You won’t have seen this latest natural New Zealand skincare line, Savar, on any shelves. And that’s entirely how creator Vicky Woolford planned it. You see, she’s selling it entirely online, marketing it to the world…
You won’t have seen this latest natural New Zealand skincare line, Savar, on any shelves. And that’s entirely how creator Vicky Woolford planned it.
You see, she’s selling it entirely online.
Savar, which launched in September 2011, is eschewing the normal retail channels and instead is marketing its initial range of 12 products for men and women to the world via her ecommerce site, www.savaronline.com, that offers free shipping to New Zealand and Australian customers.
So, what’s Savar like?
Whilst not an entirely organic range, it contains organic extracts and the products are 99% plant-based and enriched with exotic pure plant extracts and oils. Every product is free from parabens, harmful chemicals, harsh detergents, mineral oils, and all animal-derived ingredients, and nothing has been animal-tested.
Below: Savar Antioxidant Night Cream $NZ 62
"We have always been determined that Savar not only looks great but would feature beautiful light fragrances, be free of harmful substances and work wonders on all skin types especially sensitive skin." says founder Vicky Woolford.
Vicky Woolford, a mother of four and an accomplished artist exhibiting at Parnell Gallery for the past few years, did the abstract art artwork for the labels. She is a self-proclaimed perfectionist, and told Thread about the label production process.
"I purposely chose a very light shade subtle design as it has a slightly softer look than straight black and white – on sheets of art paper as opposed to canvases – as then we were able to mock up samples for the overall look" she says. "The artwork then had to be professionally photographed so the printers could make up the plates for the labels. Many people use digital labels however we made the decision to have plates made (an expensive process!) so the quality would be excellent. It was rather a long process!"
Below: Men’s Multi Active Moisturiser ($46) in the range of Savar men’s skincare.
Thread likes the values behind Savar, of sustainability, and of giving back.
"It has taken over 18 months to develop and from day one the focus has been to feature the very best in nature, style and sustainability" says Vicky, "together with my environmental and aesthetic principles to create a range in recyclable packaging."
"The majority of our packaging is made from easily recyclable materials such as code 1 PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and code 2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene). All our boxes, labels and paper are also recyclable. We use inks manufactured from renewable vegetable oils which are fully biodegradable. Our chlorine free paper and card is from a SFI (sustainable forestry initiative) certified mill that is ISO 14001 certified (an environmental management system)."
Thread also likes that they donate 10% of profit to charity.
Wondering if Savar is for you? A good place to start might be this Travellers Essentials For All Skin Types kit – which retails at $69 – so you can try out the five 30ml hypoallergenic plant-based minis which can be locked after each use, and are the perfect size to try, travel with, or give away.
We also like that they offer a 30 day "love it or money back" guarantee, which is important for the web as you can’t try things out for yourself like in a department store. But after trying it, we’re sure you’ll love it.
By Megan Robinson, 31 October 2011
Leave a Reply