About Mélan Skincare
Mélan Skincare was established in 2010 by Hermalene Louw and her two sons, Ludolf and Francois, who help run the family business. Hermalene has been in the beauty industry for close to 40 years and is passionate about natural, ethical skincare.
Mélan Skincare is a natural skincare range made from plant-based materials, natural ingredients and 100% pure essential oils. We believe that nature embodies harmony and balance – and so should your skincare.
Mélan Skincare is free from harmful chemicals like gluten, aluminium, parabens, perfumes, alcohol, mineral oils and petrolatum. All our products are meticulously formulated by hand using naturally derived carrier creams, plant-based materials and 100% pure essential oils of the highest quality.
Our commitment to you is to give you the best and most natural skincare product to care for your skin, no matter what your skincare needs are.
Meet the team
What is in the Mélan name?
When Hermalene decided to take the leap and start her own natural skincare range, finding the right name for the brand was at the top of her list. Her two sons (and business partners) suggested simply using her name, but she thought it was just a bit too long for a skincare brand. So one night she woke up in the middle of the night and wrote her name down on a piece of paper, spacing out the letters and re-arranging them into new phrases/groupings. That’s when the name Mélan popped out (by swopping out the a and e in the middle of her name).
She knew it was the perfect fit as the word melan, as a prefix, is often found in skin-related terms like melanin (meaning the natural pigmentation of the skin) and melanocytes (special skin cells that make melanin). In that way, Hermalene’s name is synonymous with the Mélan Skincare brand and embodies the ethos, quality and integrity contained in each Mélan product a client applies to their skin.
Sustainability
As an ethically conscious business, we aim to minimise our impact on the environment and support local businesses as best possible. Some of our ‘better practices for a better planet’ include:
- Vegan-friendly ingredients: we use plant-based ingredients and 100% pure essential oils in all our products. Our skincare is free from harmful and artificial chemicals like gluten, aluminium, parabens, perfumes, alcohol, mineral oils and petrolatum.
- Locally sourced materials: we aim to support and empower local businesses by sourcing our ingredients and packaging from local suppliers, wherever possible
- Glass is best: we use glass and aluminium jars for our products wherever possible. All our plastic components (like our lids and pumps) can be recycled.
- Less packaging: we stay clear of excessive packaging, like additional boxes to package each product.
We recognise that there are always new and innovative ways to improve our sustainability and therefore make it a core focus of our business ethics.
Of all the plants on the Earth...
Only about 1% contain essential oils. Plants provide essential oils through their roots, wood, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds – to protect, heal and regenerate. Mélan Skincare harnesses these highly beneficial attributes of essential oils to care for your skin in the most natural and effective way possible.
