TWO Ryedale businesses which celebrate nature hope to enjoy the sweet scent of success after teaming up on a new venture.

Eco bathing, skincare and cleaning brand, Cosy Cottage Soap, and family-run Yorkshire Lavender have collaborated to create a natural soap which is free of palm oil and infused with lavender.

York Press:

Sustainability is the driving force behind the Yorkshire Lavender soap range, which is made with oil extracted from distilled lavender flowers, grown in the lavender farm's fields in the Howardian Hills.

It is then made in Cosy Cottage’s Malton workshop, just under five miles away, ensuring the products have a very low manufacturing mileage.

Clara Challoner Walker set up Cosy Cottage in 2015. The former corporate executive became aware of the number of harmful chemicals found in skincare and bathing products when recovering from illness, and set out to offer an alternative.

Using her Chemistry degree, she created a range of natural soaps and skincare products that were kind to the skin and planet.

“We’re so pleased to work with such a lovely local brand and help to create fantastic products with its high-quality lavender which is one of our favourite ingredients to work with," she said.

“We’ve supported a number of businesses to create their own ranges of personal care products and consider these collaborations to be fantastic examples of profitable partnerships between small businesses.

"Our relationship with Yorkshire Lavender also promotes how working with neighbouring companies can make operating practices more sustainable. We believe in the financial, employment and community benefits partnerships like this bring and always look to work with independent, local suppliers.”

Cosy Cottage Soap products do not include detergents such as SLS or preservatives such as Parabens, do not use palm oil, are not tested on animals and avoid plastic packaging.

The Cosy Cottage team’s expertise in developing natural, bespoke products and plastic-free packaging helped Yorkshire Lavender create products that are environmentally-friendly, long-lasting and luxurious.

Both businesses share the same ethos that natural ingredients boast cleansing, healing and relaxation properties and don’t need to be combined with the detergents and chemicals often found in commercial brands.

Emma Jane Goodwill, at Yorkshire Lavender, said: “Cosy Cottage Soap is not only just down the road in Malton but also understands how to celebrate our natural ingredient.

"Rooted in nature, lavender has long been praised for its healing and antiseptic powers, its name comes from the Latin for 'to wash'.

"So many of our visitors enjoy immersing themselves in the scents and colours of the lavender gardens and want to recreate the experience at home. It was important for us to choose a partner who would do our lavender justice and create products that instantly transport people to the relaxation found in our fields.”

Yorkshire Lavender soap is available online at Yorkshire Lavender at £5.25, from its Gift Shop and in Cosy Cottage’s Malton shop.