Fighting Covid with my natural skin-hygiene start-up

This past year was a whirlwind of innovation, start-ups and technology for me whilst on placement at British Airways, as part of my degree at the University of York. Then COVID-19 hit. The concept of furlough started floating around our London office and
Amelia (my Co-Founder) and I started talking about hand sanitiser.
 
After spending January flying between New York and London together for work (where I’m convinced I caught Covid), we were using hand sanitiser more, which had a detrimental effect on our hands leaving them dry, sticky or smelling like alcohol. If only I had used an adequate hand sanitiser before catching the virus!
 
As two skincare addicts & entrepreneurs, we were surprised that our ‘go to’ brands hadn't come up with a solution that was natural, moisturising and smelt great. So, we created one. A few weeks into lockdown, along with much of the rest of the nation, we were furloughed which gave us the time to pursue a serious solution (and watch too many episodes of Tiger King).
 
With the help of an expert team based in Yorkshire and hundreds of Zoom meetings, we formulated the first ever 100% natural ‘Hand Sanitiser Moisturiser’ hybrid. What makes our product different are the high performance ingredients. It’s made in the UK from vegan and cruelty free ingredients and contains 70% naturally derived grain alcohol as recommended by the WHO for maximum, antibacterial protection. We added moisture boosting Borage oil, soothing Aloe Vera, hydrating Glycerine and Cellulose for long lasting protection. We also included Organic Bergamot and Neroli essential oils for a fresh & uplifting scent, something that is hard to find in hand sanitisers! Much to our excitement, it’s been hailed "The best hand sanitiser we've found" by Francesca White, Beauty Editor at TATLER Magazine.
 
It was about more than just hand sanitiser. We noticed that on the go personal hygiene was unsustainable and we became determined to change it. Covid-19 has brought the global economy and healthcare system to its knees as well as exacerbated our waste problem. With the mass production of chemical sanitisers, face masks and wipes on the rise, Amelia and I felt that this was the time to really make an impact for the better. In the midst of a global health crisis we wanted to innovate and create a solution that would help people without contributing to the growing waste issue.
 

Our bottles are made from partly pre-recycled plastic and are intended for reuse. Our product box is biodegradable and made from paper pulp that’s sourced from responsibly managed forests and mills. We are also giving 10% of all profits to local tree planting initiatives by Carbon Footprint UK.

 
For the meantime I am busy working on my Business Management degree in my last year at University, promoting elxr. in all avenues. I would love to hear from any Worthians with experience in this sector, we are looking to scale BIG time and would really appreciate any advice.
 
elxr. is available in a 50ml, pre-recycled bottle, costs £16 and is available exclusively from www.elxrskin.com with free shipping available in the UK.
 
Isabella Lee StA’17