turning routines into rituals

Founder: Raymond Cloosterman




The problem with being a consumer is the choice. Too much and you find shops just literally pass you by. This happened to me with Rituals. Seeing it nestling in shopping malls and high streets it wasn’t a brand that particularly caught my eye, and therefore I never bothered with it too much – sidelining it as just another shop that sold fancy soaps. However, it wasn’t until I was recently fully introduced to the brand that I began to open up to its mindful and clever philosophy. Founded in the Netherlands in 2000, but launched five years ago in the UK, it’s no new kid on the block, but if like me Rituals didn’t feature on your beauty radar here’s a quick run through.




 

cheek & eye glow

I love brands with personality, a passion and a story, and this one ticks the boxes. The concept for Rituals was created by one Raymond Cloosterman – a young fortysomething entrepreneur and business economist who found himself with a couple of months off between jobs. Instead of hitting the golf course, he put his insights and expertise (he previously worked for Unilever) to good use by globe hopping and exploring the latest trends in personal and domestic care products. This was when he had his light bulb moment. It made him recognise there was scope for a new brand that married both personal and homecare – two divisions that had never been allowed to mingle at Unilever. The notion that small daily cultural routines can be turned into meaningful rituals through the use of luxury products instantly turns chores or routines into something altogether more creative and enjoyable. So, in the world that is Rituals, even the washing up doesn’t end up as a must-do, but that of a scented experience with their Bamboo Treasure Washing Up Liquid!






Bamboo Treasure Washing up Liquid

Following a ‘slow shopping’ philosophy, this means that when you visit one of their shops, you will be offered a complimentary hand massage or a delicious cup of tea. This encourages you to kick back and take your time, you can then decide what Rituals – from Energising, through to Skincare and Gemstone make-up, you would like introduced into your life. For the consumer that’s been brought up on fast fashion, fast food and speed dating, in other words fast living, it’s turns the stressed out shopper from a hare into a tortoise. And we know the moral of that Aesop fable don’t we? ‘Slowly does it every time,’ said the winning tortoise.

http://www.rituals.com/