INTERVIEW #110 LITURGY
Based in: Slovenia
Founded in: 2018
Founded by: Lucy Rose Albert & Vladimir Mickovic
Store: Shipping worldwide, free shipping in Slovenia. Or you can come visit the studio in Ljubljana, Slovenia to sample and pick up products in person. https://www.liturgyselflove.com
Instagram: @Liturgy_selflovesupply
Hello Liturgy, we are so happy to introduce our community to your natural selfcare brand. Tell us about your story and why you started Liturgy?
My journey of making luxurious natural products all started when I fell in love and moved from NYC to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Moving far away to a new country left me with a lot of extra time on my hands! I wanted to spend my time making things that I would otherwise buy. So, I started learning how to make my own candles, self-care and home-care products because I love luxurious, high-quality goods, and I wanted to see if handmade products could be just as satisfying as store-bought. Turns out, they can be even better! I’ve always been a bit of a health nut, so using only natural, absolutely safe ingredients was never a question for me.
It wasn’t really until I started making my own products and learning more about skincare and how different types of products are made that I realized how many creepy, unhealthy, and unnecessary ingredients are commonly used (even in many so-called “natural” products) in the things we put on our bodies and use in our homes every day. While many of these ingredients may be considered safe in small doses, what about the effects of many small doses over time?
My goal is to provide useful, luxurious goods for our bodies and living spaces that are made from ingredients we can feel comfortable using, while also trying to create as little waste as possible. And, to make drool-worthy, soul-warming products that make this whole “being alive thing” just a liiittle bit better!!
You are just like many other brands, on a journey to become even more sustainable, How are you working with sustainability today and what makes your product a great choice? It's really hard to be perfect in this regard, but I do my best by trying to create as little unnecessary waste as possible. For some products, such as candles, home sprays, and reed diffusers, I have created a refill system so that you only need to buy the glass container once, and then if people want, they can order refills.
All of the products are packaged in aluminium and glass containers. I save all the packaging from packages I receive and use it to mail my orders. I don't package my products in fancy boxes to create a wasteful boxing experience. Additionally, I offer a discount to anyone who returns their previous skincare containers to me so that I can clean and reuse them.
The name, Liturgy, we are curious about what it means and how you came up with it?
When I first started Liturgy, I was only making candles. My husband and I came up with the name through brainstorming cool names for a candle company. We thought of the word "Liturgy" because it sounds like "lit" as in "lit candle". However, when we found out the meaning, it seemed fitting.
"Liturgy" comes from a Greek term meaning "public service". In church, the Liturgy is a public ceremony or ritual. Some people have asked if I'm religious because of the name, but I'm not. I chose the name because lighting candles and taking care of oneself and one's home can be a very ritualistic experience. Providing super pure, natural, and healthy essentials to my friends and community also feels like a way of offering a little public service, even if it sounds a bit pretentious.
How and where are the products produced, where do you source the material from?
Everything is handmade and produced by me, either in my kitchen or at my studio! As for ingredients, I purchase from various companies that offer all-natural wholesale, high-quality ingredients. While it can be difficult to determine the exact source of these big companies' ingredients, I try to use oils derived mainly from sustainable plants that require less water to grow as much as possible.
Your best-selling product?
Probably Skin Fluff! A whipped face and body cream made with mango butter, aloe vera gel, watermelon oil, and other really yummy stuff. The intention behind creating this cream was to make a moisturizer with a super light texture, that doesn't contain any added preservatives or emulsifiers. Because Skin Fluff is made from oils and butters, it doesn't need any additives, and because the oils used in the recipe are super light and easily absorbed by the skin, the cream just melts into the skin and doesn't feel heavy when applied. The natural perfumes, Skin Elixir, and tinted lip balm are quite popular too!
Where do you find inspiration?
I get my ideas from all over the place, I guess! Many of the products I've added to the collection are things that I personally wanted. Sometimes I'm inspired by products I've tried and enjoyed, and other times people tell me what kind of products or scents they would like to have. When I want to create a new product, I typically research free recipes online and examine the ingredients used by other companies to make similar products. Then, I make a first test and work from there.
What have been and are the major challenges?
All the business-related stuff, I guess. Learning how to run a business, advertising, building a website, and everything else can be pretty overwhelming sometimes! It's all new to me.
What have been and are the largest gains?
Being able to make my own skincare and home products feels like a kind of superpower, so that's definitely a benefit. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that my house always smells amazing. Also, I love being able to spend my days doing things I enjoy and being my own boss.
What do you think needs to change in the beauty industry to make it more sustainable?
Well, one thing that would definitely help reduce waste and improve everyone's health is if the beauty industry stopped making people believe they need an entire cabinet full of products to have an adequate self-care routine. In reality, we don't need that many products to have healthy skin. When skin is healthy, it does a lot of work on its own. Most skincare and cosmetic products contain ingredients that dry out and damage skin in the long run, creating more problems and making people feel like they need even more products. It's the perfect vicious cycle for big beauty brands.
When the entire means of production in a capitalist system is unsustainable, it's hard to truly be "ethical & sustainable", so most brands, including Liturgy, have a hint of hypocrisy. But it does seem that creating consumer demand for ethical products will come before an overall systematic change.
The best thing about Liturgy?
The compliments you get from smelling so good!
What's up next, do you have anything fun to share with our readers?
There are quite a few products I would like to add to the collection!! Reed diffusers and room and linen sprays are coming soon!! I also just started experimenting with natural mascara.