Beauty The Natural Way

With climate change rapidly threatening the future of Mother Earth, we urgently need to curb further acts of destruction. We speak to Law Hong Mei, founder of The Olive Tree, about building a beauty brand that is sustainable from the core.

- Eena Houzyama

HER WORLD: WHAT MADE YOU START THE OLIVE TREE? WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?

Hong Mei: It all began when my children were suffering from eczema. Despite our best efforts to keep their surroundings clean and dust mite-free, the problems persisted. When my sister, who resides in Melbourne, gifted us a plant-based soap to try, we noticed vast improvements in our children’s skin condition, and even our own. Realising how difficult it was to find good products made from natural ingredients, and with the demand for them ever-increasing, we were inspired to formulate and create our own products using high-quality plant-based ingredients and expertise from Australia.

The Olive Tree’s natural products are a great alternative to commercially produced goods that are often laden with potentially harmful chemicals. We developed our products based on these principles: Made in Australia, vegan, free from harmful chemicals such as sulphates (SLS) and parabens, no synthetic colours, and no fragrances. (Our products are not certified 100 per cent organic, so we do not promote ourselves as an organic brand.)

HW: SHARE WITH US WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND DIFFERENT FROM OTHER NATURAL BEAUTY BRANDS AVAILABLE IN MALAYSIA?

HM: We are very proud to say that most of our customers don’t realise that The Olive Tree is a homegrown brand. Our high-quality products and services give the impression that we are an international brand.