First there was paddock to plate, now there’s farm to face…a hidden family farm leads to a unique natural product range made in the heart of the Byron Bay hinterland writes Angela Rowland.
It’s odd to think about it now, but it’s not really that long ago since my mother’s generation lay out in the sun for days without any sun protection – just hanging for a good tan. My generation, of course, grew up with hats and sunscreen. The Slip, Slop, Slap campaign, and our parents’ mistakes, taught us some valuable lessons about the importance of quality skincare.
As the driest continent in the world, with some of the highest UV rays and skin cancer rates to boot, we are unsurprisingly home to some of the best skincare products available on earth. Adding to these amazing products is not an easy task, but we think we’re onto something really special and we’re going to be looking to our local community to help us share it with the world.
Feverfew, a medicinal herb used in the Alaya Super Skincare range.
A’Laya Super Skincare is locally grown, formulated and processed in the heart of the Byron Bay hinterland on a family farm that’s been quietly supplying medicinal herbs to our community for over 15 years.
Our Super Skincare secret lives in our farm to face equation, which reduces the uncertainty of quality supplies, as well as our unique alchemical combinations; a synergy of superfoods, superherbs and organic botanicals that has naturopaths, ayurvedic doctors and herbalists impressed (as well as us).
Community is lifeblood and “collaboration is the essence of life. The wind, bees and flowers work together, to spread the pollen and we collect the berries.”
― Amit Ray, Mindfulness Living in the Moment – Living in the Breath
When I was at uni studying Environmental Policy, Vandana Shiva’s Earth Democracy Movement and Anita Roddick’s work pioneering Corporate Social Responsibility and the Kindness Revolution were huge influences on me. And while environmental policies are yet to catch up, I continue to think that each of us can play an important part in protecting our environment, both in our personal lives and in our businesses as well.
Angela Rowland and Tino are launching a crowd fundraiser for their new local skincare range, A’Laya Super Skincare.
Both my business partner, Tino, and I grew up locally as school friends, and we were both instilled with a great desire to preserve biodiversity and foster local innovation and employment. Add to that the recent birth of Tino’s first daughter, Alaya, after whom our skincare range is named, plus my passion for sustainable agriculture and wellbeing and our collaboration was born. Tino wants to leave his daughter the finest and most sustainable skincare available, made from the superfoods and medicinal herbs that he personally grows and processes, much like his father has gifted him with a legacy of farming and knowledge of herbal medicine.
Three generations – father, son and baby Alaya.
I want to infuse each ingredient with love and a blessing that all people will live naturally happy and free lives, without interference from unnecessary chemicals and artificial preservatives – to nourish their skin and soul.
We are trying to follow a model that is quadruple bottom line: beneficial to the earth, caring and inclusive of all people, as well as nurturing for our community, our culture and our spiritual wellbeing.
Alaya are launching their Indigogo crowdfunding campaign on September 7. Share their story with your friends and make a pledge to get your hands on our unique, hand-made local products at a ‘reward’ special pre-launch price as a thank you for helping them.
Go to: alayaskin.com
