Next week, I’ll be kicking off a mini-series with Dara answering all sorts of pertinent beauty questions. So stay tuned for her insights as she freely discusses some surprising bits of wisdom gleaned from her years of expertise at the helm of Ayla Beauty. She definitely knows her stuff! I’m getting so much out of what she shared as a beauty insider.
What defines a movement? The dictionary says it’s “a group of diffusely organized people or organizations striving toward a common goal relating to human society or social change.”
If that is the definition, then there’s no doubt that green beauty has become a movement that is poised to make epic changes to the way we “do” beauty. It already is. What began as scrupulous attention to minimizing toxicity in our personal care products has gained momentum in other areas of our lives.
When we pause to consider the ingredients that are going on our skin, it tends to reflect other changes too.
Though we think of beauty as being purely visual, the ripple effect the movement is having spans to unprecedented changes in the way companies and consumers are making sustainable choices, impacting new legislation, and even coursing deeper—to the conversations we are having with ourselves.
So I wanted to find out what the women who are helping to create these shifts had to say about the topic. Here’s what they shared when asked the question:
How has the green beauty movement shifted our beauty attitudes?
Gianne Doherty, Founder Organic Bath Co. & The W.E.L.L. Summit
“Green beauty is conscious beauty. We are conscious of the quality of the ingredients we use, how these ingredients impact not only our bodies, but the environment, as well; we are also conscious of the people who produce those ingredients and their earning fair wages. We want people to feel good about how the products they are using are affecting others and the world we live in.”
Kristen Arnett, Healthy Beauty Expert & Founder of GreenBeautyTeam.com
“I’ve noticed when people become aware and educated about how their beauty purchases are affecting their health, and the health of the planet, their focus becomes less about an ‘at all costs pursuit of perfectionism’ attitude and they relax into a more holistic way of living that supports true well-being, and develop a much deeper sense of the co-mingling between inner and outer beauty.”
[Check out my guest posts for Green Beauty Team here!]
Jaya Savannah, Strategy Coach for Holistic Businesses, Jaya Savannah.com
“One of best outcomes is that green beauty shoppers are looking more than skin-deep into their product choices. They still want products that will produce a positive result on their skin, but they also want products that positively benefit the ecology—and even the economy. You are correct in labeling it as a movement. Indie brand makers have started it, but it’s also led by the stockists, the promoters, and the consumers as well. The attitude is no longer, ‘What will this do for me?’ but ‘What other impact does my purchase make?’ Instead of selfish beauty, the attitude is now about connected beauty.”
[Check out Jaya’s awesome Facebook group Guru HQ for Holistic Experts here!]
Rebecca Casciano – Makeup Artist, Natural Beauty Expert and Founder of Sacred Beauty Salon Series
“Not only has it made us more conscious about the ingredients in our cosmetics, it’s made us more conscious about sustainable and healthy beauty in so many ways. By choosing green beauty, we become part of a passionate, positive and inspiring community of people who are making the world a better place. We want to support the women who create our products as much as we want to use and enjoy them. We have turned a daily routine into an act of self-care, a sacred beauty ritual. We are more thoughtful about how we live and interact with others. The green beauty movement is transforming our beliefs about beauty in the most natural and needed ways– and I’m so grateful!”
[Check out my write up about Sacred Beauty Salon here!]
Jillian Wright, co-founder of Indie Beauty Expo and founder of Jillian Wright Skincare
“The green beauty movement is revving up people’s curiosity and confidence to ask the hard questions and hold beauty companies accountable for the ingredients they use in their formulas. Whether it is prompted by someone’s illness or acquired sensitivities or simply wanting a better, healthier life, the more people that join this movement, it ends up becoming the status quo.”
[Check out my write up about Jillian Wright here & here!]
Jeannie Jarnot, Founder of Beauty Heroes
“I believe the Green Beauty movement is having a profound affect as it undeniably connects us more to nature. The more we connect on a daily basis with nature, by touching it to our skin in the form of organic and therapeutic plant oils and essences, the more inclined we are to make decisions that preserve and protect our planet and all its beauty. Furthermore, green beauty, while highly effective in taking care of the skin, has layered effects on our overall well-being. Because of this, I think that beauty products are being appreciated for more than the visual results they impart, but how they make us feel as and after we apply them. Green beauty has drawn us to appreciate how our products makes us feel, over and above how they make us look.
“Because green beauty is typically crafted in small batches, by artisan formulators that often employ traditional methods, this movement is connecting us back to the people actually making our beauty products and often times to the people growing the raw materials. I think it’s a very special quality of this movement that returns us back to connection with each other. For me, when I know about the people and origins of a product, I enjoy using it so much more. I feel connected. And that to me is the definition of beauty and luxury.”
[Check out my many write ups about Beauty Heroes here!]
Dara Kennedy, Founder of Ayla Beauty
“When Ayla Beauty first launched, I felt as though there weren’t many people who were thinking about green beauty, but that’s completely changed. There are two things in particular that I love:
“Because there’s a lot more interest in green beauty, the market can support more brands, and we see greater innovation as a result. I think we all are demanding more from our natural beauty products, too, as we should. A natural product graveyard is still a product graveyard; it’s still waste! So it’s great to see more natural and non-toxic products focus on serious problem solving — in some cases, with clinical testing to back up their claims.
“And it’s thrilling to see that empowered consumers can truly effect change in the industry as a whole. Huge companies have changed their product formulations to avoid questionable ingredients as a direct result of concerned consumers’ efforts. I’ve worked at big beauty companies; I know how hard it is to reformulate and repackage products that are sold globally on a major scale. It takes a lot to overcome that. Consumer demand is really the only thing that will prompt change in many situations. It’s great that this is a true movement filled with passionate people. The beauty industry needed this kick in the pants.”
What are your thoughts? How has green beauty changed the way you think of beauty?
Also, please check out my recent post for Jacq’s Organics that discusses diversity in green beauty.
Stay tuned!
*Photos courtesy of Kristen Arnett, The W.E.L.L. Summit
This movement is definitely building momentum – taking a similar path as the food revolution has done over the last decade or so. As I’ve learned in the past, paradigm shifts take time to reach the masses – and as an Esthetician and health coach practicing holistically, I have been talking to my clients about how clean food and gut health impacts skin health, and so choosing clean products is just another facet to the evolution of sustainable and heart-centered practices. The early adopters already know where to find these products, but the general public still needs to be guided and educated, so it would be great to see these brands have more commercial exposure- and over time we will see consumer demand drive awareness upward which is so exciting for the whole industry!
The hard part, I find, is doing the research to find the best products. I’m happy to hear there’s a green beauty movement! Until recently, I just mostly stopped wearing make-up or using any kind of cosmetic products. I did some research, and found an easily accessed brand that contains no harmful ingredients, but I don’t know the full extent of their overall sustainability and CSR.
Reblogged this on Aromatique Essentials and commented:
I love and support the green revolution!
Loving what you are doing! I am on the same mission working with Botanical Perfumery and skincare for natural health and wellbeing xxx