Indie Beauty: Defining New Standards in Beauty

Independent beauty Brands founded on passion and ethical values are paving the way for new standards in beauty. Redefining what consumers will demand as clean and green is changing the industry for the better. As the world struggles with climate change and now a global pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout, Indie beauty is steadfast, focused on its mantra of quality and equality.

From environmental policies, cruelty free, fair trade and good manufacturing practices to product quality and performance, Indie Beauty is not simply offering lip service with a select few products to align with current trends. It is an ethos, an unwavering commitment carried through from start to finish. While Governments continue to debate if and how to legislate on environmental issues of sustainability and climate change, Indie Brands have abandoned the wait. Instead tackling these issues in their own standards and, in the process, creating a legacy of genuine quality and performance in natural and organic skincare and cosmetics not previously seen.

The Natives Co. commitment to fellow Indie Brands is cemented in our own origins. As an organic formulator and entrepreneurs, we understand the balance between business and beauty. We respect that transparency and quality are more important than profits. That margins do not replace ethics and values. That integrity and being true to your beliefs is more rewarding than fame and riches. That our actions must always be true to our word.

Growing up, the year 2020 was a time synonymous with futuristic technology and a better life. Yet the reality we find is far from the visions of the advanced civilisation we were led to believe in our childhood. In 2020, China is only now considering revising legislation that will lift the current requirement for animal testing on ALL cosmetic products sold within its borders. The FDA* list of banned ingredients for use in cosmetics in the USA is as little as 11 of the most toxic chemicals.  Leaving hundreds of other potentially harmful and suspected unsafe ingredients and additives to be legally used in the development of skin care preparations.  While there is progress, it is slow and fails to edify.  

Indie Brands are rebuking mainstream practices, calling out the industry on decades of products laden with profit rich fillers, use of poorly validated and under researched chemicals and the wasteful environmental inconsequentialness. True Indie Brands want to distance themselves from an industry lost in trend chasing profit driven marketing and consumer deception, choosing to forge a path to the better life we all dream of.

On my own journey into the emerging world of Indie Beauty, what I find most intriguing and phenomenally liberating is the opportunity for defining new standards. I find myself interacting in this new space, where inspired founders become unassuming leaders for raising the bar. Going above and beyond that which has been conventionally accepted, in the name of clean and sustainable beauty. These people believe in a better way, that beauty must be genuine and honest, and they choose to pursue it with admirable dedication. In joining them I feel the anxiety provoking sense of risk and self-doubt that comes with pushing the boundaries, but this is not overshadowed by the liberating autonomy and self-honesty that ensues. When you support Indie Brands what you find on the shelf, beyond the branding or scanty (if any) marketing and beyond the price tag, is not just a beautiful quality product. You will find a voice, a belief in strong values and a commitment to do better. Because when we know better, we should do better. Indie Brands strive to do better, not because legislation tells us we must, but rather because we can.

*http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/regulations/international-laws/