VOYA: The Irish brand that’s good for your skin and the environment

If you love luxury skincare; and if organic ingredients from eco-conscious brands are important to you; Irish-owned beauty brand VOYA is worth a look

When it comes to buying skincare, two of the most important things to consider are the products’ impact on our overall skin health and the environment. Now, more than ever, there’s a demand for organic, cruelty-free skincare. We want to improve our skin’s health without parabens; using only natural ingredients from brands who won’t harm the earth.

VOYA Organic Beauty, an Irish skincare company based in Sligo, is one such brand we trust. “We believe in organic and sustainable ways of doing business,” they say; and what’s more, their actions back it up.

VOYA

Founded by wife and husband duo Mark and Kira Walton, VOYA Organic Beauty embraces the 300-year-old Irish tradition of basing bathing around seaweed, as it is recognised as a healing and restorative ingredient. The couple understands how beneficial seaweed can be for our skin; as well as the importance of protecting the natural ecosystem it grows in.

Not only does VOYA offer seaweed-based spa treatments to over 40,000 people every year, but they also harvest seaweed for skincare products (in an environmentally friendly way) so that people can embrace the benefits of seaweed at home.

Products, treatments and more

The professional treatments by VOYA span bath, body and face. Whether you want a detoxifying seaweed bath; a body scrub; body wrap; restorative facial or massage, there’s something for you.

Plus, their range of organic bath and body products is diverse too; with a body wash, body oil, moisturiser, exfoliator, hand care and hair care (to name but a few). As for their face products, there are serums, cleansers, balms, mists, creams, masks and eye care.

VOYA also offers luxury gifts; including candles, diffusers and organic product sets – perfect for a birthday, anniversary or ‘just because’ present.

Good for skin health

Seaweed absorbs its nourishment from the nutrient-rich sea. As a result, it’s packed with high concentrations of minerals and vitamins; all of which benefit our skin health.

“We harvest wild organic seaweeds by hand to ensure the delicate coast environment of the West of Ireland is not damaged.”

Not only does it naturally cleanse and purify the skin, but seaweed can also tone, smooth, moisturise and stimulates our skin cells. This, in turn, helps to improve the skin’s suppleness and elasticity to reduce the signs of ageing; protect it from free radicals (air pollution); as well as aid the treatment of skin conditions, such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne.

What’s more, the wild seaweed extracts in VOYA products is sustainably hand-harvested from the cleanest waters off the west coast of Ireland. “From sea to skin, we go to great lengths to maintain the unique purity of our seaweed,” VOYA says.

Vegan and cruelty-free

In Ireland, vegan-living is on the rise; with more people choosing plant-based alternatives for everything from food to toiletries. Even those who aren’t vegan are opting for (and in many cases, requesting) cruelty-free products from brands. After all, why test on animals if you don’t have to?

VOYA is proud to be a cruelty-free, saying, “We are totally opposed to the practice of animal testing in cosmetic research. We do not test any products on animals and have an agreement with our contract manufacturers that they don’t or will never be involved in animal testing of any kind”. That’s an ethos we can get behind.

Environmentally friendly

What’s more, all VOYA products are packaged using recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials. The packaging is made from a special blend of FSC certified pulps, using their own harvested seaweed. Even the packing chips they use are 100% biodegradable and dissolve in water.

“We believe in organic and sustainable ways of doing business,” they say. “That is why VOYA has adopted organic and sustainable ways of creating our products. We harvest wild organic seaweeds by hand to ensure the delicate coast environment of the West of Ireland is not damaged”.

For more information, or to browse the treatments and products on offer, visit voya.ie.

Photos: VOYA Organic Beauty

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