EP144. Celebrating eco-beauty pioneers

One of my mentors recently told me that the world's first trillionaire was likely to be someone who invests in green industries. Now, firstly, that's hugely problematic because no single person should own over a trillion dollars. Clearly that's ridiculous, totally unnecessary, and no one should aspire to that. But it does make you think about the fact that the entrepreneurs of today, at least those who are placing eco responsibility at the very heart of their business, will likely be the ones who eclipse the entrepreneurs who who aren't doing that. And while it's taking some shoppers time to catch up with the need to buy sustainably, it is only a matter of time until that completely changes. The climate and ecological crises are going to hit us like a ton of bricks if we don't change our behaviors. But I have faith that we can. And I have faith that the entire beauty industry can make an enormous shift to accommodate that behavioural change. Last week here on the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, I interviewed Shannon Goldberg, Founder and Chief Zero Waste Officer at Izz Zero Waste Beauty. I first discovered Izzy earlier this year when I was judging the Blue Beauty Awards, and Shannon's brand won three awards there, including the overall winner category. And interviewing her last week made me realize that the eco beauty pioneers of today will be tomorrow's beauty giants. But what does that look like? Well, join me as I explore this fascinating idea in today's podcast episode. Hi, it's Lorraine Dallmeier, chartered environmentalist, biologist and CEO of Award Win Online Organic Cosmetic Formulation School Formula Botanica. I host the Green Beauty Conversations podcast and these are my Green Beauty opinions in which I share my takeaways from the podcast interview we released last week and set you a challenge to make the green beauty sector a better place. If you want to be the first to hear all of my latest episodes, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. When it comes to sustainability and eco responsibility, it's easy to say it can't be done or it's too hard or I can't afford it. And believe me, I've heard all of these excuses many times from indie brands over the years. But then you hear an interview like the one I did last week with Shannon of Izzy Zero Waste Beauty and you realize that it can be done. Shannon couldn't find the packaging she needed, so she went to a manufacturer who creates weapons of all things, and as a result, they now also make mascara tubes. Isn't that amazing? Shannon didn't want to have a huge supply chain impact, so she set up her supply chain to be limited to a 400 mile radius. Yes, she's having to seek funding now because no doubt this approach is more expensive, but it's also more responsible. And that's the thing I love the most about the indie beauty entrepreneurs I work with and speak to every day. They care. In fact, they care so much that they embed these eco principles at the very core of their brands. And they're innovating in such a way that I truly believe that the sustainable beauty pioneers of today will be tomorrow's beauty giants. Do we maybe need a new name for these pioneers? Eco beauty entrepreneurs, perhaps. Let's not forget that the very role of an entrepreneur is to disrupt and change the industry they work in. Through their ideas and their innovation, they're bringing to market something that we need. Look at some of the amazing entrepreneurs I've already interviewed on this podcast. Anna Brightman of Upcircle Beauty, for instance, who I interviewed in episode 59, Go and Listen to it now, who was told repeatedly that you can't use upcycled ingredients safely in cosmetics. And then she went out and proved everyone wrong time and time again. Her brand is soaring at the moment. They raised hundreds of thousands in crowdfunding and Anna was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list last year. Or look at Joe Chidley of Beauty Kitchen and Riri, who I interviewed in episode 125, who saw that no one was sorting out silver, secular packaging and beauty at an industry level. So she and her husband went and set up the company to do it not just for their entire brand, but for the entire industry. There are now refilling stations and collection schemes in major supermarkets because of the word work that Jo and Stuart are doing. That's what I mean by being truly entrepreneurial. They're disrupting, they're innovating. And what's interesting is that the reasons people have for starting businesses is slowly but surely shifting. According to a 2017 report by the bank HSBC, 25% of entrepreneurs in their 20s, that's one in four, want their businesses to positively impact the environment and their local community. That same study found that only 13% of entrepreneurs in their 50s, half that number, share those same values. And that's amazing because we're seeing that the influential entrepreneurs of tomorrow are starting to want to balance their financial returns to with sustainability, then tie that in with the so called pandemic epiphanies that people have been having, which has caused most of us to rethink our values and ask questions about how wealth is actually being used and for some beauty entrepreneurs, this could be the moment to seize the day and do things differently. The beauty industry is ripe for the picking. This industry is a dinosaur when it comes to sustainability. Forget the awards that the big players are picking up. They're meaningless in the face of their stale insecurity based messaging that will drive drive insane over consumption. The eco beauty entrepreneurs of tomorrow will eventually completely change the beauty industry and I sincerely look forward to watching that happen. So my challenge to you for this week is to tell me which eco beauty entrepreneur I need to have on the podcast next. I've interviewed so many amazing ones already and I've got a fantastic lineup for the start of 2023, but I am always looking for more stories to help inspire and shape a different beauty industry. Email us@helloormulabata.com or DM me on Instagram. Lorraine Darmeyer let's keep these stories coming because the more future entrepreneurs we inspire, the more we will positively change the beauty industry. Thank you for listening to my Green beauty opinions. Remember to visit the Formula botanica website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. And if you haven't subscribed yet to the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, please make sure you do so now in your favorite podcast app and leave me a five star review if you enjoy the conversations. I host and I'll be back soon with my next episode.