At Graydon Skincare, we’re dedicated to giving you good skin days, every day, using clinically-proven, superfood ingredients. And as a nature-inspired brand, sustainability isn’t just a PR move—it’s the essence of who we are. Over the years, we’ve taken great steps to improve our sustainability and have big goals for the future.
Where we’re at
We’re taking multiple approaches to improve sustainability and reduce our eco-footprint. From ingredients to packaging and charitable donations, we take sustainability seriously.
Ingredients and products
We formulate our products with as many local and Canadian ingredients as possible to help reduce our carbon footprint and support our local economy.
I’m proud to formulate with upcycled ingredients when possible. Our raspberry seed oil and blueberry seed oil are by-products of the juicing industry. Seeds that would otherwise be thrown away are extracted from the pulp and pressed to extract this highly-potent, nutrient-rich oil. The mahogany bark extract in our Fullmoon Serum is created from tree bark that would otherwise be discarded when these trees are harvested (following approved practices). It is also carefully gathered after being naturally shed by the tree. The oat oil we use in our Matcha Mint Shampoo and Superfood Serum is a by-product of the food industry. It is extracted using an environmentally friendly process.
One of our products is even 100% biodegradable! That’s right. Our Bamboo Charcoal Sponge provides gentle exfoliation and lasts for 2–4 months (with proper care). And when it’s reached the end of its life, simply toss it in your green bin. Because it’s made of 100% biodegradable konjac fibres, it will naturally break down instead of adding to landfill.
Packaging
This is a big one when it comes to sustainability and over the past few years, we’ve made great improvements to our packaging.
Our Fullmoon Serum, Moon Boost Serum and Superfood Serum are all housed in eco-friendly glass bottles that are easily recycled in your curbside bin. Our 100 mL Face Food Mineral Mist and Intimacy Oil bottles are made of 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic bottles. Yes, it’s still plastic but because it's existing plastic that's been sterilized and repurposed, PCR plastic does not require the use of new fossil fuels to manufacture.
We’ve also introduced 4 litre refill jugs for our Matcha Mint Shampoo, Matcha Mint Hair Smoothie, All Over Soap and All Over Face + Body Lotion. A single 4 litre jug can refill a standard 240 mL bottle 16 times! Not only does that reduce the number of plastic bottles, it also reduces carbon emissions associated with shipping.
In addition to our bottles, we’ve made our boxes more sustainable by removing the silver foil and laminate coating. While these details gave our boxes a luxurious look and feel, we decided that recyclability is far more important. We’re also proud to announce that our boxes are now produced locally! This helps support local businesses and reduces carbon emissions associated with shipping across borders.
We’re in the process of improving our packaging even further, but more on that later.
Initiatives
While we’re working hard to improve our product packaging, we recognize that many components of beauty product packaging cannot be recycled through your curbside recycling program. These include pumps, caps, droppers and black plastics. Because we’re striving towards 100% recyclable packaging, we’ve partnered with Pact. This non-profit collective is working to make the beauty industry more circular by providing solutions for hard-to-recycle packaging.
To learn more about our partnership with Pact and how to recycle your difficult-to-recycle items, click here.
It’s no secret that ocean plastic is a major issue, that’s why we’ve partnered with The Ocean Legacy Foundation. This Canadian non-profit organization is committed to ending ocean plastic waste and we want to help. With every purchase of a 30 mL bottle of Fullmoon Serum, we donate $1 to The Ocean Legacy Foundation. This money is used to help fund shoreline cleanups and reduce the amount of plastic that is harming marine life.
To learn more about our partnership with The Ocean Legacy Foundation and their four-pillar approach to reducing our plastic problem, click here.
Something you may not know is that we recently added Shopify Planet to our store to make all our deliveries carbon neutral.
We’re proud of all the steps we’ve taken to improve our sustainability, but we’re not stopping here.
We recognize that transparency is key to ensuring our customers feel safe knowing our ingredients are ethically sourced and vetted for which is why we choose to hold ourselves accountable.
The Good Face Project has certified all of our products. This certification guarantees that our products are safe, effective, and comply with global regulatory and sustainability standards, based on up-to-date scientific research.
Trees are essential in reducing carbon dioxide and the effects of climate change. Not only that, forests are home to countless creatures. With deforestation, those creatures lose their natural habitat.
As a vegan, cruelty-free brand that’s dedicated to plant-based formulations, we have to help. That’s why we’ve also partnered with Ecologi to plant trees–and since starting this partnership, we've planted nearly 7,000!
Our future plans
As far as we’ve come, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Sustainability is an ongoing process that we are deeply committed to.
New packaging
Right now, we’re focused on new packaging options to replace our airless pumps. Considering all of the difficult to recycle components involved with pumps, we’re weighing the pros and cons of switching to jars because they’re much easier to recycle in your curbside bin. We’re also investigating the sustainability of 100% PCR glass versus 50% PCR plastic.
Tell us what you think
As a valued member of our mindful beauty family, your opinion is important to us. What changes do you want to see in our packaging? Which formats and materials do you prefer? Are there any initiatives we should support or organizations we should partner with?
Email us at hello@graydonskincare.com and share your thoughts about how we can continue to improve our sustainability.
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At Graydon Skincare, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond the environment. Read on to learn how our prices are part of our sustainability initiatives.
