Spice Girl Emma Bunton On Sustainability, Skincare, And Setting Foot In The Region
The award-winning singer and entrepreneur launches her brand Kit & Kin in the Middle East
Spice Girl member and entrepreneur Emma Bunton isn’t only known for her incredible singing talent but also for her award-winning sustainable mother-and-baby brand, Kit & Kin.
The company offers an array of products made with eco-friendly materials and a water formulation free from petrochemicals, alcohol, chlorine, parabens, SLS, formaldehyde carriers, phenols, and lanolin, making them perfect for all skin types. And that’s not all; the soul of the brand ensures to give back to the environment by protecting rain forests globally.
Being a mother of two, the forty-six-year-old artist saw a gap in the market and ventured out into this space to which she refers to her ‘passion.’
Here, Bazaar Arabia speaks to Emma Bunton about the story behind her brand, the importance of skincare, and future projects…
Anahita Ghai [AG]: Back in the day, when you were touring with the Spice Girls, did you ever think you would launch something like Kit & Kin?
Emma Bunton [EB]: I’m not sure about back in the day but having my own business has always been a dream. I love that it’s a journey, life’s a journey and you try different things. As soon as I had children they both had skin problems and just talking about it, it just felt such a natural progression for me to do something that I truly from the heart believed in. I’m really passionate about it.
[AG]: Why was now the right time to launch Kit & Kin in the region?
[EB]: We had a lot of interest which felt very proud. We launched in the UK five years ago and we’ve been launching all over the world since, so we’re now in 30 countries. We’re winning awards, which I mean 42 awards we’ve won so far! It’s just been incredible to watch your brand, it’s kind of like watching my third baby grow and become something. We get such amazing feedback from parents who I think have been quite desperate for that natural skincare and to move on from nappies that have harsh chemicals. With mine, it’s all-natural, naturally produced and they’re gorgeous and soft. Everything is so important for the baby, you want to keep them healthy so we’ve put so much energy and everything into this.
[AG]: Have you always been into skincare? And if so, can you share a bit about your journey?
[EB]: I have, absolutely. I think firstly, it’s really important to look after your skin. From an early age, my mum would always slather me in suncream and I didn’t really know why at the time but now I do. I think it’s just always been important to me to keep it as natural as possible, it’s the main thing. Just looking after your skin is really important, even with my children from a very early age – it was hard to find products when they were younger that didn’t have ingredients I didn’t understand. I sometimes would just use olive oil on them to keep their skin nice and soft.
[AG]: Can adults use the products?
[EB]: Absolutely, I use the body butter and the magic self. It’s magic, it’s good for my feet. You know, when you get dry bits, like my nails or my friend uses it as a highlighter. I took it on the aeroplane yesterday and I was literally just smothering myself in it. But then my mum loves the oil base because as you get older, we’re all in menopause and it’s just perfect for that really dry skin.
[AG]: What is the story behind Kit & Kin? Why did you decide to enter this field?
[EB]: I got into this field because of my children, they had allergies and eczema and I couldn’t find a product that I trusted, that I could look on the back and understand all the ingredients. I didn’t understand any of it and I didn’t want to use anything on them and that was really hard at the time, I was frustrated. Then, I met Christopher Money who is my business partner and we had quite a lot in common. I thought we have to do this, we have to help other mums.
It’s so hard because there is so much to think about when you’re a mother, you worry about everything. I hoped at the time that bringing something like this would take that pressure off and you know that is natural and you know that it’s doing good. So, we always say better for baby, better for our world and giving back.
The better for baby is that they are soft, absorbent and they do the job. They do the job our nappies but also they are made in a carbon-neutral factory. So, we’re really doing good for the environment and we’re giving back – when you subscribe, we’re helping the rainforests, we’re saving the rainforest, you’re saving the rainforest. We’re giving healthcare to local communities and we have a scholarship where we give children all the materials they need, even travel to get to school and mums are doing that. We’re doing our little bit and doing those little bits will eventually make a big difference.
[AG]: What has surprised you the most since founding Kit & Kin? What is something that maybe you didn’t realize or expect before?
[EB]: I think creating it is really exciting because you know what you want, you’ve got the idea in your head and then you start coming up with smells, colours and obviously the designs on the nappies you see it all in your mind and then it all comes to life. That is magic and quite surprising but the feedback from parents is so wonderful. We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with this band. It’s been quite amazing.
[AG]: What is next for you?
[EB]: Lots for the brand, we’ve got some very exciting stuff coming up and some new products. I feel really lucky that I’ve got lots of other things going on, I’m doing a Christmas show back in the UK and I’ve been spending lots of time with the other Spice Girls which is really nice and I’m a mum, mainly my priority is my children. I work around them and it’s nice to be able to come to Dubai and have some sun.
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