Aleph Beauty
Emma Peters
Founder and company director of Aleph Beauty
Instagram @aleph.beauty
BC: What was your journey to becoming a makeup artist?
Aleph Beauty: I’ve been in the industry, working as a makeup artist since the mid-90s during which time I’ve covered all aspects of the industry from fashion to film to advertising to brand owner. Growing up in Canada with parents in the TV industry, I had a strong pull to the makeup department early on so this career path was inevitable.
When did you become aware of the ‘dark side’ of makeup ethically speaking and in regard to the impact it has on our planet?
As a “hobby” over the past decade and a half, I’ve been unofficially studying health, wellbeing, and nutrition leading me to complete a year-long Yoga Teacher Training program along the way. With this study, I became acutely aware that the products I was wearing and using on my clients and actors, had potentially health-damaging ingredients in them. This realization came about around the time I was pregnant with my first child, so the inevitable nesting stage put my research into hyperdrive. Along with creating an online makeup course in the very early days of E-comm marketing, I compiled a small curated store offering the best, natural makeup I could find. Back then though, the choice was limited and function was inconsistent, so the retail range offered was slight. Over the years, as more good quality brands came onto the market, our store evolved to be Belle & Sage, one of NZ’s first conscious beauty stores. Yet, it was still very hard if not impossible to find products that were all I wanted them to be - People, Planet and Animal-friendly. There were brands that used organic ingredients but the function wasn’t there, or the branding was terrible. There were cruelty-free and vegan brands that were toxic to humans. There were and still are clean brands that use a huge amount of plastic. So I wanted something that I would 100% want to use myself.
“I wanted them to be - People, Planet and Animal-friendly.”
What was the first clean brand you purchased?
I think this would have been Living Nature way back when they were just starting out when they mostly consisted of a small range of medicinal balms.
What brands inspired you to create Aleph?
I’m inspired by many brands from different industries. And a huge percentage of them inspire me in the opposite way, as in “what not to do”. I’m very mindful of not taking too much in from other brands. I prefer to create something that is unique so I don’t look to other cosmetic brands for inspiration.
Where did the name Aleph come from?
When coming up with a name, I was looking for something that meant or implied “Oneness” after all, we are all part of one system on this planet and we don’t want to compromise one ecosystem for another.
You say ‘sustainability should be the new norm’, you have managed to create products that deliver on this front. How did this process begin?
I was very conscious and pedantic about every decision I made from the start, from packaging to formulations to manufacturing. I’m lucky in that I have been able to be the one making all of the decisions from the get-go (ie no investors or stakeholders overriding my choices in the name of profit) and I’m also very tenacious, so will give it my all to get the desired result.
What does conscious mean to you?
Conscious to me means making the best, most informed decisions possible in any given moment. These decisions need to take into account the wellbeing of all concerned and often this reach is far broader and more convoluted than you’d ever imagine. So it’s about sifting things into place to create an outcome that does no harm over the short and long term. And of course, as things evolve, these decisions can change.
“Conscious to me means making the best, most informed decisions possible in any given moment.”
What the next step on the Aleph journey?
This year, we’ve added to our team and are excited to be able to expand our retail reach throughout NZ and into Australia. Then we’ll be aiming to export further afield from there.
Talk me through your morning/ night skincare routine
I keep it simple, I cleanse with Corbin Rd cleansing balm morning and night with their gentle exfoliating cloths and apply 2-3 drops of Aleph Serum/Primer to clean skin. On days when my skin is feeling extra dry, I’ll use a light moisturizer before the Serum/Primer.
As well as your daily facial rituals are there any treatments that you swear by?
Light therapy; once a month I go to my beauty therapist for facial which includes a treatment. But I love light therapy so much because of its overall healing and regenerating benefits, that my husband built a custom made infrared light therapy panel that we keep in our bathroom for full-body sessions.
“I love light therapy so much because of its overall healing and regenerating benefits”
Favourite products?
Aleph of course And also a big fan of internal supplements like True Niagen, Vitamin C and collagen powder to enhance the skin from the inside out.
What’s your signature look?
I love a natural look, which is easily achieved with Aleph Beauty. I wear our Concealer/Foundation 2.0 with Grounded Cheek/Lip Tint on the cheeks and lips for a neutral look. Radiance Moon on the eyes, with a little black eyeliner and mascara. I’ll switch things up when formulating new products as I always wear them myself throughout the formulation process.
Favourite makeup look?
Fresh and clean with a bit of colour in the cheeks and lips.
Who are your beauty icons?
Beauty is everywhere and in everyone, and I value the fact that I get entrusted to help women choose the makeup that helps them feel beautiful.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Launching Aleph and finding that my vision for the brand is being received as intended. My aim was to create products that are not only People, Planet and Animal-Friendly but quick and easy to use. Products that don’t mask the face, but make the wearer look and feel beautiful. So it always thrills me to hear feedback from our customers reiterating these points.
Lastly, tell us something that would surprise us about you
Haha, this is a hard one! Not many surprises up my sleeve, I get up 2hrs before my family every day to get my meditation and exercise in. Not very thrilling a fact I’m afraid!