FLAVEDO & ALBEDO
'THIS IS NICE’ SPEAKS WITH BEAUTY BRAND FLAVEDO & ALBEDO, ABOUT COLOUR, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE AND WHY PROVIDING PLASTIC FREE PACKAGING IS SO IMPORTANT
‘This is nice’: A few weeks back I reached out to you curious about your brand, since then I have been using your products daily and am so so impressed with everything from the makeup itself to the packaging and the branding. Can you tell us a little bit about how Flavedo & Albedo came to be? Do any of you have a background in beauty?
Flavedo & Albedo: We love makeup, but have always been freaked out by plastic and landfill. Every piece of plastic ever made is still on Earth somewhere, unless it’s been burnt. That’s a really confronting thought.
Every year, the beauty industry produces at least 120 billion pieces of plastic packaging. Most of those pumps, custom bottles, lids and palettes aren’t or can’t be recycled. The UK data says that 91% of those units aren’t recycled, and Australia is not much better (at 85%). It just seems wrong that your eyeshadow palette should live 500 years longer than you do.
We started Flavedo & Albedo because we wanted to reconcile our love of makeup and our concern around plastic packaging and landfill. We spent 2020 figuring out how we get high performance formulations into plastic free packaging. We use a lot of aluminium, and a little glass, sustainable timber, card and cork.
In terms of background, we all come from creative and design industries. We’ve worked on a load of different brands for other people. But this was one of those ideas that just wouldn’t go away, so we decided it was the right time to build our own.
‘tIN’: Where does the name Flavedo & Albedo come from?
Flavedo & Albedo: Our name comes from the technical term for the skin of a citrus fruit. The bright skin on the outside is the flavedo. The albedo is the white pith on the inside.
That combination made sense to us. Makeup should be about more than what looks good on the outside, it’s also about what’s happening inside. And making sure that’s good as well.
‘TIN’: Do you have a favourite product you’ve created? I love the Dew Tint and Bright Stripe Eyeliner.
We all have a different fave.
Emily: The Velvet Eyeshadow in Berry Bronze or Hazelnut. It’s a one and done thing, makes me look like I’ve made a lot of effort.
Toby: The Bright Stripe Eyeliner in White, because it reminds me of a liquorice allsort.
Aleks: Dew Tint in Toffee or Velvet Eyeshadow in Cool Bronze. They are super versatile, I find myself reaching for them time and time again.
FAST FAVOURITES
‘TIN’: Place?
F & A: Anywhere by the sea.
‘TIN’: Piece of advice?
F & A: There’s always a way around the problem if you look hard enough.
‘TIN’: Restaurant?
F & A: Alberto’s Lounge.
‘TIN’: Song?
F & A: Haha, we can never agree on music.
‘TIN’: Drink?
F & A: Strong coffee/bubbles.
‘TIN’: Colour?
F & A: Purple
‘TIN’: Beauty brand?
F & A: We’re big Emma Lewisham fans.
‘TIN’: Muse?
F & A: So many. Paloma Elsesser, Lucy Boynton, Nicola Coughlan, Conie Vallese.
‘TIN’: Quote?
F & A: ‘Beauty isn’t about looking perfect. It’s about celebrating your individuality.’ Bobbi Brown
Flavedo & Albedo’s favourite colour, purple, as shown in their Bright Stripe Eyeliner in lavendar
One of Flavedo & Albedo’s muses (and ours too), Paloma Elsesser for Vogue Poland March 2021
‘Tin’: All of your products are packaged without using plastic, which is pretty amazing. Did you always know you wanted the brand to be sustainable? Was it difficult getting the packaging right?
Flavedo & Albedo: Absolutely, providing a plastic free alternative to mainstream cosmetics is the main reason we exist.
We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it’s a really interesting design challenge. We wanted to create a brand that was sustainable, but also fun. Products that you actually want in your makeup bag.
‘tin’: Do you have plans to expand your current product line in the future?
Flavedo & Albedo: The short answer is yes! But at the moment it’s about getting the brand out there and seeing what people think - of the product and the packaging. We want to keep improving as we go. The plan is to grow carefully, we’re taking it one product at a time.
You can shop the FULL FLAVEDO & ALBEDO PRODUCT RANGE HERE
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FOUNDERS OF FLAVEDO & ALBEDO, EMILY, TOBY & ALEKS, FOR THIS INTERVIEW