Upcircle
We first discovered Upcircle (then Optiat) on Dragons Den and we knew that not only was it a brilliant idea but it would work really well in our box. So we emailed them and thought that this would be a great second product for the box. We were right that it worked really well for the box but sadly discovered how hard it is to set up a company so we put the idea on the backburner for revision for GCSE mocks.
At UpCircle, they elevate leftover natural ingredients, bringing them back to life as beauty products your skin will love.
Their products are natural, organic, vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil-free, sustainable, handmade in the UK and housed in 100% recyclable packaging. But the key point of difference between them and other brands is that the products are made with a core re-purposed ingredient. “Natural” is the new “normal” and they go a step further with waste-fighting formulations.
The circular economy sits at the heart of what they do – it is even named after it! UpCircle also hints at ‘upcycling’, the process of making something better from things that already exist. The ultimate mission is to leave the world better than we found it by transforming ingredients that would otherwise be discarded into natural, organic beauty products – better for you, better for the world.
The story
Back in 2015, they had an idea. It all started with a caffetier gift and a whole lot of coffee. Living in central London William (the co-founder) didn’t have a garden and so didn’t have enough plants he could use the coffee grounds on, so instead he was simply throwing them away. He asked his local coffee shop what they did with their waste coffee and was shocked to hear that they were producing so much that they had to pay the council to have it removed and disposed of on landfill sites. They discovered that there was so much waste! Well why didn't they take it off the coffee shops hands and put it back into use. Hence the creation of OPTIAT - one persons trast is another persons treasure
The mission
They're restlessly determined to make products that leave the planet better than they found it. They do things differently - and love sharing great ideas for making things better.
They use the highest quality ingredients, for the best possible results. Which just means that you can feel the difference
What do we love about them?
They care about the planet. They are constantly trying to find new ways to make our planet more sustainable and they make sure that the products they create are brilliant. I mean what is not to love?
Lysander Bickham
18.11.2019
