The Ultimate Journal
Meet Karmen Novak, founder of organic beauty brand Flower and Spice
SUSTAINABILITY IS A DELICATE MIX OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, GENUINE TRANSPARENCY AND POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT. WITH HER BEAUTY BRAND FLOWER AND SPICE, KARMEN NOVAK SEEMS TO HAVE FOUND THIS RARE BALANCE : THE BRAND ONLY USES ORGANIC INGREDIENTS, PRODUCES ETHICALLY IN SWITZERLAND AND IS ABLE TO TRACE ALL OF ITS SUPPLY CHAIN.
WE HAD A CHAT WITH KARMEN, WHO SHARED WHY SHE CREATED AN ETHICAL BUSINESS, THE CHALLENGES SHE HAD TO FACE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, AND WHAT ARE HER FAVORITE STILBAAR PRODUCTS !
Flower and Spice is a label thriving on sustainability. Why was it important for you to use only natural and organic ingredients ?
When I started learning about formulation, choosing natural ingredients was the only logical choice for me. As I try to keep myself healthy by eating only natural and organic food, it is equally important to me to use only natural products on my skin. I am not saying that all synthetic preparations (like some medicine etc) are not good, but for skin without medical concerns, I don’t see a reason to put on anything artificial.
How do you manage transparency in your supply chain ?
We manufacture our products in our partner laboratory in Switzerland, that holds a Certificate for being a 100% sustainable company. Plus, we keep documented records on all of our ingredients which allow us to know where all our ingredients come from.
While building this ethical business, what was your biggest challenge ?
The biggest challenge, I guess for any entrepreneur, is wearing so many hats at once. When you are starting, you need to be a salesperson, assistant, accountant, social media expert, and many other roles. This can be a bit overwhelming. The other challenge is getting the things you need like ingredients, packaging and other resources, in small quantities. It is easier to find them when you are a bigger company.
What are your favorite creations from Flower and Spice ?
The Midnight Beauty serum is my favorite, since it is the reason the brand was founded in the first place. When I created it as part of my learning, I could not believe how good it was. So I decided to share it with others !
Aside from this, what are your favorite products on Stilbaar ?
I just bought a sweater from PHI, in recycled cashmere, and I love it. It's very well made and super warm.
Karmen also picked those beautiful Wild Fawn earrings :
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