Inspiring Leaders : Lane Edwards of Pura Botanicals
Lane Edwards, the founder of green beauty brand Pura Botanicals, started her journey in 2015 and has since then expanded internationally, had the honour of being named Fleetwood Mac’s official skincare line for the band’s 2019 world tour (how cool is that?!), and has won several skincare awards. See what inspires her and how you too can be inspired by your “why”.
1. What is something you wish everyone knew about plant-based skincare?
I wish everyone knew that you can achieve better, long-lasting results with highly efficacious natural formulas. Plants-based ingredients also have a completely different vibrational effect on the mind, body and spirit, versus synthetic, lab-made ingredients or products made with synthetic scent derived from petrochemicals. Not all synthetic ingredients are bad or unsafe, but we feel we have a far less environmental impact crafting PURA with ethically-sourced ingredients. I also love the sensorial experience with plant-based skincare. It simply makes me feel better and more well.
2. Pura Botanical is a very sustainable brand, and we love your recycling incentive, how important was this decision when starting?
From the beginning in 2015, we were really conscious of our packaging choices, but even though a jar or vessel is recyclable, the lids and pumps are simply not. Joining PACT Collective and giving our clients the option to bring in their rinsed tops, lids, pumps and jars for us to send to PACT to recycle and be diverted from landfills and processed properly really aligns and empowers not only us, but also our clients to made a more sustainable difference.
3. Pura Botanical has its own in-house lab, can you tell us more about how you source and test the ingredients you use?
I'm really proud to still be manufacturing our own products 8-years into this journey. I absolutely love being a part of the innovation and formulation of our potions from start to finish. It also empowers our team to be involved and understand what goes into our products from the very first moment we decide we want to innovate something, to the actual hands-on roadmap to bringing a product to life. I also love walking across the hall from our creative headquarters to spend time in our lab. It always smells incredible and it allows us to have so much more control over PURA's quality control, flow and freshness. Having our own lab also allows us to make our products in smaller batches so they don't sit on warehouse shelves or go to waste. We can be more nimble and also invest in better, rarer, high-performance ingredients. There's nothing like the aroma of our bestselling Overnight Watermelon Mask being whipped to perfection.
4. What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders?
Always remember your why. Take time for yourself away from your business to keep the inspiration and creative energy flowing. This is really hard but it's worth it for your own mental health too. Align yourself with others that inspire you. Be consistent and build genuine trust within everything you do. Our brand is all about taking care of women. I feel like it's my mission in life to help women feel good about themselves, and nourish them with nature through our potions. PURA really is a practice to show up for yourself everyday. It's not always easy, but with our pure, sensorial, healing potions, it's a good, gentle nudge. A soft, ethereal place to land. We love to sweep you off your feet. Read our full story of how PURA came to be here.
