Episode #51. More Than Skin Deep: The Truth About Moisturisers, Marketing & Movement with Julie Macken
Most of us never stop to ask: what’s actually in our skincare—and is it helping or harming?
In this episode, I speak with natural skincare founder and chemist Julie Macken about why it’s time to rethink what we put on our skin. We explore the surprising truth about moisturisers, the marketing messages we’ve absorbed without question, and how our skin—our body’s largest organ—needs support just as much as our muscles and joints.
We also dive into the privilege of ageing, the power of simple ingredients, and why many popular skincare routines may be doing more harm than good. Julie shares practical insights, gentle alternatives, and the chemistry behind what your skin really needs (and doesn’t).
Whether you’re already label-savvy or have never looked beyond the front of the bottle—this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.
Chapters
02:15 Understanding the Skin: Functions and Structure
07:41 Factors Affecting Skin Health: Movement, Nutrition, and Hydration
11:29 The Impact of Stress on Skin Health
12:52 Julie’s Journey into Skincare
15:12 The Science Behind Skincare Products
27:34 Debunking Skincare Myths and Misconceptions
30:26 Reframing Aging and Skin Health
40:14 Effective Skincare Routines
46:30 The Role of Moisturizers and Retinol
55:41 Environmental Responsibility in Skincare
About this week’s guest:
Julie Macken
After graduating with a Chemistry Degree and subsequent MBA, Julie spent 25 years in corporate life, working in Sales and Marketing for companies including Unilever, GSK and McDonald's initially client side, then moving to agency, specialising in marketing training and consultancy, with 18 months living in Tokyo. Her ”aha moment” came whilst running a marketing workshop in Sao Paulo Brazil, the objective of which was to persuade South Americans to eat plastic-packed frozen chips instead of fresh potatoes.
Realising there were more fulfilling ways to utilise her skills, Julie founded Neve’s Bees a family skincare business creating a unique range of waterless skincare, using only natural products and sustainable ingredients blended with Oxfordshire beeswax, promoting healthy skin and a healthy eco-system. Neve’s Bees is on a mission to bring back the UK’s wildflower meadows and the pollinators these support & donating per sale to wildlife charities and including packs of bee-friendly wildflower seeds with online orders, creating thousands of mini-meadows™ throughout the UK. Following a lifelong passion, Julie is also studying part time for a degree in Traditional Herbal Medicine
Julie lives in Rural Oxfordshire with her husband, 2 children, 3 cats, 4 hens, 5 beehives, 6-acre wildflower meadow and Bella the Dog.
Connect here:
Search @nevesbees for all things Neves Bees
Website: https://nevesbees.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nevesbees/
Resources:
“The Buzz” - Articles referred to in the conversation:
Ingredients to Avoid in Skincare
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More about your host, Wendy
Wendy (50) founded Reclaim Movement after a running injury at 40 turned into 4 years of chronic pain. In her search for answers and to reclaim her own movement again she discovered natural movement. The philosophy of training real life practical movements to be able to keep using them as we age, coupled with the benefit of using strengthening and mobilising whole-body movement patterns that are underused in today’s modern world made her realise she had found a way to move for life.
Wendy’s aim is to help people embrace a movement-rich life, at any age, to improve mobility, strength and confidence to keep moving well and doing the things they love for as long as they want.
MovNat Level 1 certified & Functional Range Conditioning certified, she coaches online group classes live & by replay in the Reclaim Movement membership as well as online and in-person private coaching in Oxford.
Find out more about Reclaim Movement:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/reclaim.movement
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@reclaim.movement
Facebook: https://facebook.com/reclaim.movement
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