THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOR YOUR SKIN
‘Tête-à-tête
Lucrezia Del Papa
Olivella
How did Olivella Start?
It's a nice story… It all started when we developed the first 100% Virgin Olive Oil Bar Soap, our classic 150 gr best seller. My brother Giorgiomaria was working in our family business, we have been trading, refining, and producing Olive Oil since 1945. He was working on a project that involved the reduction of water waste from the Virgin Olive Oil refining process. After years of research, we found a way to reuse the raw materials and we patented the whole Industrial Process.
Olivella's first bar soap came from a true “Circular Economy” process - we reduced waste and optimized the whole production process, the end result was this beautiful bar soap.
Why is Olivella different from other brands?
If you walk into any supermarket you will see lots of “Olive Oil Soaps” but when you read the ingredient list you will find things such as “Sodium Palmitate” or “Sodium Tallowate”, which means you are actually buying a “Palm Oil soap” or a soap derived from Animal Fats, not an Olive Oil Soap.
Palm Oil is cheaply imported from developing countries and makes the soap hard. We had to develop a whole new Industrial Process to be able to make a soap that is 100% Virgin Olive Oil. Would you buy an “Olive Oil Soap” knowing that what you are actually purchasing 99% of the time is a “Palm Oil Soap”? This is legal, there is little to no regulations against this practice. If there were stricter regulations we would be almost the only brand actually making 100% Virgin Olive Oil Soap.
That’s why our clients started addressing us as the “The Mediterranean Diet for Your Skin”- because Olive Oil is the true central core of all our formulas. Exactly how it is for Olive Oil in Mediterranean recipes.
What's your Green Commitment?
We are committed to only use Safe, Clean, Sustainable Ingredients. If there is even a slight chance that an ingredient isn’t safe for us or our planet we do not use it.
We also recycle water thanks to our patented process, and we are committed to reducing plastic usage in packaging by 95% by 2030.
Our Group is also committed to planting 500,000 Olive Trees in the Green Heart of Italy: Umbria.
We started this project two years ago, the company which is owned by our group is called Terre Del Papa. The mission is to create the best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oils and to do it in a sustainable way.
Terre Del Papa is the largest Organic Olive Grove in Italy and also has a rich history. We want to make this place unique and of course, Olivella will have its part in the project.
What we put on our skin should be as important as what we eat. Why is Olivella ‘the Mediterranean diet for your skin’?
Olivella is the “Mediterranean diet for your skin” because we use 100% Ultra Purified Virgin Olive Oil in all our products. In the Mediterranean diet, Olive Oil is fundamental. You can create many different recipes but I can assure you Virgin Olive OIl will always be used. The same thing applies to our skincare line, we may use Vitamin E or Hyaluronic Acid in our creams, lavender essential oil in our shower gels, but the base it’s always our Olive Oil, rich in antioxidants.
Why is Olive Oil so beneficial to our skin? And what are the benefits?
First of all, it has a lot of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals. Free Radicals are compounds that can cause damage to your skin, to give you an example when you leave an apple out on the counter, it turns brown; that’s oxidation or deterioration caused by free radicals. Olive oil is filled with antioxidants that are essential to fight free-radical damage and protect your skin. Olive Oil has also a high content of Squalene which can help your skin recover from environmental damage. It is a very nourishing and moisturizing ingredient and when emulsified properly is not greasy at all.
A question we get a lot is: Is your Olive Oil Liquid Soap good for acne-prone skin? The answer is: absolutely yes! Our Olive Oil soap does not clog your pores and it’s gentle enough to not irritate your skin.
What is one product you cannot live without?
Our Moisturizer Oil! I use it everywhere, on my face, body and hair. It’s an incredible formula packed with Vitamins and very nourishing. It’s also one of our bestsellers.
What's your skincare routine?
I usually wash my face with the Raw Fragrance-Free Liquid Soap (only olive oil, no fragrances), afterwards, I use the Hydra Moisture Gel Cream (it’s extremely light and contains Centella Asiatica which is perfect for my sensitive skin). Then I use only a drop of our moisturizer oil.
At night I just put a few drops of our Counterclock serum and a bit of our Nourishment Cream.
From bar soap to a full line of skin, nails and hair products. What's the future for Olivella?
We are working on a few projects. First of all, we are expanding our haircare line, right now we only have shampoo and conditioner but we feel like something is missing. I don’t want to say too much but you’ll see it soon!
What does ‘Mediterranean’ mean to you?
I think it's a way of living life, always choosing quality rather than quantity. This is what ‘Mediterranean’ means to me.
High-quality food, life, materials, quality ingredients. Quality does not mean luxury, they are often used as synonymous but in the Mediterranean aesthetic quality is quite normalized in everyday life. Think about the Umbrian hills or the secluded beaches in Conero, Marche. That style, that quality that is not yet being exploited by mass luxury fame is what our brand is about. The same thing goes for our skincare line, we do not have prestige price points as other ‘Indie’ brands but we sure have the best product available.
Follow @olivellaline on Instagram and visit Olivella website to check out all their product line.
