Meet the Founder of TINCTURE London

The air in a typical home is up to five times more polluted than the air directly outside – the main culprit? Everyday household cleaning products. This is an environmental crisis which means that 93% of children breathe air that contains more pollutants than deemed safe (source: WHO).

TINCTURE London is on a mission to fight indoor air pollution and revolutionise a $50bn industry. We sat down with Angelika Davenport to learn more about her business journey, how she plans to scale TINCTURE London and the person behind the business! 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to start your own business?

TINCTURE London was founded out of pure passion. As a mother of four children and pets, I searched everywhere for high performance, non-toxic cleaning products that didn’t exacerbate my children’s asthma and eczema, or leave the house smelling of vinegar!

The majority of products, to my surprise, were full of harmful ingredients that were damaging not only the environment but our health and wellbeing. So, I started TINCTURE London. We made every single ingredient 100% natural, sustainable and non-toxic with the health of our families and planet at the heart.

In your own words what is TINCTURE London’s mission?

To inspire homes to switch to 100% natural non-toxic cleaning and lifestyle products. 

How have you designed your business to be sustainable?

Sustainability sits at the core of TINCTURE London’s ethos and values. We believe that all our actions and developments which meet the needs of the present cannot compromise the ability of the future. We believe in a balance of the 3 P’s, ‘People, Planet, Profit’, and have structured our company, our production and our consumer proposition accordingly.

Thus, our formulations are 100% natural, non-toxic, vegan, biodegradable, sustainably sourced and deliver outstanding performance! All our manufacturing is in the UK and we try to source all ingredients locally. 

The impact our formulations have on the health of our customers, and that of our planet, is key to our product offering. After years of research and testing we have created awarding winning, clinically tested, cleaning and well-being products which are safe for the air you breathe indoors, safe for our oceans and aquatic life and safe for the soil and earth!

Our packaging is 100% recyclable and 100% refillable; our white, iconic “FOREVER” Tincture bottles include silver technology which makes them anti-bacterial for life, allowing our customers to refill them safely forever! 

With the launch of our 10x concentrated Letter Box subscription service, we will be able to cut down our carbon footprint even further (through reduction of raw materials, packaging and weight), as well as introducing a fully integrated closed loop service; this will enable our customers to send back their empty bottles in the same box for us to refill again and again. At Tincture we live and breathe a zero-waste policy and thus our bottles, our packaging, every production step is kept to the minimum levels, necessary to achieve a product with maximum benefits to our customer!

Finally, reinvesting our profits into sustainable initiatives that make an actual difference will continue to be key as we grow.  From actively promoting the work of our re-wilding partners SUGi to restore biodiversity and regenerate ecosystems, to our support of essential research, such as The Ingenious Project, a multi research programme that will investigate how air pollutants in indoor spaces can adversely affect the health of the people inhabiting them. Sustainability will always be at the core of what we do.

What is your favourite TINCTURE London product?

It has to be the All Purpose. I absolutely love the All Purpose TINCTURE due to its versatility and it’s unique blend of essential oils including sage, eucalyptus, cinnamon, thyme and cedarwood.

It’s a miracle spray that I use for literally everything. It’s been a life saver, rushing between family-life and meetings. I always carry an All Purpose Mini in my handbag in case of emergencies. Once, I managed to spill tomato sauce on my blouse before an important meeting. I sprayed some All Purpose and after a few rubs the marks miraculously vanished. People even asked me what perfume I was wearing, to which I replied….“my All Purpose”.

What would you say to potential customers that aren’t used to spending much on home and cleaning products?

Although cleaning products are probably the least exciting and sexy items, often found at the bottom of shopping lists, they are the most important.

The majority of people don’t understand the strong correlation between your health and the environment you keep in your home. There are countless scientific studies that cite the relationship between chemically-based cleaning products and our health. 

What you use in your home has an impact on your kid’s health too. Exposing them to toxic cleaning products can affect their respiratory system, endocrine system, brain development and so much more; the damage is also irreversible. 

If you make the switch to non-toxic cleaning, you will physically feel a difference in your home. It’s literally like detoxifying your body. Is that not worth the money?

What part of TINCTURE London’s journey are you most proud of?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the customer feedback we get. We receive the most extraordinary testimonials from our customers, writing about how TINCTURE London has entirely changed their lives and that we should never stop doing what we do.

Some have said that they can finally clean their homes without their child having an asthma attack. Others have said that TINCTURE London has even helped on their cancer journey. Some people have just found washing their dishes a new daily ritual that they thoroughly enjoy!

It is so humbling knowing that you are actually helping people through your business.

What can we expect next in the way of product development? 

In line with our zero-waste policy, we will be launching a 10x contacted subscription format in Autumn. Delivered in an innovative box, our refills will be posted through people’s doors and poured into our refillable for life silver infused white bottles. Our lightweight packaging will further reduce our carbon footprint and customers will benefit from our closed loop system, allowing them to return everything to refill. 

We are also developing a new-born baby range specifically for baby’s that are 0-6 months, as they have very special requirements. Our wellbeing and lifestyle range, which is already adored by lots of our customers, is expanding too!

What do you anticipate your route to exit will be?

Our intention is to grow a business which will create value to all our shareholders and stakeholders. At various stages of the company’s development we will offer our shareholders exit routes whether this might be through a qualifying event such as a third party investment, partial sale of the business or whether we invite Seedrs shareholders to have access to Seedrs’ Secondary Market.

When you’re not running TINCTURE London, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I love being outside, connecting with plants and breathing in fresh air; it cleanses the soul and the mind. I always take the kids out for a hike and educate them on their natural surroundings. I often stop the car when I see a beautiful field and just go for a walk or a cycle whenever I can.

I also love listening to music, playing the piano, going to art galleries and entertaining!

What are you watching on TV at the moment?

This question makes me laugh because whenever I want to watch TV, the remote control is always in the hands of one of my kids or my husband’s so it’s a battle. The last thing I adored watching was The Queen’s Gambit!

What has been your biggest lesson in being an entrepreneur?

Picking the right people on your bus journey is that most important part…your team is key.

It doesn’t matter how good your idea is, how much passion you have or how determined you are, without having a great team that believes in the same vision, it will not work.

You also need to have unbelievable grit. Every morning, wake up with positivity and pump that energy into your business.

As TINCTURE London’s round comes to an end, make sure you grab the opportunity to invest in their purpose-led and people-first company here.