Clean & Ethical Beauty

‘Zero tolerance’: E-commerce firms urged to combat sale of mercury-laden whitening products and plastic pollution

20-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

E-commerce companies such as Shopee and Lazada are being urged to lead the fight against the sale of adulterated whitening products and the problem of plastic waste pollution.

Green partnership: Taiwan’s O’right inks deal with B-ex to accelerate its expansion in Japan

14-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

Taiwanese green beauty company O’right has formed a capital and business alliance with Japanese hair care manufacturer B-ex to embark on a full-scale expansion in Japan.

PODCAST – ‘Skin care should be fun’: Founders of 5 to 5 weigh in on the debate between ‘clean’ and ‘science-based’ beauty brands

10-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

The founders of 5 to 5 Skincare drop by the Indie Pioneers Podcast to give their two cents and more on the controversy stirring up between clean beauty brands and the cosmetic science community.

‘A shift is happening’: Why brands that emphasise scientific accuracy will displace clean beauty firms – 5 to 5

01-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

The founders of a newly launched skin care brand 5 to 5 is expecting the clean beauty trend to decline in the coming years and be replaced by brands that are based on solid science.

Green beauty: ‘The future of branding is glass boxes’, says Provenance CEO

26-Aug-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Green beauty is evolving fast but there is so much more industry can do around transparency and communication on sustainability, especially backing up claims, says the CEO of sustainable communications software specialist Provenance.

‘Responsibility to drive change’: Watsons targets more markets for refill stations after successful Malaysia launch

17-Aug-2021 By Amanda Lim

Health and beauty retailer Watsons will launch Naturals by Watsons refill stations into Hong Kong stores this month, following a successful pilot in Malaysia.

Waste not: Unilever files patent on coloured post-consumer resin beauty packaging

12-Aug-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Personal care major Unilever has developed sustainable black packaging made from layered post-consumer resin materials, breathing new life into plastic previously treated as waste.

Indie Pioneers Podcast Episode 22

PODCAST – Inclusive sustainability: Founder of MONO Skincare on how a green monopoly can hurt start-ups

06-Aug-2021 By Amanda Lim

On this episode of Indie Pioneers, we sit down with the founder of low-waste beauty brand MONO Skincare to talk about its innovative waterless tablet format and how the industry can be more inclusive in the sustainability race.

Bring your own water: HK firm develops soluble skin care tablets that pack a punch with prebiotic ingredients

20-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

Upcoming beauty brand MONO Skincare has developed a range of microbiome-friendly skin care tablets that are activated by dissolving them in room-temperature water.

Oat revolution: India’s MilkinOats forays into personal care following beverage and chocolate launches

19-Jul-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

India-based MilkinOats which produces flavoured oat milk and vegan oat milk chocolate, has launched the country’s first oat-based personal care brand.

‘A big step’: The Body Shop believes reuse and refill habit will ‘definitely’ become mainstream in Singapore

13-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

The Body Shop has begun rolling out in-store refill services in Singapore where it believes the reuse and refill habit will become mainstream among beauty consumers.

Eco support: S. Korean cosmetic stores encouraged to promote refills under new government pilot

12-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

Cosmetic companies in South Korea are being encouraged to install refill services to increase eco-friendly consumption, with Innisfree one of the stores involved in a new pilot programme.

Finer details: US brand Ingredients targets APAC’s ‘lagging’ clean beauty market with ‘transparent’ approach

07-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

The US duo who sold a premium men’s grooming brand to Procter & Gamble are now targeting APAC markets with its latest venture – transparency focused skin care brand called Ingredients.

Blue is the new green: How APAC beauty firms are riding the wave towards marine protection

01-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

From ethically sourced marine ingredients to waterless formulations, cosmetic companies in Asia Pacific are turning their attention towards marine protection on the latest step on their journey towards sustainability.

Transformative purpose: Cosmetics an ‘incredible platform’ to help First Nations communities thrive

01-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

The cosmetics industry has the resources and potential to prevent the loss of First Nations culture and knowledge that will ultimately benefit the environment, says one supplier that works closely with these communities.