Humble Beginnings
The Awesome Botanical Story
Our story starts at the dining room table in 2020, Natalie had nothing but a passion and a dream to create the most Awesome selfcare products. By 2021 she had produced 9000 hand balms for a NHS corporate order, and in 2022 Natalie met Theo Phaphitis after winning his Small Business Sunday Awards in September 2021.
Hello if we haven’t met before! I am Natalie, Founder of Awesome Botanical
Maker of Holistic Selfcare products to restore, energise and calm – shop our relaxing range
I founded Awesome Botanical during 2020, amidst a worldwide pandemic to help ease my own anxiety. Like many others, I was struggling when we were suddenly plunged into a Lockdown with no where to go or no one to see. My Full-time job suddenly had all our contracts put on hold and I am not the type of person who can sit and do nothing. I had written a list of all the tasks I could finish in the house, but I soon completed those (well maybe not all of them) …
From my Thoughts to Physical Things – Creating my First Awesome Prodcut
With no shops open in April of 2020, I produced some beautiful Handmade Bath Bombs and Whipped Body Scrubs for my Grandma’s Birthday. I thought she needed something a little extra special, as she had also gone from regularly seeing Me, Kev (my fiancé) and Boss Man (our old time Bulldog, who is definitely the boss of our house) to only having doorstep visits to drop off her groceries.
From here I gave a few samples to other members of my family and the feedback was AWESOME!
Boosted by the positive feedback from my family, I decided to take this further and research the legalities that go with selling cosmetics in the UK, as that really is a HUGE task in itself
In June 2020 Awesome Botanical was born and we launched our First Shop on Etsy and I have never looked back!
Top Sante shortlisted our Natural Foot Balm for the 2021 Body Care Awards
One of the first products we launched was our Natural Foot Balm - Citrus Humbug Foot Balm which was shortlisted for the 2021 Top Sante UK Body Care Awards. If you suffer from dry cracked heels or feet this is definitely the one product you need on your bedside table. It’s not only Top Sante who have been WOWed by our AWESOME Natural Foot Balm, our customers have also been loving getting in on the action:
“Wow, what a difference - I have always suffered from dry, cracked feet and I’ve not found a product that works really quick. I apply it daily, mostly at night and it is so soothing. My feet feel weightless and very relaxing. This is AMAZING, can’t live without it!! Thank you.”
(Review by Katie S. on 15 Apr 2021)
The Mission
Creating the Holistic Selfcare products you Deserve
My AWESOME mission is to encourage people to take the self-care time they deserve, through products which will restore, energise and calm. It can take as little as 20 minutes to have a bath with a glass of wine, your favourite book or magazine and a relaxing bath bomb.
Our AWESOME Credentials
In December 2020 as the shops began to open back up, we were selected to have a pop up shop at the Fenwick Christmas Market, on Northumberland Street in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This really was a dream come true, after just 6 months in business we now had products in the iconic department store of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Honestly, this made my Christmas, it was so good to get out and meet people and chat all things Awesome Botanical and holistic skincare.
In addition to this, our Sweet Orange Whipped Soap has been featured by Fenwick & Top Sante, it was also chosen as one of the Fenwick Finds. Chronicle Newcastle as part of the Fenwick Pop Up Shop. We have also featured in places such as Luxe Magazine, Zoella, Pick Me Up, The Green Parent and many more.
We are proud to have also been Interviewed By High Life North In February 2021 more good news arrived that our Natural Foot Balm - Citrus Humbug Foot Balm by Top Sante UK for their 2021 Body Care Awards. In less than 12 months Awesome Botanical had achieved 2 outstanding achievements something which I am incredibly proud of and I am beginning to own my selfcare making power!.
Meeting Theo Phaphitis
The Awards and Features doesn’t stop there, in September 2021 8pm on a
Monday night I was sat working away at my desk, my phone started going crazy,
It was the moment i realised that Theo had re-tweeted my tweet & I was one
of that weeks Small Business Sunday Awards Winner.
In February 2022, I was invited to attend the SBS Winners Event in
Birmingham. It's an event which is put on for all of the SBS winners, a day
which is packed full of seminars and talks. I came away from this event feeling
so inspired to take Awesome Botanical to the next level.
Here I am meeting the man himself Theo Paphitis, I gave him one our Cosy
Night in Pamper Gift Set & collected my certificate.
Winning the SBS Award meant the world to me. It is definitely one of my most
proudest moments of growing Awesome Botanical.
What makes our Selfcare Products AWESOME?
Well, all of our luxury bath & body products are handmade by me, in Gateshead a small town in the North East of England.
I have a passion for self-care and creating products that will restore, energise and calm. As a sufferer of anxiety myself, I know how important is to include regular self-care in your weekly or daily routine.
Amazing WOW Customer Service – It is important to me that our customers feel WOW and that I create a product which is going to give them that WOW Feeling & a sense of being restored, energised or calm.
Handmade & cruelty free
Our Selfcare Formula
We don’t have any overarching parent brands and we don’t import any of our products from abroad. Our Luxury Bath & Body Products all Handmade in the UK. Standing by our Ethics & the UK law we commit ourselves to been cruelty free .
All of our products are Handmade, I choose the unique ingredients carefully to ensure they will WOW our customers. When I developed our Lip Balm Range it went through approximately 6 variations before me and my testers were finally happy with the formulation. We choose to include Mango Butter in our Lip Balm as opposed to the usual Shea Butter which is often used. The reason behind this was that Mango Butter it is a Super Antioxidant which is not only deeply moisturizing, but packed full of natural antioxidants to revive those dry cracked lips.
