Q & A with Clove & Hallow Founder Sarah Biggers
We were lucky enough to chat with the very inspiring Sarah Biggers who is successfully setting the wheels in motion for cleaner, vegan, quality cosmetics without the hazardous concoction found in some cult brands!
Has Green Beauty Always Been A Big Part Of Your Life?
Growing up, I wore conventional cosmetics because that was the only kind of product the women around me wore and I had access to. It wasn't until I got sick a few years ago and became acutely aware of all the garbage in personal care products that I made the decision to overhaul my beauty routine!
What Was The Deciding Factor To Launch Your Own Brand Clove + Hallow?
As a makeup artist, the switch to clean beauty was tough. When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I started brainstorming what my own line would look like. After months of pestering every client that sat in my chair about whether or not they would be interested in a product line like CLOVE + HALLOW, I reflected on what had really pushed me down the path to clean beauty - my health crisis - and felt it was a sign that this was something I needed to do.
How Does Clove + Hallow Differ From Other 'Natural' Make Up Brands?
My focus is on building a portfolio of modern, pro-quality products that deliver vibrant and inclusive shade ranges, an affordable price-point, and luxurious textures. The militancy of some brands really turned me off when I was first starting, so I wanted to create the opposite: a warm, welcoming community for the modern real woman who is looking for clean beauty to compete with her conventional classics.
What Is Clove + Hallow's Clean15™?
Clove + Hallow's Clean15™ is a concept that naturally raises many questions. At it’s most basic, the Clean15™ is our proprietary formulation strategy that guarantees 1000+ toxic ingredients are replaced with 15 or fewer safe ingredients per base formula. Known endocrine and hormone disruptors, carcinogens, and irritants are eschewed for natural butters, oils, and waxes that are gentler on the skin and safer for absorption.
What Are Some Ingredients That You Will Not Find In Clove + Hallow Products And Why Have You Chosen Not To Use Them?
I have a very thorough vetting process when it comes to raw materials. Ingredients like talc, phenoxyethanol, parabens, and all animal-by-products are always banned from our products due to proven health concerns. There simply isn't a reason to use these when we have appropriate safe alternatives. Of all ingredients I have blacklisted, I have the strongest opposition to "fragrance" - it is such an abused ingredient that enables handfuls of toxic chemicals from being disclosed since it is considered trade secret.
What Impact Do You Hope Clove + Hallow Will Have On The Green Beauty Industry?
I want CLOVE + HALLOW to redefine what clean beauty looks and feels like for current green beauty veterans, and to empower women who use conventional products to make safer beauty choices. As it stands, most clean cosmetic lines require that women make sacrifices in order to work with their products - whether that's shades or texture or wearability - and it turns a lot of women who want to make better choices away from the opportunity to do so.
Any Make Up Tips or Hot Trends?
When I work with my clients, I always recommend choosing either a bold lip or a bold eye or heavily made up skin, but not all of them at the same time. I frequently break my own rules when doing my own makeup because I believe it is truly another form of self expression that is open for interpretation, but in general, I advise women to pick one key component of their makeup to highlight and let the rest take a backseat. It's easier to avoid clashing or looking garish this way. Lastly, if there is a particular technique or look you're working on (like winged liner), practice! It's just like any skill. The number of wonky cat-eyes I did on myself at night in my bathroom is too high to count, but now I can do it in my sleep! For trends, I'm really looking forward to the re-emerging trend of subtle, glossy luminizers!
S x
