Working With Nature, Never Against It
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Our Commitment to the Earth — This World Earth Day and Every Day
When I started Elsie & Tom back in 2016, the decision to use only natural ingredients wasn't a marketing choice. It was a personal one. After my own wellness journey, I'd seen first-hand what a difference it makes when you pay attention to what you're putting on your skin and breathing into your home. I wanted to create products I'd feel genuinely good about using — and that meant working with nature from the very start.
Nearly ten years on, that principle hasn't changed. If anything, it matters more now than ever.
What We Mean by Natural
Every Elsie & Tom product is made using pure essential oils — never synthetic fragrances. Our candles are poured with natural soy wax, not paraffin. And non GMO soy to boot. Our soaps are handcrafted with shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil. Our body wash is organic. Our magnesium balm contains just a handful of ingredients you can actually pronounce.
This isn't about being perfect. It's about making considered choices at every stage — from the raw ingredients we source to the way we blend, pour and pack them right here in Suffolk.
Why It Matters
The wellness industry is full of products that promise the world but rely on synthetic chemicals, petroleum-based waxes, and artificial fragrances to deliver it. Many of these ingredients are derived from fossil fuels. They release toxins when burned. They wash down the drain and into our waterways. And they often come wrapped in layers of unnecessary plastic.
We've always taken a different approach.
Soy wax over paraffin. Our candles burn cleaner and longer. Soy is a renewable resource, biodegradable, and produces significantly less soot than petroleum-based paraffin. It also holds essential oils beautifully, giving you a truer, more therapeutic scent throw.
Pure essential oils over synthetic fragrance. Every one of our blends is IFRA-certified and formulated using only plant-derived essential oils. No phthalates, no synthetic musks, no petrochemicals. When you light an Elsie & Tom candle or use our body wash, you're breathing in what nature intended — nothing more.
Plant-based ingredients in our bodycare. Our soaps and body wash are built around ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil and olive oil — all sustainably sourced and biodegradable. They nourish your skin without leaving a chemical footprint behind.
Minimal, considered packaging. We're not going to pretend we've got this completely figured out — packaging is one of the hardest challenges for any small business and the most expensive. But we're actively working to reduce our footprint. Our candle glasses are designed to be reused. Our soaps are wrapped in recyclable paper. And we're constantly looking for better options as they become available. Our Body wash refills are sold with a return label so we can reuse and repurpose the same bottle time and time again. We are working on creating a circular economy.
Small Batch, Small Footprint
Everything we make is produced in small batches, by hand, from our workshop in Suffolk. There's no factory line. No mass production. No shipping containers crossing oceans.
Small batch production means less waste — we make what we need, when we need it. It means we can quality-check every single product. And it means we stay close to the process, understanding exactly what goes into every candle, every soap, every balm.
It's slower. It's more labour-intensive. But it's the right way to do it.
What We're Working On
Being honest about where we are is just as important as celebrating what we've done. Here's what's on our list:
We're exploring refill options for our candles and magnesium balms, so you can keep the jar or bottle and just top it up. We're reviewing every element of our packaging to find ways to reduce plastic further. We're researching ethical certification pathways so that our commitment is formally recognised, not just something we talk about. And we're continuing to test and source the best natural ingredients we can find — because the quality of what goes in determines the quality of what you get out.
Earth Day and Every Day
World Earth Day is a good moment to stop and think about the choices we make — as businesses and as individuals. But for us, it's not a one-day thing. Every time we formulate a new product, the first question is always the same: can we do this naturally?
If the answer is yes, we find the best way. If the answer is no, we don't make it.
That's the commitment. Simple as that.
Thank you for supporting a small business that's trying to do things the right way. Every candle you light, every bar of soap you unwrap, every bottle of body wash you use — you're choosing natural over synthetic, small batch over mass-produced, and nature over chemicals.
And that matters. It really does.
Emma x
Founder, Elsie & Tom Wellness Boosted by Nature
