Shifting the paradigm of the beauty industry is no small feat, yet
it’s exactly what Carla Oates, 44, set out to do: “I understood the
idea of restoring gut health and improving your gut microbiota
for beauty is not a particularly desirable concept—especially in
an industry of glitz and glamour—but I truly believed in what I
was doing.” That passion and determination led the self-described
“natural researcher” to create The Beauty Chef, a range of
certified organic, bio-fermented powders and elixirs for gut
health and overall wellbeing.
Having suffered with allergies and eczema during childhood,Oates knew of the correlation between nutrition and the
complexion. “W hen I eliminated certain foods from my diet and
introduced others as recommended by a naturopath, I noticed
a huge difference,” she says. But it wasn’t just this early learning
curve that defined her path—her mother had a successful career in
publishing, and Oates followed suit. “I was offered a job as a beauty
editor for one of the mainstream newspapers, and I was really
excited,” she recalls. “But I quickly became concerned with the
amount of chemicals found in skincare.”
From her brand’s launch in 2012, Oates focused on offeringa holistic alternative to the beauty industry standard. “It was very
one-dimensional,” she says. “[Products] weren’t rich in nourishing
plants or active botanical oils, so I found a concept that I truly
believed in: that beauty really does begin in the belly.” She calls her
first product, Glow Inner Beauty Powder, her baby: “I created it for
my daughter, Jeet. W hen she was 10 she had eczema, so she only
consumed easily digested wholefoods and homemade lacto-
fermented foods.” Infused with a blend of 24 superfoods, prebiotics
and probiotics, that first formula is now a bestseller and, along with
the rest of the range, is available at international e-tail giant
Net-a-Porter and Gw yneth Paltrow’s Goop.
Not content with having developed the world’s first “living”
beauty range, Oates has authored a complementary cookbook,
developed a line of natural, topical skincare products and
continues to be inspired by the move toward holistic beauty
that she helped to define: “I love watching the change in public
perception around inner beauty, fermentation, bacteria, wellbeing
and skin—and being part of that change.”
Better together: “I’m so proud of helping to create a healthier
community. Every day I feel the highs of seeing my brand genuinely
help people. That means a lot to me.”
Female focus: “I still believe there are stereotypes around women
in business, [particularly] when dealing with manufacturers and
financial organisations, therefore I really respect women who push
through that with persistence and love. They prove we are a force
to be reckoned with.” —HAYLEY D’ONOFRIO“BEING HEALTHY, HAPPY
AND WELL GIVES YOU
A RADIANCE THAT NO
AMOUNT OF COSMETICS
CAN REALLY REPLICATE”