A conversation with Haylo Botanicals’ founder Wendy Viola on inspiration, building a brand from the ground up and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
There are women who simply leave an impression. Wendy Viola is one of them.
As the founder of Haylo Botanicals, Wendy has built a South African skincare brand rooted in simplicity, beautiful ingredients and a belief that skincare doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.
For Women’s Month, I sat down with Wendy to talk about the story behind Haylo, the highs and lessons of building a business and what’s next for the brand.
1. What inspired you to start Haylo Botanicals?
It started with my own frustration with complicated skincare and wanting to understand exactly what I was putting on my skin. I had terrible breakouts and dry patches in my 50’s and started reading product labels. I was horrified by what I found, so started exploring natural ingredients. I fell in love with the incredible plant oils we have in Africa and created Haylo around a simple idea: fewer, better products using exceptional natural ingredients.
2. What’s your proudest Haylo moment so far?
Seeing a small brand I started from scratch win nine beauty awards has been pretty special, but hearing from customers who say Haylo has genuinely changed how they care for their skin is probably what makes me proudest.
3. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself since becoming a business owner?
That I’m much more resilient than I thought! Building a business has also taught me to trust my instincts and to listen to good advice, learn constantly, but know when to back yourself.
4. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t wait until you feel ready. You will never have all the answers before you begin and sometimes you just have to take the first step and work the rest out along the way.
5. Any exciting news in the pipeline for Haylo?
Yes! Haylo is starting to spread its wings internationally, which is incredibly exciting for us. There are a few other things quietly taking shape behind the scenes… but I can’t give everything away just yet.
6. What’s your favourite Haylo product and why?
That’s like choosing a favourite child! But if I had to pick, Renew Drops. It was my first baby and I love how it brings tired-looking skin back to life and leaves it feeling nourished, smooth and radiant. The formulation has evolved over time to include hard working actives and it’s my go to for day or night.
Wendy’s favourite Haylo Botanicals product: the award-winning Renew Drops.