In a skincare market that's so saturated with products that promise you the moon and stars, crammed full with ingredients and actives, how do you stand out? You look to science, and you design for the health of our skin first.
Ashli Templer launched Yours Only, "a clean regime for dramatic skin" in August of 2020, comprised of two key products Clean & Coat, designed to truly care for sensitive skin and reactive skin with an ethos of simplicity and irritant-free formulas (all dermatologically tested, with no animal ingredients, and made in Australia).
This brand was always on my radar, and today I'm so pleased to share with you my interview with Ashli.
Yours Only is a great example of creating something that you wanted to use - with Hashimoto's and allergy-prone skin, what has your journey with skincare been like prior to formulating your own line of products?
I don’t even know where to start! From the age of about 8 my Mum got me started on super allergy friendly skincare. Every time I veered away from it, I ended up super rashy. Then, as I got older, I really wanted to be able to try the “cool” brands on Instagram, but just couldn’t. The smell would give me hayfever, and I would even up regretting it as soon as I applied it (ahh). Since being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease I’ve become even more conscious of what I put on my skin, so even if it’s allergy friendly, it may not be healthy for my body. I ended up having to make sacrifices, and picking products with parabens and sulfates in them, which I didn’t like, hence why I started Yours Only.
I love the approach of your two signature items in generous 500ml sizes - in a world of the 'shelfie' and 20-step skincare routines, tell us about Yours Only and the choice to create a lean product line?
Funny you ask as I originally had 6 in the range, but as they’re made in Aus, it ended up being too expensive for my budget. I wanted a face cleanser, body cleanser, hand cleanser, baby wash, body moisturiser and face moisturiser, but once I realised I couldn’t afford all of them, I decided to develop two products that did ALL of the functions I wanted. When I did my initial research I discovered that people want to have a leaner routine, including myself so it just made sense to create CLEAN and COAT for the body and face for babies and adults.
It's fantastic that your products avoid all animal ingredients and testing, and your line is unique in that it supports healthy skin for all skin types without including essential oils or other irritants even if they are "natural." Do you feel that the 'clean skincare' movement has warped our understanding of what our skin needs to be happy (e.g. if it's natural it's good, if it's lab-made, it's bad)?
Yes, definitely! You would have no idea how many people say to me “I am so excited to try your all natural skincare”. I don’t have natural anywhere in our comms, so it’s funny people assume allergy friendly means all natural. I am on a mission to educate people that synthetic ingredients are super safe and well tested, and can sometimes provide better results to natural ingredients because there’s more control of its performance. I react to soooo many natural ingredients due to my salicylate intolerance, and I think there are more people out there experiencing the same thing and don’t know it!
What's next on the horizon for Yours Only?
So many things! We are currently developing a Balm which can be on your use on your lips, burns, guts, grazes etc. I am pumped to get it out into the market as I struggle to find a nourishing lip balm for my cracked lips.
Other than your own products, what are some beauty staples you love day-to-day?
Good question, and a tough one! Lip balm is one as I always have dry lips (I am a mouth breather). Another thing I can’t live without is my Mecca Bronzer, I love to have a slight glow and it does just that.
It's such a pleasure to learn the story behind a new skincare brand where you know the founder and team are 100% aligned with a vision and purpose that goes so far beyond some glossy packaging or hero ingredient. I hope 2021 is the year we can all learn to reconnect with simplicity and gentleness in our skincare routines.
You can find Yours Only on Instagram and Facebook, and learn more on Ashi's podcast Allergy Proof.