Artisanal cream production in Easter Island

The beginnings of Anakena cosmetics in Rapa Nui

This time we want to share with you something very personal about the birth of Anakena - Natural Cosmetics, told from my own experience -Petra Klimscha- as founder of the company and creator of the brand.

A couple of days ago, by chance, a photo of the first years of my own cosmetics production on Easter Island fell into my hands -it was May 2013-. At that time I had just opened my naturist store "Rapa Nui Natural Products" on the island and at the beginning I was selling the products I produced myself. Although the manufacturing was handmade and did not comply (strictly speaking) with the legal requirements, I always elaborated all the products with care and attention to detail and even used many ingredients brought from my homeland, Germany, 14,000 kilometers away.

Due to the small production quantities and the novelty that these handmade products represented on the island, the sales turnover was also quite fast. For me, that was a great opportunity to fully live my impulse. With the help of several excellent books on the artisanal elaboration of cosmetics, I embarked on the adventure of elaborating any recipe for which I had the ingredients and fortunately they sold very well. And so, little by little, the idea of doing something more professional emerged.

I'm often asked if the actual formulas for Anakena cosmetics I've made myself, but the answer is no. I'm not. You can compare it to making a lemon pie at home as an amateur pastry chef, it may turn out tasty, but that doesn't make you a professional pastry chef who can make a five-tier wedding cake. I am not a professional, although I have acquired the (basic) knowledge myself.

So when I decided to take the leap and do things professionally, I contacted specialized laboratories, the so-called "maquilladores" ("contract manufacturers") in Chile and Germany, and told them what ingredients I wanted to use in the development of the cosmetics - now produced on a large scale - such as guavas, algae and various tropical plants and active ingredients. But then I left the development and production to the specialists.

During the development process, samples of the product are taken over and over again until we are sure that the product fits. When everything fits (which can take a long time!), all the testing and safety evaluations are done, the registration with the ISP, and the packaging, labels and a few thousand other "little things" are prepared. That's when a cosmetic product goes into production!

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