Our Story

An ancient Sanskrit word for Mother Earth, ila is a beyond organic skin and heart care brand which aims to do something very simple, but also completely revolutionary.

Founder Denise Leicester's vision was to create a range of highly potent and sacred products, which channelled the raw remedial power of Nature, using her most ancient and purest sources of energy – plants, flowers, and herbs - and proving that results-driven products and spa treatments can go hand-in-hand with the highest standards of natural and ethical integrity.

It took two years to find the right type of Roses to use, sourced from India and wild harvested at dawn for the highest vibration by artisan producers; the petals of 38 flowers are used to produce just one drop of oil.

But what makes ila different is not just that the products are created in a meditative environment by hand in the Cotswolds using unsurpassed natural ingredients and minimal processing, nor that the company supports tribal communities, villages and farmers all over the world.

What makes ila different is that every product is imbued with a very strong intent, an intent to nurture way beyond the surface of the skin.

ila products and treatments are designed to promote palpable biological and emotional change in those that experience them – both through touch and smell. Because what we put on our skin directly nourishes and calms our heart - the centre of emotional wellbeing, energy and vitality, and an incredible 75% of our emotions are generated by what we smell.

Few other brands work with this profound understanding. Every cream, oil, scrub, mask, candle and fragrance designed by ila hopes to nourish and balance the deep and sacred essence of the individual, providing a path to peace and inner joy.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

At ila we pride ourselves on being a skin and heart nurturing company that is actively ‘Redefining Beauty’ – supporting the age old adage that beauty is much more than just skin deep, it is a quality within. It is a feeling.

Whilst much of the beauty industry prides itself on constantly striving for polished perfection or hooking itself to the latest trend, at ila we walk a very different path.

We are not about critical self-improvement or the search for eternal youth. We don’t believe in living as extroverts, nor do we believe that women should hide in the shadows.

ila is about sharing, with women around the world, the ability to self-care, love and honour the individual essence within each one of us, loving who we are in all our completeness, so that each one of us can shine. What could be more beautiful than that? To be luminously ourselves. To enjoy a harmony between mind, body and spirit. To live in a state of grace.

At ila, we pledge to care sensitively for your energy levels and soul body, as well as for your skin.

We believe society needs to re-remember what ‘beauty’ truly means, and we hope our products provide a path for you to remember too.

OUR PRODUCTION BARN

There is a barn in the English countryside where ila products are made. From the barn you look out over the rolling Cotswold hills and green fields of Oxfordshire. Inside the barn, the scent of essential oils mingles with the gentle sound of Eastern chanting.

In this beautiful place of peace, ila products are blended - by hand, in small fresh batches, using simple techniques based on an intuitive and heartfelt approach. Our staff work without talking, relishing the meditative atmosphere.

By combining ancient traditions, ethical processes and untainted natural ingredients, we harness nature’s purest vibrancy in each and every product, many of which are also individually inscribed with a positive intention.
Our staff write into our creams, scrubs and masks words like ‘joy’, or ‘happiness’, sometimes they simply draw in a heart. We believe in positive energy. We are passionate about what we do. Creating our products takes time, care and commitment. Absolutely no short cuts are taken.

Everyone who works for ila is passionate about what they do. Our approach is grounded in a deep respect for humanity, for the earth and for nature at its purest. From this ila products are born, drawing on the earth’s oldest resources and traditions but directed at the needs of the modern world. A natural life force.