Behind the Brands: evre.

by BR Kellie

Recently, I was sitting with a friend having a cup of tea, enjoying one of those meandering chats that go here, there and everywhere. We found ourselves talking about our daughters and what it's like parenting pre-teens, when she suddenly became really excited...

'Oh, I've found the most amazing skincare for my daughter!'

Me to self: evre.

'The packaging is really cool.'

Me to self: evre.

'And the skincare smells amazing.'

Me to self: evre.

'It works great, too. Don't tell my daughter, but I've been stealing it!'

She then ran inside and came out with two products in hand from...you guessed it...evre.

Her love of evre. is also reflected on Beauty Review, with our members consistently rating the products highly and leaving glowing reviews. Evre. is seriously the shooting star of the New Zealand skincare scene, so we had to reach out to the Director, Maree Glading, to ask for an interview, which she so kindly agreed to do.

Maree, thanks for chatting with us. What inspired you to create evre.?

I spent a long time looking for skincare products that suited my daughter’s teen skin. I was specifically looking for products that weren't loaded with nasty chemicals and were made for her stage of life. Sadly, I couldn’t find anything. I had an inkling that there was a gap in the market for a teen skincare range that was natural, effective, affordable, looked good and spoke to the values of this generation.

Whilst developing the range, it was the middle of the covid lockdowns and I felt huge empathy for our youth and the impact it has had on their mental health. Life became all stick and no carrot – all the fun had been taken away from them. I was shocked to learn that New Zealand has the highest youth suicide rates in the world and the highest rates of bullying, which has only been compounded by the pandemic. I believe in purpose-lead businesses and that business has a larger role to play in making the world better, and thought I could do that with a teen skincare brand.

Being a teen can be a challenging time, and it is important that they feel supported. Skincare is integral to a self-care practice, but when this isn’t enough, getting the right emotional support is paramount to managing mental health. We give two percent of our sales to Youthline because we believe in their values and the empowering work they do, like helping young people access support when they need it. Youthline’s work in giving young people more confidence by helping them develop leadership and personal skills also reflect our own brand values, so it is a perfect partnership from our perspective.  

We also have internal policies around our communications and providing tools and content to help teens manage their mental well-being.  We have very comprehensive self-care school on our website which provides some great resources and our social media is also a good educational resource.  

How did the name "evre." come about?

I wanted a name that was short and unique and conveyed the inclusive messaging that our brand stands for.  It is a play on the word “every” and this is how you pronounce the brand name.  We wanted a range that was for every teen every day. 

What’s the philosophy behind evre.?   

Evre. is a gentle and balancing skincare range which is formulated specially for younger skin. We don’t use any endocrine disrupting ingredients in our formulations as we believe in keeping ingredients as clean as possible, which is super important when you have a growing and developing body. Our formulations use 100% natural ingredients and are certified palm free by the Orangutan Alliance. We try to make the best choices possible in our packaging – our bottles are either made with PCR (post consumer resin) or sugar cane plastic and the majority of our packaging is recyclable.

What makes evre. different from other skincare brands?

Evre, is a modern brand formulated for teen skin and their stage of life. We believe in creating self-care habits that empower teens to live evre.day their way.

What is evre.’s best-selling product? 

Our hero product is our Super Nice Manuka Honey & Vitamin E face moisturiser. It is a lovely light moisturiser, which contains what I like to call the trifecta of nourishing goodness – jojoba, avocado and rosehip oil. The manuka honey is of course a New Zealand wonder ingredient which helps retain moisture and provides antibacterial properties – making it great for blemish prone skin. 

What is it about this product that makes it so popular?

A moisturiser is a great foundation product when you are starting out your skincare routine, people love that it is light but still nourishing and it works well across different skin types.

Do you have a favourite evre. product? (And if so, what makes it your favourite?)

It is very hard to choose a favourite, but I do love our It’s A Vibe Kiwi & Avo Face Mud Mask. It has a dual action of replenishing whilst detoxifying. So, you don’t have that tight feeling you often experience after using a clay mask. It also smells amazing! It is a real treat to use 1-2 times per week.

Maree, tell us about yourself… How did you get to a place where you were ready to leap into the beauty space and start your own business?

I have had 25 years working in consumer goods; I am in particular passionate about excellent branding and innovation. Prior to Evre., I co-owned a company called I Love Food Co. which made the gourmet pie range I Love Pies and the cookies I Love Baking. We were stocked in all the supermarkets in NZ and also exported. I have though always been a beauty junkie and love the skincare category, so when I experienced a personal pain point and saw an opportunity for a purpose-lead business I jumped at the opportunity.

What advice do you have for those dreaming of starting their own beauty business?

I think it is a very exciting and dynamic category; it is important that you have a strong point of difference as there are lots of choices for consumers out there. Building a beauty business takes time, and you need patience as the lead-times on development are long! I do think though you can spend a lot of time over-analysing everything. It is better just get a product developed and get into market. You can learn so much and can always pivot later.

And what about general life advice? What would you tell your younger self?

I think I’d tell myself to live in the moment more and enjoy each stage and phase of life. I have always been so goal oriented and future focused, when I was younger I probably didn’t spend enough time smelling the roses.

When you’re not working on evre., how do you relax?

I love spending time with my family, but now my children are teens those moments are getting fewer! I love to cook and experiment with new food – I find it very mindful. I also think travel is great for the soul, as a change of scenery is very invigorating for me. My ideal way of relaxing though, is to take my dog for a beach walk.

What’s your best beauty tip?

I am sure it has been said before on here, but it has to be to use sunscreen every day. This is not only a beauty tip but a health tip too. I recently had a skin cancer scare and literally cringe thinking of my teenage years when I use to lather myself in baby oil!  You only have one skin and prevention is always the first measure to take.

What’s been the biggest highlight of your career so far? 

That’s so hard to say, I loved being a finalist at the EY entrepreneur awards as it was great to get public recognition for all my hard work. Launching Evre. has also been a big highlight as it is something I have done completely on my own and I get real buzz from seeing something that was an idea in your head come to life sitting on a retail shelf. Hearing all the positive feedback from both Mums and teens is also super rewarding.

Finally, can you give us a hint about what is next for evre.?

I am so excited to launch future evre. products and are bursting with lots of new product ideas, as I really do think teens are being underserved in this space. In a few months, we are launching a range of really innovative acne specific treatment products they are going to be a game changer for the category! However, you will have to wait though for more details!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Maree. You are truly an inspirational person!

We love how Maree and the team at evre. are committed to not only creating gorgeous skincare that works for teens, but also that they're invested in helping them further through their partnership with Youthline. There's nothing more brilliant than a brand with a heart.

You can check out evre. products and reviews here. Or find out more by visiting: evreselfcare.com

So, have you discovered evre. yet? What's your favourite product? What are you keen to try?

Get chatting below!