A self-professed country girl with a sustainable beauty company outside of London found a global presence for her product. With the right support, she’s been able to stay local and grow her business.
“I’ve always had an interest in nature and plants and what they can do for you,” said Holly Coulton-Wood, Founder of The Ilex Wood. With the English countryside as her inspiration, Coulton-Wood leaned into what she said no one else in the skin care market was doing: simple beauty.
“Nothing unnatural. Nothing complicated. Nothing toxic.”
The Illex Wood product line features natural, vegan, palm oil free products and uses plastic-free, biodegradable packaging. It’s one of many shops that feature the Climate Pledge badge on Amazon, which Coulton-Wood says is a badge of honor.
“Having recyclable or biodegradable packaging is a key point for us here. It’s a key aspect of our business and Amazon helps us promote and push that.”
The Ilex Wood company customer base is growing, but the business is still rooted in Northamptonshire, where the products are handcrafted. It’s important to hire local and sell global, said Coulton-Wood, leaning on Amazon’s global logistics network to sell to the US and Europe markets.
“Amazon made it very easy to be able to sell globally,” she said, speaking about the post-Brexit climate. “If it wasn’t for Amazon, we would not have been able to continue to trade with Europe. Their distribution network has enabled us to keep exporting to the fulfillment centers and kept the doors open to Europe for us.”