What happened to Pure Lochside? (Fiona's first brand)

Blog written by Cocorosa Founder, Fiona Tutte.

I have never publicly told the story of what happened to my previous brand, Pure Lochside Natural Skincare, but as it is Mental Health Awareness Week, I feel it is fitting to be completely open and tell my story.

What was Pure Lochside?

Pure Lochside was my first Natural Skincare brand.
It was created beside a Loch in the West Coast of Scotland, where we lived at the time (hence the name!). 

It was a multi-award winning Aromatherapy range, which was sold in luxury stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols, but we also created exclusive spa treatment experiences in a selection of 5 Star Spas and Hotels.

    

If you read Fiona's Story it gives more of a background on how, and why that brand was originally created.

I said I would never start another brand……

I was mentally so broken when I left Pure Lochside, that I hid away and said I would never start another brand again.

Being pushed out of my lovely brand, Pure Lochside, just added to the extreme grief that I was already experiencing from the loss of my husband, Neil, who was also my business partner.

So what happened? 

In January 2013, the month that Neil died, I had signed a contract with Selfridges; I had been interviewed for a feature in YOU Magazine, about how I started my brand, and the very day he died we were sent a meeting invitation, via our sales representative, to meet with 4 buyers from QVC Beauty, who had been testing out our products.

At that stage Pure Lochside Skincare was poised for great success.

But losing my husband so suddenly was such a horrific shock for me, that just getting through each hour was all I could handle. 

In the months following Neil’s death, I was approached by a few companies, offering deals for Pure Lochside, but it all felt so rushed and quite frankly, scary.

Then when a local contact offered to invest with his business partner, it felt like a simple solution, and one where I could be supported but still run the business.

As I was still not coping very well with life (due to grief and PTSD) I didn’t have the proper awareness to realise that all the control was starting to be taken away from me.

When a new business bank account was opened, and I wasn’t able to access it, things started to go downhill pretty quickly.

I ended up having to ask for funds, for product ingredients and even for flights to travel to support my one of favourite stores, Harvey Nichols. When the request for travel expenditure was denied, I knew that I was no longer able to run my own business, and support my customers.

I had been taken advantage of during my darkest days.

In the end I was pushed into signing it all away, and the owners just left it (but didn’t actually take my name off until months later).
The owners cared so little that they continued to let orders come in from the website but didn’t fulfil any of them.

I still had access to the passwords for the website so I was able to refund everyone and then put everything out of stock, so that no more orders could be taken.

I was so shocked and embarrassed that I had let this happen and I did what many people with depression do, I hid away and didn’t deal with it properly. 

It took years before I felt able and ready to create and launch another brand and it’s been a very long road to travel, but I’m now, finally, so happy that I have created a new brand, Cocorosa 💕

Where Cocorosa is right now is so exciting, as it feels almost like a brand revitalise and relaunch as we approach a fresh new stage. 

NOTE: I have been very open in this blog and it feels a little scary, but as it is Mental Health Awareness Week (at the time of writing this), it feels the right time to let it all out, plus in the last week I have been asked what happened to the brand, after posting some brand heritage things on Instagram  

Fast Forward to Today…

Cocorosa Beauty is all about creating heathy, glowing skin as well as focusing on wellbeing. 

All the products have therapeutic benefits to help soothe or calm or uplift your mind. 

For example the Magic 9 Rescue Blends (which are being re-branded on 5th June) have Sweet Orange essential oil added, specifically for its antidepressant properties. The blends are designed to soothe aching joints and muscles, but as anyone suffering with pain will know, it can really affect your mood too. This is why the Sweet Orange was added. 

What is in store for the future?

Wellbeing Blends 

We are bringing out 4 well-being blends over the next 10 months, the first one is due to launch at the end of June (if all goes to plan!). 

These blends have been created to act as a support to you and can be carried with you, in a pocket or a handbag. 

Think of them as your personal Aromatherapy toolkit, to support you when you need calming, soothing or uplifting 🤍

Keep checking for details of the launches via our Beauty Updates Page

We are planning expansion during the last quarter of 2023 and throughout 2024, but will forever remain true to our brand principles and ethics, and be an open and honest brand.

Thank you for reading (well done if you made it this far!) and for supporting me and Cocorosa. 

Much Love 

Fiona x