GAIA Skincare increases spa partners by 160%

In a year that has seen the brand’s number of spa partners grow by 160%, we catch up with GAIA Skincare founder Diane Nettleton to share the brand’s story

Inspired by the ancient Greek goddess ‘Mother Nature’, GAIA Skincare products are handmade in Britain using traditional artisan methods. Led by company founder Diane Nettleton, over the last 40 years this family business has evolved from being a spa operator to formulating a respected line of skincare products, and has increased its number of spa partners by 160% in the last year.

“We bought Boringdon Hall in 2011 with the intention of building the UK’s largest destination spa,” says Nettleton. “My role was to design the treatment menu and equip all the rooms, which was quite daunting.

“I’d recently lost my husband and James, his son, said, ‘Why don’t you make a skincare brand, too?’ At the time I could hardly get dressed in the morning, but now I look back, that’s when the seed for GAIA was planted.

“We wanted to create our own identity, which was about how we make people feel rather than what we do to them. It forced me to think of my own wellness too, and what I needed to heal. I started doing yoga, I saw a nutritionist, I explored reflexology and the power of touch. All those things fed into the creation of GAIA Skincare.”

A brand with personality Nettleton worked on the product blends with an aromatherapist, and the name was chosen as Mother Nature is always working to maintain harmony, wholeness and balance. “I wanted our skincare to connect with these energies, to be authentic and reflect the benefit that care and attention in a spa can give,” she explains.

Strong branding also helps to reinforce this sense of connection with “Everything must be sustainable. Mother Gaia looks after the earth – without the planet being well, we can’t be well.” the goddess and what she stands for. “Creating the illustration of Gaia was a huge part of creating our brand,” says Nettleton. “She has a personality of her own now. Everything had to reflect Gaia, even the packaging – for example, I knew we needed a green and brown colour palette.” GAIA Skincare is a brand with sustainability at its heart, and its environmentally friendly approach extends from product formulations to packaging materials.

“We selected bamboo as it’s the most sustainable crop to grow and we didn’t have secondary packaging, right from the start,” says Nettleton. “Everything has to be sustainable. Mother Gaia is nurturing, she looks after the earth – without the planet being well, we can’t be well.” Freedom to fine tune GAIA Skincare underwent a big change during the pandemic, with Nettleton taking over a warehouse so everything could be done under one roof. However the upside was that it provided time for her to focus on product development, which remains a constant priority.

“I’m always conscious of the need to consolidate, to look back at how far we’ve come and try to bring everything together, while keeping to our path and sticking to brand values,” she says. “I’m excited about our new launches; they’ll be out early in 2023.”

A spa skincare partner Since opening GAIA Spa at Boringdon Hall in 2016, the family has grown the business to include three hotels and two spas as well as its increasingly successful skincare brand, which now has more than 30 spa partners, including Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds and Slieve Russell Hotel in County Cavan, Ireland.

This year the brand has partnered with the Lowry Hotel in Salford; Dalmeny Resort Hotel, Lytham St Annes; Glam + Go Spa & Beauty Bar, London; The Tawny Hotel, Stoke on Trent; Hurricane Spa at the Silverlake Estate, Dorchester; The Eastbury Hotel & Spa, Sherborne; and the Pembroke Hotel in Kilkenny, Ireland.

“Whenever we launch with a new spa partner or hotel, it’s always a ‘pinch me’ moment,” says Nettleton.

www.gaiaskincare.com

To find out more about GAIA Skincare’s philosophy of “Your wellness, naturally” or to partner with the brand, visit: www. gaiaskincare.com/pages/partner-with-us