Interview
Maria Chiara Garside
of
Inlight Beauty
After a summer of testing some of the gorgeous Inlight Beauty products we caught up with Maria Chiara Garside, an integral part of the Inlight Family & Head of Marketing, to find out more about how her & how Inlight isn’t just your standard beauty brand.
Tell us a little bit about yourself & the Inlight Beauty Family…
Inlight beauty is more than just a skincare business, it’s the combination of years of passion and love for nature and our overall wellness, concentrated into balms and
oils! We make everything by hand in Cornwall, with care and respect for our surroundings. This includes all our base oils/extracts which are made with 100%
organic flowers, herbs, seeds and cold pressed oils. We don’t include water in our products meaning no need for synthetic preservatives. Inlight is very much a family
business! It was co-founded by my parents Dr Mariano Spiezia and Loredana back in 2006. I joined the company about 8 years ago and now deal with the
communication side of things. My brothers both also joined the business in recent years. Dr Spiezia, our formulator, comes from an orthodox medical background with
expertise in naturopathy and herbalism. Our product’s aim is to ‘bring beauty to life through radiant and healthy skin’ working in synergy with it.
Inlight Beauty is a big advocate for clean beauty and sustainability – There can be a lot of misinformation and greenwashing by companies around these subjects. What is it that sets Inlight apart from this?
We were the first, and still are, the only brand to carry 100% organic cosmos certification status throughout all our ranges. Something we are very proud of. It has
come with challenges of course but key to our business and values. It all starts with the soil, to be sustainable you need to look at the source first.
We are very transparent in every aspect of our business, it is a shame to see greenwashing still taking place, looking for logos such as Cosmos Organic and
Positive Luxury can give the customer assurance that thorough checks have been carried out to verify each claim. I would also suggest to always look at the labels,
and get a basic idea of what ingredients to avoid (most obvious ones being SLS, Parabens, Phthalate, Alcohol, & Palm oil).
The natural environment is clearly a fundamental aspect of Inlight Beauty, is this the same for you personally? if so, how do you like to connect with the outdoors?
Stepping into nature is my go-to for recharging, reconnecting and to just be. I’m lucky to have some amazing scenery on my doorstep. Cornwall’s wilderness and ‘magic’
seems to always make things ok when work/personal life seems a bit much. My friends and I love a good coastal walk, camping in the wilderness as much as we
can, in the warmer months with family is also a great break from the everyday and a good ‘excuse’ to put technology away and go back to basics.
What would you say most motivates you, both within the Inlight Family and in your own personal endeavours? Are the two closely linked?
I’m very much result driven – within the business and in my personal life. With work it’s great when I am able to really get our core messages across, advising customers
on their wellness journey – nothing like hearing back from delighted customers whose wellness journey was enhanced by Inlight. I take great joy in life if I can help
spread a little happiness to others.
What exciting ventures are you most looking forward to in the near future?
Collaborations with likeminded business and organisations. Helping each other out in the beauty and wellness business is something really important for us. After all the
aim and end goal is the same, the more the merrier. We are also continuously looking into making our business even more sustainable, we have various projects
and ideas to achieve this. Watch this space.