Indie beauty conversation with Avocado Green Brands
18 Nov 2021 --- Mattress and bedding name Avocado Green Brands launches on to the beauty scene with its skin care entrant, Reed + Gwen. We chatted to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Co-Founder Mark Abrials about the company's plans to improve ethical consciousness in beauty and the emergence of its latest enterprise.
What inspired you to launch onto the beauty space?
After raising the bar for environmental and social responsibility in the mattress and bedding industry, we saw an opportunity in beauty and skin care to really make a difference by offering products that were safe for people and safe for the planet.
In the US, the beauty and personal care (BPC) industry is surprisingly unregulated - only eleven ingredients are banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At Reed + Gwen, we meticulously test our formulas to ensure our ingredients meet the highest standards, with no artificial fragrances.
Reed + Gwen focuses on transparency in formulation and puts every product through rigorous, scientific testing to ensure the ingredients we use are safe, non-toxic, and don’t include harsh chemicals that could be potentially dangerous. And we don’t use synthetic fragrances, opting instead for botanical extracts with non-toxic, natural scents. By doing this, we’re protecting the health of our customers and the environment.
What gap in the beauty market did you spot that you seek to fill?
Our new plant-based beauty products represent the pinnacle of nature and science for the ultimate performance. Our formulations are radically sustainable and transparent, obsessively safe, formulated with little or no water, made in the US with the very best ingredients sourced from around the world and free from synthetic fragrances. We believe this is the future of conscious and sustainable beauty.
We rely on science-backed ingredients to deliver proven results. Our lab-tested formulas pair the powerful and restorative properties of plants with trusted, tested, science-backed ingredients known for their high-quality performance. No parabens, sulfates, silicone, or other toxic, hormone-disrupting materials.
And the majority of our hair, skin, and body rituals are also made with little or no water. By removing water from our formulas, we’re able to ensure every ingredient in our nutrient-rich concentrates serves a purpose while staying true to our sustainability mission. That means no fillers or unnecessary additives, and a smaller carbon footprint. Plus, they’re easier to travel with. Every now and then, water is required to activate a key ingredient in one of our formulas, but we keep this to a minimum, only doing so when absolutely necessary.
Who is your target audience?
We’re targeting customers who have higher expectations for their everyday beauty and skin care products. Those who value radical sustainability, obsessively safe formulas, and undeniable results. People who prioritize their wellness and the planet’s.
What synergies do you see between rest, sleep and beauty?
Wellness, beauty, and our individual ability to be a positive force in this world are fundamentally dependent on good rest. Avocado products, just like our Reed + Gwen formulations and our new line of Hass responsible apparel, all support our wellbeing. If we feel good, we can do good.
How does your move into beauty align with your wider marketing and business strategy?
We really think of Avocado Green Brands as an environmental platform. Through Reed + Gwen, we want to reach more people with safe, non-toxic and high-quality products that raise the bar for sustainability. We believe our business should be a force for good; that in addition to providing world-class beauty products, we should be leaders in social and environmental responsibility.
As a Certified B Corporation, our company bylaws reflect our commitment to balance purpose and profit. We’re also a carbon negative company - one of only a small handful of beauty brands in the world to be Climate Neutral Certified. That means we measure, reduce and offset the entirety of our scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
And Reed + Gwen, as a subsidiary of Avocado Green Brands, is proud to partner with 1% for the Planet. As members, we donate 1% of all revenues to support safe drinking water access for all through our collaboration with Water For People. Our products are also all verified as vegan and cruelty-free, and we use packaging made with 100% renewable energy.
What are your inaugural BPC products?
We launched with a body oil, a body melt, a bath soak, and a body scrub. Our Grounding Dry Body Oil is lightweight, non-greasy and fast-absorbing, soothing parched skin for that undeniable, lit-from-within glow. Reed + Gwen’s Supercharged Reishi Body Melt is intensely moisturizing and nourishing, combining adaptogens, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants in a smoothing, skin-shielding formula.
Our Snoozy Bath Soak with Magnesium Flakes is formulated with a blend of muscle-relaxing Himalayan sea salts and stress-releasing magnesium flakes—it supports an aromatherapeutic, relaxing escape. And our Moisturizing Marula Body Scrub is an exfoliating, conditioning body scrub that polishes and invigorates while gently buffing away dead skin cells to reveal perfectly supple skin.
What are your goals within the next 12 months?
Reed + Gwen’s goal over the next year is to expand our offering of revolutionary, waterless (or near waterless) formulas that raise the bar for sustainability in beauty, skin care, hair care and wellness.
What impact do you hope to have on the beauty market?
Since we launched the Avocado Green mattress five years ago, we’ve stayed true to a singular vision: to be one of the most sustainable companies on the planet. We raised the bar for sleep. Now we’re going to do the same for beauty.
By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist