The words “cruelty free” and “vegan” are beginning to become more normalised in the world of cosmetics thanks to animal rights campaigners and the rising awareness of the dangers of testing on animals just to make a few lipsticks or mascaras.
In 2013, a ban on testing cosmetics on animals and on selling cosmetics tested on animals came into effect in the European Union, paving the way for efforts to find more sustainable alternatives.
And what’s even better than a product which has been created without detriment to an animal is when the make-up and skincare you’re purchasing is produced less than a few miles from where you live.
Belfast woman Valerie Brown spent several years perfecting her brand of natural vegan beauty balms ‘Plumpy’ by making her very own balms in her kitchen made from natural butters, oils and waxes.
Valerie Brown
She was first inspired on a volunteer trip to Africa where she brought home natural shea and cocoa butters to experiment with.
“I have always loved lip balm since I was young and as I got older, I started wearing lip tints as I wanted to enhance my lips but still maintain an overall natural look,” she said.
“In 2013 I went to Ghana on a volunteer trip and brought back some shea and cocoa butters and decided to do some experiments,” she says.
“I was motivated to create my own lip butter and also lip tints in shades that I actually wanted to wear.
“I spent years doing experiments trying out so many ingredients, playing around with the consistency until I eventually found a texture I loved, using ingredients I believed brought real benefit.”
Aiming to be as natural as possible, Valerie even began to experiment with chilli oil — but that didn’t last long.
“The name Plumpy was inspired by a product I was experimenting with that never actually made it to market,” she says.
“I was trying to create a lip balm that also added volume to lips and was using a chilli type oil. The balm was pretty disgusting, if I’m honest, but I came up with the name Plumpy and from that I created the brand.”
Plumpy Balms
Her background in biochemistry comes in handy when she’s creating her artisanal products.
“I have a pretty diverse background but, looking back, all roads seem to have pointed me to where I am now!” she explains.
“I graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in biochemistry but after working for a few years for a healthcare diagnostics company I realised I loved the business side more and went back to university to gain my MBA.
“I worked in economic development for years, helping charity and community groups as well as small businesses and then branched out on my own as a freelance business consultant.
“I worked mainly with start-up and early stage businesses with a particular focus on product and brand development.”
In 2017, after spending several years making balms from her with four lip butters and four lip tints.
Plumpy Lip Tint
“I just made the four of each to see what people thought of them and thankfully they loved them,” she says.
“Over the years I have grown the range quite a bit with many different lip butter flavours and shades, as well as a range of face, hand, body and tattoo balms.
“I make everything and so Plumpy really is as artisan and locally made as it gets!
“Eventually, though, I would love to employ people and have a dedicated Plumpy unit and work studio.”
The businesswoman said after being vegetarian for many years, she started to move towards a more vegan lifestyle when she started out experimenting with her lip balms and butters, so wanted to create a product that reflected her own lifestyle and choices.
“I started researching vegan lip balm and didn’t see much choice on the market and so I decided to develop a vegan-friendly product range which could appeal to anyone,” Valerie says.
“With the vegan movement, more companies in the health and wellbeing sector are starting to introduce more vegan friendly products, but I still think it is difficult to get high quality vegan products like Plumpy at affordable price points, which makes my brand so popular I guess.”
Plumpy Tattoo Balm
Her range of balms, butters and lip tints have now extended to more than 50 products available online and in a range of stores across the UK.
The unique tattoo balms that she creates are used with hemp seed oil and healing rosehip oil and can be used at the preparation stage before getting the tattoo to prepare the skin as a “smooth canvas” for the artwork, and afterwards to sharpen existing lines.
This comes in a scented and unscented option.
Balms are also available for face, hands and body to help heal dry or cracked skin.
Hand balms are made using mango butter, shea butter and cocoa butters as well as healing rosehip and calendula oils.
This facial balm is 100 per cent natural, vegan and fragrance free and is ideal for all skin types — even super sensitive skin.
The Beauty Balm can also be applied to stubborn spot and pimple scars to help reduce their appearance as Valerie uses non-comedogenic products, meaning the ingredients will not clog the skin.
Plumpy Body Cream
She has shipped her products all over the world, from the USA, Australia and Singapore to Germany, France and Switzerland.
“I sell Plumpy directly at artisan fairs and online through my website but I also sell to a range of shops, mainly in Northern Ireland although I have recently started selling to a shop in Scotland,” she says.
“I think Plumpy appeals to so many people of all ages — from little kids who like to add another lip balm to their collection to women who just want a natural no-fuss lip colour.
“People love the feel-good factor that Plumpy brings and the fun, colourful packaging. They also love the incredible silky-smooth texture and staying power.
“My balms are made from high quality natural ingredients which actually deliver results, whether that is healing chapped lips or repairing hard-working hands.
“I guess another key factor is the affordable price points I offer. I have always wanted Plumpy to be accessible to anyone without compromising on quality.”
You can follow Valerie’s latest Plumpy products by searching for the @plumpybalms handle on Instagram, Facebook and X.