We’ve been developing JOON for two years and it definitely hasn’t been easy. Fun, but not easy! It’s tricky navigating the natural category because the standards seem to always be changing and consumers (all you people out there looking for natural products) are simply confused. What really is natural? If the ingredients don’t read like a list of plants and flowers and herbs, does that render the product unnatural?
Here’s my take and here’s what I’ve learned over the past two years. First, I believe that there is a place for companies whose ingredients list looks like a menu at a florist. But, I don’t think – scratch, I KNOW – that there aren’t enough people out there who are (a) able to afford many of these products; (b) willing to do without traditional beauty products. Let’s be real…we’ve all gotten quite used to how the way creams feel on our bodies and the way that soap lathers up all nice and sudsy on our loofah. Unfortunately, some of the ingredients that make the products that we love so much so creamy and sudsy aren’t so good for us.
In order to make an affordable line of products that has the efficacy that people expect and won’t break the bank, we believe that there is a place for natural and naturally derived ingredients in natural brands. We have followed the standards set forth by the Natural Products Association to ensure that our products meet the current standards. (in addition, our ingredients meet the high standards of a specific retailer (!) in which JOON will be launching in August!) It angers me when I see companies that promote “natural” on their label, but there is nothing natural or naturally derived about most, if any, ingredients in the product. We set out to do something very specific – to create a line of healthy products for young girls that is affordable and accessible, not exotic and expensive. What mom wants to spend $18 on a bottle of bath or face wash for her daughter, seriously???
I urge you to educate yourselves about natural products. Check out the Natural Products Association’s web site (www.naturalproductsassoc.org) and read about what’s going on. As industry standards change, so will ours. And, as we grow, we will take advantage of our economies of scale and provide you (and the earth) with greener packaging. As of now, our bottles are 100% recyclable and we don’t use secondary packaging – that means putting our bottles in cute little boxes that will be thrown away. Who needs and extra box? In the end, not only do we pay for it, but so do you and our precious earth. We realize that using natural and naturally derived ingredients alone does not make us a green company – it’s all of the other things that we do as a company to lessen our impact on the environment. (that will be shared in another post!)
