Green Beauty Conversations by Formula Botanica

For over a century, the beauty industry has told us that cellulite is a flaw. But the truth is that it's completely natural, and over 90% of women have it. So why have we been made to feel insecure? Because that belief fuels a multi-billion-dollar industry. In this milestone 300th episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, exposes the cellulite myth, revea...

Every day, we drink coffee without a second thought – but few of us actually stop to think about what happens to the grounds left behind. Globally, 60 million tonnes of spent coffee grounds are discarded every year, most of which end up in landfill, where they release methane. Yet those same grounds are packed with antioxidants, oils, and bioactive compounds with incredible potential for skincare...

Feeling the pull to start your own skincare or haircare brand? This week on Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier reveals why 2026 could be the year you stop watching from the sidelines and start creating something truly meaningful. The beauty industry doesn't need another celebrity-backed product – it needs honest, passionate, purpose-driven brands like yours. If yo...

In the beauty industry, success is often measured by landing big retailers, securing investment, or building a large team. But what if some of the most resilient and values-driven indie beauty brands thrive precisely because they reject that model? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier sits down with Kristina Dunn, founder and formulator of RUA, to...

You might not have noticed it yet, but there's a new word quietly taking over the beauty and wellness industries: longevity . It's showing up everywhere, from skincare marketing, supplements, blue zone diets, to so-called anti-zombie-cell serums (yes, you've read that right!). And while it sounds scientific, serious, and self-caring, longevity might just be the beauty industry's cleverest rebrand...

Has vitamin C finally met its match? In this week's episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, explores whether the beauty industry's favourite antioxidant could soon be dethroned. Lorraine is joined by Charlotte Julien, Formula Botanica graduate and founder of  Edelweiss Creation (formerly known as éméo consulting, as referenced in the episode), who also...

Beauty thrives on adjectives – and the cosmetics industry knows exactly how to use them. Walk into any beauty store and you'll see words like "nourish", "revitalise", "transform" and "illuminate" designed to spark emotional reactions. But more often than not, that reaction is insecurity. In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , host Lorraine Dallmeier argues that it's time for a radical ret...

Beauty products are full of bold promises: "anti-ageing," "chemical-free," "eco-friendly." But how many of these cosmetic claims actually hold up? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, chats with cosmetic claims expert Dr Theresa Callaghan about the risks of misleading marketing, greenwashing, and how brands can build trust with honest, compli...

Is the beauty industry really listening to what consumers want – or is it hiding behind them? In this week's episode of  Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier calls out one of the industry's most persistent myths: that shoppers are to blame for the lack of sustainability progress. It's a bold take that asks whether "consumer demand" has become a convenient excuse for...

What if the future of beauty didn't come at the cost of rainforests? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier talks with Alexander van Oord, Chief Commercial Officer at Forestwise , about how wild-harvested illipe nuts are transforming the beauty industry. Discover how these sustainable ingredients – already used in products by major brands like Lush – help protect forest...

The beauty industry has sold us the idea that natural automatically means good – good for us, good for the planet, good for everyone. But is that really true? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier asks whether it's time to break up with natural beauty. From deforestation to monocultures, the word natural is unregulated and often meaningless – it ca...

Discover the story of Hawaii Sandalwood and how it's restoring one of the rarest forests on Earth in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations . This week on the podcast, Asa Suguitan, co-founder of  Hawaii Sandalwood , shares how his family is regenerating Hawaii's tropical dryland forest by harvesting only dead or dying sandalwood trees and replanting 16 native species. Learn how this unique ap...

What if your moisturiser wasn't mass-produced, but printed for you on demand ? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier explores the futuristic – and very real – idea of 3D-printed skincare. From personalised products that evolve with your age and lifestyle, to biotech-powered actives "printed" fresh at home or in pharmacies, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Cou...

What if your skincare didn't come in a jar – but in a gummy? In this episode of  Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, interviews Melissa Snover, award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Nourished , the world's first 3D-printed personalised gummy stacks. If you've ever wondered whether ingestible beauty is just a hype or genuinely works, this episode is for you...

Walk into any beauty store today, and shoppers can tell you about the benefits of peptides, retinoids or hyaluronic acid with ease. Yet ask about seaweed and you'll often be met with blank stares or vague memories of green face masks. And that's the case with many skincare ingredients, despite years of research and traditional use. In this week's episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Da...

Could kelp be the future of beauty? Listen to this episode of Green Beauty Conversations  with Samantha Garwin, Director of Market Development at GreenWave,  to discover the untapped potential of kelp in beauty. Sam reveals why kelp offers benefits land-based plants simply can't, how the beauty industry can harness this ocean-grown powerhouse, and the hurdles still keeping it from going mainstream...

AI has levelled up – and if you've been playing with tools like ChatGPT lately, you've probably noticed it too. Two years ago, Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier challenged ChatGPT to create a cosmetic formulation for her , and it was a frustrating merry-go-round of vague advice, incorrect safety limits, and an irritating insistence that she should "hire a cosmetic chemist." Fast-forward to t...

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a futuristic buzzword – it's already shaping the way cosmetics are researched, formulated, and launched. In this episode of  Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier talks to Hejab Malik, co-founder of Potion AI – a San Francisco-based technology company with over 10,000 global users. Together, they explore how AI is already emb...

Behind the glossy claims and Instagram-friendly campaigns of beauty brands, there's a serious problem: most brands aren't actually measuring their environmental impact. And without hard data, all those 'sustainable' promises risk being little more than marketing spin. In this week's episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier pulls back the curtain on the beauty...

Behind every beauty product lies a hidden challenge: a complex data problem that makes true sustainability nearly impossible to measure. In this week's episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier talks with Evan Peters, CPO of Fairglow , to uncover why the beauty industry struggles to put real numbers behind environmental claims – and why that matters more than ever. Discover how da...

In an industry dominated by multinationals and million-unit launches, it's easy to feel like being a "small" beauty brand is synonymous with being insignificant. But what if this wasn't true? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO and podcast host Lorraine Dallmeier unpacks the true meaning of "small" in the indie beauty industry and challenges the mindset that someti...

What really happens behind the scenes of contract manufacturing in the beauty industry? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier goes inside the buzzing world of large-scale beauty production with Dan Williams, CEO of Orean Personal Care – the UK's only B Corp-certified beauty manufacturer. Whether you're just starting your beauty brand or ready to sc...

What if the thing holding your indie beauty brand back wasn't failure – but success? In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , host Lorraine Dallmeier explores why, for many indie beauty founders, achieving success feels more terrifying than falling short. We often talk about fear of failure, but rarely do we acknowledge that fear of success can be just as paralysing. In this episode, Lorrai...

What does success really look like for a beauty entrepreneur? In an industry that often celebrates rapid growth, aggressive fundraising, and influencer-heavy marketing, there's a quieter, more sustainable path – one that values creative control, profitability, and long-term impact over flashy headlines. In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Lorraine Dallmeier – Chartered Environmentalist...

Everywhere you turn in beauty, you get the same message: results, results, results. Products promise to brighten, firm, and smooth – fast. But what happens when efficacy becomes the only measure of a product's worth? In this thought-provoking solo episode of Green Beauty Conversations , Formula Botanica CEO, Biologist, and Chartered Environmentalist Lorraine Dallmeier invites us to rethink one of...