Willow Lake was founded with a simple ethos: to make naturally healthy skincare products that nourish skin. My name is Sue Stileman and the company grew from my work as a healer.

Skin is a highly absorbent living organ and whatever you put on it will go through it. Synthetic chemicals are common ingredients in skincare products; many are carcinogenic and trigger excessive dryness and irritation. For example the foaming agent sodium laureth sulphate, an industrial detergent designed to strip oil, can cause ulcers and skin irritation while paraben-based preservatives have been found in breast cancer tissues.

Willow Lake products contain no synthetic ingredients. I make all the salves and balms by hand at home using a range of organic, unrefined, cold-pressed, steam-distilled (and, in the case of beeswax, local) ingredients. All the products conform to EC cosmetics safety legislation, they are not tested on animals and the packaging is recyclable and can be returned for re-use.