Based in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Mariann Foley is the founder and maker behind Duckberry Goose, an Irish, women-owned micro-business creating natural skincare and cleaning products in small batches.
Duckberry Goose began with something deeply personal. As a mum, Mariann wanted to create products that were gentle enough for her firstborn, who had additional needs and highly sensitive skin. Her first creation was an all-natural sunscreen, followed by natural, newborn-safe cleaning products, and from there an idea that had been quietly growing in her mind — influenced by her Granny's traditional remedies and formidable work ethic — began to take shape.
Since 2012, Duckberry Goose has evolved from those early experiments in Mariann's tiny kitchen into a range of botanical skincare and natural cleaning products, all made with the same underlying philosophy: products should work hard, but they should also be kind to our skin and our environment.
“I wanted to create products that were entirely natural, highly effective yet gentle for people whose skin reacts to everything.”
Today, Duckberry Goose makes products with sensitive skin, allergies and sensory needs in mind, including unscented options. Having taken multiple formulation classes, Mariann's approach is very much about less, but better — choosing ingredients for their performance and skin compatibility, and creating multifunctional formulations so that a smaller number of carefully considered skincare products can do more.
There is something wonderfully hands-on about Duckberry Goose.
Although the finished products may look polished and refined, at heart this remains a small-scale making business. Every product is handmade in small batches, with freshness, quality and attention to detail at the centre of the process. Products are freshly made each month rather than sitting in a warehouse for long periods.
Formulation begins with the ingredients. Plant oils, botanical extracts, floral waters, shea butter and modern actives all have a place in the Duckberry Goose world. The ingredient glossary on the website reflects this combination of traditional botanical knowledge and contemporary skincare formulation — from plant oils and botanical extracts to ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
It is this meeting of nature, knowledge and experimentation that makes the making process so interesting. A formula isn't simply about putting beautiful ingredients together. Each ingredient has to earn its place.
What Inspires Her Work?
One of the strongest influences on Duckberry Goose is family.
Mariann's Granny is part of the brand's origin story — her traditional remedies, hands on knowledge passed down generations and her close, personal relationship of nature helped to plant the seed for what would eventually become Duckberry Goose.
That sense of looking backwards while continuing to experiment is still evident in the brand today.
There is also a strong connection to the natural world. Botanical oils, flowers, herbs, marine ingredients and plant extracts aren't simply decorative elements; they are fundamental to the formulations. The aim is to understand what an ingredient can do and how it can work alongside others.
And then there is Ireland itself — Duckberry Goose is made in Bray, Co. Wicklow, with locally sourced ingredients, labels, and amber glass packaging as well as a focus on ingredients and materials that are kinder to the environment.
Favourite Materials
If you open up the Duckberry Goose ingredient cupboard, you'll find a fascinating mix of botanical oils, extracts, hydrolats and active ingredients.
The Nourishing Facial Oil, for example, brings together 11 plant oils and botanical extracts. The newer formulations combine botanical ingredients with carefully selected modern actives, such as hyaluronic acid, peptides and bakuchiol. These formulations have COSMOS Natural and Organic Certificaitons attached to them. They are manufactured, rather than hand-made to achieve efficacy and consistency for the modern, educated, sophisticated consumer.
And then there is the humble amber glass bottle.
Packaging is an important part of the making philosophy. Duckberry Goose uses recyclable, refillable amber glass wherever possible, recycled-paper labels and recycled cardboard and shredded paper for packaging. Cleaning products are also available as refills, helping customers reuse their containers rather than continually replacing them.
For Mariann, sustainability isn't an add-on to the product — it is part of the decision-making process from the beginning.
One of the things I love about the Duckberry Goose collection is that different products reveal different parts of Mariann's making journey.
The Nourishing Facial Oil captures the botanical side of the business: a golden, multifunctional blend designed to nourish and hydrate the skin.
The Nourishing Nail Serum is another lovely example of the Duckberry Goose philosophy. Small, concentrated and multifunctional, it combines ingredients including evening primrose oil, grapeseed oil, lemon oil and sea salt crystals in a tiny amber pipette bottle.
And the natural cleaning range perhaps tells the Duckberry Goose story most directly: everyday products redesigned with gentler ingredients, refillable packaging and consideration for the people using them, as well as Ireland's waterways and wildlife.
Making With a Purpose
At the heart of Duckberry Goose is a fairly simple idea: Natural shouldn't mean ineffective, and effective shouldn't mean harsh.
Mariann's work sits in that space between traditional botanical knowledge and modern formulation — creating products that are practical, beautiful and considered, while remaining mindful of sensitive skin, sensory needs and environmental impact.
Duckberry Goose is COSMOS certified, botanical and vegan, and the brand places particular emphasis on small-scale production, responsible sourcing and reducing unnecessary waste.
It is a very personal kind of making. Every bottle represents not only a formulation, but a series of decisions: which ingredient to use, how much is enough, how the product should feel, how it should be packaged and, ultimately, how it will fit into someone's everyday life.
The Person Behind Duckberry Goose
For Mariann, being a maker isn't just about making the product. It's about researching, experimenting, problem-solving, learning, making mistakes, refining formulas and starting again.
It's about being a mother who wanted something gentler for her family.
It's about remembering a Granny who knew the value of traditional remedies and hard work.
It's about building a business slowly and intentionally from a tiny kitchen.
And it's about still being curious enough to ask: What could this ingredient do? What could make this formula better? And how can I make something that is genuinely useful to somebody?
That curiosity is what continues to move Duckberry Goose forward.
From a first sunscreen made for one child, to a growing collection of Irish skincare and natural cleaning products, Duckberry Goose remains rooted in the same principle that started it all: make with intention and care.
