Hi, I’m Lauren, the co-founder of Pod Organics, an organic skincare and self-care company based on the central coast.
A little about me. I wear many hats, I'm the co-founder of this amazing business, Mum to two little ones and wife to a wonderful man. We live in a beautiful little pocket of the world here on the Central Coast. I keep busy with my little family, two big doggies, a bit of adventure and this incredible business that we’re building!
Pod Organics is the culmination of my life’s quest to find a natural and organic solution that would soothe, calm, and treat sensitive skin conditions but still felt luxurious and special. Throughout my life, both before and since having children, I have experienced several skin and health conditions and now my little ones have developed minor skin irritations also.
When I became a mum, I didn't want to lose the part of myself that loved using beautiful luxury and organic body products but didn't want to use those products on my babies as they were so targeted to adults and baby's skin is so sensitive. I wanted products that are versatile, multi-purpose (mum life), suitable for super sensitive skin and are gender neutral (no floral scents for my builder hubby!). So with a lot of passion and the help and support of an amazing team Pod Organics was borne!
When the idea to create a self-care range came to us, we knew we wanted to create a range that was luxurious but affordable, gender neutral and something completely different to anything on the market. We knew that we wanted to create something that was a little different. Something that still captured the magical sense of calm, the incredible act of healing and the beautiful sense of nurturing. Enter, Blue Tansy essential oil. Blue Tansy holds all the wondrous properties we wanted in our range; calming, healing, soothing, balancing, gender neutral and it smells magical. It gave us the opportunity to bring out an incredible range of products that are unique, versatile and multifunctional while providing the incredible feeling of calm and balance you expect from a self-care range. All the products made by Pod Organics are 100% organic, natural, vegan, cruelty free, lavender free and safe for pregnancy, breastfeeding, newborns and up. You will find Blue Tansy essential oil throughout our range.
A lot of people ask what my favourite product is. It’s kind of like asking who your favourite child is. It’s kind of impossible to answer. I probably am best saying I have three top products, but I certainly use all of our products daily for different things (that way I won’t offend any of them).
I would have to say at the top of the list, which is a tough call, is the Nurturing Pod Body Oil. This body oil is unlike anything I’ve used before. It smells heavenly with a beautiful combination of Blue Tansy essential oil and Mandarin essential oil. It has such a sweetness, but the mandarin gives it a little hint of citrus. It absorbs so beautifully into the skin and unlike a lot of body oils, it doesn’t leave an oily residue afterwards meaning you can get dressed right away without waiting for it to soak in and it also won’t mark your clothes. It’s a beautiful blend of ingredients and is packed with vitamins so I know my skin is really nourished both on the outer layer and the deeper dermal layer. I use this every day religiously on my face and body and love to use it when I feel like I need a little oxytocin boost through some self-care massage. It is perfect for during pregnancy when the skin is stretching and tightening and is also incredible once bub is here to really help heal your body after it has been through the tremendous experience of childbirth. I have also had mums use it to help boost milk supply through breast massage and to help soothe sore breasts when breastfeeding. It is so multi-purpose and can be used by all different ages.
Second on the list is the Snuggle Pod Natural Calming Mist. This mist was created with mums, bubs, and toddlers in mind. However, once it was created it also evolved to be a favourite for the dad in our house too. I have, for a long time now, suffered from anxiety and my little ones often have trouble switching off. We are so go go go all the time that we needed something that would signal a time to calm down in our house. The calming mist is gentle enough to use at any time of the day, particularly if I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed in the business but also a beautiful way to signal bedtime and quiet time to the little ones in my house. My 5-year-old often asks for the magic sprinkle spray and when he smells it, you can see the calm wash over him. My 3-year-old loves a little sprayed on her pillow before bed and says it makes the sleep fairies come. For me, when I spray our calming spray in my room and over our bed, it really signals to my brain, tools down, lights down, calm time is here. It has created such a beautiful calming environment in our bedroom and really does help me and my husband switch off for the night.
Now my third on the list, which happens to be my most used product is our Nourishing Pod All Over Balm. This balm was originally created for new mums to help through the early days of new mum life. I wanted to create a balm that was completely vegan and natural but that was nourishing enough for lips, nipple and cuticles, three areas I found really dried out when I had my bubs. Once it was created and we begun trialling it, it really evolved to being a completely multi-purpose balm that can be used for any age for so many things. Personally, I use it multiple times a day on my lips, cuticles, hands and of an evening on my feet. I have a pot in our first aid kit for bites, cuts and abrasions and is the only thing my kids will let me out on them because it is just so gentle, but still very healing and antibacterial due to the Blue Tansy essential oil. My husband uses this on his face when he gets windburn and has too much sun exposure and my son loves it on his cheeks to help soothe his eczema. My daughter is no longer in nappies, however, still gets minor ‘nappy rash’ / irritations in that area and our balm is the only thing I have used that will both heal and soothe nice and quick but also keep the irritation at bay. When we conducted the trial for our products, we also found several women with facial eczema and dermatitis were able to use the balm and reduce their use of steroid creams by at least 90%. Our All Over Balm truly has become just that, a balm that can be used top to toe and everywhere in between.
Another area of our business I’m really proud of is our giving back program. At Pod Organics we are committed to making a difference in the lives of others, the environment and supporting local Australian businesses.
Our community support program is spread across three pillars. We recognise that as individuals we all have different interests at different times in our lives and therefore a one size fits all donation program may not be for everyone.
Supporting Local Australian Businesses.
Pod Organics is a 100% family-owned Australian business. As a new small business, we are committed to supporting local Australian small businesses. To achieve this, we source our ingredients and packaging locally. Our products and packaging are manufactured in Australian and where possible, sourced from local ingredients and materials.
Improving the lives of others.
Becoming a parent is an exciting time. But it can also be a challenging time, especially emotionally. That's why we've partnered with PANDA and make regular donations on your behalf.
A little bit about PANDA. PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood. PANDA operates Australia’s only National Helpline for individuals and their families to recover from perinatal anxiety and depression, a serious illness that affects up to one in five expecting or new mums and one in ten expecting or new dads.
If you feel like PANDA could help you or someone you love, please give them a call on 1300 726 306 or visit their website at https://www.panda.org.au/.
Improving the environment
At Pod Organics we are committed to the environment and make every effort to source environmentally friendly materials and ingredients. Our products are all natural and our packaging is recyclable and where possible we source packaging and printing that is bio-degradable and safe for the environment.
We are conscious of our impact on the environment and are committed to the regeneration of the Australian landscape. We share Greening Australia’s philosophy ‘People thrive when Nature thrives’ and have partnered with them as a means of offsetting our carbon footprint. Proceeds from Pod Organics' sales go directly to Greening Australia to help develop and care for our environment.
I hope you get the chance to enjoy some of our beautiful products and share in just how special they are. You can find all the information regarding the ingredients, uses and recommendations here on our website and you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook @podorganics.
Love and light
Lauren xox