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, I came across a photo from the early years of my own cosmetics production on Easter Island—it was May 2013. At that time, I had just opened my health food store, “Rapa Nui Natural Products,” on the island, and at first I sold the products I made myself. Although the manufacturing was artisanal and did not strictly comply with legal requirements, I always made all the products with care and dedication 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, so-called “contract manufacturers” in Chile and Germany, and told them what ingredients I wanted to use in the production of cosmetics—now produced on a large scale—such as guavas, seaweed, 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 again and again until we are sure that the product is right. When everything fits (which can take a long time!), all the safety tests and evaluations are carried out, the product is registered 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!
