Scoop catches up with Kat Snowden, the owner and brains behind Clean Slate – a 100% natural skincare company based in Fremantle.
When it comes to creating awesome skincare products, there really isn’t a better person for the job than Kat Snowden – the owner and founder of the natural skincare company, Clean Slate. A long-term sufferer of eczema, Kat started experimenting with making her own products at the age of 19 to try and cure her skin condition in a more natural way than the creams prescribed to her by her doctor. Kat has come a long way since then; ‘I started making my own soap and really enjoyed it,’ she says, ‘so I began playing around with more products and then from that I went on to study aromatherapy and then cosmetic chemistry.' Kat’s gradual move into the skincare world eventually led to her opening Clean Slate. She originally set up shop in Fremantle about 4 years ago and has now returned to the town in brand new retail space at Stackwood, where she’s fully equipped with her own studio. ‘Since we moved here lots of people have been saying it’s nice to have us back in Freo, which is really cool.’ The community vibe at Stackwood ties in nicely with Clean Slate’s creative ethos, and Kat is relishing the opportunity to work with other local businesses and like-minded people. ‘I’ve created a gardener’s soap for a nearby café and plant shop,’ Kat says, ‘there’s also a beautiful ceramics workshop and I’ve been pouring my handmade candles into their ceramic vessels for quite a long time. The nice thing about being so close by is that we don’t have to ship them back and forth to each other anymore.’ Kat says another bonus of moving back to Freo is being able to share her love for honest handmade products through her hands-on workshops. Her most popular workshop is Essential Oil Blending & Perfume Making; ‘it starts with me talking about essential oils and showing people my blending method,’ Kat says, ‘and then everyone jumps in and just starts playing around by coming up with their own blend and I just wander around and help people out if they want me to.’ Kat describes the workshop as being, ‘45 minutes to one hour of guided playtime, and then people take their two favourite blends and I show them how to turn them into a natural perfume.’ The intimate 10-12 people workshops provide valuable insight into the perfume making process and participants get to go home with two of their own natural perfume oils. Other workshops include Candle Making, Skincare and Mists & Sprays. You can even tailor your own workshop package for private events held at Stackwood or your own space. Kat's Essential Oils Blending & Natural Perfumery workshop is on November 11 at Stackwood, 10 Stack Street, Fremantle. Find out more Get tickets
