After working in the beauty industry for three decades, Tina Hedges wanted to help people take care of their skin in a more natural, chemical-free, and socially responsible way. That’s why she founded the world’s first zero-waste skincare brand, LOLI Beauty, in 2014. From sourcing to formulating to packaging, LOLI Beauty focuses on sustainability and social responsibility. Made with food that might otherwise be wasted, the brand sources ingredients directly from trade farms and co-ops around the world. This helps ensure that none are hydrogenated or radiated. Access to technology provided through membership in organizations such as Made in a Free World allows the company to verify that slave labor is not used to grow or harvest ingredients and materials. In addition, LOLI Beauty products are MADE SAFE-certified as vegan and cruelty-free. “We decided that vegan for us meant we wouldn’t even use beeswax,” Hedges says. “It’s harder to formulate without it, but unless you work directly with a small beekeeper—which isn’t scalable—it’s hard to determine that bees weren’t hurt in the process.” The brand uses food-grade, reusable, and recyclable glass jars and fully compostable Mushroom Packaging made from just two ingredients—hemp and mycelium (the root structure of a mushroom). Customers can add next-level sustainability benefits by choosing carbon neutral delivery via Ecocart.io at checkout, too.
But it isn’t easy being green. Direct-to- consumer competitors promising organic, natural, and sustainable products often sell at lower price points. The price is a sure sign they don’t meet LOLI Beauty standards, though. “It’s difficult to do the right thing in the right way and offer it to consumers at a discounted price,” Hedges says. Case in point: Hedges was recently asked to evaluate a beauty product promoted as clean and sustainable. It was neither. “The main ingredients—90% of the formula— were water and petrochemicals,” she says. “It was in a single-use container that was shrink- wrapped and dropped into a package with foil.” To counter misinformation, the brand uses its website and social media to educate discerning consumers about its products’ quality ingredients and social mission. But none of that matters if the products don’t perform. “Once we have a customer, we maintain a strong relationship with them after they experience the products and feel the difference,” she says. “They become emotionally connected to our mission.” Part of that mission involves helping both consumers and other beauty brands see that being sustainable “takes a mindful, conscious approach,” Hedges says. “It is possible to be soulful and sustainable at the same time.” LOLI Beauty does it with focus, diligence, and commitment.
June 2022 • Inbound Logistics 37
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