Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

Joanne Reilly spent six years studying endangered elephants and rhinos in Sumatra in the Indonesian Archipelago as part of her doctorate on conservation in zoology. She lived in a national park far from chemists or GPs among locals who would rely on herbal practitioners to treat many conditions.

“They would arrive with bamboo poles on their backs, full of lotions and potions sourced from plants. Looking to plants for apothecary is valid – multinational pharmaceutical companies have been doing it for years,” she reflects.

So when her own skin became red and angry after returning from the island when pregnant with her first child, she first turned to remedies in her local health shop but found nothing that suited her hormonal skin.

“I found the skincare products that I tried didn’t work for very long, they had fragrance, they were expensive. I thought why don’t I create something myself – I have a scientific background and training but go to plants for a solution.”

She initially created her own nappy rash formula that worked better than anything she could buy in the shops and graduated to serum and then an oil cleanser. After much research, she settled on particular herbs, oils and blends that worked best together. As she was unemployed, she tried her hand at selling them at the local farmer’s market in Kinvara on a Friday.

When her husband, marine biologist Ciarán Kelly, got a job in the Marine Institute in Oranmore, the pair had settled in the beautiful seaside village where they raised their two daughters.

A native of Kilkenny, she decided to name her brand after her adopted home. The family sold their home in Kinvara in 2021 and now live on Sea Road in the city but it’s a place that she holds dear to her heart.

“There’s a trueness about Kinvara and its location on the Atlantic, in the Burren, it has a real elemental strength that helps centre the brand.”

Pictured: Founder of Kinvara Skincare Joanne Reilly is the picture of healthy skin at 55. The new seaweed sheet mask is made from plant fibre.