Google, natural beauty & chats

So it’s not everyday that you manage to convince a very busy person at Google to talk to you about beauty. I mean they are a busy bunch with a lot of techy, clever things going on to even think about natural beauty, right?! Wrong. ARGH! I GOT TO INTERVIEW THE AMAZING ALICE ROCK FROM GOOGLE! *Breathes* Ok, so now I have composed myself, let me tell you a little more. So basically, Alice is a Beauty Industry Manager at Google. She see’s the trends, the new brands coming out, the vlogs, blogs, clogs (I know that isn’t anything beauty related, but it rhymed) and is pretty much the yoda of the beauty world. However, she isn’t green. As in the colour, not about green beauty! So, when I asked, Alice very kindly agreed to let me ask her some questions about her role, where she sees natural beauty going, what her favourite green products are and how she likes to relax.

Please let me introduce, the gorgeous, Alice Rock.

Please could you tell us what does Google have to do with natural & organic beauty?

Google’s platforms play an important role in the path to purchase for all categories in Beauty with 35 million searches for Beauty and 700 million views of tutorials on YouTube a month. Last year Organic beauty was growing at an incredible 34% a year!

 Could you tell us a little about your role at Google and what you do with regards to natural and organic beauty?

My role is leading our relationship with the Beauty industry in the UK by helping some of the biggest brands to advertise on Google’s platforms covering search, display and video advertising. Basically it means I get to watch beauty tutorials for a living!

 What trends are you noticing about natural & organic beauty at the moment?

The average consumer’s awareness of ingredients is dramatically increasing with +90% more searches than last year for things like Retinol cream and Salicylic acid moisturisers. Users want to know how their products are sourced, what’s in them and how they can deliver increasingly important performance benefits. Now you can read the ingredients on a packet, research them online and find out more about what the brand stands for and all from your smartphone. Whereas you couldn’t do this so easily even ten years ago. Our mothers and grandmothers had to rely on advice they received from over the counter but increasingly research says that some women find this experience intimidating and too salesy! So they prefer the privacy and anonymity which the internet offers from the comfort of their own homes.

 Do you have any favourite ‘green’ brands? If so, could you share your top three with us?

Absolutely! As a woman in her thirties, I am loving Aurelia Skincare for being probiotic, bio-organic and ethically sourced – an impressive offering overall (* you can read my interview with Aurelia here*). As for smaller brands, Eve of St Agnes smells and feels amazing for an organic product range! Ones to watch as they grow their product ranges and get more and more customers onboard.

 What is the best piece of beauty advice you’ve ever been given?

Wear a minimum of factor 30 suncream everyday and moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! There you go, that’s two for the price of one…..

 Do you have a beauty routine? If so, could you share it with us?

Generally I cleanse, tone and moisturise. Missing out any one of these steps can cause me to have breakouts so I try to be religious about it. Using new technologies like Clinique’s Sonic Cleanser helps to take the day off when make up is a must. Plus eating healthily, getting loads of fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet, and limiting processed foods as much as possible. I really believe you get out of life what you put in and nowhere is this more true than how you treat your body!

 What’s the most exciting green beauty invention you’ve seen this year?

I’ve been a loyal fan of Aveda for organic haircare ever since I could afford it and their Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight hair product range is impressive at achieving results over a 3 month period without the need for damaging heat technologies. The beauty mavens in our office love it!

 What would you love to see more of in the ‘green’ side of the beauty industry?

I would love to see every large skincare brand develop a green range to complement their high performance product ranges. Similar to when the supermarkets all started offering organic fruit and vegetables about ten years ago. I just think the industry has a responsibility to women to ensure we’re using cosmetics in an environmentally friendly way and doing the right thing for our skin since it’s the body’s largest organism after all. The sweet spot is, of course, when you can achieve ethically sourced, organic products which also deliver at the top end of the performance spectrum and only a few niche brands are achieving this today. At the end of the day, freedom of choice is very important to consumers. For example, searches for Green Beauty have increased 27% on last year.

 What is your favourite ‘green’ beauty brand at the moment and why?

Right now, Aurelia Skincare is winning hands down! It’s also a personal favourite of many british beauty vloggers over here such as Ruth Crilly from A Model Recommends. Try their Cell Repair Night Oil to correct damaged skin cells and nourish overnight.

 

Sentences to finish.

If I could tell my 20 something self, one piece of beauty advice, it would be… To wear an SPF suncream daily

My favourite beauty quote is… Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

My favourite beauty resource is… Google, of course.

To relax I… light some candles and have a soak in the bath. I’m really into fitness, running at least 2 marathons a year right now, so resting the mind and body can be important to my training schedule.

How amazing was that interview! Awesome facts, green brands, great tips. Thanks so much Alice. You rock.