HGA member Raven Botanicals is breaking new ground with the launch of its 24 Carat Cleanser, the world’s first consumer skincare product to feature CleanOil™, an innovative ingredient created through precision fermentation using waste from the food industry, with a carbon footprint up to 95% lower than ingredients produced through intensive agriculture.

Founded by sisters Arabella and Charlotte (pictured), Raven Botanicals has sustainability woven into its story from the very beginning. We caught up with Arabella to discover the inspiration behind the launch, why science and nature don’t have to be at odds, and what this breakthrough could mean for the future of sustainable beauty.

1. What sparked the idea to create a cleanser powered by an ingredient made from food waste?

I started Raven Botanicals with my sister Charlotte, after losing our Mum. She was passionate about plants, and we lived a lovely free-range childhood in Scotland, with a series of characterful rescued crows (hence our brand name!). Our parents grew their own food and plastic was banned in our house, long before it was fashionable to be plastic-free! So being as sustainable as possible is in the DNA of our brand.

When we discovered CleanOil™ we were immediately intrigued. It’s an oil created through precision fermentation using waste from the food industry and has a carbon footprint that’s up to 95% lower than ingredients produced via intensive agriculture. We believe it has the potential to completely transform the sustainability of the natural beauty

2. CleanOil™ is being described as a world first. What made you want to be the launch partner for such a pioneering ingredient?

When we understood what CleanOil™ was, the question wasn’t whether we wanted to be involved - it was how quickly we could make it happen!

We’ve always understood that “natural” and “sustainable” are not the same thing. Some of the most ecologically damaging ingredients in cosmetics are natural - palm oil being the most obvious example – and there’s lots of greenwashing in the natural beauty industry. We’ve always been palm oil free, but we’ve also embraced green biotechnology: ingredients that deliver excellent performance while reducing our impact on the natural world.

Being the first skincare brand in the world to launch a consumer product featuring this ingredient is a real privilege, and we’re excited about embedding it further within our range.

3. Can you tell us the story behind CleanOil™ and why it stood out to you compared to traditional oils?

Most cosmetic oils result from intensive agriculture. They need vast amounts of land, water and rely on complex international supply chains. In the case of palm

oil, some have contributed to devastating deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats.

In contrast, CleanOil™ is produced through a precision fermentation process that turns something that would otherwise be thrown away into a beautiful cosmetic ingredient. The technology has been developed by the Clean Food Group, a UK biotechnology company doing genuinely innovative work.

What struck us immediately was that this ingredient isn’t a compromise. The oil performs beautifully and has a luxurious skin feel that works perfectly in our cleanser. So we aren’t trading performance for sustainability, we are getting both.

4. Sustainability is clearly at the heart of this product. What impact do you hope this innovation will have on the wider beauty industry?

We hope it shifts the conversation around what “sustainable beauty” actually means. People often equate natural with good, and that’s not always true. We believe some of the most responsible ingredients of the future will come from labs, not from fields.

For us, sustainability isn’t a baseless marketing claim. It’s an ongoing process and commitment. We make our products by hand in a solar-powered lab. We are vegan, cruelty free and 100% palm oil free. We use recyclable glass packaging, FSC certified cartons and corn starch packing materials. We prioritise UK-grown ingredients wherever possible. We have an ethos of continual improvement.

CleanOil™ is a brilliant example of what’s possible when science is applied in service of sustainability. We’d love to see brands, retailers and consumers becoming more ingredient-aware and embracing this kind of thinking.

5. With up to 95% lower carbon emissions, how important was it for you to rethink the environmental footprint of everyday skincare staples like cleansers?

A cleanser isn’t an occasional luxury. It’s something people use every single day, often twice a day. Softening our environmental footprint by swapping out even one ingredient in a staple product like a cleanser can be substantial over time.

6. What has the journey been like bringing this product to life, from discovering the ingredient to getting it ready for launch?

It's been incredibly exciting, developing a formula we are genuinely proud of.

24 Carat Cleanser pairs CleanOil™ with circular raspberry seed oil, papaya seed oil and papaya enzymes. Every ingredient has been chosen for elite performance and ethical provenance. The result is a superb multitasking cleanser that removes make-up and SPF, gives gentle exfoliation, supports the skin barrier, and rinses clean without leaving any residue. It performs beautifully. It just also happens to be a world first!

7. For retailers and customers discovering this for the first time, what’s the one thing you’d love them to understand about this cleanser?

24 Carat Cleanser is a genuinely luxurious product. It’s rich and silky on dry skin, transforming to a milky emulsion with water, and then rinsing completely clean. Customers who try it love it for how it makes their skin feel. The fact that it’s also the world’s first consumer skincare product to feature CleanOil™ is extraordinary. But choosing sustainability isn’t even a compromise. It’s a genuinely brilliant cleanser, full stop.

For retailers, that’s a compelling story to tell because it resonates with eco-conscious consumers, gift buyers and skincare enthusiasts alike. 

8. How does this launch reflect the direction your brand is heading in over the next few years?

Raven Botanicals has always been about combining ancient botanical wisdom with the most exciting green biotechnology, and this launch is the clearest expression of that vision to date.

We produce everything in Scotland, with beautiful ingredients like English yarrow and lunaria, Scottish nettle and sea buckthorn. We’ll continue to pair incredible botanicals with breakthrough ingredients like CleanOil™ that push the natural beauty industry forward, reducing environmental impact without compromising on performance.

9. Being part of a breakthrough moment like this must feel exciting. What does it mean to your team to be leading on such an innovative, sustainable development?

It’s an important moment for us that goes right back to the way we were brought up - appreciating the natural world, wanting to protect it and minimise waste. As an independent brand we can be agile in adopting new ingredients. We don’t need to wait for the industry’s biggest brands to move first. We can be the ones who dive in and prove that change is possible. That’s a genuinely exciting place to be.

Raven Botanicals’ latest launch is an exciting example of how innovation and sustainability can work hand in hand, and we’re proud to have them as part of the HGA community.

Discover more about Raven Botanicals, explore the 24 Carat Cleanser and follow their journey below. The cleanser is available through Raven Botanicals’ own website.

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