlivens the taste, smell, colour, structure and enzymes.

The organic and natural beauty industry changes every day. What do you think it’ll be like in the future?

I think as is the case with a lot of innovation it is the small independent brands that create new movements, it has been no exception in the beauty/wellbeing industry where founders created brands out of their own desire to have clean, natural/organic products available. The bigger brands have had to follow due to customer demand and I think this will continue – possibly until this is the new normal.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced since launching?

There have been a few! It is a rollercoaster creating a brand & even more difficult growing it – especially when you are up against bigger companies with great wealth. I would say each day presents new challenges and you just deal with them as they arise.

Name a woman in business that you truly admire – and why?

Molly Mahon is a leading textile artist with a contagious passion for her craft and life in general. She has a seemingly limitless abundance of energy and her business flourishes in the most delightfully organic way.

What advice would you give to women who intend to launch beauty or wellness products?

Don’t overthink things, just give it a go. It can feel like you have to have everything right at the beginning but it never is, you learn and adapt as you go along. Make a start and be flexible along the way.

What’s the most important step in a holistic skincare routine?

Rituals are at the heart of AMLY due to my background in holistic wellbeing. I feel self-care is vital for our wellbeing and skincare rituals are an everyday way to spend some time paying attention to our selves and how we are feeling. It is also a chance to use the power of touch to treat ourselves gently. This is the most vital part of our routine, using products to nourish and repair, without ingredients that can harm is the next step. The aromatherapeutic properties enhance our rituals and textures that enhance our experience.

How do you think the term ‘organic’ has changed in the past decade?

I think there has been a lot of misuse of this term. Organic is a statement about how something is grown and its traceability. It’s not a statement about the quality of the ingredient produced, its activity, efficacy or performance. It’s not a statement about an ingredients carbon footprint or the miles it has travelled to be incorporated into the bottle. 

We decided early on that we would not limit ourselves to the organic label, for the reasons above but also as we choose our ingredients for the quality and in many cases, this may be a small grower that has the best but for whatever reason hasn’t got organic certification- quite often due to the costs or where they are located. I think people now understand the intricacies much better now.

How do you switch off at the end of the day?

I am not sure I do switch off! Things pop into my head all the time, so I try to make a note then leave until the next day. I cook for the family so that signals the end of the day and then I usually take our dog, Bear, for his evening walk, we live in the beautiful countryside so that always grounds me.

What makes you feel powerfully beautiful?

I think healthy, radiant, glowing skin. It is really liberating not having to wear makeup, allowing our natural beauty to shine through.