Small Batch Beauty is Worth It!

When looking for skincare and beauty products, many are often deterred from natural, small batch products because of their price. Trust me, I completely understand the desire to look for the least expensive version of a product. As a college student, I am always looking for better deals and ways to save money. However, in skincare, cheaper is almost always worse. Your skin is the way you present yourself to the world, and you only get one, so it is super important to take good care of it!

Cheaper products often use cheaper ingredients and are less effective. Just as eating fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market is much better for your body than eating canned vegetables, natural products made in small batches are much better for your skin. Furthermore, the FDA does not ban toxins from cosmetic products, so cheap cosmetics may sometimes contain ingredients that are dangerous. On the other hand, the ingredients used in many small batch skincare brands, like Essentique, are also vegan and natural, making these products less harmful to you, to the earth, and to the environment.

Additionally, large brands with high demand often make their products in very large batches to cut production costs (which is reflected in the lower price tag on the finished products). However, producing in large batches means that finished products will often have spend months or years on shelves before they reach a consumer. Knowing this, large-batch producers have to use additional preservatives to make their products last longer. These preservatives are often unnatural, can be detrimental to your body and skin, and dilute the active ingredients in the product. In small batch skincare, smaller batches are made often–allowing the products to always be fresh, natural, and good for your skin.

Most importantly, small batch skincare production also makes the producers more in touch with their products. At Essentique, Mandana single-handedly makes all of her products in the lab at the back of the boutique. In large-scale manufacturing, assembly lines, machines, and dozens of people assemble products following an unchanging recipe–they each do their part without thinking about it or its effect on the final product. At Essentique, Mandana knows exactly what goes into all of them, and what benefits each ingredient brings. She gets her ingredients from trustworthy sources to ensure that they are the best quality. She is available to answer questions, make recommendations, and give advice on using her products, because she knows exactly how they are made.

Another benefit of small batch is that the products are well taken care before they get to the hands of customers. They don’t go through commercial transportation, sitting in hot storages and being exposed to hot and cold temperatures. We keep our products in protected spaces, and many of them are kept in the fridge to ensure the freshness of the products when they get to your hands.

Small batch production also allows producers more flexibility and creativity. If Mandana tries a new version of a certain ingredient and decides that she likes it better than the one she had been using, she can simply swap it out in the next batch. If, one day, she is feeling generous with the luxurious essential oils, she can add more scent to the product she is making. If she receives a fresh new shipment of a lovely ingredient, she can whip up a batch of the product that contains it. All of these little modifications–possible only in small batch production–are in the consumers’ best interest. The products will not always be identical, but they will always get better!

When looking for a new product to add into your skincare routine, consider buying from small batch skincare shops to make sure you get the best product for your skin! Although it can be more expensive, it is worth it to use products that are safe, healthy, and effective to take the best possible care of yourself. Small batch companies are like gems–precious and hard to find–so stick to them!