South African sustainable beauty brand wins international beauty award
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly,” said Anne Marie Bonneau.
Dynamic duo and owners of Africa Organics, Kyle and Brigitte Hartley, believe that sustainability and environmental preservation start at home.
“Southern Africa is home to a quarter of the world’s plant species and is one of the four biodiversity hotspots of the world,” says Brigitte.
“Our range is based on wild-harvested African plants. Wild-harvested ingredients have the added benefit of being free from harmful agricultural chemicals and tend to contain higher levels of active compounds. Our goal is to share the benefits of Africa’s rich biodiversity with the rest of the world.”
Africa Organics recently won the Dutch Beauty award for the second year in a row.
“Dutch Beauty recognizes some of the top brands in our industry, in one of the largest conscious consumer markets. To not only be nominated for an award but also to be awarded two years in a row is an achievement that we are proud of and a testament to the hard work that our distribution partners in Europe are putting into growing the brand and creating brand awareness.”
“We are honoured that the brand we represent proudly in the Netherlands is also recognised by professionals from our national beauty industry. The jury is very experienced, knowledgeable and influential within our industry which makes it even more special to receive this kind of recognition for the brand and its values,” said the pair.
We asked the proudly-South African duo why they believed their product won the award.
“Our most recent award was for our Marula Hair Treatment Oil. This oil is for stressed/treated
hair or more simply to control flyaway hair. It is nature’s answer to synthetic silicones and helps maintain skin lipids. 100% of the total ingredients are from natural origin.”
“All our formulations are unique in that we use powerful African actives that work, whilst maintaining sustainability,” responded Brigitte.
All their products are certified organic and 100% natural.
“We use the Ecocert and COSMOS standards as a starting point and overlay our own brand values and ethics. We work closely with a team of microbiologists and the best natural and organic product specialists to formulate new products that are self-preserved and gentle, suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. We are focused on holistic, lasting efficacy and not short-term results.”
“All products are developed and formulated with the environment and the skin's natural microbiome at the forefront. Current research makes it clear that healthy skin relies heavily on symbiotic, good bacteria. We aim to minimise the disturbance to the natural ecosystem and we pH balance all our products to match the skin’s natural pH of 5.”
So what plans do they have for the future of the brand?
“Our goal is to increase our product offering by launching exciting new formulations within the personal care category and to increase brand awareness on an international level. Our first step in achieving this is to raise consumer awareness about the benefits of using natural and organic products that are not only microbiome-friendly but are also developed with sustainability at the core,” says Brigitte.