We started stocking some of the UpCircle beauty products early in 2021. There are so many brand options for UK-made, plastic free natural skin care products these days, so it was not an easy selection process for us. As always, we did a lot of research to find just the right brand for Get Loose and for you.

How UpCircle started

With discarded coffee grounds! The founders, Anna & Will, realised that discarded coffee grounds from London coffee shops could be turned into something useful. They tested the coffee based scrub at the London Coffee Festival in 2016 and haven't looked back.

UpCircle Founders, siblings Anna & Will (Image by UpCircle)

Next they moved on to repurposing waste chai spices and fruit stones, into products that worked and smelt great.

Why we chose to stock them

Each product has, at its core, at least one item that would have been wasted, e.g. coffee grounds, date seeds, apricot stones.
Soil Association Organic certified
No SLS, SLEs, palm oil, silicones, parabens, mineral oil, parfum or sulfates
Vegan, Cruelty free, Ocean friendly
Offices, and warehouse, in South London, produced in Dorset. 🇬🇧
All pre filled packaging is easily recyclable, or reusable.
You can bring your own jar / bottle to fill up UpCircle; moisturiser, suncream, cleanser, toner, night cream, eye cream and face serum.
Products were a hit with Get Loose staff and volunteers.
Price compares well to mainstream products of a similar quality.
...and they smell great!

Coffee grounds being collected from a London cafe (Image by UpCircle)

Workers rights in the UK and supply chain

The products are produced in the UK, and both UpCircle & their manufacturers are Soil Association & COSMOS certified brands. This means they regulate the integrity of the supply chain. Each decision UpCircle makes has to pass a “win-win-win test”. Is it a win for the skin? Is it a win for UpCircle as a business (cost, availability, supply)? Is it a win for the grower (fair trade, adding value to the harvest)? Every product they make must meet this test, keeping the range sustainable from start to end.

All employees are paid at least the living wage, although they don’t have the Living wage certification yet.

What we stock at Get Loose in bulk

Face moisturiser — natural, fast-absorbing day cream for all skin types. It is made with the fine powder of discarded argan shells.

Face serum — brightens skin with oil from repurposed coffee grounds. Rich in vitamin C from rosehip and sea buckthorn oils.

Cleansing face balm — an everyday cleansing balm to gently remove makeup (including mascara), pollution and impurities, made with the finely-ground powder of discarded apricot stones, a natural by-product of the apricot oil industry and rich in antioxidant Vitamin E.

Suncream SPF 25 - This reef-safe, dermatologically approved mineral sunscreen provides an essential physical defence against premature ageing caused by the sun. Upcycled raspberry seeds from the juicing industry to protect and hydrate your delicate skin.

Toner - A hydrating toner enriched with hyaluronic acid to plump the skin and chamomile to soothe. This spray toner for face is made with the anti-inflammatory residual water of green mandarin fruit, a by-product of the juicing industry, and skin-soothing chamomile stem extract, a by-product of the tea industry.

Eye Cream - This brightening eye cream for dark circles is made with coffee oil extracted from repurposed grounds and anti-inflammatory maple bark extract, a by-product of the wood industry.

Night Cream - A gentle, dermatologically approved, unscented overnight moisturiser to nourish, repair and protect the skin. Suitable for all skin types. This night cream is made repurposed blueberries, rich in Vitamin A,

We also have a small range of products in packaging.

Ask staff to try the products before you buy. Or just buy a weeks worth to see if your skin likes it!

Need a jar or bottle? Check out the jar and bottle banks.