Recently, I - Petra Klimscha, founder of the brand Anakena - accidentally fell into the hands of a photo from 2013 of the beginnings of the own cosmetics production on Easter Island (Chile). At that time, I had opened my organic store on Easter Island, and first, just between us, sold the products I made myself, without meeting the legal requirements. Nevertheless, I have of course made all the products very carefully, and many of the ingredients even "dragged" from Germany, 14,000 kilometers away.
Due to the small production volumes and the novelty that these DIY products represented on the island, the rotation was also pretty good. For me, it was a great way to fully live out my drive. With the help of several excellent books on cosmetic making for "do-it-yourself stirrers," any recipe I had the ingredients for was now being made and brought to the woman or man. These were the beginnings of the cosmetics brand Anakena.
I am often asked if I made the formulas of today's Anakena cosmetics myself. That is not the case. You can compare it to making a marble cake at home as a hobby baker, but that doesn't make you a pastry chef who can make a five-tier wedding cake. I am not a specialist, but have acquired the (basic) knowledge myself.
I have told the so-called "contract manufacturers" in Chile and Germany which ingredients I would like to have in the now large-scale productions, such as the guavas, algae and various tropical plants and active ingredients, but the development and production is then left to the professionals. In the development process, you then receive samples of the product again and again, and when everything fits (this can take a very long time), all the tests and the safety assessment are prepared plus containers, labels and a few other 1000 "little things" are ready, a cosmetic product only goes into production.
