Case Study: Kristal’s Beautè Box – Vegan & Eco-Friendly Health & Wellness Beauty Therapy and Personal 1-1 Education
I started my beauty business 5 years ago in Rothwell. Unfortunately, the beauty industry is a major contributor to single-use plastic so I knew I didn’t want to contribute to this waste. Over the years I have made changes to both my business and my lifestyle not only for my health and wellness but wanting to be more sustainable for the future of my child. I think if other businesses owners made small and gradual changes to be greener then this would become our new normal and would create a more sustainable future.
Kristal’s Beaute Box is a lot more than just beauty treatments, it’s so important to take time out of our busy lives to relax physically and mentally and that is what as a professional I am looking to give to my clients, time. Time to encourage healthy self-esteem to protect our younger generation and to teach them that the way you look isn’t everything and that your personality, values, skills and confidence are the things that will help you progress and develop.
I decided to offer a wide range of natural, plant-based, organic, chemical-free, palm-oil free, animal cruelty-free, vegan, eco-friendly and plastic-free beauty therapy treatments. I swapped to using bamboo biodegradable disposables products such as cotton buds, mascara wands, bin bags, gloves aprons and towels. I changed to using recycled couch roll and re-useable face pads, again reducing waste and land fill. I had LED lights installed in my salon when I first opened 5 years ago and became a bulb member using 100% renewable electricity from solar, wind and hydro, by going green, the average bulb member lowers their carbon impact by 3.4 tonnes of co2 a year.
As part of my beauty education side to my business I decided to include sustainability awareness in my in-depth fully accredited education and training manuals. To me educating the next beautician of the importance of making green ethical choices is so important.
I enjoy sourcing eco-friendly, sustainable salon essentials and building relationships with the suppliers who have the same ethos. I made the decision to sell these bamboo products to my clients so they can continue the plastic-free beauty regime in their own home. To me it is about educating my clients to help them make better choices. I share a lot from behind the scenes on my social media platforms highlighting the products I choose use and stock in my salon because I am so proud of what I have achieved and hope to encourage others to do the same.
It is now so much easier to educate yourself on how to make your business eco-friendlier, and eco-friendly sustainable options are also becoming more accessible. During the most recent lockdown I was awarded the sustainable salon certification from eco hair and beauty which gave me more insight and made me realise there’s always room for improvement like switching my towels to biodegradable ones to save on electricity and water and using disposable cotton pads only when necessary and ensuring they are organic, and it does not stop there my stationary is also eco-friendly. Being a small business, I do not have an online booking system yet which I know would be the most environmentally friendly option however my appointment book, notebooks, and folders where i store my aftercare and client record cards are all made using FSC forest friendly recycled and recyclable materials using vegetable-based inks for printing which is a better option for my business right now. Green is the new pink 🌿
Kristal Smith founder of Kristal’s Beautè Box