When I first seriously entertained the idea of starting a skincare and personal care line a couple of years back, many people I knew asked some form of the same question: What would make your vision and products stand out from the other companies already out there?
I just knew that Lisa and I were on to something big. Something very different from what was already out there: Allergen-free products that were clean, too. A rare combination. Most allergen-free skincare and personal-care brands have artificial fragrance, other known toxins, and even parabens in their formulas.
Starling does not.
Another important factor that sets us apart is that we are a small-batch producer of skincare. Small batch was a question mark to friends and family in the beginning. They didn’t know what it meant. I have no doubt that many others, also have no idea what small batch means – and how it differs from any other skincare production.
Small-batch production means that products are created in smaller quantities and made more frequently. The benefits of producing skincare this way is that it creates a fresher and more potent product. It also gives the maker (us) the ability to trade hard-core preservatives for (cleaner and safer) natural preservatives.
Using natural preservatives is costly, but we’re OK with that because of the benefits. Natural preservatives don’t come with a long shelf life — the average shelf life for our products is one year — but we think it’s an important differentiation most customers support for health reasons. Most drug-store brands have a long shelf-life (2-5 years) but contain parabens and other potentially unsafe artificial preservation mechanisms. Those artificial preservatives may prevent harmful bacteria from growing, but they also come with potentially dangerous side effects.
As producer of small-batch goods, we see and control everything that goes into our made-to-order skincare. We painstakingly oversee every batch while it’s made. We work with top-notch vendors to ensure the quality of Starling’s ingredients and avoid potential cross contamination to allergens. We choose impeccable ingredients such as cold-pressed oils, lots of organics, and hard-working, plant-based actives. We make sure no hidden ingredients are lurking in our products.
Every product is made by hand by one of our hand-picked team members. We create our formulations from start to finish, making sure every single ingredient has a purpose. Once produced, we test everything ourselves for efficaciousness, stability, quality and purity. There are lots of other nuances a large-scale producer may not care about that much, but we do. Being a small batch producer also allows us the luxury of flexibility. We’re able to control our scheduling and daily priorities for the business. Because we don’t carry inventory and can produce less products, we are able to pass the cost savings on to our customers. We’re also able to test products regularly and learn what our customer’s like, without high overhead costs normally associated with lots of testing.
By continuing to be a small batch producer, Starling ensures everything is made with lots of care to achieve maximum results, stability and safety.