The Quiet Honesty of Raw Ingredients
There is a certain honesty to raw ingredients. They do not shout. They do not pretend to be something they are not. They simply exist in a state that is close to how nature intended, with all their quirks, inconsistencies and quiet brilliance intact.
When we talk about raw ingredients in skincare, we are talking about ingredients that have undergone minimal processing. They have not been bleached, deodorised or refined into uniformity. They have not been stripped back until all that remains is a pale, predictable version of their former self. Instead, they retain their natural nutrients, their original texture, their scent and their colour. In short, they retain their life.
In a world where skincare is often about control, smoothing, correcting and perfecting, choosing raw ingredients is almost a rebellion. For me, it was a decision to work with nature rather than trying to work against it.
Olive & Joyce was never going to be built the easy way, although I am sure life would have been far simpler if I had chosen the neat, predictable route. Instead, I found myself drawn to the natural, raw and slightly more unpredictable path, choosing what felt genuinely beneficial for the skin rather than what was easiest to produce. A big part of that comes back to the name. Olive & Joyce were my grandmothers, and in my opinion the old fashioned way is usually the best way. They were part of a generation that trusted simple things, cared for what they had, and believed in doing things properly rather than quickly. There is something comforting about following traditions that have been passed down through generations, about staying close to Mother Earth and working with ingredients that feel real and familiar. Choosing raw ingredients felt like a quiet nod to them. A reminder that sometimes nature already knows what it is doing, and perhaps the women before us knew a thing or two as well. I still remember the smell of simple creams, the way things were kept in tins and jars, and how nothing was ever overcomplicated. Things were used because they worked, not because they were trending.
What We Mean By Raw
When I talk about raw ingredients, I am talking about ingredients that have been kept as close to their natural state as possible. They are usually cold pressed, gently filtered or simply melted and set, rather than heavily processed. To turn a raw ingredient into a more refined one, it often goes through repeated heating, bleaching, deodorising or chemical treatment to make it look whiter, smell neutral and behave more predictably. These steps can make an ingredient easier to work with and more uniform from batch to batch, but they can also strip away some of the natural vitamins, fatty acids and character that made it so beneficial in the first place. Keeping something raw is about choosing to preserve what nature has already put there, rather than reshaping it into something more controlled.
Texture, Scent and Colour That Tell the Truth
Raw ingredients behave differently on the skin, and that is part of their beauty. The textures are richer, sometimes grainier, sometimes silkier, but always more expressive. Their scents are not masked or neutralised. They smell earthy, nutty, green or warm, depending on where they come from and how they were harvested. The colours vary from batch to batch, influenced by climate, soil, rainfall and season. This variation is not a flaw. It is proof of authenticity.
Why Nutrients Matter More Than Uniformity
One of the biggest differences between raw and heavily refined ingredients is nutrient content. Refining often involves high heat, chemical solvents or repeated processing steps designed to improve shelf life, stability or appearance. While this can create a cleaner looking ingredient, it often comes at a cost. Vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids are delicate. The more an ingredient is processed, the more likely it is that these beneficial components are reduced or lost entirely.
Raw ingredients, on the other hand, retain much more of their natural nutritional profile. They feed the skin in a way that feels intuitive and supportive rather than aggressive. The skin recognises them. It understands them. There is less need for correction and more room for balance.
Shea Butter and the Beauty of Keeping Things Whole
Shea butter is perhaps the clearest example of why raw matters.
Unrefined shea butter is worlds away from the odourless, white versions that are often used in mass produced skincare. Raw shea butter has a creamy, sometimes slightly grainy texture that melts slowly into the skin. Its colour ranges from ivory to pale yellow, depending on the nuts used and the time of harvest. Its scent is warm, nutty and faintly smoky, a reminder of the traditional methods used to extract it.
Most importantly, raw shea butter is rich in vitamins A and E, essential fatty acids and natural anti inflammatory compounds. These are not added back in later. They are present because they were never removed in the first place. Shea butter has been used for centuries to protect, soften and repair the skin, not because it was trendy, but because it worked.
When shea butter is heavily refined, much of this character disappears. The smell is removed. The colour is standardised. The texture becomes predictable. In the process, many of the nutrients that make shea butter so effective are diminished. What remains may be easier to formulate with, but it is also quieter. Less expressive. Less alive.
The Story Behind Every Ingredient
Raw ingredients also carry a story, and this is something we rarely talk about in modern skincare.
Every raw ingredient has a place it comes from, a season it was harvested in, and hands that worked with it before it ever reached a jar. Shea butter is often produced by women using traditional techniques passed down through generations. There is skill, care and heritage embedded in that ingredient. When we strip an ingredient down to its most basic chemical components, we lose that connection.
Keeping ingredients raw is a way of honouring their origin. It acknowledges that skincare is not just about results, but about respect. Respect for the land, for the people involved and for the ingredient itself.
Working With Nature, Not Against It
Of course, working with raw ingredients is not always easy. They are less predictable. They require patience, understanding and formulation experience. Textures can change with temperature. Colours can vary. Scents can be stronger than what people are used to. But rather than seeing these as problems, I see them as signals that the ingredient is real.
There is also something deeply human about raw skincare. It asks us to reconnect with our senses. To notice how something feels as it melts into the skin. To breathe in a scent that reminds us of earth rather than perfume counters. To accept that not everything needs to look the same to work beautifully.
A Values Led Way to Care for Skin
At Olive & Joyce, choosing raw ingredients is not a marketing decision. It is a values decision. It reflects how I think about skin, ageing and beauty as a whole. Skin changes. Life changes. Perfection was never the goal. Nourishment was.
Raw ingredients allow us to create skincare that feels comforting, familiar and deeply supportive. Products that work with the skin rather than trying to force it into submission. Products that tell the truth about what they are.
When you use skincare made with raw ingredients, you are not just applying something to your face or body. You are engaging with an ingredient that has history, integrity and purpose. You are choosing skincare that has not been stripped of its nutrients or its story.
And to me, that feels like a far more beautiful way to care for skin. Every jar we make carries that same intention. To keep things close to their natural state, to respect the ingredient, and to give the skin something it can recognise and welcome.
If you have ever noticed the subtle variations in texture, scent or colour in our products, that is not inconsistency. It is intention. It is the quiet confidence of raw ingredients being allowed to be exactly what they are.
That is the beauty of leaving things just as they are.