The evre brand was created after founder Maree Glading saw a gap in the market for a pure, clean, and gentle skincare offering designed specifically for pre-teen and teen skin. Also a passionate clean beauty junkie, she tells us about the journey to evre, her key motivators, and the brand’s philanthropic commitment. 

You are an experienced entrepreneur, but not a skincare specialist. What was the motivation to create a brand of your own?

I actually feel like I have gone full circle, as one of my first jobs out of university was working in marketing on the Blackmores skincare brand in Australia. It was pretty iconic when I was a teenager, so I was thrilled when I got the role working there. I loved the ethical values of the brand and the fact that everything was natural, and they used ingredients not seen in skincare at the time. I am an entrepreneur, but my passion is creating purpose-led businesses that solve problems. When my then-12-year-old daughter started to experience a few pimples, I saw an opportunity to create a modern-day skincare brand that was 100 percent natural, ethical, and would appeal to her as much as the Blackmore’s range appealed to me when I was young.

How did you start the process, was it a matter of trial and error when looking for the right formulator to partner with?

We are very lucky in New Zealand to have some highly experienced formulators and manufacturing facilities. I did a lot of research on what the skincare requirements are for younger skin and used that as my basis for development. I wanted the range to be gentle and balancing but also effective – I was lucky to secure a great partnership from the outset.

Clean beauty was obviously top of your list for the brand. Is it something that you’ve been passionate about for a while?

I am a beauty junkie from way back – I have high standards for what I put on my own skin, and I also have very sensitive skin. I know that there are a lot of other mums out there just like me who don’t want their daughters compromising on what they use either.  It is such a delicate age, where your hormones are all over the show and your body is changing rapidly.  It is important that you use non-toxic, clean ingredients that won’t interfere with that development.  

I am also very passionate about not using palm oil in my products, in the food company I co-founded, I Love Food Co., we were big advocates for this as well as having transparent ingredients.  All evre products are certified palm oil-free and we are also currently working towards our BCorp certification.

You also have a philanthropic angle to what you do, what can you tell me about that?

When I was creating the range, it was during lockdown and I had huge empathy for our young people and the impact it has had on their lives. I felt like of all demographics, they were most impacted. I was also saddened to hear all the shocking statistics we have in New Zealand around youth suicide and bullying in schools. I wanted to create a brand which provides a platform for education and shares tools for improving selfcare, even if it is in just a small way. As a company we have committed to donating 2 percent of all sales to Youthline and we work closely with them to fulfill our company’s purpose.

Who are some clean beauty brands you personally use/admire, and why?

I love all the brands stocked with Clean Beauty Collective, in particular Trilogy. They are a New Zealand success story that has really paved the way for natural beauty brands created here to compete globally. I admire how transparent they are and that they have stuck by their values as they have grown.

Do you have a favourite evre. product, one you’re most proud of?

I love them all as they are so gentle and balancing and they all smell so good too! It is like asking me to pick a favourite child! However, if I had to, a particular favourite is the It’s A Vibe Kiwi & Avo Face Mud Mask. A mud mask is a great product to use when you have congestion – a problem many young people face. But instead of being harsh and stripping and leaving your skin feeling dehydrated like other mud masks, our mask also hydrates as it also contains avocado and kiwi seed oil.

Are there any ingredients in the collection that are unique to evre?

We haven’t used anything you probably have not heard of before. This was deliberate when formulating the products. It was important to us that the ingredients that we use are familiar and not intimidating to our customers. Most of the products were inspired by great fruit and plant combinations such as Coconut & Pineapple or Almond & Raspberry. What is probably more unique is the formulations that we use and how we are focussed on them being gentle and balancing.  

The brand is specifically for teens, are there plans to expand to other ages and stages?

No not at this stage, the brand will firmly stay within the teen/youth segment. I think there are a lot of much needed products we can create for this age group as I think they are being underserved within the market. I do hope that as teens grow, they continue to use the brand as they get older – the range is really good for anyone to use as they are so gentle and balancing.

Do you want to experience the magic of evre yourself? You can browse the whole skincare collection here.