Skincare: Change Your Perspective
5 minutes read
Republished from PH-MAGG. Originally published in December 2021.
Phaedra Botanicals founder, Lucie, who started this microbrand, helps us shed light on the problems in the skincare industry and the lack of transparency.
Her small team refuses to mass-produce and turns its attention to those few who demand more than what mass production can offer. Allow her to change your perspective on skincare.
The Status Quo
Micro-skincare brands sprout like mushrooms after a rain, but many copy what is already out there. Sometimes it feels like each continent has a similar copy of what already exists in another. It is understandable - the proof of concept exists, and what already sells well in one place might sell in another.
If you are a natural skincare fan, you must have come across many skincare companies that claim their products to be non-toxic and fresh.
Finding this information is satisfactory for many, and taking the product off the shelf or adding it to the shopping bag will be their next step.
However, few of us wonder what it truly takes for a product to be non-toxic, potent, or genuinely fresh.
Phaedra Botanicals’ founder explains that the purpose behind Phaedrae products is to create skincare for those who wonder.
"Free-from"
Welcome to the world of greenwashing obscurity that omits the details that make all the difference. Let the magic unfold and explore how skincare companies avoid going under the light of scrutiny.
Here comes the magical "free-from" formula.
A product that carries this "free-from formula" can seem a much better option than one that does not, at least to the layman's eye.
It will probably prevent you from digging deeper into the long list of ingredients, which might uncover other harmful compounds, perhaps different from those that everyone has already banned from their cosmetic cabinets, such as SLES, animal by-products, and parabens.
Some companies go even further, incorporating as few as six group elements to their "free-from" list, ignoring the many other toxic compounds that can be present in skincare.
Claiming non-toxicity
"Claiming non-toxicity in today's polluted world can be very misleading. Why? The answer is simple: trace elements accumulate in the environment everywhere, including organic farms. The only way to guarantee non-toxicity is to measure these trace elements in a lab and ensure they are within the most recently established norms."
- Lucie, Phaedra Botanicals founder
So, how do skincare companies guarantee non-toxicity? Most of them don't. Laboratory testing that includes heavy metals, mycotoxins, phthalates, and other compounds is costly, and many companies are unwilling to pay. They rely on assurance from their suppliers or ask for organic ingredients, which cannot guarantee the absence of trace elements, such as heavy metals.
Then comes the issue of freshness, also guaranteed by simple proclamation without any production date known to the customer. Blind trust of clients is expected to win here.
In a brief talk with Phaedra Botanicals founder Lucie, we discuss these issues while looking back at 2021.
Interview with Liubov Hyrenko
Since before the founding of Phaedra Botanicals, we've always been drawn to dedication, passion, and reliability — qualities that Liubov Hyrenko embodies effortlessly.
Inspired by her work, we sat down with Liubov to learn more about her journey and the path that shaped her career.
Brief talk with our founder
FW: Let's talk a little bit about your Fresh Series Line. Tell us about why you started it?
Lucie: I think this time represents a turning point for companies. I see a lot of potential in decentralization and complete transparency. How many companies claim their products are fresh? But you do not know when they actually made them, so fresh can be relative.
With our Fresh Series, we address this issue. Our Fresh Series products are never held in stock, and people have to order them first for us to create them; that is what "fresh" means to us.
FW: The end of the year is coming; what was your most significant accomplishment this year?
Lucie: Reaching more clients. We do not use traditional advertising, so most discover us through word of mouth. I am very excited to find new customers in more European countries this year.
FW: What surprises you in the skincare industry when it comes to shoppers?
Lucie: Just so many things. I am always surprised when Europeans shop outside the EU because the laws here are so much more thorough about product purity and customer protection. Moreover, Europe has amazingly evolved organic farming, and although limited, some pristine areas, such as Finnish forests.
As for clients, what shocks me is that they do not think of every detail. I talked to a client once, and she did not immediately understand the difference between a fresh batch made from freshly cold-pressed ingredients and a "fresh batch" made from stored raw materials.
It makes a huge difference. Some companies release new batches, but cannot guarantee fresh ingredients for each batch. Their labs use raw materials that they store for long periods.
This is not surprising. Sourcing fresh ingredients every two months is both challenging and costly, yet the difference is meaningful: fresh raw materials bring greater vitality, integrity, and potency to the final formulation. Most companies do not want to go that extra mile.
We invest significantly to guarantee freshness across many of our products. Our Fresh Series is the clearest expression of that commitment.
