How one woman made gut health sexy
Imagery: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef
Words: Sarah Tarca // @tarca
Carla Oates, Founder and Director of The Beauty Chef
Carla Oates is a woman who needs no introduction in the wellness world. Back in 2009 when we were all still figuring our how to pronounce quinoa (kin-knowa? keen-wah?) she was busy in her kitchen lacto-fermenting foods and revolutionsing the beauty and wellness market by focussing on something that had long been forgotten: gut health. From that very kitchen, Carla birthed The Beauty Chef, and its very first product: Glow. And so it began.
Not only was The Beauty Chef the first brand to target the gut as a means for achieving glowing, healthy skin, but it also created a whole new beauty category – ingestible beauty. The beauty world’s minds were simultaneously blown and perplexed… where did the product even sit on the shelves? Next to skincare? Gym equipment? How could something you just drink daily give you such good skin? And could you really make gut health sexy enough to sell it?
Well, as we know, the answer is yes – and it’s in own aisle, thanks! Ten years on, banter about gut health is still big news. Most of us know the importance of the microbiome and the vagus nerve . And, as for Glow… well it has a cult, worldwide following, sitting proudly in stores like Sephora, Onda Beauty and Credo – in its own category.
Now with a range of 12 products (and two books!), Carla continues to innovate in the beauty market and wellness market, standing behing her ethos of “beauty begins in the belly”. And I’m not ashamed to say I’m a hardcore fangirl when it comes to her products… because, well, they just work. In exactly the way they say they do.
This year alone Carla’s launched two new products. Gut Primer, a restorative supplement powder that aids in soothing the gut, supporting digestion, and strengthening the gut lining. And Well Spray, an on-the-go wellness mouth spray with a combination of herbs, bio-fermented superfoods, probiotics and minerals to help boost immunity – so ideal for travel. Oh, and she’s also launched her second book, The Gut Guide.
In October this year The Beauty Chef celebrated its 10th anniversary and amongst all the celebration and excitement Carla took the time to sit down and chat with us about the importance of daydreams, innovation and of course, gut health.
How do you keep yourself calm and centered with such a busy schedule?
I love making a pot of herbal tea in the morning and sitting on my leather lounge in the living room, looking out at my big fig tree, changing with the seasons. I do this every single morning and use this time just to daydream. It is my absolute favourite thing to do. I cherish this ritual so much because as the business continues to grow I don’t get much time in my day to daydream.
how important is ritual to your daily routine?
If you don’t make time for a ritual each day, then you don’t necessarily have something that keeps you grounded or something that sets you up for the day. It also ensures you are making an investment in self-care to be the very best version of yourself for your family, colleagues and loved ones.
WHen you first started the beauty chef, no one had ever heard of ingestible beauty. How has the market changed since then?
There are now lots of inner beauty products in the market which I think is great. I am such a big believer in “wellness is beauty and beauty is wellness” so I am happy that people are embracing this movement, it creates awareness for the industry; however, my only caution for consumers is just to be careful to look for products that are the real deal and have quality ingredients. Be sure to look at the ingredients listing, processes and where the ingredients come from to ensure their integrity and efficacy. At The Beauty Chef, where possible we opt for Certified Organic ingredients.
We’re now seeing pre and probiotics pop up in skincare. How do these work, and are they as effective as ingestibles?
I think pre and probiotics in skincare are fantastic and very effective. Prebiotics help to fuel a happy microbiome on the surface of your skin and adding probiotics will help balance your skin's ecosystem. Once again it’s important to ensure the brands that you are buying have natural, pure and efficacious ingredients and are not mixed with harmful chemicals that will disrupt your skin's natural microbiome.
What is currently exciting you in gut health research or innovation?
The most integral factor concerning gut health is the concept of microbial diversity - when it comes to gut microbes, diversity is a very good thing. A diverse microbial community is vital for our health and disease prevention. One of my favourite sayings in microbiology is “everything is everywhere, but the environment selects”. By “everything” we mean microbes: beneficial, pathogenic and indifferent bacteria are always there, both in the food we eat and in our environment, and our choices in regards to what we eat and our lifestyle practices will encourage the beneficial or not-so-beneficial bugs that we are exposed to.
If there was one take-home message that you’d like people to know about gut health, what would it be?
That gut health does affect your mood. Eighty per cent of your feel-good hormone, serotonin is produced in the gut and more and more studies are indicating that if there is gut inflammation, there is a high chance there will be brain inflammation which can impact mental health. This strong link between the gut and the brain, is known as the Gut-Brain Axis.