Interview: Aviela

It’s no secret that at KIND we love a little bit of self–care. Looking after your body and mind is what keeps us grounded (and creative!). True to our name and our values, our version of self–care must always be kind to the planet, and those we share it with.

With all of this in mind, we are so pleased to share a conversation that we had this week, with the truly marvellous Patricia from Aviela.

Aviela is a natural skincare range that uses 100%, pure, high-grade and unrefined Sea Butter as the hero ingredient. It was such a pleasure getting to know Patricia and her business a little better, and you can have a sneak peek into our chat below.

Can you please tell us a little bit about Aviela – and how you got started?

In 2006 my daughter was 2yrs of age and had still not taken those first precious steps. Whilst we were on a trip to Ghana, I decided to seek medical advice and saw a bone specialist who recommended that I massage Shea butter onto my daughter’s ankle for the next two weeks. After 3 days of using the shea butter, my daughter took those precious steps. It was a miracle! I wanted to learn more about this natural product, and I discovered that it had a lot of natural vitamins and minerals that can be very beneficial for people who were suffering from dry skin conditions.

That’s how Aviela started, and the rest is now history!

What makes Aviela different from other natural skincare brands?

Every single Aviela product has been consciously made with 100% natural and naturally derived ingredients (and absolutely nothing else)! Our range is also cruelty free, vegan where possible and packaged using fully recyclable materials. 

With Shea Butter being our hero ingredients in our current range, we ensure that our products are made with the highest grade unrefined Shea Butter, to ensure optimal results. Unlike many other shea butter products that can be heavy and drag on the skin, our products are light and airy, and they absorb quickly into the skin.

As the seasons change from summer to autumn, we all need a little extra love. What are your top tips for keeping our body and mind nourished through the colder months?

In these cooler months, our body tends to dry out quite quickly, which is mainly due to the fact that we go into rooms with heaters on and then come outside to face the cold weather. One on my top tips during this time is to use skincare products that help to seal moisture in the skin, like Shea butter. Our products in general are also blended with other carefully selected natural ingredients, which work with the Shea Butter to keep the skin nourished and protected. As much as we care for the skin, it is important to look after your mind as well! We also tend to stay indoors during these winter months, so it is important to stay active! It may be time to join a sporting club like a badminton or squash? Keeping active and social can help to soothe the mind.

If you could make one change to your industry, what would it be?

The biggest change that I would like to see in the beauty industry is for every brand to be more sustainable. Reducing our impact by packaging our products in recycled material or biodegradable packaging would be an amazing step, as this is still such a big issue in the beauty space.

How do you work with the Women's Cooperative in Africa? And what impact does this partnership have on the communities involved?

Our mission at Aviela is to transform skin, whilst also transforming the life of the women who craft and make our raw unrefined shea butter.

We source our unrefined Shea butter directly from a women’s cooperative, which is based in the underdeveloped part of Northern Ghana. This relationship empowers the community and the women who craft our Shea Butter, who rely heavily on the proceeds to feed their families and school their children.

The high concentration of Shea Butter in all Aviela products means we can buy more from these wonderful women, so they in turn have more income and the opportunity to access education, training and can buy more food for their families. 

To celebrate the power of self-care, and the benefits of ethical business practices, we have collaborated with Aviela on a giveaway! The giveaway will begin at 5pm tonight (Monday, October 4th). Head to our Instagram tonight to find out more.