Ellicottville Young Entrepreneur Sells Natural Cosmetics
By Jessica Schultz
Caption: Aleah Arena, a young local woman decided during the pandemic that she would create her own line of natural cosmetics to share with as many people as she could reach and so, Freyja’s Farmacy was born.
We all enjoy a little self-care. It’s something we all need to work on doing more often, but there are so many products out there that are full of chemicals and finding something that will actually help solve the problem is tough. Cue in Aleah Arena, a young local woman who decided during the pandemic that she would create her own line of natural cosmetics to share with as many people as she could reach and so, Freyja’s Farmacy was born.
The Villager had a chance to speak with Aleah in depth about her new business venture and she was happy to explain how it all began and where the idea is headed.
The Villager (V): How did Freyja’s Farmacy come to be?
Aleah (A): “The idea of Freyja’s Farmacy first started last winter, my lips were chapped and dry. Chapstick wasn’t cutting it so I started researching lips scrubs that I could make from home; the first scrub was with just kitchen ingredients but it got me interested in other natural alternatives to cosmetics. I have never been very good at make-up and I always felt like it made me just look worse and didn’t fit in with my face. I also struggled with acne and I noticed that a lot of treatments would not only burn sensitive skin but are packed FULL of ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce. The killer was that they didn’t even work! So, I started making my own face scrubs and body lotions to replace the numerous products that would not leave me feeling nearly as refreshed and clean.”
V: What type of products do you offer currently and what type of items are you thinking for the future?
A: “Currently, I have the “Goddess of Love Lip Scrub” made from local honey and 100% natural Hemp Seed Oil, my mom absolutely loves this one ha-ha. It buffs away dead skin and rehydrates, leaving the lips, instantly un-chapped, pink, and flush. I also have the “Daily Up Lift Brown Sugar Face Scrub” my personal favorite, which is wonderful for acne and dry skin. It is sensitive enough to use daily if needed and is effective enough that you probably won’t even need to. Whenever I have a breakout, I slap some of this stuff on and right after they seem so much less irritated and red. Within a few days a consistent once-a-day application I’m cleared up! The feeling that comes with using the brown sugar face scrub is… amazing, your skin feels so much softer and more flexible, especially in the winter. My next product to be released will be the “African Shea Body Oil”. Perfect for extremely dry and itchy skin, NOT a facial product but legs, arms, bellies, stretch marks, love this stuff. All-natural African Shea butter and refined coconut Oil make this beautiful base lotion that turns into oil from your body temperature. A tiny amount goes a long way but this might be my first product to be offered in a bigger size. In the works right now is a cuticle stick for on the go but I’m still doing research on the best ingredients and it has a few testing phases to go through before being sold to the public. It would also be nice to do some different variations of products in the future like a pomegranate flavored lip scrub or something.”
V: What makes your products different from others?
A: “I believe my products are different because I put love into them, I want to help people feel good about themselves. I don’t add any harmful ingredients to act as fillers or disinfectants, or preservatives. The all-natural local honey (Donna Gerwitz is my honey source) in my products is the disinfectant and is such a great way to hydrate and deep clean. My products don’t burn when you apply them or dry out your skin as most acne treatments or cleansers do. They are also all 100% natural and I choose only refined and top-grade ingredients when I can’t get local, such as the African shea butter and hemp seed oil. Small batch to ensure that everything I’m sending out works and I don’t have loads of excess product laying around and running up its shelf life. I keep the containers small so that they are used far before it starts to dry out and harden (it takes about 10 months of not touching it) and because a little really gets you a long way, my lip scrub is only 10 grams but can last 2-3 months.”
V: Are you thinking of expanding past online sales to an actual storefront later on?
A: “There is a possibility that we will be turning our barn into a boutique-type shop in the future, but I hope to one day have a shop that sells all sorts of stuff. The Farmacy/Pharmacy comes from Victorian-style pharmacies where you could buy soaps, tinctures, tonics, candles, cosmetics, different herbs, and plants. A place you could come and be detoxed and find healthy, all-natural ways to solve your ailments. Fixes that actually get rid of the problem not just hide it.”
V: Anything else you would like to add?
A: “That should be all, thank you again for taking the time to learn about Freyja’s Farmacy. You can find Freyja’s on Facebook under “Freyja’s Farmacy” and on Etsy under “TheFarmacyTreasures”. Looking forward to sharing our products with the community and beyond.”
Thank you, Aleah, for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing all this wonderful information about your new business. And thank you, for bringing a line of local all natural products to help combat those dry skin blues.