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LL: Tell us how Trilogy began and what your inspiration was for the range?
Sarah: Like many new ideas our story began with a discovery. While running a company manufacturing ingredients from plants for the natural supplement and cosmetic industries I discovered Rosehip Oil.
Knowing the oil extracted from rosehip seeds was rich in skin loving nutrients and that it had been used for centuries to heal and rejuvenate skin, I developed a new way to extract the purest elements from this oil and was very excited by the results.
Meanwhile, Catherine had been working for many years as a journalist writing about food, fashion, beauty and design and we had begun chatting about how we might combine our different skills in a business. So I gave Catherine a sample of the Rosehip Oil to trial and she loved it.
Rosehip Oil was like nothing we’d ever tried before. It was a pure, natural, un-fragranced oil which absorbed effortlessly into the skin leaving none of the greasy feel one expected from oil, only soft, smooth skin. After several months of trials and research into the science behind it, we were hooked.
Catherine and I knew we’d discovered a future cosmetic star and we saw the potential for including Rosehip Oil and other natural actives in a line of modern, fuss-free, high-performance and ethically responsible skin care products. And so Trilogy was born.
LL: Trilogy won Best Brand in the recent LoveLula.com awards and the Trilogy Rosehip Oil
won Best Miracle Product too, all voted for by LoveLula.com customers, how does it feel?!
Catherine and Sarah: Well we hadn’t expected either so winning both was a double surprise. We’ve always been delighted by the way LoveLula customers have responded to Trilogy products and we feel very privileged to have had their endorsement.
For us these Awards are a recognition of the effort we put into creating truly authentic beauty products, products whose quality, performance and usability is designed to stand apart from the synthetic majority and it is really validating to know that that people appreciate and respond to what we are trying to do.
LL: Your Certified Organic Rosehip Oil is fair trade from farmers in South Africa and Chile. Tell us a bit about how you work with these communities?
Catherine and Sarah: People and partnerships are at the heart of Trilogy's business. We strive to work with all people in a fair and positive manner and to value their integrity.
We began sourcing Certified Organic Rosehip Oil in partnership with a fair trade cooperative in Lesotho, central Africa established by PhytoTrade Africa in 2002. PhytoTrade is Africa’s only trade association dedicated to the development of a fair trade and environmentally sustainable natural products industry. It was established to help indigenous communities prosper from trade initiatives.
We now purchase Certified Organic Rosehip Oil from a Certified Organic source in the mountainous regions of Chile. The partnership with the people of Lesotho and now Chile has been one of the most rewarding aspects of growing Trilogy’s business.
Trilogy became a certified carbon neutral company last year. Why was that important to the company?
Catherine and Sarah: Our mission is ‘Maximum effect on your skin. Minimum effect on our environment’ so it was important that we could measure our effect on the environment in order to work towards reducing that footprint.
Our Carbon Neutral status for our corporate operations allows us to more effectively align our business practices with our mission statement and has been important for the whole team.
What’s it like working with your sister?!
Catherine: Since the beginning it has been a great experience for both of us. I had huge respect for Sarah’s business acumen, drive and great sense of fairness before we started working together – she was always just very smart and very generous to everyone. Since we started Trilogy that admiration has just grown. I think we work well together and we feel really privileged to be able to have been able to do it.
Sarah: It’s just a whole load of fun. Catherine and I always felt we had very complementary business skills which meant we could make a great team. Catherine is very stylish (I am always asking her to help me redecorate my house) and a wonderful communicator. She also has a great calmness about her. I think her style and calmness are very much reflected in our products and are part of what has drawn people to Trilogy.
Who would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Catherine: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Joy and George Adamson.
Sarah: The amazing people that operate the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation. Dinner cooked by Jamie Oliver. Entertainment by Susan Boyle.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Catharine: Weekend afternoons on the sofa with a glass or two of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir and the latest copy of Vogue Australia Entertaining.
Sarah: Sleeping in on Sunday mornings (even the cat gets up before me on Sundays!)
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