Green, organic, clean, nontoxic… it seems like every beauty brand is boasting at least one of these buzzwords in attempts to tap into the conscious beauty industry. Alas, with consumer’s growing skepticism, it takes far more than mindful marketing to prevail in today’s purpose-driven, sustainable sector.
LOLI Beauty is the world’s first zero-waste, Made Safe-certified beauty brand that sources organic, wild-harvested ingredients that are raw, fair trade, non-GMO and upcycled from food to create their waterless skincare line. The brand launched in July 2014 and has proved it’s not just another buzzword brand, topping acclaimed award lists from an Honorable Mention for 2018 Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award to the 2019 Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Sustainability Excellence Award.
LOLI Beauty Founder, Tina Hedges, is considered to be a beauty shaman of sorts and has had an impressive career holding top positions at beauty market mavens like L’OREAL and Estée Lauder. However, it’s her more boutique beauty work with LOLI that is making serious strides (or should I say stirs) to challenge and build a more responsible beauty world.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY?
Tina Hedges, Founder of LOLI Beauty.
LOLI BEAUTY
“To me, sustainable beauty means you have considered the full circle, from product to packaging to supply chain…you have consciously made every decision for the people and the planet,” says Hedges.
Although you may feel fatigued by sustainable slang these days, it’s still a fairly new movement — especially for beauty. Consequently, a lot of companies (especially older cash cows) don’t have the proper infrastructure or visibility to efficiently and effectively measure their true environmental impact, causing continued greenwashing and consumer dissonance.
For example, Hedges voiced that a well-known beauty brand’s “clean” product line isn’t all what it claims to be despite it’s marketed recycled, compostable product packaging. “(The recycled shell) is pressed using adhesive that is toxic and not compostable,” says Hedges.
Many argue that what is toxic for you isn’t necessarily toxic to someone else, but it is certainly still noteworthy and concerning when Europe has over 1,000 ingredients banned in products and the US has 11.
As a nimble start-up, LOLI, has been able to stay grounded while growing it’s a 360-degree sustainable brand from the grassroots… literally.
WATERLESS DESIGN
Today, most products are composed of up to 80% water, diluting the active ingredients and therefore diminishing the potency of the product. Dry beauty may not sound too appealing, but the power truly seems to be in the powder.
“On your skin, water can be over-drying and strip the healthy oils from your skin…it also grows bacteria so it can make a product unstable,” says Hedges. LOLI Beauty uses an on-demand water approach where you add a dose of H20 every use to activate the powered products, rather than drowning them.
The brand’s elixirs, like their best-selling, glow-inducing plum serum, also nix water-usage and leverage the naked benefits of it’s nutrient-dense oils and all-natural ingredients, keeping the formula as potent as possible.
CUSTOMIZATION
The personalization factor is yet another benefit of using waterless powder products. “We keep the ingredient list short so you can add ingredients when and how you need them,” says Hedges. From yogurt to honey you can truly stir in any ingredient to fit your current skin crisis. “Personally, I love anything fermented,” says Hedges. “Our coconut vinegar is more active than apple cider vinegar… I also love Manuka honey, Ayurvedic herb infusions, date nut syrup and coconut yogurt.” It’s like mixology meets clean cosmetology.
SOCIAL GOOD & GIVE BACK
Transparency is key to build and maintain a conscious, clean beauty brand. LOLI Beauty is a member of Made in a Free World (the only member from the beauty industry) to police their supply chain for unethical child labor. Furthermore, for every purchase of $75 or more, LOLI donates $1 to FRDM which allows the brand to assess the material risk of human trafficking for every action taken.
CIRCULARITY
To create a fully circular business model from cradle-to-cradle LOLI Beauty packages it’s waterless products in reusable glass jars with fully compostable labels , packaged in compostable bags and recycled boxes.
LOLI Beauty is one of the only beauty brands on the market today that is truly taking a thorough and holistic approach to sustainability. At only 5 years young, this conscious, clean beauty brand is one to watch.
[“source=forbes”]
