Every summer, The Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby Awards shine the spotlight on the top clean, green beauty and baby brands in the global marketplace, from Neal’s Yard and Weleda to much smaller indie artisan brands. (No Nivea, no J&J). It’s a well-deserved opportunity for brands to be seen by both green and more “high street” consumers and beauty buyers, alike.
Only days ago, WWD reported (“Clean Beauty Thrives in Double Digit Losses“) that while beauty sales generally are down 14% due to the current state of “things” – I’m not even mentioning the “cv word”, clean beauty is up 11% – i.e. positively thriving.
“Clean beauty is about safety”, says Larissa Jensen, beauty industry analyst, advisor and vice-president of the NPD Group.
With our planet in the headlines, enjoying some much-needed breathing space, one of the biggest champions of green products in the UK is without a doubt My Green Pod, the eco lifestyle magazine co-founded by Jarvis and Katie Hill.
Katie returns to the Mama & Baby Awards panel this year (quick side note for those thinking of entering – they close at midnight on Friday 8 May, the samples deadline is 15 June and the awards will be on Friday 17 July – more info & the entry form are HERE)
There are many reasons to love My Green Pod, –it’s distributed quarterly – with The Guardian – to around 6 million eco aware consumers, it’s respected for its transparency, its activism, its keen eye for greenwashing, its focus on solutions and innovations (and really good green brands) and its consistently relevant and up to date eco news reporting.
As we re-examine “how to live well” – with a lighter footprint, increased respect for mother earth and a stronger community spirit (three of the positives emerging from these strange weeks) – there are big lessons to be learned.
I remember approaching a young mum in a supermarket who’d picked up two baby products – not the ones I’d buy, that’s for sure – and asked her if I might recommend a better brand for her. She said she’d had no idea about the ingredients, promptly placed the products back on the shelf, and chose two others from a much greener brand. You could see she was excited – and relieved, in a way, that I’d “intervened”.
So if you’ve just welcomed a baby into your world, or are expecting soon, and navigating a whole new world of baby products, today’s interview is for you…
“Independent expert ‘vetters’ like The Beauty Shortlist and My Green Pod are great for curating lists of ethical products that really work” – Katie Hill
THE INTERVIEW
KATIE HILL, CO-FOUNDER, MY GREEN POD
Fiona: I’ve been thinking a lot about the “new normal” for new parents – especially mums – in the light of the current state of things, and how important it is to “choose green” now, more than ever. Not blindly trust every baby product on a supermarket shelf (or even a chemist). You only have to look at the proliferation of lawsuits and class action wins against the world’s biggest baby brand, J&J, lately.
So, for new parents reading this today, how would you point them in the direction of better green baby products made by ethical brands?
Katie: First of all, I’d say congratulations! Being a new parent is a huge gift, and it’s really not as complicated as many brands would like you to believe! So don’t panic: breathe and trust your instincts. Your baby came into the world with all sorts of miraculous ways to keep itself healthy with minimal interference.
From a product perspective I would say go back to basics: don’t overcomplicate it – a baby wash, nappy cream, maybe an oil for massages if they have colic or trouble getting to sleep and look for certified products that carry the COSMOS Natural or Organic or NATRUE logos on the packaging.
These are great certification bodies that take all the guesswork out for you and give reassurances all along the supply chain. As you get a bit further along the clean product journey you’ll start to decode the ingredients list yourself, but it’s a mammoth task when you’re just starting out (and you almost certainly won’t have the time or energy!) so these are logos you can trust without having to think too hard.
My Green Pod has consistently championed earth-friendly brands, reaching up to 6 million conscious consumers quarterly (when it’s distributed with The Guardian) which is absolutely fantastic. What was the light bulb moment for you, that made you go ahead and launch the magazine?
Boringly there wasn’t really a lightbulb moment – it was all a bit inevitable in a way! When Jarvis and I met we had an all-in partnership. He was looking for an editor for a new ethical magazine he wanted to launch (I don’t think he was looking for a life partner as well!) and when we met we had all sorts of ideas about what it would cover and what its purpose would be.
He had created National Geographic GREEN and I had a background in investigative and consumer journalism from a career at Which?.
We wanted to bring his publishing experience together with my passion for transparency, all through our shared love for conscious lifestyles and the environment.
This was just under 10 years ago; greenwash was rife and it felt really important not just to expose the truth behind some of the false claims, but also to champion the smaller, fantastic ethical businesses that were doing everything right but just weren’t getting the exposure they deserved.
Likewise consumers weren’t getting a clear and honest view of all their real options and the various ethical alternatives to mainstream products. It was a destructive cycle we were determined to do something about.
What advise would you give to parents to avoid being greenwashed? (When a brand claims to be green but in reality is not even close!)
I think parents should first really think about what’s ‘green’ to them. It’s not realistic to expect a product to tick every single box – if it did it would be free from any kind of packaging and made solely from ingredients that had been grown and harvested in their own (biodynamic) back garden.
“Plenty of brands are clamouring for a share of the ethical market as they know that’s where the money’s moving to”
For new parents the purity of ingredients is often key – as a rule I don’t put anything on my skin that I would be scared to eat – but your own personal views may also make you consider everything from the packaging and the transportation of ingredients to the welfare of workers in the supply chain and the operations of the business that owns the brand. It’s such complex territory that there’s no silver bullet.
At the same time plenty of brands are clamouring for a share of the ethical market as they know that’s where the money’s moving. They can put all sorts of claims on the packaging as the ASA doesn’t count that as advertising. I’d say question the claims, look for trusted logos and do a bit of digging about the company and its operations.
This last part is easier than it sounds; once you’ve found a company with ethics that match your own, it may well become a go-to brand for all sorts of other products.
Independent expert ‘vetters’ like The Beauty Shortlist and My Green Pod are great for curating lists of ethical products that really work. From there you can look through all the fantastic options – and there really are more and more every day – and decide which sit best with you.
If you could only use 5 green products every day, which would they be – i.e. beauty, home, baby/child?
I don’t like to overcomplicate things and am a huge fan of multi-taskers, so top of my list would have to be Weleda Skin Food. I get through so much of this I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it. I use it all year round – for sunburn, chapped skin, dry hands (and feet if I’m feeling indulgent!) and anywhere that needs an instant hit of nourishing moisture. It’s also a great base for makeup and really perks up tired skin (I do most of my work at night when my daughter’s asleep).
Next would be Tabitha James Kraan’s 4-in1 Conditioner. My hair’s quite long and wild – I don’t get it cut much and it’s constantly getting blown around because I love being outside. I mainly use this product as a leave-in conditioner, then leave it to dry in a twist for shiny, bouncy waves with zero effort. It’s also great for adding definition to dry hair, and it works really well as a styling cream. I love its versatility and as a bonus it leaves my hair smelling delicious!
“I love Weleda’s Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash for babies”
Third, I love the Weleda Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash for babies. I still use it on my four-year-old daughter – it’s a beautifully soothing wash and as a natural shampoo it doesn’t sting her eyes or interfere with her own natural clean smell (I know that sounds strange but I don’t know how else to put it!). I also sometimes use this to wash my own hair and it adds a lovely shine.
For the home, I LOVE the Shui Me Relax aromatherapy reed diffuser. It’s packed with essential oils and the fragrance is stunning. It really does fill the house with calm, which is great for all the family.
If I had to pick one more… Ooo it’s tough! As this is for daily use, I’d have to say Pure & Light Organic Essential Face Cream. This is hands-down the best moisturiser I’ve found for my face. It adapts intelligently to the skin, meaning you don’t need a separate day and night moisturiser, and you don’t need to use different products for different seasons or times of the month. It balances excess oil and nourishes dry spots. It’s so unbelievably clever.
Can you tell us more about My Green Pod’s “Hero” programme? How can brands apply?
Our ‘Hero’ products and services are essentially the best products we can find in their class – including their efficacy and their ethical credentials. We do a lot of leg work before we extend invitations for products to become Heroes, but once they are they receive some great exposure in My Green Pod Magazine (distributed quarterly with the Guardian), online and through our social media channels.
“The ethical market is like no other I know; business owners in this sector are usually up for collaboration and bouncing ideas around because everyone is fundamentally on the same team, so connect with people on similar journeys and don’t be afraid to ask for advice or support” Katie Hill
We’ve also recently launched a marketplace, so our readers can browse and buy ethical products (Heroes and otherwise) all in one place. We’ve been getting a lot of traffic and sales since lockdown, and it has been great to be able to help smaller suppliers by offering an alternative distribution that leaves them in full control.
One day the dream is to become an ethical Amazon; a tree is planted in the tropics with every transaction so if we reached that scale we could have a huge impact!
The Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby Awards are famous for providing a level playing field for both big, global and much smaller, newer, artisan indie brands. Do you have any advice to help indie brands make it in a competitive environment?
I would say be as honest and transparent as possible. Decide what’s key to you and your brand and really focus your messaging on that – it will give you an authenticity and integrity that you can be proud of and that shoppers can trust.
If you have made a decision to use plastic packaging, for example, then don’t shy away from it – use your website and social media to explain why. It will all help to educate shoppers, engage a customer base and get the conversation going, which is really important.
“There are plenty of clever ways to get exposure without paying a fortune – use platforms like My Green Pod and the Beauty Shortlist Awards to get your product and message to the growing mass of ethical consumers who would be delighted to discover it!”
The ethical market is like no other I know; business owners in this sector are usually up for collaboration and bouncing ideas around because everyone is fundamentally on the same team, so connect with people on similar journeys and don’t be afraid to ask for advice or support.
There are plenty of clever ways to get exposure without paying a fortune – use platforms like My Green Pod and the Beauty Shortlist Awards to get your product and message to the growing mass of ethical consumers who would be delighted to discover it!
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Brands can get in touch for more info on the My Green Pod HERO programme by emailing Jarvis (jarvis@mygreenpod.com)
To enter this year’s global Beauty Shortlist mother and baby awards, click here to submit your brand (the entry window closes on Friday 8 May at midnight).
Or click on the image below.
if you’d rather enter by email, contact Hannah at hannahbeautyshortlist@gmail.com)
It costs £150 to enter up to 2 products and unlimited relevant categories are free.
Or take advantage of the special flat rate of £250 for 3-6 products, including unlimited relevant categories at no extra cost.
There are no additional costs involved in entering.
The standard this year – once again – is exceptional.
Thank you to all the brands who’ve already sent in their entries, we’ll have this year’s definitive natural baby shopping list ready by Friday 17 July!
SO JOIN US ON FRIDAY 17 JULY TO CELEBRATE 2020’s WINNERS AND FINALISTS
Every baby, beauty and wellness winner will be FEATURED ON THE BEAUTY SHORTLIST between 30 July and 31 December 2020 (there is no additional cost for this coverage).
Good luck!