SCOTTISH botanist and founder of beauty brand Seilich, Dr. Sally Gouldstone has become the first entrepreneur in the UK to attain Wildlife Friendly Certification from the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network for her products.
Wildlife Friendly™ products contribute to the conservation of over twelve million hectares of diverse wetlands, forests, and grasslands; protect keystone endangered species in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin and North America, including the Snow Leopard, Elephant, Tiger, Cheetah, Red Panda, and Wolf; and benefit over 200,000 people through increased food security, income and employment.
The Scottish beauty brand, built entirely around sustainability, currently comprises a range of handmade natural cosmetics including face mists, body sprays and room mists. Using the Scottish Pollinator Strategy to guide its efforts, Seilich creates native wildflower meadows at the hub of its business from which ingredients for their products are grown and harvested.
These Scottish meadows are comprised of a native seed mix created by a local seed company. This seed mix comprised from native seeds of local provenance, was developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh to not only benefit pollinators but also to ensure no food scarcity gaps through the year for pollinators.
Dr. Sally Gouldstone, botanist and founder of Seilich comments: “Joining forces with the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network offered an opportunity for us to demonstrate that natural products can not only be 100% natural but actually be a force of good for nature.
“The botanicals we use in our products are based on Scottish wildflower species such as yarrow, comfrey, plantain and wild carrot, all of which we grow in our meadow. These species not only produce powerful ingredients for our cosmetic products but also provide amazing habitat for wildlife, and with over 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK being lost since the 1930s, they form an important habitat in their own right.
“For this reason we are really careful about the way we harvest, ensuring a food source for pollinators even post-harvest, and to compensate for any losses, we also work with community groups in the wider area to create a network of wildflower meadows throughout East Lothian.” Through Seilich, Dr. Gouldstone is also keen to increase awareness about so called ‘natural’ cosmetic products, which often conjure images of pristine ecosystems buzzing with life but all too often have negative impacts on the natural world. She runs a habitat creation service as well as a number of workshops and botanical courses to support this
