Madara Organic Skincare : blending northern tradition with innovation…

Interview with Madara Organic Skincare Founder Lotte Tisenkopfa-Iltnere 

Madara Cosmetics seems to be based on a balanced mixture of tradition and innovation, both using traditional northern herbs, essences and seed oils and taking advantage of latest cosmetic trends and innovative trends.

Tell us more about one of the main ingredients, birch water, and its use both in the traditional sense and in madara cosmetics 

Over thousands of years, the harsh climate has evolved plants with extraordinary properties, able to survive temperatures as cold as -40oC, for example, rejuvenating birch water, vitamin-rich arctic berries, antioxidant-packed herbs.

Birch water is a truly phenomenal nature ingredient – it flows just for 1 or two weeks on the outbreak of spring, only in Sub-Arctic and Arctic regions. In Northern countries we use it here as a traditional detox drink to boost health and energy, now it gains popularity as a beauty drink. Birch water contains minerals, rejuvenating amino acids, antioxidants. As a child I remember tapping birch water each spring with my grandfather. MÁDARA pioneered anti-aging concept where regular formula water is 100% replaced with highly active birch water. Simply put, it birch water makes skin cells younger, reverses ageing damage done to skin cells.

 

In a couple of words what are the main innovations or new key ingredients that Madara cosmetics will be working with, over the next couple of years ?

Our mission at  MÁDARA is to scrutinise the potential of Northern natural raw materials. Researching and understanding why exactly they work and which molecules the skin needs most, we find innovative ingredients to correct wrinkles, maximize hydration and give skin a boost.

We follow 3 key criteria – 100% natural, efficient and safe. For instance, one of the latest innovation projects indicates that plant stem cells can provide 10-fold doses of antioxidants helping to protect the skin from pollution and ageing.

 

In your vision, what are the main challenges and also opportunities that organic certified cosmetics are facing right now ?

One of the biggest challenges across all industries is to find new ways of more sustainable production and consumption.  There will soon be more plastic bags in the ocean than fishes. Redefining the production model has been our value from day 1. We make our products from organic ingredients, pack them in 100% recyclable, post-consumer recycled and plant-based packaging, use green energy to produce it all.

MADARA is one of the first public listed companies to publish a new type of sustainability report, called ESG (stands for Environmental sustainability, Social responsibility, and corporate Governance).  Link to the ESG 

If we think more about organic beauty industry, a very significant challenge is to fight back greenwashing that comes a lot from semi-green producers and brands.

 

Your company has considerably grown over the last decade, your brand now also shines in a international light, which are the aspects you are personally most proud of ?

I am extremely proud of my team – from research and laboratory to production, form marketing to customer service – they are brilliant, passionate and professional. I am also very proud of MADARA becoming a public listed company, as well as launching our latest organic-certified factory, which is open for public every day – people can come and experience how natural ingredients translate into innovative organic beauty products.   

There is also a french version of this article