Amy Flyntz

Gray Hair, Don’t Care: Two Green Beauty Founders On Their Journeys to Ditching the Dye

July 19, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

The green beauty community is often viewed as a departure from its conventional cousin: With maker-formulated products that rely on natural ingredients and a priority on health over easy profit, “green” has come to mean “progressive,” and in many ways, that holds true. When it comes to defining what’s beautiful, however, old habits die hard; many of us are still subject to feeling that we must adhere to conventional beauty standards in order to feel—or be seen as—attractive… or even worthy.

Luckily, green beauty has its share of trailblazers who are unafraid to disrupt, redefine and enact change through leading by example. For Sarah Villafranco, M.D., founder of Osmia Organics, and Lisa Fennessy, founder of This Organic Girl, their journeys to letting their respective gray hair grow in was not only a rebellion against beauty standards, but it has also given them lessons on growth, self-acceptance and what being beautiful really means to them.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Villafranco, M.D., Osmia Organics.

Tell us about your decision to stop coloring your hair. What drove it? Was it a long time coming?

Lisa: I started thinking about going gray a couple of months before I actually anted up and went all-in. I had just gotten to the point in life where I was needing to color my hair every 3-4 weeks to keep up with the growth and even then I still wasn’t happy with it. It was like, Week 1: Too dark. Week 2: Looked great. And then weeks 3 and 4, I could see my roots again. So what was I doing? Putting all this time, money and effort into feeling good about myself seven days out of the month?! Something had to give.

And of course, I don’t want anything to do with the toxins in hair dye. But as passionate as I am about not poisoning myself, I was also just as passionate about having youthful looking hair. So what’s a girl to do? I turned to Hairprint for a while, which is a truly nontoxic hair color. I loved it, but I grew tired of applying it at home by myself. So then I turned back to ‘organic’ hair dye in the salon which, I hate to break it to you, but organic hair dye ain’t organic. And even though I knew I was exposing my body to toxic chemicals like p-Phenylenediamine (which the EPA says may cause severe dermatitis, asthma, renal failure, vertigo, tremors, convulsions and coma in humans) and resorcinol (which the EWG says is toxic to the immune system and an endocrine disruptor), I did it anyway, because what was the alternative? For some people like me, this predicament feels like choosing the better of two ‘awfuls’ and it’s just so demoralizing.

And then one day I came home and said to my husband, “I’m thinking of maybe not dyeing my hair anymore,” and I will never forget his reaction. He goes, “Oh awesome! You should totally do it.” I thought about his reaction for a couple weeks and then… I dyed my hair again. And when I came home that night, my husband saw me and goes, “Aw! What happened?! I thought you were ditching the color?!” And ultimately that’s what gave me the courage to just go for it. It’s been a little over a year now since I’ve dyed my hair and I’m so grateful for his support and that final push.

Sarah: Actually, it happened almost overnight. I woke up and looked on my calendar for the week. When I saw a hair color appointment, I thought, “Wait, I JUST had my hair colored! How can it be time already?!” The strange thing is that I didn’t really make a decision to START coloring my hair. I’d have stylists offer to put a rinse or a gloss on it to “blend” the grays, and I’d say, “Sure, why not?” But, over time, I started feeling this urgency about covering them when they started to show. I was starting to feel ashamed of my natural hair color, and I had a very sudden realization about the absurdity of that notion. So I stopped. It’s been over a year since I colored my hair with the intention of covering gray. Any coloring I’ve done has been in an effort to let the silver come in gracefully, rather than having it be such a stark transition.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Fennessy, This Organic Girl.

Are you surprised by any feelings that have surfaced since you stopped coloring your hair?

Lisa: So funny you asked this question because YES! I AM! I decided to film, “Going Gray: A Year In Review” for my IGTV. It was just going to be a cumulation of going gray photos from the past year, but the next thing I know, I’m telling a story of personal growth and self love.

Body shaming applies to hair, too, you know. I didn’t realize it at the time, but before I stopped dyeing my hair, I was consumed with thoughts about my roots to the point where it would affect my behavior. I would refuse to sit if others were standing so people wouldn’t have a top-down vantage point. During conversations, I would track people’s eye contact and one-for-one, allow it to chip away at my self-worth every time someone glanced at my hairline. I constantly had this inner-voice dragging me down: They can see your grays. They are looking at your roots. They won’t stop staring at your hair. It was these beauty lies that were defining me and taking center stage. And instead of truly looking at someone and engaging with them, I was more concerned about my position in the room.

And to make matters worse, I was suppressing all of it. My whole life, I’ve identified as a confident woman. And at that time, I wasn’t able to see that this was really unhealthy self-talk because in general, I was really good at life. So even though I was continuing on with this negative self-talk, I didn’t see it as such because it wasn’t my opinion, it was fact. The ‘fact’ being, gray hair is ugly. Now that I walk around with only a few inches left of color-treated hair skimming my shoulders, that veil has been lifted. I keep my head held high, sit whenever I damn please and look people in the eye to engage, rather than tally. That inner voice that used to tell me to stand or track eye contact is dead. I’ve totally broken free from those beauty lies that used to own me and at the age of 40, I am finally living my beauty truth.

Do you view yourself differently since you began this process? If so, how has your relationship with the woman in the mirror evolved?

Sarah: Oddly, I feel more confident now than when I was coloring. It’s such a nice feeling to have all my cards on the table, and be able to share that feeling with others. I think so many things in the beauty industry end up making us feel ashamed of our natural appearance. When you’re walking around in a state of low-level shame about yourself, you can’t give the world all you have to offer. Since I stopped coloring my hair, I feel like I carry myself like a woman with nothing to hide.

Do I still have to work not to criticize myself in the mirror? Of course—that is, and always will be, a work in progress. But letting my silvers shine helps me keep my priorities in the order that makes the most sense for me.

How long into allowing your grays to come in did you begin to really embrace them? Is it an ongoing process?

Lisa: The first three months are the hardest in my opinion, because you walk around looking like you just missed a hair appointment rather than a woman who made a decision about her hair. It’s kind of how I felt when I was three months pregnant too. I didn’t look pregnant, I just felt fat. Same with this! I didn’t look like I was going for the gray hair look, I just looked overdue. It’s this in-between stage that was the toughest to embrace for me.

But soon after that I felt like I could see and measure progress and I caught myself wishing my hair would grow in WHITER! I would love a full head of silver hair, but I think I still have a few more years to go before that happens.

Sarah: About three months after I decided to stop covering the gray, I began to see it coming in substantially at my temples and my crown, and I found it unexpectedly empowering. I’d get excited when I saw a new set of sparkles. Of course, there are days when I wonder if it makes me look a little older, or what it will look like when it’s more like 80 percent silver than 30 percent like it is now. But overall it’s been such a positive experience that I can’t believe I even stressed over the decision.

What do you want other women—and young girls— to know about your decision to no longer dye your hair?

Lisa: That it’s a personal one. I’m not here to preach going gray as the answer to healthy living, because it’s not. Health and happiness means something different to each and every one of us. That means taking the time to honor you. Discover you. Do you. If that means bucking the system and not dyeing your hair, then do it! If that means dyeing your hair until you are 90 then girl, yes. But maybe it means making amends with your mom or an estranged friend. Or paying someone back. Or mustering up the courage to say you’re sorry for that thing that’s really eating away at you. Because guess what? When we are good inside, the outside doesn’t matter as much.

I stand here as a a sister and a friend to anyone who wants to share my journey. What I definitely want to offer is encouragement to the women out there who are in the weeds and can’t see the light. It gets better. It was really weird seeing my hair come in looking like my mother’s. But now that it’s been over a year, I don’t think much about it anymore. I look in the mirror and I just see me.

Sarah: I’m not here to tell anyone what to do, or to say that coloring your hair is wrong. I’m only here to advocate for the idea that a woman choosing to embrace gray hair, or not choosing Botox, should not be equated with the concept of “letting herself go.” It’s simply another, completely viable option on the spectrum.

I also think we need to consider our reasons for coloring our hair or taking other measures to look younger. To whatever extent those reasons are based in shame, I say it’s time to stand up against the cultural tenets that created an age-based shame—especially for women—in the first place. The idea that we are less valuable as humans when we have wrinkles or silver streaks is absurd. Everybody knows that intellectually, but by working so hard to hide our age, we’re actually making a statement in the opposite direction, and setting our daughters up to have to do the same.

Lisa, your blog is dedicated to green living, and has become a trusted source for readers wanting to know about the best in green beauty. Have you received feedback from your readers about your gray hair? What has that been like?

The support I’ve gotten from readers has been pivotal. I’ve had such a positive experience going gray and I wonder if I would have the same sense of confidence if I weren’t doing it publicly. At the beginning, it was really hard to embrace my decision. I felt awkward, ugly and disheveled. But what I kept hearing from my readers was, “You look beautiful, you are glowing and keep it up!” It really kept me going.

Sarah, you embody health and wellness: From your workout routines to your healthy eating habits, you seem to walk the wellness walk daily. How does your lifestyle contribute to your feelings of what’s beautiful?

I think 10 years in the emergency room gave me a strong sense of the full range of human wellness and disease. To have a healthy body is an incredible privilege, and I never lose sight of that fact. Watching my mom get sick and die so young only emphasized the point. Nourishing myself with healthy foods, moving my body and feeling my heart and lungs come alive in my chest, breathing the air the trees have cleaned for me—all of these are privileges, and could be revoked at any moment. That makes me want to drink in all the beauty around me and share it with as many people as I can.

If you had one (or more!) message for the beauty industry as a whole as it pertains to how we view women as they age and their hair, skin or bodies change, what would it be?

Sarah: As Forrest Gump might have said, beauty is as beauty does. It is SO much more important to act beautiful than to look beautiful. If you’ve been kind to the people you love, worked to heal relationships that need attention, contributed to your community or the planet, and you still have time to curl your eyelashes, go for it! But none of your beauty endeavors will ever matter if your beautiful actions don’t come first. And here’s the best part—if you’re acting like a beautiful human being, feeling beautiful is just a natural side effect.

Love all things green beauty? Get ready for the return of one of green beauty’s biggest nights.

Not Just for Gut Health: Probiotics May Be Beneficial to Your Bones, Too

July 18, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

If you take a daily supplement (or four), you may have already discovered the benefits of probiotics on your gut: improved digestion, better immune function and an overall sense of balance and well-being. As if that’s not enough of a reason to incorporate them into your daily routine, new studies show that probiotics may benefit bone health as well.

In a study in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers studied 90 generally healthy women between 75-80 years old with low bone mineral density. At the launch of the study, the women’s bone density was measured; they were then chosen at random to receive either a placebo pill or freeze-dried Lactobacillus reuteri—a microbe that naturally occurs in the intestinal tract—to be taken twice a day.

At the one year mark, the participants’ bones were measured again, and the results were noticeable: Those women who took Lactobacillus reuteri supplements had almost half the reduction in bone density as the women who were given the placebo.

Though the reason behind the lack of bone loss is still unclear and more studies are needed before doctors will recommend taking probiotics as a general rule for women, those of us already taking them may have the added benefit of stronger bones as we age. In any case, our gut flora will continue to reap the benefits of these “good bacteria” probiotics, and we’ll await further news on the effects on our bone health. It seems that time—and research—will tell.

Looking to add probiotics to your routine? Try these three to start:

Silverfern Ultimate Probiotic

Silver Fern™ Ultimate Probiotic is specially formulated to restore gut health and resolve stomach issues. The probiotic capsules are lab-tested and guaranteed to contain the strains that will survive throughout the gut and bring renewed digestive comfort and relief.

RMS Beauty Within Probiotic+Prebiotic

RMS’s powerful blend of probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants are specially formulated to address the hypothesis that external beauty could be linked to inner beauty. Their formula contains 25 billion CFU per serving of good bacteria that promotes a healthy immune system and digestive function, supports the growth of normal beneficial bacteria in the gut and inhibit others, and helps support overall health.

Garden of Life Primal Defense

Primal Defense contains Lactobaccilus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria, and other strains to maximize the benefits of a healthy diet, boost nutrient absorption and support digestive health. It’s the only shelf-stable probiotic formula containing a unique whole food blend with Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSO), and it has 12 hardy, beneficial strains for immune system health.

Want to learn about what wellness experts do in their daily routines? Check out our #MyMondayWellnessRoutine series.

Inclusivity in Sustainable Fashion: How Four Brands Are Leading the Charge

July 16, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

Sustainable fashion has seen tremendous growth in the last several years, moving beyond a “trend” and becoming more of a serious contributor to fashion’s $3 trillion global economy. In 2017, sustainable fashion grew 19 percent year-to-date over 2016, with even fast fashion giants H&M, Zara and Mango marketing more “conscious” collections. As consumers demand more ethical business practices and less environmental impact from clothing companies, they also want to see themselves reflected in brand ownership and employment, marketing campaigns, social media posts and, of course, in brands’ clothing designs. With these more mindful brands continuing to secure their footholds in one of the world’s largest industries, opportunities abound for them to embrace inclusivity in sustainable fashion. In fact, some brands have always had diversity and inclusivity at their core.

Defining Inclusivity in Sustainable Fashion

“Inclusivity is not just about one thing, it’s everything—size, age, ethnicity, height, gender—all of it,” say Emma Olson and Bobbi Barron, co-owners of Hazel & Rose. “Size inclusivity has been especially important to us since Hazel & Rose opened in 2016. There are so few plus size options across the industry, but especially within sustainable and ethical fashion. We started carrying Hackwith Design House plus size items in FW16 and at first, we were waiting for more plus size brands to pop up, but after establishing relationships with the independent designers we work with, we decided to just ask them if they were willing to try extended sizes with us.”

Photo courtesy of Hackwith Design House.

In addition to inclusive sizing, Hackwith Design House is committed to delivering a true reflection of society to its customers. “We strive to make sure our content reflects the society we actually live in, which means including women of all backgrounds, ethnicities and sizes,” says Erin Husted, director of operations. “We want our clothing to appeal to women living and working in the world, which means it should be designed to reflect the reality of what women actually look like. Each individual woman experiences all kinds of changes in her body over her lifetime, so we hope that our clothes can accommodate those changes and make her feel great when wearing them!”

Authenticity, Always

Even as brands live and breathe inclusivity throughout all aspects of their business, there is some frustration that the word “inclusive” needs to be called out as such. “I think it’s unfortunate that we have to use the word because in reality, it’s a reaction to a large part of the population being excluded for so many years,” says Fran Dunaway, CEO and co-founder of TomboyX. “The societal definition of beauty and cool has had a very narrow lens. That affects those of us who don’t fit the traditional standards. What we’re seeing is an uprising of ‘Fuck your standards, I am an awesome person and I deserve to be treated as such.’ TomboyX is acknowledging that by being a reflection of that very attitude. We think you’re beautiful and cool just the way you are. We absolutely have an agenda: It’s a human agenda.”

“We really hope inclusivity doesn’t become another buzz word,” adds Jay Hallstein, co-founder of Boston-based Brass Clothing. “Ethical, sustainable, inclusive, diverse, authentic—these words have a lot of meaning, but lose their value through overuse and misuse. Hopefully there can be more conversation around what these words actually mean, when to use them and how to use them so that we can maintain the integrity of these words.”

Fran agrees with the importance of using these words authentically. “The world is becoming increasingly more divided, and we think we are more alike than different. We want to focus on how we are most alike, and that’s in our humanity. Inclusivity isn’t a gimmick,” she advises. “It’s at the core of our value system because we truly care. If you’re not authentic, your customers will sniff if it out immediately.”

Authenticity plays a large role in the success of sustainable fashion brands. In the age of social media, shared images and messaging can make or break a brand’s ability to connect and retain relationships with followers and customers. For TomboyX, their authentic, inclusive representation has deeply resonated with its following. “We are delighted and thrilled by the massive outpouring of love for the brand via our IG page,” Fran says. “I love scrolling through and seeing all the beautiful people posting photos of themselves wearing our product. So stunning, so badass, so accepting and confident. It makes my heart swell with pride and gratitude.”

Brass “Real Model” photo shoot. Photo courtesy of Preppy Panache.

For Brass, launching their Real Model photo shoots helped them connect to their customers in a fresh, real way. The result is an ongoing campaign that has become a movement in its own right. “We started our Real Model photo shoots about two years ago. It began in a very organic way—we had an event called ‘Selfie Sunday’ that invited our customers to come and experience being a model for a day,” Jay explains. “It received such a great response that we decided to formalize it. We have done five photo shoots and have more than 1200 women who have signed up to be a part of a Real Model shoot. Of course, the photo shoots provide us with photography for our site and for women to shop more easily online, but it is really more about the actual experience for the participants. Many of the women are so nervous at first, but by the end, they are feeling incredibly beautiful, sexy, and strong. It’s a really empowering and memorable experience for the women and we honestly just love offering the opportunity to our community.”

Fighting the Constraints of the Fashion Industry

Even as gains such as these can be celebrated, brand owners still feel the constraints of the conventional fashion industry at large. “I worked in the plus-size industry before opening the shop,”say Emma, “so I know how complex the fit and manufacturing of plus-size apparel can be. It’s not just a matter of continuing to grade a pattern to a larger size—it often needs to be an entirely new pattern, and that’s a huge investment for anyone, but especially smaller brand.”

“For us,” Erin says, “the toughest part has been finding professional models that reflect the society in which we live. We’d love to see more models of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.”

Jay agrees. “The fashion industry has been historically exclusive, relying on exclusivity to drive sales and create an image that feels unattainable and therefore, desirable. Models of a certain size, skin color and look have dominated the industry and defined our collective conscience in relation to beauty.”

Enacting Inclusive Change

But that doesn’t stop these brand owners from being resourceful and enacting the change they want to see.

“By asking some of our top brands if they’d try plus sizes with us, we were able to help carry a little bit of the risk with them as well as offer feedback on fit from our customers in the shop,” Emma and Bobbi say. “Our extended size range has tripled since FW16 and we plan to double what we currently offer by FW18. Beyond plus size, we generally like to work with people who we know and love, and most of them aren’t professional models, so we can show how the goods look on a variety of people.”

Erin agrees. “Hire the models who reflect the incredible diversity that exists among women in our society! The larger the demand for that, the more professional models we’ll have with a diversity of shapes and backgrounds,” she advises. “The more independent designers including plus-size options, the better! It takes time and money to expand your size offerings, but we love that independent designers have tackled this gap in the marketplace, beating larger companies with vaster resources. It just goes to show that investing in small businesses really can pay off for the consumer.”

Smart social media and marketing campaigns can also help brands further their mission to improve inclusivity in sustainable fashion. “Finally, we are at a time where social media is helping to democratize, and therefore diversify, beauty,” Jay says. “The ability for brands to easily share stories around who, how, and why a piece of clothing is made, and for customers to quickly share photos of themselves in the clothing has contributed greatly to increased inclusivity and diversity in the fashion industry.”

Accolades and Admiration for Brands Doing It Right

Despite the challenges of launching a sustainable fashion brand in a sea of conventional or fast fashion brands, these brands remain committed to their respective and collective visions. They also have strong admiration for others in their industry—and beyond— who are walking the inclusivity walk. “Universal Standard is amazing,” Fran says.

And Jay agrees. “We really admire Universal Standard and their commitment to making quality clothing accessible for plus-size women. They’re really killing the game. You have to admire Glossier and some of the campaigns they have run, especially Body Hero. Also, Darling Magazine has set a precedent for not retouching photos in the media world, which is awesome.”

“We were also inspired by Valerie Eguavoen (@onacurve) when she spoke out against the lack of diversity in the fashion industry and formed YOU BELONG NOW (@youbelongnow) to call attention to systemic injustices within the industry,” Emma and Bobbi add.

As for gaps in what the sustainable fashion industry offers that still need to be addressed? “Finding men’s shoe styles in my size!” Fran says. If anyone can figure out how to address that need, surely these four inclusive—and authentic—brands can.

Passionate about sustainability? Learn how this skincare brand weaves it into everything they do.

The Business of Wellness: Why One Venture Capitalist Invested $6 Million in Fast Beauty Brand Winky Lux

July 12, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

As new wellness and beauty brands emerge on the scene with increasing regularity, carving out a niche for a brand can be challenging—or even frustrating—for its founders. From brand recognition and loyalty to organic social media engagement and global growth, launching in today’s popular wellness and beauty markets takes passion, drive and a plan to break out from the noise. For investor Robin Li, vice president at GGV Capital—a 20-year-old VC firm with offices in the United States and China and a $4 billion portfolio—deciding to invest in a brand doesn’t fit a particular formula. Instead, the 280 companies GGV Capital has invested in over the past two decades are able to set themselves apart through both their products and their founders. GGV Capital’s recent investment in cult-favorite, “fast beauty” brand Winky Lux is proof positive that creativity, ingenuity and high quality can make all the difference in securing investment—and taking a beauty or wellness brand to the next level.

What do you look for in brands or founders before deciding to invest? Is there a “formula” you look for, or is it more of a gut feeling?

We don’t have a formula. We evaluate not just product/market fit. We also care about founder/market fit: Why are they the right one to build this company? When we can identify this, it helps the brand and founder to break out from the noise. We can spend anywhere from a week to a year with founders before we invest. It’s kind of like a marriage!

Our return cycles are a 10-year return. We have a lot of core theses we invest in; consumption changes so much. Look at smartphones: 10 years ago, they didn’t exist. There’s a long way to go with this technology, and so much opportunity for companies to be more global. It’s easier than ever for them to reach people and to grow as a result.

What most excites you about the beauty and wellness space right now?

I’m really excited about “masstige.” It’s a newer category that merges mass market and prestige. We’ve seen a lot of shift in consumer behavior around the demand for color cosmetics online. Masstige is marketed as luxury, but still affordable—think brands like Zara, Coach, Godiva—and in beauty, is relatively new. We think it’s exciting because they rate higher than middle market brands, but they sell taste and design to the masses through their look, feel and the way they advertise.

I’m also very exited about wellness as affordable luxury. More than ever, people are spending on self-care, on things like Class Pass, Peloton, Soul Cycle. In the age of social media, people more than ever care about how they look. It’s about how fit you are, how you skin glows—and that’s a big driver in this wellness-as-luxury movement.

GGV Capital has invested in Winky Lux, the color cosmetics brand that’s been dubbed the “Zara of cosmetics.” What about their “fast beauty” model attracted you as an investor?

Actually, what attracted us to Winky Lux was not about fast beauty exclusively. We invested slowly and worked closely with founder Natalie Mackey for almost a year. We could see how on top of trends she is; her team includes both millennials and experienced people who can tell you what’s trending, what’s working. Winky Lux interacts with their customers directly, asking what they’re looking for, inviting them to help name products. They work with co-creators who have their own followers, so they end up empowering an army of influencers online and offline.

We’ve never been able to interact with conventional beauty brands like L’Oreal. We’re in this era when cosmetics penetration online is less than 10 percent of the market. Millennials are turning to the internet to research the brands and products they’re interested in; Winky Lux has a masstige price point ($14-29) with this beautiful packaging that is all designed by Natalie, so unboxing the product is also an appeal for consumers. In addition, the formulas are high end, which has earned them a customer loyal following.

Winky Lux took to social media to track what was trending, built their product development to meet these trends, and turned around their first product in 45 days—a timeline unheard of in traditional, and clean, beauty manufacturing. They’ve done incredibly well, raising $6 million in funding for their Series A round. Do you think this “fast beauty” is a sustainable model for founders in wellness or beauty who are looking to launch, or is Winky Lux a bit of a unicorn?

Fast beauty is only sustainable if your supply chain is really solid. Natalie has had a lot of experience with supply chain and licensing. She worked with manufacturers in China with some top brands; she also understands the private equity side and had a design background in undergrad. Unless you have access to this know-how, it’s really hard for someone to do it all themselves. The experiential retail channel is actually what drew us to them for this most recent round of funding; people are seeking things to do and ways to engage with a brands online and in-person, we know people are three times more likely to purchase when they engage with a brand offline. This summer, Winky Lux will be doing events in New York, and we can’t wait to see how people respond!

Robin Li, VP of GGV Capital. Photo courtesy of GGV Capital.

With beauty and wellness continuing to grow in leaps and bounds, what makes a brand stand out enough to catch your eye?

In this day and age, it’s so easy for anyone to create a brand, but how do you prevent being a one-trick pony? How do you have something that’s proprietary? We look at retention and repeat usage—six to 12 months from now, will your customers still be with you? With Peloton (part of the GGV Capital portfolio), after several years, 96 percent of all their bikes still have a subscriptions tied to them. To stand out, you have to be a cult—you have to be integrated into your customer’s routines.

How has social media changed the way you decide to invest in brands? Are followers as important as brand founders are conditioned to believe they are?

Yes, definitely! Social media matters. There are more than 1 billion users on Instagram and more than 2 billion on Facebook. Teenagers today spend more than five hours a day on YouTube. But it’s not about just followers; it’s about engagement and interaction—that’s only going to continue to grow. We care about community posts and tags: Are people sharing your products and your brand? Is your engagement authentic? Paid advertising is not sustainable, so organic growth and word of mouth are the most important.

What do you see as the future of beauty and wellness? Anything in particular trend you’re keeping an eye on?

The future of beauty and wellness lies in global accessibility and engagement. We see the global nature of millennials, who are very similar in the United States as they are in China. There are about 63 million millennials in the U.S., and 350 million on China. How are brands becoming more global, especially in digital? While we don’t require brands we work with to be global, it’s on our minds when we work with them, and vise versa.

Are you in the business of wellness or beauty? Learn how this brand is making sustainability a priority as it enjoys an upward trajectory.

McDonald’s Bans Plastic Straws in the U.K. and Ireland

July 9, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

While a global fast-food chain leading at the forefront of environmental protection isn’t something that happens every day, come September, the “golden arches” will step up to meet consumer demands and reduce their environmental impact. This fall, the fight against plastic pollution gets a win as McDonald’s bans plastic straws in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Here in the United States, Americans use 500 million plastic straws per day, and the devastating environmental impact these small pieces of plastic have is enormous—taking their toll on our oceans and on animal life. As the push for plastic-free gains momentum in the U.K. and Ireland, however, McDonald’s is stepping up and replacing plastic straws with paper ones—a monumental swap, since the fast food giant uses 1.8 million straws a day at its 1,361 U.K. and Ireland locations.

Last month, the European Union voted to ban 10 popular, single-use plastic items by 2030, including plastic utensils, cotton swabs and straws. The move could take years to go into effect, but the hope is that it will help clean up the plastic pollution in the oceans.

While McDonald’s locations here in the United States have not made a move to ban plastic straws, cities throughout the country are leading the charge, with Seattle being the first major city to ban plastic straws and plastic utensils in restaurants. As consumers across the country become more aware of the plastics pollution crisis, perhaps they can spur McDonald’s—and other restaurants—to follow lead of those in the U.K. and Ireland.

Want to reduce your own environmental footprint and ditch the plastic drinking straws? Discover why these reusable straws are our favorites.

Women We’re Watching: Joy Altimare of EHE

July 6, 2018 By Amy Flyntz Leave a Comment

Joy Altimare is the Chief Engagement and Brand Officer for EHE, a preventative health care provider that, for more than 100 years, has worked with employers to deliver employee access to healthy lifestyle management. EHE empowers employees to take charge of their own health while performing at their best, both at work and in their personal lives. Her marketing acumen, her passion for living a healthy lifestyle, her welcoming message for women, and her refusal buy into having to be perfect make Joy Altimare a woman we’re watching.

As the Chief Engagement and Brand Officer for EHE, you spend much of your time working with women wellness entrepreneurs. Tell us about EHE’s mission, and how it aligns with your own definition of living well.

At EHE, we stand for engaging healthy employees. We’re a company that believes in preventative medicine and lifestyle behavior. We work with employers and their workers to see that they’re using preventative practices. EHE aligns with the wellness habits that I’ve practiced my entire life: I was an athlete as a child; I became a fitness instructor in college. I believe in the benefits of preventative care. It’s important to me that at EHE, we’re centered around prevention and wellness in women. We try to keep them healthier so they can perform better, and so they can be happy and healthy for their family. I was blessed to have a child at 37—considered late by the medical establishment—and when my daughter was born, she was nine pounds and healthy. I recovered well and bounced back quickly, and I believe that was due to my preventative, healthy lifestyle.

Since childhood, you’ve been interested in wellness through physical activity—going so far as to earn your ACE certification while you led a step aerobics class at your all-girls high school. How has your relationship to wellness changed since then? Does your definition of wellness still focus heavily on being physically active, or is it a more holistic approach?

Yes, it’s more holistic now. Now that I’m in my 40s, it’s important to think about my body as a whole and my approach to well-being in a holistic way. I believe this, and so does EHE. It’s a lifestyle perspective: how you think, how you move and how you eat. When I was younger, I constantly thought about working out, sometimes pushing myself to do it twice a day. Now, I’m more centered. Now, there’s a healthy tension between being active, nutrition and mindfulness. Being in tune with the motivation behind my behavior is so important.

For me, I feel better when I move. I was a competitive swimmer for most of my childhood, then a runner. I used to feel I had to run six miles a day to be able to say, “I’m a contributor to myself and the world.” Now, I have a dance party with my daughter, I walk from the train to work, and then I have meetings with my direct reports walking around EHE’s office in Rockefeller Center. I feel better now! I’ve figured out how to incorporate fitness into my life vs. defining my life by fitness. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect—but we need to give ourselves the freedom of forgiveness to not be perfect all the time. I want to get up at 7 a.m. and have a dance party with my daughter, not be perfect! When I do this with her, I have one on one time with her; she’s learning while we count out steps or sing, and my heart rate is up. The thing about wellness is that we don’t have to do things the way others do them. To me, I have to figure out ways to incorporate all aspects of my life—wife, mother, executive—to truly live well.

How does the care EHE provides differ from that of a primary care physician?

EHE will use biometrics to understand what’s happening on the inside: cholesterol levels, etc. We deliver preventative exams, then a year-long plan. We offer services where employees consult with dietitians, mindfulness coaches and holistic therapies that walk you through what to do to address issues and help you reach your optimum health—down to using vetted apps to make wellness accessible. We can then refer you out to medical doctors if need be. For instance, while we encourage cognitive behavior for lifestyle change, we will refer you to a psychiatrist if need be.

How do you marry your business and marketing acumen with helping women to live well?

When I’m not leading the marketing and revenue efforts as the Chief Engagement and Brand Officer for EHE, I spend my time working with women wellness entrepreneurs: dietitians, physiologists, mindful coaches. I work with them to help hone their value proposition and develop a unique and distinctive selling proposition to either launch or sustain their business model. I marry my business and marketing acumen to their passion, subject-matter expertise and dedication to success. The end result is a vetted concept that serves as the foundation of a scalable business made for and by women.

Marketing is all about understanding how to drive consumer behaviors. Women are the ultimate marketers; we understand communication and we know how to drive behaviors to achieve a desired outcome. I believe in this core marketing principle: Meet them where they are, and give them something they need before they know they need it. Instead of being transactional, engage with an individual before asking something of them. Understand people, who they are, what their goals are and then serve up a package option to meet them where they are; find them something they don’t know they need. Holistic well-being for women means thinking about different phases and stages of our lives. I try to bring to our patients the idea that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to wellness.

At EHE, we want to be the care navigator. We try to be relevant. That’s what makes brands “sticky” and keeps people coming back. People purchase brands, not products. That’s why people go to same vacation spots or buy brands over and over. People see wellness growing and increasing in relevancy and access. Think of Peloton, for example: It brought cool spin classes to women all over the country. It’s not just the classes, though, it’s more about experience and community. They’re actually branded as an entertainment company—not a fitness company. The ability to bring that tribal experience at home is priceless. They provided for a need that no one knew they needed.

The wellness industry has seen a massive growth surge, over the past few years especially. What is it about wellness that makes it resonate with so many, and also makes it so marketable?

Wellness is universal. Everyone wants to be healthy. Healthcare is a $3 billion industry. While two-thirds of that is spent on those with chronic illness, the final third is spent on keeping healthy people healthy. Most people want to perform at their optimum level and be there for their family. For me, I want to be happy and healthy for my family, to live to see my grandchildren grow up. People gravitate toward that, and that’s why wellness is so marketable.

If you could wave a magic wand and make an immediate change in the world right now, what would it be?

I’m not a political person, but there are about 300 migrant children that have been separated from their families and displaced here in NYC. Some local “mommy blogs” put out the call to action to donate, so I got up, drove to Target and got diapers, wipes and some toys they could hold on their own. I saw a handful of kids, and they broke my heart. I thought, what else can I do? So I applied to be an emergency foster care parent. We’re going through the vetting process now, waiting to hear back.

Pediatricians in the area are calling for people to bring these children in for checkups and they will help them—these kids need medical care. Some of these children haven’t lived a year on earth and they’ve experienced more trauma than I have in my entire life. So yes, if I could wave a magic wand, it would be the reversal of time, to make this not be the case, to make this not the America we live in today.

You juggle many different hats and responsibilities every day. How do you incorporate joy into your daily life?

It’s a blessing and a curse to have the name Joy; it’s a little hard to have that name and not be upbeat. Over time, I’ve realized I’m not perfect. I’m type A, I’m a Scorpio, I’m an executive. It’s important to have goals and strive to meet them, but also to learn the lessons of failure. When you do that, you evolve, and you find joy. Finding joy is a choice. You can look to the future and you can choose it every morning. I can choose to have a dance party with my daughter, to have adventure, to wake up 10 minutes late. I can leave the house a few minutes later and take moments with my family. The days are long but the years are short, as the saying goes—you wake up and you can’t believe that three years have passed. You have to forgive yourself for not being perfect, and give yourself a moment for respite. I’m not perfect today, but I’m perfect for me. I’m enough.

Looking for more inspiration from women in wellness? This entrepreneur is using her brand as a platform for clean drinking water.