April 2008’s Featured Article:

Green With Envy— Is Your Spa Earth Friendly?

The environmentalist movement rocks the skin care and spa industry

Are you still one of those poor souls out there who think that clients seeking organic based products and supporting ecofriendly spas are few and far between? If so you may not only be incorrect but you may also be putting your spa’s profitable future in jeopardy. It is important to learn how you can boost your spa’s revenue while feeling good about your personal contribution to our world when green seeps in.

“Consumers have been inundated with headlines focusing on lead in lipstick, off-label uses of pharmaceuticals in cosmetics, the potential perils of parabens and other ingredients, Chinese product recalls and global warming caused by man made toxins,” says a quote released by Alisa Marie Beyer, president and CEO of The Benchmarking Company. Taking it a step further, Beyer had this to say, “But nowhere has the fear of ingredients been felt more acutely than in the beauty industry. Consumer demand for natural and organic beauty brands may just be the single most important issue to impact the beauty industry in its history.”

Her quote coincided with the publication of the 2008 Pink Report™, which is the most comprehensive report of its kind compiled by The Benchmarking Company. The report covered women’s natural and organic beauty brand motivations and attitudes, as well as their purchasing habits of more than 80 natural and organic skin care, makeup and hair care brands.

“Our goal in developing this study was to offer a complete blueprint for beauty brands that market natural or organic products to women. Too often, studies are one-dimensional, offering a sea of sales data or limited consumer points of view,” explained Beyer. “Our Pink Report, The Age of Naturals explores not only a well rounded picture of women who are natural beauty buyers already, but we offer valuable data from nonnatural buyers to demonstrate why women do and do not buy a brand or trust a manufacturer,” she said. “When a brand has both sides of detailed consumer viewpoints, marketing changes can be made to keep current buyers while gaining new ones.”

How to green

That leads us to consider what personal care companies are doing to go green. It is comforting to know that major leaders in the industry are taking action, according to James Norman, M.S., policy affairs manager at EcoSynergy, Inc., in Burilington, CA. “In particular, companies are beginning to take notice of their impact on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). With increasing public and scientific concern for global climate change and GHGs, many companies are pursuing carbon footprinting projects to estimate and manage their own contributions to global climate change.

“The cosmetic and skin care industry is no exception,” he says. “For instance, L’Oréal, one of the largest cosmetic and skin care companies in the world, has set aggressive carbon dioxide reduction targets and is asking their suppliers to submit carbon emissions data to improve their performance in carbon emissions reductions throughout their supply chain.” In fact, he says that in most manufacturing sectors, direct emissions from that sector are only 14 percent of the average total supply chain GHGs for the item being produced. The other 76 percent of GHGs associated with a product occur at various points in the supply chain, which is why companies like L’Oréal are asking their suppliers to get involved. L’Oréal is hoping to encourage other companies within its industry to follow suit.
Note that while consumer skin care products are the most recognizable green alternative for spas, they represent only the tip of the iceberg in a true ecofriendly spa model, as we will soon see.

The rest of the story

The words green, organic and ecofriendly are all associated with a globally aware, “What I do for myself and the environment does matter” concern for our earth, our world and each other, perhaps magnified forward especially for future generations. The green revolution is underway to use resources more efficiently, to consider options that are less toxic, and to feel good about loving our home and Mother Earth without having to deprive ourselves of modern day conveniences.

Moss Wellness Spa at www.mossspa.com in Arizona is a perfect example. “While green is an important element here, this focus is coupled with providing our guests with a supreme, five star luxury experience, as green does not have to mean doing without,” state Stacy Polich, CEO and John Hill, COO.

An ecofriendly spa is one that has altered its products and practices in the name of sustaining and preserving our environment. These spas believe personal health and beauty go hand in hand with global health and beauty—don’t you?

Ways to effect change

Of course, to each his/her own, as there are varying degrees to which one may participate in the green movement. Some of the ways spas are participating include:

• Applying and retailing organic products
• Minimizing the use of plastic containers and water bottles
• Recycling and using recycled materials
• Using natural fiber cloths and fabrics—sheets, towels, uniforms
• Becoming paper free or reducing paper usage
• Incorporating furniture from both nontoxic and sustainable tree sources
• Making close to home purchases from supplies to reduce gas consumption, emissions and support local businesses
• Selling and applying products that are 100 percent cruelty free
• Conserving water
• Using natural, biodegradable cleaning products
• Serving organic, natural snacks and foods—again, local is best
• Incorporating energy efficient appliances
• Using an organic compost system
• Applying energy efficient lighting practices
• Using lead free paint
• Decorating with fresh flowers and real plants instead of synthetic ones
• Installing geothermal heating and cooling systems that are noise and emissions free

Remember, making small, green changes is a start. And by all means, make your clients aware of your earth conscious changes and pepper your marketing materials with your green efforts. That way you can attract clients who care while retaining your existing clientele. And what percentage of your business is female vs. male? Most of us have a pretty heavy female lean here, right? Well, one element is obvious from the data I’ve poured over, and that is this: women, more so than men, are more likely to be swayed positively by green marketing and may actively support your efforts.

Why the demand for ecoalternatives?

Let’s face it, the most common way to get on the enviro wagon is to at least offer one line of organic or all natural products. But why would that make good business sense? If organic products typically carry a higher price premium due to the manufacturing costs, what is the monetary benefit for you? And are organic/natural products as effective? Undoubtedly, the organic advantage is understood by the consumer who will in turn pay to benefit from it.

Examining the effectiveness question, consider this perspective from Kate Riley, manager of Spa Gaia in Napa Valley, CA. “Organic and natural products work naturally, so their effects may not be as immediate as those that chemically induced treatments provide but they certainly are safer and just as effective,” says Riley. “One thing I often say is that when you put a seed into the ground, you don’t get a flower the next day.” Applying skin care products that have toxic ingredients and preservatives makes less sense, says Riley.

Consider these statistics from the previously mentioned 2008 Pink Report, The Age of Naturals by The Benchmarking Company. A stunning 93 percent of women are willing to try a new brand if it earns the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic Seal. Eighty percent said organic/natural products were better for their skin, 64 percent cited they did not want chemicals on their skin and 27 percent knew that the ingredients in traditional beauty products were harmful to their health. And as even more education becomes available, it will become harder to understand why women would choose toxic substances to use on themselves.

Absolute no-nos

In an effort to find out what skin care ingredients may be harmful to our health we hunted down two ecofriendly product manufacturers, SpaRitual and PAQIT. Shel Pink, founder and vice president of SpaRitual, a manufacturer of holistic based products, says dibutyl phtalate (DBP) and animal by-products are absolute no-nos. Kara Petreccia, founder and CEO of PAQIT says her company made concerted efforts to avoid the use of parabens and petroleum based ingredients in its products mainly because of their unhealthy effects on the body. “Accordingly, our primary goal is to continue to move toward using 100 percent organic ingredients that are healthier for the body and the environment,” she says.

In the skin care and spa community there is some consensus as to identifying which ingredients are the bad guys. With toluene linked to birth defects and nerve damage, formaldehyde a known carcinogen and DBP linked to birth defects and reproductive problems, what educated consumer would knowingly expose themselves to that potpourri of toxicity? Note that women make up the largest percentage of sales at most facilities and they form part of a socially responsible group.

So an interesting cycle begins. As more people use green products, thereby supporting organic farming, socially conscious consumers will drive the market and help lower the prices of organic products. And as prices decrease, more people will begin going green. Once we reach a tipping point organic goods are bound to become the norm.

The big picture

Calling your facility an eco-spa requires that you make earth friendly decisions in a range of categories, from furniture and heating to uniforms, products and beyond. And doing so may be too huge of a leap and may just leave you in the red—but don’t despair. Even little steps in the green direction count. Pink of SpaRitual says, “I don’t want to tell consumers how to go green, although I do want to thank consumer advocates for starting this grass roots ecobeauty movement, as well as to thank the spa industry for offering environments where we can treat ourselves holistically.

“A powerful turning point for me personally in terms of conceptualizing the future of my business was the conception of a more literal kind, namely becoming a mother. In my case seeing the world through the eyes of my children was a big wake-up call.” According to Pink, realizing that the decisions she makes today will affect her children tomorrow sharpened her focus and her resolve.

You’d be amazed that with just a little bit of awareness you can begin making small, positive changes. Consider offering an organic line in your spa or applying it to your skin. And like green plants bathed with Mother Nature’s rain and sunshine, you might eventually grow into a green lifestyle of your own.

About Ameann DeJohn

Ameann DeJohn is an active consultant and educator to top salons, spas and skin care manufacturers across the United States. DeJohn is a former spa owner and a licensed esthetician with more than 17 years experience in the beauty industry. She has been featured on all major networks, lectures at trade conferences and continues to write for industry publications. To reach her please email dejohn@ameann.com.