Sustainability
We CARE About Sustainability!
Fast Fashion is not the only industry that sacrifices the environment, human rights, and animal welfare for profit. The Cosmetics industry, including both skincare and beauty, has also benefitted from exploitation. We believe that having a more ethical + sustainable supply chain and production is the way the industry needs to go. It is essential for creating a more sustainable and equitable world. We want to make the ethical + sustainable options more accessible, so we offer a better alternative to this “Fast Cosmetics” mainstream and traditional model.
We understand there are nuances to this topic and more than one way to solve this problem, but we are taking conscious and deliberate steps to improve the industry.
This is how. We focus on…
Renewable Resources
Pollution Reduction and Offsets
Carbon Conscious and Offset Transport
Zero Waste, Compostable, Reusable and Recyclable Packaging
Circular Economy
Fair Trade
Pesticide Free and Regenerative Farming
Palm Free and Cruelty Free
Let's break these down. How do we define and implement these?
Renewable Resources:
We prioritize renewable, regenerative, pesticide-free, upcycled and post-consumer recycled materials in both our ingredients and our packaging. We work to reduce material, energy and water usage at every level of the supply chain and production. We focus on production practices that utilize renewable energies and efficiencies, safer ingredients and formulations, upcycled agricultural waste and recycled ingredients. We are a low waste manufacturing facility that utilizes composting, recycling and waste reduction auditing.Â
Carbon Conscious:
We have partnered with Offset to financially offset the carbon footprint of our shipping. We prioritize suppliers from the US to reduce transportation related carbon cost and miles traveled. We use plastic-free materials for shipping that are post-consumer recycled, 100% recyclable and home compostable/biodegradable (90 day or less breakdown). We have also partnered with One Tree Planted to plant a tree with every order to support ecological reforestation efforts globally.
Sourcing:
Ingredients matter. We work with suppliers with ethical farming and harvesting practices. We prioritize suppliers that are dedicated to pesticide-free, organic, fair trade, palm-free, anti-overharvesting, cruelty free, and carbon conscious commitments. For example, our coffee is sourced through Grounds of Change which protects migratory birds. It supports small shareholder sustainable coffee farms in Guatemala which use shade grown, organic and fair trade practices. Our Shea Butter is sourced from a small shareholder community in Ghana and is hand-processed by women. The Shea Butter is organic and fair trade, and supports its community with a fair, livable and community-negotiated wage.
Our Cocoa Butter is sourced from the same supplier as our Shea Butter with the same fair-trade certification, plus they utilize inter-cropping. Intercropping is a regenerative farming approach that increases and optimizes yields by growing complimentary crops together and is overall ecologically healthier. Our Antioxidant Facial Oils are made using upcycled blueberry and raspberry seeds salvaged from agricultural waste, as well as acai and passion fruit oils sourced from small shareholder indigenous suppliers in South America that are sustainably wild-harvested, organic and fair trade.
We also do extensive research on the integrity of our ingredients. We only use ingredients from plant sources that have healthy conservation statuses. That means no endangered or threatened plants. We never use ingredients that are found on the INCI Red List and utilize the CITES database to ensure plants our ingredients come from have ecologically healthy growth patterns, productivity, and abundance. For example, we are a palm oil free company due to deforestation and human rights violations happening in the palm oil industry.
In terms of safety, we make sure we are compliant with the FDA, EPA, COSMOS, and Sephora Clean standards. We also use nature-derived and/or nature-identical safe synthetics when it makes the most sustainable sense to do so. For example, we use lab-made mica because it is safer, anti child labor/slavery, and it has a significantly lower carbon footprint than Earth-harvested mica.
Quality:
Our products are cost effective and high quality. For example, our shampoo bars are estimated to last 80+ washes because they are formulated in a way that stretches their life out longer. Formulation is not the only factor that contributes to our high quality, so does our packaging. For example, our durable and reusable glass jars with metal caps keep your product safe and secured for the duration of its shelf life. To ensure the safety, longevity and integrity of our products, we use safe preservatives. We also have refill and bulk size options
Reduce Waste:
We utilize sustainable packaging design using reusable, regenerative, recyclable and home compostable/biodegradable packaging. Our paperboard tubes are home compostable that biodegrade in 90 days or less. Our labels are made with tree-free, sugarcane paper that is unbleached and compatible to be disposed of in both recycling and composting systems.
Final Thoughts
As a brand, we believe there needs to be more than just a “sustainability” claim.
That’s why our sourcing, ingredients and packaging actually have a story of sustainability behind them.
This provides transparency and accountability to our brand.
We are committed to make a positive environmental and social impact.