Introduce yourself.

Hello there, I’m Ben and I’m the founder of Vico Naturals. We’re an eco-friendly personal care brand based in Cork.

What inspired you to join the natural health sector?

It started out of frustration. I couldn’t find a natural deodorant that actually worked. Everything either left me smelling worse than before or had a weird ingredient list. Once I found out about the controversial chemicals in mainstream antiperspirants, it made me question the ingredients in all mainstream products; from personal care to cleaning.

Where did you get the idea for your brand?

One day I was in my house getting ready for the day. I sprayed a regular aerosol deodorant beside my friend, who told me not to spray it so close to her because it was full of nasty chemicals. I never heard anything about this before, so I decided to give it a Google.

I was shocked when found out that there are tonnes of controversial ingredients used in mainstream deodorants and antiperspirants. I also learned that the deodorant industry has a massive impact on the environment via plastic waste.

I learned about natural deodorants and started searching for an alternative to the mainstream brands we were using.

I found it very difficult to find a sustainable natural deodorant that ticked all of the right boxes. Most natural deodorants didn't work, used plastic cases or smelled kind of funky.

I decided to take matters into my own hands. In January 2021 I decided that I was going to spend all of my free time (thanks level 5 lockdown) creating a natural deodorant that actually works and that didn't use plastic cases. After 150+ different formulas we finally created a deodorant that worked great, smelled amazing and used sustainable packaging.

What makes your brand unique?

• Our deodorant is hand made by us in Cork
• It’s 100% plastic free
• We use 4 ingredients to tackle body odour, most brands use 1-2
• Our deodorant is a-lot less ‘wet’ than other deodorants, reducing the risk of staining and making the deodorant itself last much longer
• We have unique Irish inspired scents such as our ‘Wexford Strawberry’ scent
• Our packaging is bright and colourful
• We have a strong community, we listen to everything that our customers say. We even let our customers decide what products and scents we should launch next

What are your company’s core values?

• Keep it natural and transparent
• Make sustainability a no brainer
• Don’t take yourself too seriously
• Celebrate the small wins
• Constantly improve and innovate

How do you support your community?

We source our ingredients from as many local small businesses as possible. We donate a small percentage of sales towards planting native Irish trees. We’re also a Bronze Sponsor at Seal Rescue Ireland. We love collaborating and working with other small businesses. Last year we took part in the Big Weigh In – in partnership with Flossie and the Beach Cleaners, it was a huge success!

What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?

Honestly, the reviews and feedback that we get from our customers is so rewarding. Our deodorant was first made in the kitchen and now it’s used by tens of thousands of people, it’s insane! We’ve had so many people reach out who really struggled with body odour (even when they used mainstream antiperspirants), but our deodorant has solved that problem for them, it’s extremely rewarding.

What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?

There’s a warmth and honesty in Irish brands you can’t fake. We’re small but mighty, and we bring a certain charm — whether it’s a bit of humour in our copy, a local story behind a scent, or how Irish products are regarded as very high quality.

What is your favourite product from your brand?

Our Wexford Strawberry scent, it took close to two years to get right. When we first released it, it sold out in less than two days. I absolutely love it.

Tell us about something that has shaped your brand? 

Our first two years were tough— slow growth and a lot of self-doubt. But it pushed us to double down, get more creative with our marketing, and really listen to our customers. That shift in mindset completely changed how we operate, and it’s paying off.

Something else that has shaped our brand is our customers. We listen to everything they say, they’re the reason we’re still here today. Our customers have almost become our family, they cheer us on when times are good, they support us and tell us to keep going when times are bad. We have the best customers in the world.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

We want to greatly expand our product range into products like shampoo bars, body wash, hand wash, moisturiser and more. We also want to become a household name in the UK and Australian markets.