Can you tell us something about yourself? How did you come to Green Beauty and how did you start Naya Skincare?

As a consumer, I have always been frustrated with companies that have their production chain clouded and not represented in public. So I wanted to focus on building a brand with an ethical and sustainable supply chain that is completely transparent. Our main goal at Naya is to establish a business model with philanthropy built into its DNA and to reconnect our consumers with Mother Nature through the products we develop and bring to market. Our mission is to create awareness of the Amazon and the importance of protecting it, through the local communities living there and their wisdom. By harvesting products from the region with indigenous ingredients, local communities and small farmers can earn a stable income and be proud of their culture and land. This awareness and shift in demand means that transparency is now crucial. We strive to be a company that provides information about where our products / active ingredients come from and why we prefer certain active ingredients over others. This means that every step in the supply chain is known and traceable. More and more consumers are trying to be responsible citizens of the world and they expect the same from companies. Consumers have so much power to change the world by being aware of how and where you invest your money and what you buy.

Why should you choose Naya?

When customers use our range, they are giving their skin beautiful botanical ingredients from local suppliers in the country of origin combined with scientifically tested ingredients. It's a minimalist approach to streamlining customers' skin care routine, because less is more and it's all about quality, not quantity. Every day we rub over 10-20 products on our skin, with each product containing 15-50 different ingredients. This can grow to 1,000 ingredients per day! This is not sustainable or even necessary for the skin or the environment. That's why we have developed our 'Everyday' to focus on the essential products that nourish the skin, make it glow and protect it from the environment. When I started my research, I noticed that there were not many brands that caught my eye with luxurious but affordable, truly environmentally conscious herbal products, but also used scientifically proven bioactive ingredients to achieve transformational results. That's why I wanted to develop a performance-oriented skin care line that focused on a minimalist concept. Products that I could feel good about because of their "botanical science", their proven effectiveness and their life cycle for the skin. I firmly believe that it is not a question of the quantity of products or the number of ingredients. I believe that there are a number of active ingredients and nutrients that our skin needs to feel balanced and supported. We believe that skin care has become too complicated and we are convinced that skin care can be easier, more effective and more environmentally friendly.

What role does sustainability play for you, for example in the procurement of raw materials or in packaging?

Sustainability is part of our DNA. It goes beyond our active ingredients - how we source them, from monoculture vs. wild collection, and also how they are processed, to packaging, to our refill service, as well as our partnership with Climate Partner. That's why we go our own way and define ourselves as "Committed Beauty", which has two meanings for us On the one hand, we want to develop effective products that help our customers to feel more comfortable in their own skin again. Therefore we have established a very close cooperation with a laboratory in Germany. And on the other hand, we are concerned with sustainability. Even with the first product, Cacay oil, we established all the individual process sequences in such a way that we always know exactly what the individual steps are and what exactly the ingredients are, from the seeds to the end product. We place just as much importance on sustainability in our packaging materials as we do in our ingredients. All our packaging materials used comply with the requirements of "Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD)". This means that they can be collected and disposed of or recycled in the yellow sack, the yellow bin, the waste glass container or the waste paper bin and thus be sent for reuse. In addition, the paper or cardboard used for the folding boxes is made of FSC paper and our printer paper is 100% recycled paper. We are a partner of the Woodland Trust Carbon Offset Scheme. This means that our FSC paper comes from sustainable cultivation and every time we buy new paper and produce packaging, we plant new trees. This year we have also changed our material for our labels and for the first time in the beauty industry we are using stone paper, which we have launched across our entire product range.

If we really want to live "sustainably" and manage a business in a sustainable way, we need to be aware of the resulting effects. Sometimes we have to make compromises and commitments. Customers expect this from companies to help them to live more "sustainably" in today's world.

What do you enjoy most about your work and in which moments do you realize that your hard work pays off?

It's no understatement that building a start-up resembles a roller coaster ride. It can be very emotional. Some days it feels like you've climbed the mountain and other days you feel very depressed due to setbacks. But what motivates me again and again is our committed and determined cooperation with the small farmers on site to support them and help them to raise their standard of living. We are also constantly motivated by the feedback we receive from our customers. They support us and are enthusiastic about what and how we do it. We hear from them that our products have a positive effect on their skin and that they feel good in their skin again. Every single rating we receive from one of our loyal and new customers touches us deeply. I am very grateful for this as it encourages and drives us to continue every day.

Which of your products is your favourite or "must-have" product and why?

My "must-have" product is definitely our Everyday Cleansing Oil. It is the be-all and end-all of every skin care and a "must-do" before every evening routine, where you thoroughly remove make-up, dirt, sun cream etc. from your skin. The pores are cleaned so that the products that follow can work well. But also the cleansing oil can be easily washed off without any problems. My favourite combination is our Everyday Glow Serum with our Renew Cacay Oil + A. As soon as I notice that a pimple is on the way, I use this combination overnight and know that I will look fresh again the next day.

How do you relieve stress after a hard day? What does your self-care ritual look like?

Feeling good is most important to me. Therefore, my wellness regime is a big part of my self-care and my ability to reduce stress. It is about getting my sleep, feeling hydrated and nourished. Regular exercise is also relaxing for me because it actually allows me to release endorphins naturally and relieve stress. If I feel good from "inside out" and provide my body and soul with what they need, I can cope with the stress that comes with starting a start-up. Self-Care means taking care of myself on different levels: on a physical, emotional and mental level. I am a big fan of simple rituals - 15 minutes here and there and also of lasting rituals, which means that I take care of my soul day by day.

What is so special about your ingredient Cacay Oil and how did you come across it?

Our Cacay oil from the Amazon is an all-around talent and is our hero ingredient. It promotes collagen production, regenerates the skin, harmonizes sebum production and is an excellent ingredient that can trap moisture in the skin. It is one of the few ingredients that is also rich in Vitamin A / Retinol. It is unique that vitamin A is found in plants, as it is actually only found in animal products. Therefore we have carried out several tests with German institutes to confirm this. Our Cacay oil is therefore a real "wonder weapon" for skin and hair. Our suppliers are local families, local communities that live in harmony with nature. So work with nature and not against nature. It was important to me, when I was searching for a special active ingredient 5-6 years ago during my research, that it would also be of financial benefit to the producers, i.e. the small farmers on site in the Amazon, so that they could protect the forest in our common sense.

What are your plans for the future with Naya Skincare?

Our goal is of course to see our products in many households around the world. And to inspire people to join us to grow further, so that we can touch more people around the world and enable them to reconnect with nature and learn more about different cultures. We have many ideas about what we would like to do. Overall, we want to inspire others to run a business in a sustainable way, doing good and using your influence to empower your customers to find out more about their own well-being.

Click here for Naya's product selection.

Source images: https://www.nayaglow.com/de/