Barebones; Icelandic Essentials

Icelandic mother-daughter duo Elin and Frida have worked hard to create a vegan, cruelty-free, 100% natural brand that aims to promote the use of nature’s finest ingredients in skin care, Rå Oils. Having already attracted a cult following in Iceland, they now aim to take the UK by storm with their natural approach to skin care through essential oils.

Rå translates to raw, meaning that they’re “being in or nearly in the natural state: not processed or purified:not diluted”, Rå Oils prides themselves on their natural approach to skincare. With 6 core products in the brand’s repertoire, (eternal radiance face oil and skin rescue oil not pictured), the aim to keep the skin care routine as simple and natural, can be a large part of becoming the barebones of skincare. They take us back to the origins of beauty, skincare and nature. Enhanced by recycled material packaging the brands focus on nature is cemented into their core values.

Rå Oils Available Here.

An interview with Frida and Elin

What is the philosophy of your brand?

We wanted to create a natural alternative to chemical skincare to combat common skin concerns, such as acne, dry skin etc, that was not too harsh and actually promotes healing of the skin. We wanted to do this in balance with nature, and are therefore very careful with selecting our ingredients and suppliers to ensure we are not harming nature or people with our products.

How would you define Icelandic beauty and skin care?

Icelandic beauty and skincare has evolved considerably over the past few years, and we’re very proud to be a part of that. We are so fortunate to have such beautiful nature all around us, and so it’s no wonder that Icelandic skincare is very focused on using nature to nourish and treat the skin. Icelandic skincare is however still relatively small, and not known to be in the same class or have the same effect as some world-renowned brands. We want to change that. We want to be known for the quality of our products and their effect.

What drove you to create a skin care brand?

I myself (Frida) had really bad acne for about 10 years. I tried, what feels like, everything. I did roaccutane treatments twice, which was a horrible experience for me, both physically and mentally. I also did acid peels, antibiotics, chemical creams and about every over-the-counter product there is. Nothing worked. Then my mum (Elin), who is a beautician and aromatherapist, started researching and came up with an oil blend for me to try on my skin. My skin cleared up in a matter of months, and even my scars largely healed. Today I have skin that various dermatologists told me I would never achieve – smooth and healthy. Acne is a huge problem that so many people suffer from, but it’s not talked about very much as many are ashamed. Which is crazy but true, and exactly how I felt. You just want to hide. So we wanted to bring this solution to more people and try and help as many as possible in a natural way that doesn’t harm skin, while helping heal acne and any scarring they might have. This oil is our acne therapy oil and is our hero product.

Has healing the skin together and creating a brand from this, brought you closer together, as a mother daughter duo?

It definitely has. I (Frida) live in London, and have done so for quite a few years after studying at university in the UK, while my mum (Elin) still lives in Iceland. Because of rå oils we talk every single day, multiple times a day, and as we are both so passionate about it, it really drives us to work hard together to bring our brand to as many people as possible. We are much more than just mother-daughter now, we have something that’s so incredibly important to us both that we want to grow, and that brings us closer every day.

Elin, do you think being an aroma therapist has helped in giving insight and creating your brand?

Absolutely. It’s often easy to forget, or not even know, the power of nature, which is why so many skincare brands go straight for synthetic lab-made ingredients. Being an aromatherapist has allowed me to get to know and really appreciate how incredibly powerful nature is, in its purest form. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t think we would have rå oils today.

Why is being vegan, cruelty free and a 100% natural brand important to you?

It’s the basis of everything we do. Nature is the beginning and end of our products, and so it’s incredibly important to us that we work together with nature, respecting its power but also its delicate balance. We live in a world where natural resources are finite, we need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep that balance and give back more than we take. Being 100% natural is also important as we want to show the world that nature is amazing and powerful, often more powerful than lab-made synthetic ingredients.

Considering your packaging is made from recycled materials, is sustainability important to you? If so, why?

Sustainability is incredibly important to us. Without it rå oils won’t exist for very long. And neither will so much more. Nature is a gift and it is our responsibility to take care of it and to leave it in a better state then we received it in.

What is the importance of using essential oils in skin and beauty products for you?

Essential oils are incredibly powerful if used correctly and in the right balance. Our products would not be able to deliver the same results without them.

Out of all the natural oils, which is the most essential in your personal beauty routines?

We both absolutely love rosehip oil. We have selected ours very carefully, trying lots of different variations from different parts of the world. The one we use today comes from Chile and has a deep orange colour, so you know it’s packed full of nourishing vitamins for the skin. We have tried other rosehip oils, but non compare to the one we use today when it comes to effect.