Eco Friendly Salon Products-SpaRitualist

SpaRitual beauty products and nail polishes seem to be taking over the world, while simultaneously trying to save it.  Founded by lifestyle futurist, Shel Pink, SpaRitual is an environmentally and animal friendly brand that I stumbled upon five years ago, instantly becoming obsessed with it.  I was honored to be given the opportunity to talk with SpaRitual and pick Shel’s eco-friendly, creative brain. SpaRitual is a different kind of beauty company and they certainly have a reason to be proud.  They incorporate chakras, colour therapy and beauty rituals into their products and place heavy emphasis on using natural ingredients, recyclable packaging and incorporating environmentally conscious concepts into their everyday products and operations.

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FrockOn: Tell me a bit about the history of SpaRitual and how it developed into the company it is today.

Shel Pink: We captured the attention of the spa industry when I founded and launched SpaRitual in 2004.  With a clear idea of an enlightened consumer in mind, I called them SpaRitualists, and created a brand to honor the mind, body and spirit.  The SpaRitual philosophy encourages women to understand beauty as a holistic connection to oneself and to the environment.  SpaRitual is the company it is today because of the dedicated team of SpaRitualists that work on the brand day in and day out to communicate to the world that beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.

FrockOn: What inspired you to create SpaRitual?

Shel Pink: At the time “eco”, “organic” and “vegan” were not conscious concepts in the beauty industry.  I saw an overwhelming need for a brand that could begin the dialogue.  I now see the green movement transitioning towards a discussion of slow ideals in direct response to a lifestyle that has become too fast.

FrockOn: What are the principles and ideas that SpaRitual bases its decisions on?

Shel Pink: In the development phase of products, packaging and support materials we are always asking:  What is the environmental impact?  How can we minimize that impact?  Are we provoking thought on beauty and sustainability? Are we helping women to live holistically? Does the product formula feel and smell beautiful? Does it perform to our high level of quality and standards?

FrockOn: Tell me a bit about the rituals featured on your website.

Shel Pink: Each of the rituals have been custom-designed for salons and spas to meet the needs of their clients and their lifestyles.  Each of the signature treatments and protocols use both ancient and modern techniques with a global approach to relaxing and resting.  The treatments enhance the overall experience for the guests by incorporating essential oils and organic ingredients.  SpaRitual is known for its luxury treatments for the hands, body, and feet.

FrockOn: Why are parabens, toluene, formaldehyde and DBP something that consumers should be weary of?

Shel Pink: Our brand philosophy is to use sustainable and ethical processes that give our customers the healthiest alternatives in the professional beauty industry. The SpaRitual brand strives to protect the safety of nail technicians and their clientele all over the world by being one of the first professional brands to use a truly 3-Free lacquer formula in the market because we believe that healthy nails and healthy people are beautiful. Parabens have the ability to mimic estrogen, a hormone that is known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. First banned in the European Union, DBP was added to California’s Prop 65 list of suspected teratogens, and is also sited as an “endocrine disruptor.” In addition, the California Air Resources Board classifies toluene as a “potential ozone depletory,” while formaldehyde gas is a “probable human carcinogen.”

FrockOn: Explain what vegan means in terms of a beauty product.

Shel Pink: We utilize vegan ingredients sourced with awareness, including organic rare plant essences.  Our biodegradable products, are formulated in compliance with Eco Cert standards and are free of synthetic dyes, parabens, harmful preservatives and petrochemicals.  Our products are 100% vegan.  We do not test on animals nor do we use animal by-products in our formulations.  In addition, we require our ingredient suppliers to provide a non-animal origin certificate to confirm that they are meeting our standards.

Many consumers are becoming increasingly aware of exactly what they are painting on their nails, rubbing into their skin and scrubbing their faces with.  When most beauty consumers find out that their favourite nail polish may contain animal by-products and/or chemicals that could impact their bodily functions, suddenly the ‘pretty yellow nail polish’ doesn’t look or feel so pretty.  SpaRitual has set out to change this and is now incorporating their philosophies into other areas of the spa industry.  They recently launched a new soy candle line and a breast cancer awareness nail polish collection, which I will be discussing in Part 2 of my interview.  Until then, you will find me buried under a SpaRitual Look Inside Organic Scrub Masque.

Article | Kendra Hagerman

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Author: Kendra Hagerman

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