Slow and strong: for us, those are the words encapsulating our brands’ impact and approach on raising awareness to mindful consumption. Finding ourselves in 2024, when global concentrations of the top three heat-trapping gases reached a record high again in 2023, NAMES are here to bring your attention to 3 brands focused on positive give back to nature.
Here, Haeckels, Manasi 7 and RAER speak on their actions.
"Sharing our surrounding coasts natural ingredients and Margate’s heritage of healthy coastal living"
It all started in 2012 with one natural treasure of the ocean, a well-known superfood, a cleaner of coastal ecosystems, seaweed, and one too many saucepans smelling of skincare substances. Thirteen years later, here we are in a misunderstood Earth appreciation flop month, where promotions are waved left and right, product launches seem to gain the speed of light, and Haeckels have been B Corp Certified since 2022, doing what they’ve always known.
Produced from the ocean, for the ocean, Haeckels brings seaweed from our oceanic backyard onto skin: always exploring and sharing the ocean’s plant potential, in 100% compostable packaging, a few algae at a time.
With a mission to share Margate’s heritage of healthy coastal life, Haeckels have shown we need look no further than our shores for nutrients (body and mind). In the swing of 21st century consumerism, many are keen on endless taking from the environment, conversations about giving back are little, actions - even fewer. One of the biggest barriers the brand face in efforts towards a greener future is the widespread misconception that sustainable practices are expensive or inconvenient.
For Haeckels, these are a long-term investment. Being intrinsically linked to the ocean - this is the relationship that forms the basis of Haeckels formula creation. Rather than the thin veil of natural, the brand want to challenge synthetics. Natural has to be effective to be relevant.
Help rewrite the story of waste, read more about Haeckels work and contribution.
"Continual self-improvement is our mantra, always seeking superior methods of production whenever possible. The less waste produced, the better"
Swedish beauty brand are showing us the way to cleaner multi-purpose beauty, circa 2018. Having mastered their prime aim - delivering a top-grade sensorial feeling, high colour pay-off and picture-perfect result - rest assured the Manasi 7 product will simplify any laborious beauty routine, yet enhance your skin.
Less is more when it comes to both nurturing skin’s good bacteria and production. Susanne Manasi Persson believes, whenever a product is launched, it must have a clear purpose in the collection. Focus is on quality at all times and the brand proves this to be achievable: high quality natural, wild harvested and certified organic ingredients produced in small batches fall into the mindset (and strategic action) Manasi 7 follow. Microbioskin , for example, is produced both up-cycled and using certified organic ingredients, which are from 100% circular farming.
If we were to measure Manasi 7 with the big guys in beauty mass-market, the brand may indeed appear highly sustainable (in this case, the buzzword does apply as an umbrella term for production, sourcing, packaging and all in-between matters, performed daily by Manasi 7). Slow, mindful and sensible beauty - work exclusively with independent small-scale sub-contractors in production cycles and producing in small quantities - are all encapsulated in the first statement within the ‘Declaration of 7’ manifesto. Although aims to achieve absolute ‘clean’ processes and output equal the brand ceasing operations entirely, on one side of the equation, slow purchase behaviour and slow production must sing in one voice. The less waste produced, the better.
Speaking of less, social media algorithms follow another mantra. The necessity to be constantly informed with newness is what the modern consumer has become used to, and demands. According to the New York Times, it creates the conditions for content that’s instantly, easily pleasurable to rise to the top and for everything else to sink. Quality-focused brands with a mindful approach remain disguised beneath the overload of fast, easily digestible content
We invite you to explore more about Manasi 7, on their website and Instagram
"It’s a matter of honouring the ingredients and the work that was put into growing and harvesting them"
RAER founder Ted Rohn did not cease to look for the perfect fragrance. He simply created it, with a team all over the world. Berlin remains at soul as a revamp touches down in the techno capital. Now RAER - inspired by modern linear scents from rare traditional ingredients that are expensive to grow, limited in harvest and difficult to work with - have not only reformulated their perfumes, upgraded raw ingredients, but also refined their mission.
Distinct appreciation for underground culture naturally flows into the glass - a strong sense of unexpected glamour, of stark contrasts and beauty with an edge. Liquids within have travelled far and wide - inevitably scrolling through the brand’s Instagram, videos one by one take us to India and Southern France, where Tuberose, Jasmin and Lavender are grown. Tuberose, distinct in RAER Accord No.6 - is extracted by Enfleurage - an ancient method where single blossoms are hand placed on a vegetable fat chassis, and changed daily for two weeks for the fat to absorb flowers’ oils. The process - painstaking. The result - just like smelling a fresh blossoming Tuberose.
Genuine love and support of traditional methods are a major piece in the puzzle of fragrance cultural heritage. From Jasmin, grown in the fields of India, to Ylang Ylang from Comoros, to each fragrance being hand-poured into the bottles, finally - the porcelain caps handmade by a Berlin porcelain artist (contain 95% less plastic than previous perfume caps) - each step is completed carefully, throughout a long time.
We invite you to explore more about RAER’s story on their website.
Transparency with the audience comes into play, with a focus on community - creating with it, giving to it - combined with deep interest in modern, potent fragrances. Every scent shares its own history. Travelling from Berlin now, but bringing you a potent touch of the makers.
Credits
Image: Haeckels Journal, Manasi 7 Offiicial Website and RAER Official Website
