It’s no secret that we, as beauty consumers are becoming increasingly cautious of brands that we use. With 60% of what we put on our skin absorbing into our bloodstreams, toxic packaging waste at an all-time high and brands often missing the mark when it comes to representation, finding a brand that reflects what matters to you is important.
We talked to the founders of brands, who, through means of clean ingredients, eco-friendly packaging and inclusivity are championing the future today by creating products that are kind to both our bodies and the planet.
Good Mela
A triple threat on delivering ingredient-led beauty, culture, and sustainability, it comes as no surprise that Good Mela is an award-winning make-up brand.
Created by Mela, she says clean ingredients and the health of the customer was always at the base of everything that she creates. “Our core was to develop products that are beneficial to the skin, whilst maintaining a high level of quality and colour pay off”. With a minimum of 95% of all their ingredients being natural and highly pigmented, rest assured, your skin will not only look good but feel good too.
Blending the boundaries of skincare and makeup, Good Mela seek to ‘evolve with you’. So, “No matter the stage in life, time of day, change in trend, occasion, or season, you can rely on our cosmetics” explains Mela. Using the innovative ‘reverse engineering’ method, Good Mela takes issues often resolved by skincare, into their makeup, using raw ingredients and formulas to create their much-loved products.
But it’s not just the products that are consciously made – packaging is also 100% recyclable too. “We are very conscious of our environmental impact, from packaging to product” says Mela. Their cult classic beauty sponge is a testament to this. With a pointed and round edge, this blender was designed for flawless application and when you’re in need of a top up, your blender and its packaging can be recycled.
With Caribbean influence embedded into the brand, Mela took inspiration from her culture to unapologetically showcase it in a way she hadn’t seen before.
“Jamaican culture is so rich and diverse. We’re so welcoming and we have such hilariously heart-warming colloquialisms that it made sense to highlight these often-overlooked aspects”
With product names such as “Sugarcane” or “Irie” that are reflective of colours, shades and phrases seen through the lens of her heritage, Good Mela brilliantly creates a shopping experience that immerses you into Jamaican culture. Whether you’re searching for a new lip gloss or setting powder that will match your skin tone, the cleverly devised names will help you find the exact shade you need or will inspire you completely.
Good Mela Tips & Tricks:
Blender Sponge:
For application and blending of liquid or cream products, use a damp blender.
If you are applying a setting powder or any dry products, a dry blender works best for an elite finish.
Flushd Gel Blush:
Apply with a dense brush in stippling motions. For a no-foundation or light bb cream look, apply the blush with your fingers for a gorgeous flush finish.
Jim + Henry
Jim + Henry are a haircare brand made specifically for afro and curly hair types. Founded with an ethos of ‘we have and are more than enough’, Jim + Henry’s ingredients, products and packaging capture the essence this.
With every product containing 10 or less natural ingredients, Tammy, the founder of Jim + Henry says a minimalist approach has been at the core of the brand since its inception.
“Mother nature provides us with rich ingredients which naturally boast healing, and even medicinal properties when used correctly and safely. For example, Rosemary is antibacterial, Camomile is renowned for being calming and Mandarin relieves anxiety. This magical trio of essential oils is in every product.”
Not only does Jim + Henry offer products that will nourish, strengthen, and revitalise your hair, all packaging is fully sustainable. Every jar and bottle are 100% PCR (post-consumer-recyclables) meaning they have been reground from plastic consumables such as pots, containers, and bottles.
Building on this, Tammy tells us of plans to take its sustainable packaging a step further. “We are in the process of switching from 100% PCR jars and bottles which house our products to solid leave-in conditioners, a solid hair cleanser and hair oil.”
In the UK alone, the average household uses 216 plastic haircare bottles each year, and when that statistic is used to consider the entire UK population, the need for implementing eco-friendly measures in our beauty regimes becomes ever important.
With solid hair products comes zero waste, less watered-down products, and more great ingredients for your hair, like Tammy we’re excited about this huge change for Jim + Henry, and hopefully for more haircare brands to follow suit in the future.
Tammy’s How to on Jim + Henry Leave-In Conditioners:
Ten Pro: Apply to clean, damp hair with hands. Distribute product using a brush. Leave in hair.
How to use our Hair Oil Five: apply to clean, damp hair. Follow with your leave-in of choice. This works so beautifully under Ten and Ten pro for thicker curls.
How to use our Hair Cleanser Nine: apply to roots of hair. Gently massage Nine into your scalp for a full minute. Rinse out using warm water in the shower.
Aura-Lotus
Previously known as MUDD Beauty, and rebranded as Aura-Lotus, their mission to create makeup that enhances your beauty in line with your health values has never changed.
With appearances in famed beauty lists and regarded as a small beauty brand to watch, Aura-Lotus is fast becoming a pioneer in the industry. Its founder, Alix Samuda, explains how using natural beauty can act as a solution to our skin’s problem and the planets too. “The long-term effects of harmful chemical products are unknown to our skin and internal organs. In addition to this, when these makeup products are released into the atmosphere, they have a very damaging impact on the environment.” Compromising on neither your skin, endocrine system or the environment, Aura-Lotus knows the importance of thinking about the future in beauty.
Taking a modern approach on beauty and sustainability, Aura-Lotus doesn’t falter on creating high quality products that also work on your skin. Their matte liquid lipsticks provide rich coverage, without the stiff feel due to their naturally hydrating ingredients. Similarly, the Eyeblossom eyeshadow line contains a perfectly paired duo to create both natural and glam eye looks. With natural ingredients like Jojoba, Lavender and Ginseng Root Extract, these organic ingredients will leave the skin feeling rejuvenated whilst still providing quality makeup that performs like your favourite conventional brands.
WOC friendly, Alix tells us how she incorporated inclusivity into the production of her makeup. “Having high performing pigments is especially important to me as being a woman of colour I wanted the colours to really pop without having to layer on the product or having to use other additional products.”
With high quality products to match the finest botanical oils and pure minerals proven to perform, Aura-Lotus showcases themselves as a reason to replace your standard beauty products for something sensational.
Alix’s Aura-Lotus Quick Tips:
1. Matte Lip Bloom: First it’s always a good idea to exfoliate the lips, then evenly spread out the lipstick using the wand. Once applied wait for the lipstick to dry. Press your lips together and watch the pigments pop!
2. If your more of a gloss girl add a coat of our Lip Puddle on top for an amazing hydrating shine!
Lip Seed
3. Starting from your cupids bow, draw an 'x' shape, then mark out the corners of your mouth by drawing arrows, then simply connect the lines.
4. Infill with our Matte Lip Bloom for perfect contoured lips.
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