Today we’d like to introduce you to Adele Uddo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Adele. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Originally I’m from New Orleans, part of a big Italian family in the restaurant business. When I was seven, my mom high tailed it out of town with a man named Lightning, in a bus called the Mars Hotel. We ended up in Northern California, where I was raised on an organic farm and introduced to natural skincare by my hippie mom many years before it was popular.
For almost 20 years I’ve been a body parts model. I mainly model hands, but I’ve done lips, legs, feet, chest, etc.. Early on in my career I realized I needed something to keep my skin in shape for macro close-up photography, where the focus is often down to the cuticles. So I began experimenting with many moisturizers, and found most of them to be overpriced yet filled with cheap questionable ingredients, and not very effective.
Eventually, I began making lotion potions in my kitchen, incorporating essential oils and other natural ingredients from my childhood.
When my friends began asking for more of my homemade moisturizer, I teamed up with a top formulator to take it to the next level.
Last year I launched Essentiel by Adele, a natural skincare brand based in Malibu. The premiere product is a multi-moisturizer for face, body, and hands.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Had I known what starting a business would have required of me, I probably would’ve stayed safe (and stuck) inside my comfort zone.
I once had the naive idea that all I needed was a knowledge of what makes a great moisturizer and a love of making lotion. But running a business and making it successful is a lot more involved than creating a product I’m passionate about. Cue reality check!
Despite little sleep and more anxiety than I’ve had in years, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every challenge changes me and I have grown along with my business!
Please tell us about Essentiel by Adele.
Essentiel by Adele is a natural skincare brand based in Malibu, CA. The premiere product, Essentiel Moisture, is a nutrient-rich multi-purpose moisturizer for face, hands, and body, made with essential oils of frankincense, helichrysum, geranium and lavender, hyaluronic acid, coffeeberry, raspberry leaf, olive and coconut oil.
The market is over saturated with a multitude of parts-specific moisturizers, and Essentiel allows people to nourish their face and entire body withhigh-quality skincare that truly performs at an affordable cost in ONE bottle. Minimal skincare of maximum quality.
My biggest joy comes from sharing what I’ve learned from almost 20 years in the beauty business, along with my early roots as a hippie kid in California. I ultimately want to help people look AND feel good. The essential oils in the product not only reduce inflammation and regenerate cells…they calm the nervous system. People say they feel like they’ve been to a spa after applying Essentiel. I wanted something good for the skin and soul.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
That time my mom picked me up from school with lemon yogurt and said we were going to the movies. (There was a time when she was manic-organic and dairy and films were forbidden).
Pricing:
- Essentiel Moisture for face, hands and body 8.4oz $39
- Essentiel Moisture for face, hands and body 1.7oz $13
Contact Info:
- Website: https://essentielbyadele.com/
- Instagram: @EssentielByAdele
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essentielbyadele/
mage Credit:
Jessica Alexander photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
