ihana - Finnish; adjective - wonderful, lovely, beautiful
Our story
IHANA Skincare was born out of a passion to create. Our founder, Chris Smit, has been involved in natural and organic skincare since 2011, and in 2014 embarked on a journey to create a high-performance natural and organic skincare range of his own.
The inspiration for IHANA came following a late-summer trip to northern Finland where Chris discovered the Scandinavian love affair with Arctic Berries. He found them being used in all sorts of foods and drinks, from jams and compotes to cakes and puddings, and a happy by-product was the seeds. When pressed, these seeds release amazing oils which have been used for generations in Scandinavia as skin treatments. It is these oils that form the heart of IHANA Skincare.
As these berries grow in and around the Arctic Circle in some of the harshest conditions on Earth, Nature protects them by packing them full of much higher quantities of beneficial compounds than similar berries that grow in milder climates. The oils we extract from these berries therefore contain similarly higher quantities of these antioxidant-rich bio-active compounds, which have powerful restorative properties for the skin. You can read more about our Arctic Berries here.
After initially looking at having the products formulated and manufactured externally, Chris decided against this, as he wanted to remain in control of the manufacturing process to ensure the integrity and quality of production. Following an extensive two and a half year development and testing period, the range was launched in 2017. All IHANA products are now hand-crafted in-house in our artisan workshop by Chris and his team, in small batches to ensure optimum freshness.
Our philosphy
Quality of ingredients
When formulating products, our key consideration is to ensure that only the best quality natural and organic ingredients are used. We spend a lot of time researching ingredients before trialling them to test their suitability. We then source the best possible version of each ingredient that we can find. By ensuring we use only the highest quality ingredients, this in turn ensures that the products have the most benefit for your skin.
Organic where possible
If there is an organic version of an ingredient available where the quality meets our strict requirements, then we will use it. Some ingredients however are not available as organic, such as our Arctic Berry Oils, which are wild-harvested rather than farmed, so cannot be certified as organic.
Our commitment to using organic ingredients is backed up by the fact that all our products are certified by COSMOS through the Soil Association in the UK. It is only when a brand is certified that you can be sure about the organic content of their products. You can read more about our certifications here.
No cheap filler ingredients
To save money, many skincare products are made of a cheap base from filler ingredients, with their active ingredients at tiny percentages. At IHANA we don't use cheap filler ingredients, instead adding quality ingredients into the product at each stage of production. All key active ingredients are used at much higher quantities than normal, ensuring that the products out-perform and have real benefits for the skin.
Water-free formulations
Some lotions, creams and toners can contain up to 80-90% water. This means that, not only are you paying a lot for plain old water, but we think this is also a missed opportunity to deliver valuable nutrients to the skin. Instead of water we use a combination of organic hydrols, the by-product of essential oil production, and organic fruit waters in our creams and toning mist. These botanical extracts contain vital trace elements and minerals which are beneficial to the skin, adding to the overall performance of our products.
Transparency
We are proud of the ingredients we use so we highlight the full INCI ingredient list on our website. We also include a plain English translation of the INCI ingredient. This means that you can make an informed decision about what you are buying.
We also don't make any outlandish claims about what our products can do. They won't change your life, but they will help improve the look and feel of your skin.