The Environmentalist’s Guide to Flawless Skin

How does beauty work with a sustainable lifestyle? We ask Antonia Simon-Stenberg: she knows. Antonia works every day to prove you can look good, guilt-free. As Oriflame Vice President Sustainability and Quality, her job brings together two worlds she loves: serious science, and glamour at the forefront of the beauty scene. We were curious about Antonia’s beauty style, so we sat down for a chat.

We hear the term “sustainable” a lot these days, but what does it actually mean?
At Oriflame it means creating responsible products with natural ingredients, which meet our strong environmental policies and have a minimal impact on the environment. But environmental sustainability isn’t just about the products themselves, it’s about trying to limit the environmental impact of everything that we do.
And for Oriflame, it’s always been about improving people’s lives. And not just for our customers, suppliers and employees, but for the wider community too.

Is there a link between beauty and sustainability? Absolutely! We’ve just developed a new sustainability strategy – the vision is creating makeup and beauty products responsibly. Our customer should be able to focus on her needs and not have to worry about the ingredients, regardless of whether she’s looking for the right moisturizer for her skin type or the latest lipstick shade.

Why did you make beauty your career?
I like the glamour of it, combined with the serious, technical aspects.

Is there an Oriflame accomplishment that you’re particularly proud of?
The launch of Ecobeauty
! It’s the first global cosmetic range to receive accreditation from leading independent sustainability organisations. Not only is it wholly committed to natural, ethical and environmentally responsible ingredients and processes, it’s also a skin care range that offers fantastic results.

Describe your skin care regime!
Flawless skin is my ultimate goal. As I’m getting closer to my 40s, a proper skincare routine that gives my skin lots of hydration is essential. My must-haves are a gentle cleanser, a hydrating day cream and a rich, nourishing night cream. I also regularly use a serum to improve skin tone and bring radiance back to the skin.

What actions has Oriflame taken to becoming a more sustainable company?
From an ingredient perspective, we make sure that we understand how natural, ethical and environmentally responsible all of our ingredients are, so that we can make informed decisions when we do. For example, we’ve now removed plastic micro-beads from our formulations and replaced them with natural origin exfoliates, a more sustainable alternative.

We’re also incredibly proud that today 67% of electricity at our manufacturing sites is from renewable sources, and that since 2010 we’ve reduced our CO2 emissions by 30%.

Add to that a commitment to sustainable palm oil, paper and product packaging, reduced dependency on petroleum and a long-standing belief in animal welfare and you get an idea of the work we’re doing! We’ve done a lot, but we know that there’s always more that we can do.



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