CONTENT BEAUTY & WELLBEING
About Us
Since 2008, CONTENT has been a home for natural and organic beauty that works as well as it looks, made with ingredients we’re happy to put on our skin.
We were one of the first specialist natural beauty shops in the world, pairing the next generation of natural brands with naturopathy, acupuncture and holistic treatments, so you could feel as good as your skin looked.
Many of the brands now called “clean beauty” started their UK or European life on our shelves: RMS Beauty in 2009, Ilia and Tata Harper in 2010, then May Lindstrom, Nuori, Therapi, Manasi 7, Le Rub, Abel, Twelve and many more.
In 2026 we were named Best Independent Retailer at the European Natural Beauty Awards, for clear, honest communication and championing natural brands.
Why the name? Content means a state of peaceful happiness, which is how we want you to feel in your skin. It also means what’s held inside something: the products on our shelves and the ingredients in them.
The Beginning
Founder & Stores
Imelda grew up in New Zealand with a skin condition that meant a prescription cream every day for over 20 years. When she moved to London in the late nineties and couldn’t get that cream, she started reading labels and never stopped. After years of hunting down the best products for herself, she opened CONTENT in Marylebone in 2008, a natural beauty shop for people who love beauty products. She is the author of The Nature of Beauty and wrote The Green Edit, The Telegraph’s weekly green beauty column.
The Store
We opened in Marylebone in 2008 and were often called the 'sweet shop' for natural beauty. We were named in the Best Beauty Shops in the World (Elle Spain), and won the Wallpaper Design Award for Best Facial, was listed in the Top 10 London Spas (Harper's Bazaar), Top 3 Beauty Websites (The Independent) and Top 40 World's Best Beauty Bloggers (Stella Magazine), as well as being featured in Vogue's Secret Address Book.
We moved to a larger store at the end of 2018, expanding our naturopathic clinic, facial treatments and events, alongside adding fashion brands (natural fibre/dyes, and recycled fibres) lifestyle products and books. Since 2020 we’ve been mainly online (thank you Covid!), with a studio in London where you can try make-up, perfume and skincare with our team.
The Edit
Our Products
CONTENT is a destination for the curious, those who like to ask questions, support makers and vote for a better world with their choices.
Every product we stock meets our Content Approved standard. We audit the ingredient list and choose brands whose founders make products they use themselves. Some of our customers want everything 100% natural and organic. Others want something that feels familiar but leaves out ingredients they don’t want to use. Both are good choices, and we're here to help you make yours.
In the rapidly evolving natural, organic beauty & wellbeing sectors, CONTENT provides a carefully curated selection of some of the most highly regarded ‘clean’ beauty brands from around the world.
Brand selection involves meeting our ingredients and packaging criteria, while also focusing on beautiful products that look great in your bathroom or bag - going natural no longer requires a compromise on results or design.
Read more in What is Clean Beauty? and Ingredients We Avoid.
Shop By Ethos
Our Badges
Since 2008 we have been making it easier for you to identify what's important to you and in many instances also better for the planet.
Each brand has been chosen for their ethos - whether it be choosing the best plant ingredients, editing out ingredients or steps towards sustainability. Over 85% of the brands have women founders and the majority of them are, like us, independently owned.
Whether you like to shop vegan, want to support local brands or like to know that the brand you purchase is 3rd party certified organic - just look for our badges.
DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Actions & Initiatives
CONTENT likes to do things differently - it's how we started back in 2008!
Bye Bye Perfect: Removed the word perfect from all product descriptions on our website. Why? We think you are good enough the way you are.
VAT-Free Sanitary Products: From March 2017 - December 31st 2020 we paid the VAT for our customers on all period items. In January 2021 the UK government finally removed VAT from these products.
Feminists Don't Wear Pink: After the book launch pop-up installation was removed from Topshop by its owner in 2018, we donated the window of our Marylebone store to the book publishers so they could continue to celebrate this inspirational book.
How to Shop With Us
We understand that switching to natural for the first time or trying a new brand might mean that you have a few questions - we can help!
Book a consultation in our London studio, or on video from wherever you are. We'll ask what you use now, what you love and what your skin objects to, then suggest where to start.
Questions? Email us at help@beingcontent.com.
