Female Founders
Ambassadors for life.
Ellen af Petersens
Founder and Creative Director
Colekt
Ellen af Petersens is the founder of Swedish contemporary clean beauty brand Colekt. In her role as Creative Director, she leads the creative concept and product development, establishing the vision to be the first luxury sustainable clean beauty, perfume & lifestyle choice.
Ellen is a scholared strategic marketing and copywriter from Stockholm with experience from prestigious international brands and has studied fine arts and history of art in London. With a background as a yoga and Ayurvedic instructor this has brought a holistic approach to wellness and health.
Using her creative and cultural references to develop Colekt as a creative global brand, Ellen finds inspiration in architecture, design, arts & music.
Charlotte Winther Nørlev & Didde Marie Ager Juul
Partners & Co-founders
Bodyologist
The two female founder of one of Denmark’s hottest new brands on the beauty market are Copenhagen-based Charlotte and Didde, who come with more than 30 years of experience within the beauty industry.
As head buyers at one of Northern Europe’s finest and biggest department stores, they have not only defined and shaped the beauty market but have vast experience of the many beauty products that have passed through their hands.
With a fine-tuned understanding of today’s shoppers and tomorrow’s beauty trends they scouted the market for the latest and greatest brands, products and effective ingredients. Working together with both the world’s biggest beauty brands and the new innovators, they have not only understood trends but these two women have helped shape them.
Now, they are pouring their extensive experience and profound vision - and passion - for beauty into a new, agenda-setting beauty brand: Bodyologist
Susanne Manasi Persson
Founder
Manasi 7
With more than 20 years experience as a make up artist and more than 8 years as a product developer, the founder of Manasi 7, Susanne Manasi, has great knowledge of cosmetic formulas and the vast range beauty products and colours available to the customers. She has taken an approach to product development of her own brand, which she founded in Sweden in 2018, that is at the same time deeply thoughtful and refreshingly crushing boundaries. She is always one step ahead.
The conventionally produced beauty products that Susanne used in her line of work as a make up artist dominate the market and give great performance but often contain synthetic chemicals that give neither nourishing nor moisturising benefits to the skin. They can also have negative impact soon both our skin, our health and the environment.
With her professional experience combined with her natural lifestyle and knowledge about nutrition, she started her mission to create beauty products that are better for ourselves and our environment, without having to compromise on premium quality or high performance.
Katja Kokko
Founder
Djusie
Katja Kokko is a leading pioneer and visionary of holistic skincare in her Nordic home country Finland.
During her 24-year-long career in sustainable beauty, Katja is known as a dynamic force of nature – always expanding her expertise into new depths while fiercely following her heart. Her roots run deep in northwestern Finland, underneath the lush forests and clear lakes although is widely travelled and has strong connections in London & Paris.
Katja is a licensed acupuncturist, beauty therapist, organic cosmetic formulator and published author with broad expertise in skincare. She has founded one of Finland’s leading houses of organic cosmetics and worked internationally with a massive amount of skincare brands. Katja trains beauty professionals and throughout her 24-year-long career in holistic beauty, Katja has curated, analysed, and worked with numerous beauty brands and products.
As the outer beauty is always a reflection of what lies underneath the surface, Katja has always been passionate to see the big picture and all aspects that contribute to holistic health.
Her education contains cosmetology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, organic cosmetics formulation, facial gua sha, Dr. Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage, connective tissue manipulation, facial reflexology and is a licensed Reiki practitioner .
She is also a trained makeup-artist, plus a Bachelor of Business Administration (finance and accounting).
Although Djusie is Katja’s youngest love child, it’s a result of long-term development. Djusie is a seedling she’s been nurturing and watering for years – building its solid foundation by studying, learning, and doing. Now it’s time to bloom.
Djusie stands for Katja’s top priorities and core values: mental health, better self-worth, cultivating kindness, and natural beauty.
Be a part of Katja’s Katja’s beauty philosophy - “Everyone should be encouraged to recognise the unique beauty in themselves and in their environment”. We are totally in alignment with that!
Jonna Jalkanen
Founder
Aiva Organic
AIVA's founder, Jonna Jalkanen from Finland, has gained extensive experience in the cosmetic industry, working with world renown brands like Dior and Elle Magazine. Through her many years across many different brands she noticed that skincare results weren't significantly different between complex and minimal routines; what mattered was the right approach.
Jonna's own skin issues were resolved when she switched to a natural baby skincare line she'd created. This success inspired her to develop a simple and effective adult skincare collection, leading to the birth of AIVA.
In a crowded cosmetics market, Jonna believes in less-is-more and is passionately in favour of user-friendly skincare. AIVA offers versatile, eco-conscious products for "well" skin, simplifying beauty routines and maintaining affordable prices without compromising on the best quality products for your skin, or by short-cutting on sustainable production methods.
AIVA values your experience and environmental sustainability. AIVA’S products are designed to be eco-friendly, using less resources and recyclable materials so buy with confidence from us - AIVA’s Nordic retail partner - we’d love to share your AIVA journey!
Monica Kylén
Co:founder
L:A Bruket
Monica Kylén with her partner Mats Johansson, started the natural skincare brand L:A Bruket in 2008, founded and still produced on the west coast of Sweden.
Monica began the brand initially by making ceramic soaps dishes, and when attending a trade show made some simple, traditional soap bars to display on her dishes, yet it was the soaps that gained the attention and so begun making these products - to now include liquid soaps, shampoo, sea salt scrubs & spa products based on the traditional bathing culture of Varberg and inspired by the coastal nature.
With an iconic home fragrance collection and a new skincare line - launched just at the end of 2022 - which is full of incredible natural ingredients that bring the Swedish west coastal environment to you - algae, sea aster, Nordic cotton, Sea Buckthorn, moss extract and more - they have captured the very essence of Scandinavia in the same philosophy throughout of offering high quality products with the best possible ingredients, bringing nourishment and comfort to you, in a safe and sustainable way.
Today, L:a Bruket has around 140 premium items and is a fully recognised, international brand. During the past year, L:a Bruket has opened its own stores in Paris and Berlin as well as department stores in Stockholm, Paris, Seoul and Taipei.
Monica says that is is their Swedishness sets us apart from their competitors. An important part of their storytelling is the Swedish heritage and Swedish nature. Here, the harsh climate demands products that care for and protect against the elements. It is genuine, honest and close to nature.
Katja Rosasco
Founder
Meishai
In 2021, Katja Rosasco founded Meishai with a clear purpose: to provide Asthma Allergy Nordic certified high-performance haircare to everyone. Katja was born with allergies, and later in life she fell in love with hairdressing. Working in the industry was a challenge for her, where it was hard to navigate in a world full of wonderful products she couldn’t use on herself. However, with over a decade of experience, she had a unique vision for high performance haircare that would be safe for her & others looking for the cleanest of hair care products.. Meishai represents the fusion of Katja’s sensitivity and creativity.
Tonia McManus
Founder
Bare Nordic Beauty
A little story for you, on how an English woman ended up in Sweden, selling some of the world's coolest and certainly some of the best organic luxury skincare; wonderful body products with sensory benefits of the Nordic nature; along with some really beautiful home fragrance collections that transport you to the open landscapes of this very special region of Northern Europe.
If you haven't explored our store yet, take some time - perhaps with a lovely cup of tea - and browse through our pages and products where hopefully you will find a relaxing and calming connection with the essence of the Nordic lands & what we find so magical about the region.