Q&A with Kate Park: Founder, Owner and Designer of Baressential
One of the newest brands joining our fantastic selection of Irish, natural skincare is Baressential. Founded by Kate Park, Baressential is an artisan skincare company based in County Kildare, in the heart of rural Ireland. We recently had a chat with Kate and speak to her all about her handmade skincare products.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of your brand, Baressential? And the inspiration for the name?
Baressential was born out of pure love for nature and all things natural. All my life I have had a passion for creating beauty and beautiful things from raw elements be it paintings, gardens, meals, skin care, perfumes or soap. Literally, I started when I was three and got myself into terrible trouble with my mother.
I used my bedroom floor as my canvas. Everything from the kitchen and bathroom cupboards, even the stuffing from my pillow went into the creation. Curiosity drives me to understand and learn how to use simple natural ingredients for healing and creating beauty.
So it was only natural that Baressential would be built around using these materials.
I love using materials that people have tested for centuries in new ways. Essential oils; plant oils; plant butters; herbs; spices; clays and mineral pigments. Out of our respect for nature, and at the very heart of Baressential, is great care to minimize any potentially negative impacts of our creative and commercial process from sourcing of our ingredients to the end userâs ability to easily dispose of packaging guilt free. Finding a name for my fledgling business took me a long time. It felt immensely important that it evoke natural, pure, ethical and creative.
After weeks of gnashing my teeth, one morning I just woke up one morning and knew that it was Baressential. At the time it was Bare Essential â putting the two words together was the brainchild of a genius branding friend of mine.
What was the first product you ever made?
It’s hard to say as I am not sure how far back to go, as I say I have been creating all my life. But within Baressential the first products we launched were our handmade soaps.
The philosophy of Baressential is that âinspiration is and always will be respectfully sourced from natureâ. How important is it for you to ensure that you use ethically and environmentally resourced natural raw ingredients?
Like I say this truly is at the heart of what we do. We rely utterly on the ecosystems around us, near and far. They are the source of our health and well-being and that of all the generations unborn. It used to be a liability to our business, costing more, slowing us down but now it is wonderful to see how important it has become. I knew it would.
Have you noticed a big change in the last few years of people being more conscious about their skincare and the ingredients that go into making them?
It has been truly inspiring to see the change and the speed of it. People are concerned about what they put on their skin, as we understand now that it is absorbed into the blood stream, it’s a health issue. People have moved away from liquid soaps to solid bars not only for the environmental concern but also, they have discovered that handmade soap is beautifully conditioning for the skin, leaving it smooth and nourished.
Do you have a favorite product from your line?
Very hard to say, different days I have different moods, but possibly the Neroli Ylang Bar and the Be Kind Beauty Facial Serum, I use both daily not just because they work wonders and forgive my sins but also because they smell divine and lift my spirits.
All your soaps are handmade and smell beautiful â what do you find is the most popular soap so far?
Lemongrass!
For first time buyers, which product would you recommend as a skincare must-have?
Well for a first time buy I’d recommend their choice of soap, they are all so mild you can use them as part of your facial cleansing routine. The Be Kind Facial Beauty Serum is definitely a must-have for skincare. We were shortlisted for it last year in the Free From Skin Care Awards in the UK.
What is next for Baressential?
We have so many beautiful products waiting for launch, but next we are developing a range of gorgeous aroma oils â natural perfumes â in a handbag friendly size with mini roulette selections. They will make wonderful gifts or personal treats. They act not only as sophisticated and original perfumes but also as mood enhancers. We are really looking forward to getting customer feedback on those.
A big thank you to Kate for taking the time to chat with us and tell us all about the fantastic Baressential skincare range. You can shop this Irish brand both in-store at Blarney Woollen Mills!
