Have you ever thought about how much packaging you’ve used over the years just so your hair can be clean? We spoke with Svetlana Gavrikova the founder of Skincare Co to find out how we can get zero waste shampoo, her journey with eco-anxiety and entrepreneurship.
Skincare Co is a lovechild of Svetlana’s passion for herbs, scents and natural cosmetics and her care for the environment and desire to avoid plastic and produce as little trash as possible. She has had her fair share of career transformations and life stories.
Born into a family of athletes, Svetlana started teaching aerobics. She eventually started a skincare brand, and finally graduated to Skincare Co, a low waste skincare company helping you to go plastic free and zero waste. Think shampoo, conditioner, and hopefully soon sunblock, moisturiser, and toothpaste.
Be kind to yourself and congratulate yourself on the little steps that you do as oppose to judging yourself on things you don’t.
– Svetlana Gavrikova
In this interview, we speak to Svetlana about:
> How she got into skincare
> Her journey with zero-waste
> The truth behind “100% natural” labeling
How did you get into skincare?
Ever since I was a kid, my grandma used to grow stuff, explaining the herbs and their benefits to me. In college, I remember going to Sephora and browsing the skincare section just to smell the products to feel better. Hence, going into skincare was a natural progression.
What ignited your passion to go zero-waste?
I’ve been making cosmetics for a while, for myself at home, as well as candles. I have another brand which is packaged traditionally. Being in that business, I saw the amount of waste that goes into it. The irony is that I’m the person that is trying to recycle and still, I’m producing all that waste. I knew I had to do something about it.
How have you designed your products to be zero-waste? What can your customers expect?
I specifically design products so that they can be created in a solid form. Not only does it deviate from the standard, I make them great. This is so that people will not just use them once out of curiosity, but continue to use them and go on a zero-waste lifestyle.
Svetlana’s #littlegreensteps on going zero-waste
1. You don’t have to be an extremist about anything
When I started, I realised how much waste I was producing and how bad it was for the environment, I went nuts. I started researching a lot and was really judgemental of myself and others. I didn’t want to go down that road – judging myself and people.
2. Be kind to yourself
I want to enjoy life, and there are certain situations where you cannot be green. I don’t think it’s healthy to be an extremist about anything, a green lifestyle included.
3. Find out what you’re buying
There are always ways to find out – do your research. If you are loyal to a brand, you can always check out the Cosmetics Info Database, one of the more trustworthy websites to find out information.
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