The health benefits of Omega 3 are well known, the difficulty lies in getting enough of it. Now a Brighton woman has created a high quality oil which has been snapped up by Liberty and Space NK

Brighton mother of three Melanie Lawson is the founder of exciting new company, Bare Biology. Having launched her product, Bare Biology Lion Heart Omega 3 Oil only last September, she is already seeing her hard work pay off as it is being sold in Liberty of London.

It was Melanie’s keen interest in health and nutrition that led her to search for high quality Omega 3 oil for her family. When she failed to find one that was good enough, she decided to develop her own.

“I opened for business in September last year but I had been working on it for about 18 months before that,” explains Melanie. “I wanted a really good quality Omega 3 for my family and after doing lots of research, the only one I was happy with had to be imported from the USA. The strength of the oil and the purity are really important – there’s very little point taking small doses and most capsules only contain a few hundred milligrams. Fish can also be heavily polluted with nasties like mercury and arsenic. I spotted a gap in the market and I truly believe in the power of Omega 3, so I decided to do my own. Once I started doing some research and meeting manufacturers, it just took on a life of its own and the more I did, the more it felt right.”

It was a year before Melanie tracked down the best-quality fish oil producer in Norway to make her product, before adding a little lemon oil and bottling it. Since taking the oil she and her children have had some amazing results. “My mood is much better and I can handle stress more easily. Being a parent is very demanding and can get you down sometimes, especially when you’re working, and I find that I cope much better when I religiously take my fish oil. I’ve also noticed that my skin is very clear and not at all dry, my hair is shiny and my nails are very strong.

“My children are much calmer and more reasonable and my son’s Keratosis pilaris, those little bumps you get on the back of your arms, has completely gone. It also helps my eldest daughter’s eczema – she has far fewer flare-ups now.”

Since the launch in September, Melanie, a former advertising executive, has received some enthusiastic feedback from happy customers who have noticed real benefits for themselves and their children.

This month Melanie has launched a new children’s product called Super Hero: “It’s a great tasting liquid, really high in DHA which children need the most. A one millilitre drop contains the same amount of Omega 3 as a whole tin of sardines! My children are happy to take the oil and my children are at the high end of the fussy scale,” says Melanie. “It’s part of the reason I do give them a supplement; getting them to eat enough oily fish is impossible. They take it happily and understand that it’s good for them. My four-year-old takes great pride in telling me that she doesn’t need to drink water afterwards!”

Melanie bottled 190 litres to start the company last September (about 1,400 bottles) and she already needs to replenish her stock. “I had estimated that it would take a year to sell the initial stock so I’m very happy with the way sales are going,” says Melanie. “The packaging was the hardest bit by far, my background in advertising and evaluating creative concepts helped a lot, but when it’s so personal it’s hard to be objective and have perspective. The idea evolved around the image of a heart to support the product name, Omega 3 is incredibly good for cardiovascular health so it was an integral part of the message. I used an illustrator called Sarah Coleman and a packaging designer called Dan Lowe.”

Melanie is hoping the contract with Liberty will help educate more people about the benefits of Omega 3 oil and the need to take a good quality, pure brand and that it will give her product a platform from which to grow. “It’s fantastic to get Lion Heart onto the shelves of such an influential store. Liberty is synonymous with good taste so I’m very proud that Lion Heart was up to scratch. It’s a very exciting time.”

Lion Heart is also now stocked in all Space NK stores, including Brighton and Chichester, and the capsule version of Lion Heart will be available from this month.

“I’m launching a capsule version of Lion Heart for people who travel a lot or want the convenience factor. There will be further products down the line and an expansion into other supplements, but I’m just sticking to Omega 3 for now.”

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More information

If you would like to order, visit www.barebiology.com or visit The Dolphin House Clinic in Brighton, “It’s a great place to buy products from because all of their profits go to charity to help less privileged children in the local area have access to holistic therapies. The staff are super-knowledgeable and they offer a wide range of quality supplements,” explains Melanie.

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