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Meet Katie White, the New Face Behind Olixa
Olixa, under Katie White’s leadership, epitomizes a dedication to nature-inspired skincare, emphasizing simplicity and effectiveness. Drawing from her earliest skincare memories, Katie founded re:lax, seamlessly incorporating Olixia’s transformative products into bespoke facials. Committed to cruelty-free, vegan formulations, the brand prioritizes sustainability and efficacy as it expands its reach. With potent ingredients sourced from Australia’s native landscape, such as Kakadu Plum in the Gummy Cleanser, Olixia ensures skincare that benefits both skin and the environment.
Skindays: What is your earliest skincare memory:
Katie White: My earliest skincare memory is watching my mum cleanse her skin and apply all of her lotions and potions. I was always interested in beauty, even as a young child. I loved having my hair washed and dried, delving into my mum’s make up bag and trying to recreate looks from magazines. Like many women of my age, my first skincare routine was the Clinique 3-step, which I received as a present for my 12th or 13th birthday and I loved the ritual of it.
SD: Can you share the story behind launching re:lax?
KW: When I was in my mid-twenties. I was working in a target-driven sales role for a premium beauty company. Although I was enjoying all the fun London has to offer, I was really struggling with my skin and experiencing acne, eczema and hives. A good at-home skincare routine is of paramount importance to skin health, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. While I was surrounded by skincare, in my case, it wasn’t the solution to my skin problems.
After going to a few different clinics for facials, I realised two things. Firstly, no facialists were talking about the influence of lifestyle and diet on our skin health. Secondly, I couldn’t afford the facials that I wanted, which were bespoke to the client rather than a set plan with a hard sell at the end. I saw a gap in the market, for price accessible, bespoke facials that take a 360 approach to skin and re:lax was born.
I left my job to retrain as a nutritionist and holistic therapist and I started building my client base. I now have two studios in London, a team of 20 and we support thousands of clients every year with their skin.
SD: How did you come across the brand Olixa?
KW: I was introduced to the brand in 2016 when the founder Alex Jansons attended classes at a boutique gym where I offered facials. Through Alex, I discovered the world’s best cleanser, the Olixa Gummy Cleanser, which changed my skin. This was the start of our relationship, which saw re:lax become Olixa’s top retailer in the UK. Last year, when Alex decided she wanted to sell Olixa, I knew that it was re:lax’s duty to support the incredible brand that Alex had built and keep the fantastic products available to its fans.
I wanted to include Olixa in our treatments, as the results the products give are incredible. We love the Gummy Cleanser, as it is a non-stripping and deep cleansing, which is perfect for London skins that are exposed to a high proportion of free radicals, such as pollution.
The Centella Mask protects our clients’ skins all year long, with its hydrating, anti-redness properties. It’s a multipurpose product and works well as a mask after exposure to the cold or too much sun, as well as working as a moisturiser if left on, acting as a night cream or as a base for deeper cleansing clay masks.
The Kalahari Melon Emulsion is our favourite product for repairing our clients’ skin barriers. Perfect to soothe the skin if we see signs of overuse of actives and it works well calming the skin after microneedling.
The Explorer All Over Oil is our go-to for facial massage, gua sha and cupping. It is such a lightweight formula and it smells so beautiful, with a delicate scent of neroli, making it the perfect medium for the most magical moment of any treatment, the massage. Our clients love it so much, we get through it quickly in the studio, so we have 500ml sized bottles for our trolleys in our treatment rooms.
The Mushroom Mist is also amazing for keeping the skin hydrated throughout the treatment, working well together with deeper cleansing products, heat, acids and facial electrics, giving our clients fantastic results and keeping skin plump and glowy.
SD: What is your favourite Olixa combo and how do you use it?
KW: I am a lazy girl, so my favourite combo is using the Gummy Cleanser on dry skin as a mask, by leaving it on for a few minutes. It contains Vitamin C and AHAs, so it’s great to bring that glow back to the skin. I then get my fingers wet and emulsify the cleanser, as it becomes an easy-to-remove milk once water is added.
On clean, dry skin, I apply the Centella Mask and I leave it on as a night treatment. That’s my real minimal effort facial after a long day.
SD: What is the best skincare advice that you’ve personally ever received?
KW: Less is more and consistency is key. You don’t need to be using hundreds of different products to see the results you want. Choose wisely, keep it simple and be consistent, as results do take time, particularly when using actives. Also, wear a hat in the sun, because most of us don’t remember to reapply SPF every two hours.
SD: What do you predict the next big skincare trend or facial aesthetics?
KW: I think that we are going to see a move back to slow beauty and away from the overconsumption the pandemic brought. I think people have tried everything the skincare industry has to offer, with varying success and are going to be looking for simple, multi-faceted products that focus on skin health, are kind to the planet and that can be used without adverse effects.
SD: Top 3 things that you believe help support people’s journey towards better ageing?
KW:
- Get off of social media if it makes you feel bad, everyone on there is filtered!
- Healthy skin comes from within. Prioritises your health, your sleep, your food and your mental wellbeing.
- Find a routine that works for you and stick to it. Ideally one that includes daily SPF, a simple at-home regime, incorporating gentle actives and regular, bespoke facials, every 4 weeks if possible.
SD: Your non-negotiable monthly re:lax treatment?
KW: I have two that I love; our microcurrent treatment and our Dermapen treatment, which I like to alternate every two weeks. The microcurrent is a real work out for the facial muscle. It is so great for lifting, toning and making skin glow. The dermapen isn’t my favourite to receive, but the results are fantastic for improving pigmentation, fine lines and I think it makes my skin stronger and less reactive too,
SD: What’s next for Olixa?
KW: A big focus for us is bringing Olixa to the professional skincare market, as we know other facialists and salons will love the brand as much as we do. We are working on growing our brand awareness as we can’t keep gatekeeping these beauties and maybe there are a couple of new products in the works too. Keep an eye on @olixabeauty to learn more.
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