Tracey Woodward joins Modern Botany
Legendary beauty and wellness expert Tracey Woodward has joined the Irish wellness brand Modern Botany as Director of Strategy and Innovation, in order to “lead the curve” on innovation, transparency and sustainability.
Previously CEO of Aromatherapy Associates, Woodward’s career has taken her from beauty counters, to management positions at Estée Lauder, Aveda and Aromatherapy Associates, over the past 30 years; while for the past decade she has also been on the executive board of CEW (U.K.).
She originally began as a consultant for Modern Botany, which offers essential oils, deodorants and fragrance diffusers. However, she decided to take up a permanent role with them because of their ethos: “I fell head over heels in love with the brand, the people and everything that Modern Botany stands for,” she said, of the brand that focuses on plant-based, clean ingredients, and practices ethical sourcing and farming. “Modern Botany’s purpose is science, sustainability and self-care,” she added, who has been working on their expansion plans for 2021. “It has been a joy to work on the new product development and to build a strategy with meaning.”
Woodward will be working alongside Modern Botany co-founders Dr Simon Jackson and John Murray. “Tracey joined us in developing a new strategy for our business earlier this year and we just knew from the get-go that she just got it,” said Jackson, a doctor of pharmacognosy, the study of medicines derived from plants, and who has studied tribal communities, healers and shamans to see how different cultures around the world use plants. In certain parts of Asia and Africa, a majority of the population rely on herbal medicine for their primary health care.
“[Our business] will always be influenced by environmental and eco matters such as waste control; greener energy use, and growing our own natural materials using regenerative farming methods”, added Murray, Modern Botany’s sustainability director. “Empowering, supporting and inspiring others to love the planet” were among their top other priorities he said, along with investing in social enterprise initiatives and maintaining ethical supply chains.
Modern Botany wants to particularly focus on soil, which Murray describes as “the source of life. It is also the source of all the ingredients that we put in our products; a healthy soil is a must for a Modern Botany product. Our four brand pillars are centered around soil, because we believe that everything comes back to the earth.” Part of the brand’s development involves working with local farmers to grow some of their herbs, including Chamomile and Calendula. Meanwhile, the brand is launching a new multipurpose oil in January 2021, while also relaunching itself in March.
Said Woodward, “What the world wants are brands with purpose; and Modern Botany’s purpose is science, sustainability and self-care. I am excited to be here and look forward to launching a brand with real commitment and authenticity.”