Jenny Needham talks to a fan of organic skincare who has lashings of entrepreneurial spirit

DIANE BOWE’S lash oil was an accidental discovery. The freelance hairdresser, who was born and brought up in Darlington, had been experimenting with natural and organic face oils, looking into their molecular structure to see which oils could penetrate the skin and which ones would just lie top top, creating a barrier.

“I was using the oils on my face and my clients noticed an improvement in the length and thickness of my lashes,” she says. “They asked if I could bottle some up for them, and from that, the journey of Bowe Organics began.”

Diane’s Lash Oil promises healthy, hydrated, beautiful lashes. “The ingredients are a blend of luxury organic oils,” says the 31-year-old. “Our eyelashes are so neglected: we leave our make-up on overnight, use drying, chemical-laden mascara, false lashes and extensions and we don’t show them any love in return. Customers have found after regular use they see a definite improvement and some have also mentioned how the dehydration lines around their eyes have reduced also.” The oil can also be used on brows, to help fill in any thinning patches.

One of the main ingredients is castor oil, which is mainly what helps with the thickening. “It is a much-loved oil within the organic and natural beauty industry, but used alone it is very thick and sticky,” says Diane.

Now based in London, Diane says that working in a salon every day, she became more and more aware of the ingredients in products. “I would spend time looking at what was in the products I was using at home and trying to figure out what actually needed to be in there and what was just there to bulk out the product to make it cheaper. From this, I started to create my own things at home,” she says.

After two years hard work studying EU legislation, manufacturing processes and cosmetics formulation, the Lash Oil was finally launched. Diane mixes and bottle the product in small batches at her home and already has plans for other products, including a lip balm, a lip exfoliator and two hair oils, one a scalp treatment to help stimulate hair follicles and promote healthy hair growth, another to help improve hydration, condition and shine. It will also include certain essential oils said to help elevate your mood and improve health.

“I am just about to have a baby and all the products I will be using on my baby will be my own,” says Diane, who recently became registered with the Vegan Society and was entered into the FreeFrom Skincare Awards. “I hope eventually to launch a side brand called Baby Bowe. I have also created an oil and balm which I have used throughout my pregnancy to help with skin elasticity and reduce the risk of stretch marks. So far, so good.”

Bowe Organics Lash Oil, £19.99.W: boweorganics.com