Raising the bar in soap making

Sample product from the Cinnabar Green range [Courtesy]

 

A step into a bathroom of any Kenyan safari camp and hotel worth its salt and you will be greeted by naturally scented products labelled Cinnabar Green. Travelog managed to track down Penny Horsey, the founder of this natural cosmetics company based in Laikipia county for a chat about her journey into creating an exemplary range of eco-friendly personal care products.

Brand Inspiration?

In 2001 we established organic herb gardens on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya growing a range of aromatic and medicinal herbs as key ingredients for the international cosmetic and nutraceutical industry. Having battled on a very uneven playing ground where organic African products try to make their way into Europe where they have to compete with homegrown products which are heavily subsidised, we soon came to the realisation that the optimal endpoint for high quality naturopathic African ingredients was in African products. 

About the product

Cinnabar Green has since developed its own range of natural products from shampoos through to aromatic room sprays and body wraps where the goal has been to supply a simple but exemplary range of products for the personal care market formulated from the best available home-grown and locally sourced bio-ingredients and to make these available to our customers in eastern and southern Africa. 

Early days? 

Once we had sourced a nice palette of essential oils and therapeutic cold-pressed oils and butters from the region, we enlisted the assistance of a natural cosmetic formulator who assisted us with developing a simple line of products which we introduced to environmentally conscious safari destinations. This was the beginning of the brand of Cinnabar Green. The reputation of the products spread from camp to lodge by word of mouth and we then introduced the products to retail outlets around the country. 

Our product line expanded in line with the requests of our customers. However, we have always been careful to keep our product line as simple and natural as possible. Too much choice is not always a good thing! 

Where is it made? 

All of our products are made in our workshop which is 40 minutes out of Nanyuki, near Matanya. The workshop is located on the farm where we grow a large range of aromatic plants such as Bourbon Geranium, German Chamomile, Lavender and Thyme which we harvest and distil on site for use in our product line.

What’s the price point?

Our aim is not to be cheap but to present Kenyans with the best value possible for a great quality natural personal care product.

Where is it sold?

Our products are available in various retail outlets in Nairobi including The Banana Box, Game, Healthy U, Langata Link and Kalimoni Greens, The Organic Produce Shop. Mombasa residents can source our products from Shoprite City Mall, Nyali.

Ultimate goal?

We aim to continue to grow in a sustainable manner, carrying each member of the team along with us in an effort to improve lives as well as financial and environmental security whilst trying to ensure that every one of us enjoys coming to work.

Environmentalism: Cinnabar Green’s approach to sourcing our inputs combines the wish to use the best natural active ingredients available with a desire for practicality and simplicity. Each ingredient is also individually assessed for its environmental and social impact. Furthermore, we focus on local market development in order to avoid the weighty carbon footprint associated with the export.

Packaging: We aim to minimize the use of single-use packaging. After analysis and assessment, we have opted to package the bulk of our products in easily recyclable, light-weight aluminium containers. We offer and encourage the use of larger refill options to all of our customers.

Social impact: Our aim is to ameliorate unemployment levels in the community where we are located and to set an example as to how to care for, preserve, and indeed restore, the environment. We support our local girl’s school with funds and practical assistance and are involved with a variety of environmental projects.