Today I am going to talk about and review Upcircle beauty.
I first discovered Upcircle beauty in my local supermarket and then in various magazines and also on social media. Basically I was seeing it a lot and I was very intrigued to see if all the hype was worth it. After a little bit of research, I found out that Upcircle was born in 2015 and was founded by brother and sister, William and Anna Brightman.
Originally, noticing the amount of coffee waste that is produced at home and in coffee shops, they decided to repurpose the waste grounds from one single coffee shop in London, and create scrubs from them. They went on to sell these at London Coffee week. Proving to be a massive success the siblings went on to quit their jobs, and go full time to make ethical, vegan, cruelty free products using repurposed ingredients.
Some of their statistics on their website are astounding; in their first batch of soaps they made, saved 5 tonnes of ‘aromatic chai spices’ (more on the product I tried later on). And they then went on to discover that in 2012 alone, the UK produced 23, 000 tonnes of fruit stone waste, so the fabulous duo decided to repurpose this waste into a powder to be used in their ever-growing range of products.
‘We’re all about quality skincare that gives salvaged natural ingredients a new lease of life. At UpCircle we’re not trying to save the world, or scold others for not doing more. We’re never preachy about what we do. We’re conversational and down to earth. That’s why people listen to us, and it’s how we make an impact.’
UpCircle 2020
Now I really like positive and innovative companies who aren’t just jumping on the eco-bandwagon, but are genuinely trying to make a difference; and UpCircle is certainly one of those brands.
And if you don’t believe me, here is a list of their credentials;
- Natural
- Vegan
- Cruelty Free
- Sustainable
- 100% recyclable packaging
- Palm Oil free
- Fighting Waste
- Handmade
- Organic
- Made in the UK
- Ocean Friendly
- Repurposed
- 99% plastic free packaging and offer plastic free refills for the 1%
Get the picture? Now name me another brand that is as good as this whose products actually work? Seriously please do if you can, I would love to know about it!
Now I know by now, you’ll be asking me – ‘But what do they actually sell Charlotte?’
Well I shall tell you. They sell skincare including; moisturisers, serums, scrubs, masks, cleansers and soaps; all of which are all of the above and come in recyclable packaging, as well as razors, accessories and pamper packs. They have also just released a Soy Candle line for all you candle lovers, like me.
I have been wanting to try out one of their products for a while. In fact I have been wanting to write this post since lockdown began, but I wanted to give shopping online break, so when I returned to work, I popped in and bought their Cinnamon and Ginger Chai Spice infused Soap Bar. This cost me £5, which like you I thought was a bit steep for a bar of soap. But I need to stress this isn’t a bar of soap to wash your hands with. This is essentially, solid skincare. I use it on my face; it is great at removing make up, it gently exfoliates and lathers up – A LOT! A little goes a very long way – so that makes the price worth it. It makes my face feel squeaky clean, but not tight and stripped of all moisture. There is no plastic packaging; it comes in a little cardboard box, which if you let the soap dry after you use it, you can pop it back in to store it or for if you are travelling – a perfect way to continue plastic free July into August.
So I finally want to say, that UpCircle is truly worth the hype – and should have more if I’m honest. Reducing waste, being cruelty free, vegan and palm oil free, is fantastic, and is something I would definitely cough up my hard earned cash for. And that is because it works, it helps your skin, the before and after images customers have sent in on their website and social media pages, although I am always a little bit cynical about, I do believe to be true in this case.
I can’t wait to try more, and I really hope UpCircle becomes a huge name in the industry and a trailblazer for other ethical brands and lifestyles.
Charlotte
xoxo
fox-glove-and-bee.com 