Peace, Love & Soul by Universal Works X Harvest

Peace, Love & Soul – Introducing the new Universal Works. X Harvest Skincare collaboration.

Available online now and in store from 12.04.21 

Now the clocks have sprung forward we’ve finally got that long-awaited daylight cashback. Evenings are brighter, the weather’s getting warmer and, in a week or two, things should start to feel a bit more ‘normal’ again.

With new beginnings round the corner and freedom on the horizon, we thought it would be a good excuse to team up with Harvest for a second time, to create something that could help us all celebrate the start of summer and the re-opening of our Universal Works shops. 

Otherwise known as Birmingham’s olfactory masters, some of you will have already seen the Wellness Kit skincare collaboration we did with Harvest in 2020. This time around, the focus has switched to something more atmospheric, with the launch of a candle and incense cone, which we’ve developed to help bring some seriously good smells into the home, shop, shed, or office. 

We figured that after the winter of discontent, it was high time we gave our noses a break from the mundanity of lockdown and gave those conks a whiff of something designed to energise the senses instead. Taking the natural route was important to us – we’ve all suffered the head-pounding perils of a chemical plug-in or a complimentary car-wash air-freshener, so we leaned on the expertise of Harvest founder Katie Fisher to help guide the way. 

A trained holistic practitioner and aromatherapist, Katie was a skincare industry specialist for 15 years before opening the first Harvest shop in 2015. Based in the Kings Heath area of Birmingham, the brand now has over 100 stockists worldwide and prides itself on only using organic ingredients, free from any chemical nasties. 

Speaking about how she helped us to blend a Universal Works scent, Katie explained the process in a bit more detail and said, “Before we could start making the candles and incense, the whole team needed agree on a formula that represented the favourite smells of Universal Works. The science behind it is complex, but it’s basically split into top, heart and base notes. After a few months of sampling, we settled on the final combination, which included: Bergamot, Lemongrass, Clove, Basil, Cedar and Sandalwood. The active impact of all these fragrances together is refreshing, uplifting, warming and soothing for the soul. It’s this earthy but vibrant mix of essential oils that we’ll use for the hand-rolled incense cones and combine with soy wax to create a candle that creates a clean burn and gives a nurturing, long-lasting scent. We’re big believers collaborating with like-minded businesses who understand that less is more and make a serious effort to use simple, biodegradable and reusable packaging. Everything is made by hand in our own in-store Harvest kitchen with no palm oil, parabens, SLS, synthetic colours or fragrance. Nature takes care of us – so we need to take care of it.” 

In keeping with the spirit of the Universal Works ethos, we’ve decided to call the combined fruits of our labour ‘Peace, Love & Soul’. For those of you in the market for a mood-lifting aroma, you’ll be happy to know that the Universal Works X Harvest Peace, Love & Soul candle and incense cones  available online now and on sale in our stores from the 12th of April.

Universal Works. x Harvest Skincare.