Cardigan's Conscious Skincare range in Westminster Abbey

Conscious Skincare – which was set up in 2011 by husband-and-wife team Rebecca Martin and Quentin Lees after they moved to west Wales – recently shipped its first delivery of co-branded skincare products to London’s Westminster Abbey.

The Abbey’s team contacted the company in May with a plan of introducing an exclusive co-branded range for their gift shop in the abbey itself and have four products with bespoke branding.

“We were amazed to be contacted by the Abbey. We have collaborated on co-branded projects previously with The Royal Balley and National Trust so it was an honour to add this prestigious name to our portfolio,” said Rebecca and Quentin.

Rebecca added: “This opportunity came out of blue! To be chosen to partner with such a prestigious organisation was such a privilege.”

Rebecca has always had a passion for health and fitness and their move led to the opportunity to turn the passion into a business, prompted further after Quentin was poisoned by wood stain and became ill.

“It was a terrifying time,” said Quentin. “I seemed to be hyper allergic to everything so Rebecca quickly scrambled through her notes to make products I could use safely.”

The Westminster Abbey range (Image: Conscious Skincare)

The experience led to the couple making Conscious Skincare using only natural plant-based organic ingredients including award-winning facial cleansers, moisturisers and oils as well as hair, hand and body products and a range of gift sets. There is also a specific men’s range.

The Westminster Abbey collaboration is just the latest in a line of co-collaborations which began in 2014 with The Royal Ballet. At the time, the couple were approached by The Royal Opera House for a range of bespoke products for The Royal Ballet which would be sold in the gift shop.

Rebecca said: “We were absolutely thrilled to produce an exclusive range of products for The Royal Ballet in London. This was such an exciting opportunity especially as I love ballet. In fact, I’m about to take my RAD Grade 4 ballet exam!”

There were eight key products produced with co-branded designs incorporating different silhouettes of ballet dancers in each set.

In 2019, they were approached by the National Trust about supplying all of their holiday cottages in the UK and then latest from one of the buyers at the National Trust looking to source natural and sustainable products for their gift shops across the UK.

One of The Royal Ballet range. (Image: Conscious Skincare)

“To receive two opportunities from this prestigious organisation at the same time was just amazing! The numbers for supplying The National Trust cottages were mind blowing and we simply couldn’t scale up that quickly at that time. Instead, working closely with the buyer, our products were soon on the shelves in the National Trust gift shops across the UK.”

And now, in 2023, they have yet again expanded their collaborations with the Westminster Abbey gift shop, with their products being launched in the famous location which hosts royal weddings and recently held King Charles III’s coronation.

Over the years, they have won numerous awards and achieved accreditations from the likes of The Vegetarian Society, Ethical Consumer and PETA.

Find out more about Conscious Skincare at www.conscious-skincare.com.