Natural cosmetic brand is a labour of love for this Inverness businesswoman
When Inverness woman Rebecca Hastings noticed her children became sensitive to bath products and lotions, she decided to utilise her years of beauty industry knowledge and love of organic products to begin fully researching the cosmetics industry, with a view to producing her own range. ZAZA & CRUZ was born in 2013, following the formulation of her own product line, which incorporates oils and ingredients that have been used for centuries.
Canadian born Rebecca said: “My love of all things Italian, and of my home in Scotland, encouraged me to use oils and ingredients that have been used for hundreds of years. Through research, development, and the use of my children’s names, ZAZA & CRUZ was born.
“With my husband being a former professional footballer and having three children, things were most definitely hectic at times but I felt I could develop the range around caring for them. I also wanted to educate my family about harmful ingredients used in so many skincare and beauty ranges.
The lips became the first area of concern for me when I was formulating the new line so I sought to eliminate the harmful toxins that are swallowed in other everyday lip products. I have over 15 years of experience in the cosmetics industry so I know what women want. I didn’t want the products to just look and feel good but to also have health benefits for the user.
“I am a strong believer that cosmetics products should not contain mineral oil, petroleum, and parabens so I don’t use them in any of my products. The range is a premium natural cosmetic brand made in the Scottish Highlands and I use the finest anti-ageing organic and natural oils for the skin.
“I developed my make-up range using beautiful mica minerals and moisturising coco and mango butters that leave the lips extremely soft and hydrated all day. My lip shimmers are made with anti-ageing oils for the fine lines around the lip area and infused with the delicious smell of warm vanilla crème.
“I wanted the range to also stand out visually; the bright colours of the lip polishes are fun and fabulous. They remove the dry flakiness that lips get all year round. The winter, summer and travel all cause the lips to dry out first.
“Highlights so far for me have been being asked to be the official makeup sponsor for Highland Fashion Week. Also being stocked in three salons in Inverness, I had such a sense of pride seeing the products on the shelves and knowing that I had created the range from scratch.
“I have also just developed and launched a brand new skincare range to complement my make-up products, again all natural and organic ingredients with health benefits, and I am very excited to take it to market.
“I put a little bit of love into all my hand produced products, from the custom made ingredient to the bow detail on the presentation box. The range is certainly a labour of love which I will continue to grow and expand.”
ZAZA & CRUZ lip shimmers, polishes and skin care range are available to purchase on-line at www.zazaand
cruz.com. For further information on the line e-mail info@zazaandcruz.com