National sales for home-grown skincare product

A husband and wife who developed a 100 per cent natural skincare product from their kitchen are targeting national growth after seeing sales of the cream grow signifcantly.

Mark and Lisa Kelly from Lobley Hill in Gateshead have created Natrabalm, a cream made entirely of natural products, which soothes and relieves conditions including eczema, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and dry, itchy skin.

The cream was created by Mark on the back of another product they developed 18 years ago, which treats  symptoms associated with hemorrhoids.

Mark, 48, said: “Natrabalm came about because a number of people who were using the cream we developed originally said they’d been using it to treat their dry skin and that it really worked.

“So I started looking into expanding our range and developing a product that was specifically for dry skin related conditions.

“We looked into how we could market the cream and what licence we would need, and after meeting with the MHRA we were infiormed that as the product is completely cosmetic we did not require a licence.”

Natrabalm is manufactured from a unit in Blaydon, which Mark and Lisa took on in 2012 to reflect the growth of sales of their products.

The cream is available online and the couple can take as many as 1,400 orders per month from customers across the United Kingdom.

Their aim now is to continue to increase the number of repeat orders they get, and also raise the profile of the product to a national audience.

Lisa added: “Our sales are steadily increasing and we’re very encouraged at the number of people who are trying a Natrabalm sample bottle and coming back to order the bigger jar. We’ve also had excellent feedback from customers who have tried so many other products, and this is the first thing they’ve found that actually works.

“What we’ve developed really does soothe conditions including eczema and psoriasis, which can be so irritating for sufferers, and we’re now looking at developing other products in the range, including oils for hair, bath and body.

“This all started from our kitchen and Mark experimenting with natural products and we’re now in a position where demand is growing for our products and we’re looking at what else we can develop and get to market.”

Natrabalm is manufactured by Unique Natural Products, which also produces the Anacare treatment.