Sally Foran: Meet some of the Irish beauty brands being manufactured in Ireland

Sinead Asple, left, and Joanne Reilly

Irish brands are having a moment, garnering loyal followings both here and abroad — but how many are actually manufactured in Ireland?

As it happens, quite a few. Pestle & Mortar, Ella & Jo, Holos Skincare, SEA+SOLU, and Kinvara Skincare are all manufactured at home.

Ahead of St Patrick’s Day, I spoke to two of these founders who are committed to keeping manufacturing in Ireland: Sinéad Asple, of SEA+SOLU, an innovative haircare brand offering customisable boosters that allow customers to tailor products depending on their hair goals; and Joanne Reilly, founder of the award-winning Kinvara brand, who also recently changed their packaging to dual language to include Irish. Go hiontach.

For Reilly, Irish manufacturing has been woven into the Kinvara Skincare brand’s story from the very beginning. “Kinvara is Irish — from our name right through to every facet,” she says.

In the early days of the business, Reilly personally made, bottled, and labelled every product before scaling production. “Because we formulate our products ourselves from scratch, it’s important for us to work closely with our manufacturing partners and ensure that every batch is of consistently high quality.”

She believes manufacturing in Ireland brings both credibility and connection for customers. “Irish manufacturers operate to very high EU standards. Being Irish made also allows us to support local expertise and remain connected to the wider Irish business community. Being able to say our products are formulated and made in Ireland is something our customers value and trust.”

Joanne Reilly: 'Kinvara is Irish — from our name right through to every facet'

There are practical benefits too. “I like being able to hop in the car and call into our manufacturers. It keeps me close to the making process.”

However, Reilly found that finding the right manufacturing partner in Ireland wasn’t easy. “Ireland isn’t big,” she explains. “Different partners have different criteria with regards to volume or their own specialities.”

For Kinvara, finding the right partner meant identifying manufacturers who understood their particular approach to formulation. “Because Kinvara products are developed from scratch and often use high percentages of plant ingredients, it was essential to find manufacturers who understood our approach and could produce to our standards.”

Over time, the brand has built long-term relationships with experienced Irish manufacturing partners. “Those partnerships have allowed us to grow and scale the business while maintaining the quality, consistency, and integrity our customers expect from the brand.”

On the subject of the dual Irish and English packaging, Reilly said “it felt like the right thing to do”.

“I really like when skincare can be a vehicle for something beyond cosmetics and be part of meaningful cultural initiatives,” Reilly says.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Irish Examiner (@irish_examiner)

The idea partly came after producing bilingual packaging for the Canadian market. “Canada is very serious about giving equal importance to both of their national languages and I think we should consider doing the same.”

While Reilly says she wouldn’t describe herself as a fluent Gaeilgeoir, she sees the move as a meaningful way to support the language.

She says they also post as Gaeilge on their socials and are trying to speak more Irish in the office. “I felt this was a practical way I could do something positive for the Irish language. I’d love for other brands to consider doing the same.”

Kinvara launched the initiative with a campaign titled ‘We Speak Your Language’, celebrating identity and inclusion through everyday products. “Customers have really responded to it as many people feel a strong connection to the Irish language and everyone has been really positive,” she says. “It reflects who we are as a brand, rooted in Ireland but outward looking. It’s also important to us that the packaging remained practical for customers at home and internationally.”

The experience has been personally rewarding too. “I’ve surprised myself with what feels like a return of Irish from primary school. Every day, a word returns and I’m so chuffed with myself.

“This has been one of the best things we’ve ever done as a business.”

Sinead Asple: 'I wanted to build a global brand that is proudly made in Ireland'

For Asple, founder of SEA+SOLU, producing in Ireland was always something she aspired to — but it has not come without its challenges. “From day one, it was really important to me that SEA+SOLU would be manufactured here in Ireland. I wanted to build a global brand that is proudly made in Ireland.

“Manufacturing locally allows us to stay deeply connected to every stage of the journey, from formulation right through to final production.

“Our products are carefully developed and performance driven, so being hands-on means we can protect quality, innovate quickly, and work closely with our chemist to continually refine and elevate each formula.

“When I first launched, I met the majority of manufacturers here in Ireland but, at that early stage, we were a small brand and it was difficult to find a partner willing to take us on.”

The company began its journey manufacturing in Britain but, as the brand grew, Asple remained determined to bring production home.

Eventually, SEA+SOLU found a partner in Cosmetic Creations in Mayo, a relationship she describes as incredibly positive — making their recent liquidation a shock to Asple.

She added: “Entrepreneurship comes with unexpected challenges and this is one of them. But we see it as part of the evolution of building a brand.

“We’re currently in discussions with new manufacturing partners and remain fully committed to producing SEA+SOLU in Ireland as we scale.”