Mother reveals how she turned her hobby making vegan beauty products in her kitchen into a business - and now earns more than £20,000 a year

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A mother-of-two has revealed how she earning £20,000 a year by making homemade vegan beauty products from her kitchen.

Zoe Buckwell, 33, who juggles her time between caring for her 20-month-old Alexander and 16-year-old Jay, runs a successful plant-based business, Zoe Bee Beauty, from her home in Chelmsford, Essex.

Four years ago her skincare 'concoctions' were just a hobby, but she has now turned it into a fully-fledged online company, which she claims comfortably earns her up to £500 a week.

Zoe Buckwell, 33, runs a successful plant-based business, Zoe Bee Beauty, from her home in Chelmsford, Essex

Zoe has now turned her hobby into a fully-fledged online company, which she claims comfortably earns her up to £500 a week

Buckwell first started concocting skincare products as a teen but only went into business four years ago. Lavendar Anti wrinkle Cream, £15.99, is pictured above

Zoe first began whipping up serums, creams and scrubs as a teenager.

She recalled that if she ever got a spot, she would fix up a remedy and claims that in an hour it would have disappeared.

It was a bout of psoriasis that led her to experiment and test different treatments and catalysed the creation of Zoe Bee Beauty.

She recalled: ''My friends and family used to ask for advice about their skin so I thought I could do it for them'. Charcoal and Oat Cream, £25.99, is pictured above

Her products are very popular on shopping website Etsy and regular sell out. Charcoal and Lavender Scrub, £12.99, is pictured above

'It all started because I suffered from psoriasis. I tried creams from the doctors, but nothing was helping,' she said. 'I read up about the benefits of raw Shea Butter.

'I decided that by never heating my cream, my skin would benefit from all the nutrients. I began discovering new ingredients to add to the Shea butter to really help my skin thrive.

'I was once covered head to toe in psoriasis and now my skin is clear. I went on to research the benefits of different creams and oils and even the importance of packaging.

'Plastic can leach chemicals into your beauty products. That's why all my products are in glass jars.'

After the success curtailing her skin problem, her family and friends noticed and were keen to see if she had formulas that could help them.

'My friends and family used to ask for advice about their skin so I thought I could do it for them,' she recalled.

This mum whips up each of her products in her kitchen and they are all animal-cruelty free and natural. Vegan Sunscreen, £15.99, is pictured above

This response led Zoe to realise there was a substantial market in home-made, cruelty-free beauty products and so she started her business in 2012.

Zoe said: 'I first started, offering people advice via my Facebook page. People would often inbox me asking how to reduce scarring or dry skin so I'd send them a recipe they could make themselves.

'I noticed most people would ask if I could make it for them, so I decided to set up an Etsy shop. 

'I wanted to create products that would genuinely help people, and after years of perfecting my creams I was so excited to be able to do just.'

Zoe's son, 20-month-old Alexander tries out his mummy's home-made scrub at bathtime

She described this picture as: 'This exquisite body butter is skin gold! It is  made with 100 per cent natural ingredients including organic green tea, raw Shea butter and unrefined coconut oil, with a fresh light scent of peppermint. Refresh your skin, heal eczema and psoriasis, give your skin a gorgeous glow and much more'

Though she didn't become a vegan herself until 2015 her products have always been 100 per cent raw, natural and free from animal testing.

As for her most popular product, it's the Charcoal and Oat Cream.

'It has so many incredible benefits from healing eczema and psoriasis, to helping cracked dry feet, and it even works great for babies with nappy rash,' Zoe said.

'With a multitude of uses, its been a great product for everyone.

'It contains Activated black charcoal which draws impurities and toxins from your skin leaving you with fantastic results.'

She said: 'She explained: 'People like my products because they're homemade. Nothing is ever heated up and everything is natural'

Though the business has grown slowly, selling through Etsy and at vegan fairs across the country, has meant Zoe's products often sell out.

While she pays herself £500 a week, she mostly reinvests the company's earnings from the range, which is priced from £6.99 to £30.

Zoe hopes to one day set up her own shop and sell products in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

She explained: 'People like my products because they're homemade. Nothing is ever heated up and everything is natural.

Zoe considers everything from the ingredients, formula and packaging to make sure the product is sustainable and harm-free

'I hope to get into some of the department stores, it would be good to become more well known.'

Working from home and running her own business is invaluable to Zoe, and not just because it affords her small luxuries but because it lets her spend more time with her family.

The engaged-to-be-married mother, who also posts her images on Instagram where she has more than 2,000 fans, said: 'My business enables me to be at home with my little boy which I'm incredibly grateful for.'