The studio at 18 Tib Street has been our home since 2017. We are above a florist, which means the whole staircase smells of flowers most mornings. Here is how a typical day unfolds. It is a small team, so everyone does a bit of everything.
8am: blending day
The day starts early, because blending day is the busiest. Small batches are weighed and mixed in glass beakers, then checked by the team before anything is filled. Because we blend in Manchester rather than order in bulk, no batch leaves the bench without a pair of eyes on it. We keep the batches small on purpose, so nothing sits around.
We do not make huge volumes, and we do not want to. Small batches mean fresher products and fewer wasted jars, and it lets us change a formula quickly if the panel tells us something needs a tweak.
11am: patch testing
By mid morning the first check of the day is done: a volunteer panel with sensitive skin patch tests every new batch. It is a slow, patient process, and it is the reason we can say our formulas are made for skin that reacts. If a batch does not feel right, it does not go out. That check has saved more than one launch.
2pm: consultations and facials
After lunch the studio fills up. Anyone can book a free 20 minute skin consultation, and our therapists see people one at a time, looking at skin and talking through what it actually needs. In the afternoon there are also Calm Facials at the treatment table, in the same room where the products were blended that morning. It is the same view, every day.
5pm: packing by hand
The last job of the day is packing. Every order is wrapped by hand in tissue with two free samples tucked inside. If you ask for one, we will add a handwritten note. It takes longer than a machine would, and we like it that way. It is the last thing we do before locking up. Pop in and see us, or reply to hello@mallowskin.co.uk if you have a question.
