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Our Story: Words by Et Toi's Founder

Posted by Lolly Heaney on

Hello all, I’m so glad you’re here! Today I’d like to welcome you to ET TOI and announce the launch of our very first product, Revamp - an antioxidant facial oil, designed to alleviate dryness, soothe irritation and aid in a glowing complexion.

We also have two skincare tools available for purchase in addition to the launch of Revamp. To follow, our ultra hydrating serum, Revive, is set to launch in October.   

In celebration of ET TOI’s product launch, I thought it would be nice to share a bit about our brand’s evolution and mission.


THE MOTIVATION

The name ET TOI (French for and you) speaks to the daily intimacy of checking in with yourself and others and is a gentle nod to my French mother, who my family lost to mental illness in 2017. 

My mother struggled with a severe case of bipolar for all my life, and now as an adult, I too have struggled with a similar diagnosis, albeit to a lesser extent. Given that mental health has been such a central and pivotal part of my life, I’ve long wanted to pursue a career that is linked to mental healthcare in a significant way.


THE MISSION

Informed by my lived experience of mental illness, ET TOI aims to centre frank and open discussions of self-care and mental health in a meaningful and practical way, through social enterprise and educational resources. 

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial drive and through my close friendship with Eloise Hall, co-founder and director of TABOO Period Products, I was introduced to social enterprise and social impact driven business. I’ve learnt that selling a product can translate to spreading awareness about a social issue, while generating profit to dedicate to said issue.

We now share an office with TABOO while in the midst of launching our debut products. Together, our female-founded businesses are fostering a supportive and sustainable workplace culture, with these attributes also reflected in our business practices. 

A passion for skincare and an interest in skin biology led me to create a line of high-quality skincare products to care for both ageing and acne-prone skin, as these issues often overlap, especially when hormone induced acne is involved. The onset of fine lines, while still having acne breakouts is an annoying crossover that many of us begin to experience in our 20’s and beyond. Of course, cosmetic skin concerns are just a natural part of being a human, but there are products that effectively work to diminish the appearance of wrinkles, as well as the severity of acne, to help us feel more naturally confident in our skin. 

ET TOI formulas are clean and made from clinically-backed ingredients. Made in collaboration with our team of expert chemists, we have tirelessly refined ET TOI’s formulations over the course of two years to create gentle and effective formulas that your skin will love. 

To me, skincare felt like a great space from which to erect a platform to speak about mental health, while remaining frank about the reality that self-care is more than skin deep, hinging on more than a skincare routine and a bubble bath. 


THE VISION

Relating to our commitment to operating as a social enterprise, we are currently in the process of planning the logistics around our financial contribution to mental health. Once locked in, we will announce the details as to where our contributions will be allocated, somewhere in the space of mental health - to an initiative that we deem best suited to our mission. 

Down the line, we hope to broaden our product offering, to extend to a wider range of self-care tools. As one example: we would love to develop a prompt-based journal with the help of mental health practitioners.

For now, I look forward to our game-changing skincare products having a positive impact on our customers’ exterior selves, while doubling as merch for something a little deeper: Mental health awareness.

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Bakuchiol: Nature’s Retinol Alternative

Posted by Lolly Heaney on

A natural alternative to retinol, Bakuchiol encourages the renewal of skin cells while stimulating collagen production. It delivers the same powerful benefits offered by retinol - without the irritation.
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