Hi . . I’m Andrea
About fifteen years ago, nectar was born in a kauri cottage at Howick Beach (near Auckland NZ), when I discovered by accident, that using a handmade soap relieved my son’s long-term eczema. It’s been a long road . . . .
My son was born in the late 90’s and from an early age suffered from extensive and continual eczema. The agony he experienced every single day in the bath or shower, the constant scratching of his raw skin and general irritability he felt, added to the overwhelming guilt that I felt because I was unable to help my boy.
I consulted with doctors, specialists and even holistic health professionals, trying all sorts of remedies and absolutely NOTHING helped to relieve the agony he felt every day. I hadn’t really considered that the highly detergent-based, triple-milled soaps and body washes I was buying for my family, could be the origin of his discomfort.
He was twelve when I realised the nightly screaming in the shower had actually ceased and his skin was beginning to repair itself. I soon realised it could possibly be the result of him using a bar of hand-made soap that I had bought the month before and asked him to use!
That realisation has since led me on a personal journey away from mass-produced (and unknown to me at the time) sometimes fairly toxic and hormone-unbalancing personal care products and back instead to nourishing the largest organ we have – our skin. I knew I was onto something here. I researched and read for months on end, and began developing more skin and body care products, sharing them with family and friends.
In the early years, I sold at markets and in-home parties in our area and met more and more parents that had the same gut-wrenching experiences as our family had. So many customers reported back that our products were helping them too.
And our customers also wanted another thing – sustainability. Being a bit of an eco-warrior myself, it was a natural progression to not only make every effort to source organic and/or sustainable ingredients but also planet-friendly packaging materials, ensuring our products were as sustainable as possible.
Next I personally had to take a big risk- put aside my other long-term design business and concentrate on nectar – putting it online to help people access our products in the easiest possible way. And here we are today!
the brand
I chose the word ‘nectar’ for my brand because, to me, nectar represents the ultimate, most delicious substance in the whole world!
It’s also a vital, super-rich plant derived liquid that attracts butterflies and bees. And we would have no life on earth without our super-pollinating friends!
But all up, it just seemed like a great brand name that spoke of everything I would personally want in a skincare product.
the range
Over the years, our range of products has increased from a small selection of handmade soaps to an extensive range of skin care products for the entire family – and even some for our precious doggos.
To those of you who are already familiar with nectar, and have used our products before, thank you for your ongoing support, it is so very much appreciated! And a very big welcome to our new friends too.
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By the way, our boy is now 25, and he is working with me full-time to manage and grow this business.
Be kind to yourself and the planet. Andrea x.