Happy World Giraffe Day! Today we celebrate our favorite long-necked creatures. Here at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, we have five giraffes in our herd: adult females Tessa, Cece, and Zoey, and young males Fennessy and Theo. Fennessy (Fenn) had his first birthday this week, and Theo is 7 months old.   Because he was born the week of World Giraffe Day, Fennessy was actually named after Julien Fennessy, the founder of World Giraffe Day and avid giraffe conservationist. Fenn is now about 10 feet tall and weighs nearly 800 pounds! Giraffes are usually about 6 feet tall and 150 pounds when they are born, so Fenn has grown quite a bit in his first year! We love celebrating our giraffes and their own milestones! However, their wild counterparts are struggling with habitat loss and fragmentation, and giraffes are now listed as endangered. Thankfully, there are several things we can do to help protect giraffes and their habitat.   One easy thing we can do to help protect giraffes is recycle our old gift cards! Gift cards are made with petroleum, which is mined in Africa in giraffe habitat. By recycling our old gift cards instead of throwing them away, we reduce the amount of mining that needs to be done. Although we can't throw gift cards in our Rumpke recycling bin, we can take them to places like Best Buy for recycling, or we can use a TerraCycle service. Once giraffe feedings resume at the Zoo, we can give gift cards to the staff running the feeding for recycling as well.   We can also help giraffes by going on a behind the scenes giraffe tour at the Zoo. These tours allow us to meet the giraffes up close and personal, and a portion of the ticket sale goes to the Wild Nature Institute, a conservation organization working to protect giraffes and their habitat.

Design thinking requires a curious mind to observe and wonder then add in a global pandemic that we have not faced on a similar scale since 1918 feeds even more fuel to curiosity. At the start of my project, I wondered why the pandemic caused a chain reaction in corporations like Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Bulk Barn to indefinitely suspend their refillable programs. These corporations are no longer accepting bring your own containers (BYOC) due to concerns of spreading COVID-19.   As the CDC updates its guideline with new research, we are understanding that the virus is mainly spread through “person to person” contact and you can possibly become infected from touching an object then touching your face, but it’s not the primary way the virus spreads (“How Coronavirus Spreads”, 2020). How can these corporations safely reinstate BYOC programs?  

Exploring the problem statement

  Before COVID-19, consumers and companies were reducing their reliance on single-use plastics. Many companies had incentivized customers to BYOC to coffee shops, banned plastic straws, and stores like Community Natural Foods and Bulk Barn offered BYOC programs. By consumers choosing to supply their own containers, it saves energy, reduces pollution and waste from the landfill meanwhile providing more local jobs for those refilling the containers (Miller, Hacket, & Wolfe, pg. 658). These programs offer many unseen benefits to the environment and local economies.   COVID-19 has caused a significant upheaval for the programs with uncertainty around how the virus transfers on different materials, who is responsible for sanitizing procedures, and what emotional considerations that should be met for consumers and employees to feel safe. To start the process, let’s learn more about the end-user of these BYOC programs.  

Empathize with the end-users

  To understand the root cause of a problem, you must determine the pain points end-users experience in the service delivery (Marks, 2018). The methods used to empathize with end-users included:   1.     Interviewed an acquaintance, Jessica Kuiken on June 6, 2020. I used the 5 Why’s exercise to drill down to the problem’s root cause. The interviewee was provided with three problem statements and worked through answering as seen in Mural’s worksheet below.     2. Research into the end-user to paint a picture of what the average end-user thinks and feels to create a user persona. Highlights from the end-user research as follows:  

• From Statistics Canada in 2015, I reviewed which gender is spending their time doing unpaid work activities in the household (includes meal prep, cleaning, laundry, recycling, etc.). Females complete on average 3.6 hours whereas males 2.4 hours of unpaid work activities (2015).
• BYOC programs are synonymous with the zero-waste movement to reduce residential waste. This movement largely lives online through Instagram, blogs, and podcasts. Anecdotal evidence supports that the movement was created and finds continued support by female engagement (Bird, 2019). The article’s author offers this insight, “In broad strokes, research shows women are traditionally more likely to recycle, change personal habits to help the environment and share ideas on a person-to-person level” (Bird, 2019). For generations, females are more likely to look after the household and use their decision-making power of what to purchase and where from.
• If females are the main end-user for BYOC programs, this article revealed the emotional burden females carry to align with their environmental values. In practicing a zero-waste lifestyle, females carry the responsibility to explain to others why they “…politely refusing straws from confused waiters, declining gifts from family members, and gently explaining their lifestyle in a nonjudgmental way to strangers” (Wicker, 2019). The end-user may carry an emotional burden as they are questioned and forced to explain their value system at many touchpoints throughout the day.
• The majority of preferred shopping has flipped to the online space especially during COVID-19. Many consumers “…have embraced ordering online for goods, services, and food during the COVID-19 pandemic and many likely won’t switch back to their old habits (Senneville, n.d.). The end-user has become more comfortable and confident with buying online and having the convenience of someone else pick it, and pack it.
• Companies flipped to using single-use packaging during COVID-19 because scientists were unsure how the virus spreads. As more research is published, health experts believe transfer happens mainly from person to person. But consumers have been led to the belief that single-use packaging is sterile therefore it’s safer to use. In an interview with Tom Szaky, the founder of TerraCycle explained that,

“Different kinds of disposable packaging have different microbial limits set by independent standard-setting organizations — and unless a product is explicitly marked sterile, none of those limits are zero. That means a certain level of bacterial contamination is considered acceptable and inevitable” (Anderson, 2020).   Part of the end-users persona may believe single-use packaging is inherently safer to use during a pandemic because it’s viewed as sterile. But Szaky’s point, single-use packaging will be likely contaminated at some point in the supply chain so the end-user perception of sterile must be swayed.  

End-user’s persona

  From the research, an end-user theoretical persona in Mural was built to synthesize and assist in identifying the problem statement.  

[Re]defining the problem

  To define the problem, let’s start with capturing the current environment and who needs to be involved to help our theoretical end-user, Janya.  

The current environment

  As we down a pandemic, other big and complex problems like climate change still loom and require our attention. Part of the efforts to slow down climate change has fallen onto the responsibility of the consumer, who is asked to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Single-use packaging like drink containers and food packaging contributes to the 668 kilograms of waste the average Canadian generates each year (“A beginner’s guide to zero-waste grocery stores | CBC Life”, 2019). Consumers and companies are taking action by minimizing their single-use packaging including the rise in zero-waste stores offering household items without packaging or in bulk. And they welcome consumers to BYOC.   Then COVID-19 pandemic hit globally and many companies took swift precautions, some self-imposed and others following local health authorities guidelines. The decision to stop BYOC programs are self-imposed precautions but have left some customers wondering why some companies will accept my cash payment but not my mug (Ackerman, 2020). COVID-19 has highlighted the contrast of companies’ health and safety risk tolerance for their employees and customers. As the virus becomes better understood, companies can begin to brainstorm how to adapt their BYOC programs with new sanitation procedures.     Who needs to be involved   Design thinking asks how to create feelings in the end-users with the products we design (Marks, 2018). In this context, the end-user needs to feel a level of certainty of cleanliness and comfortability. Much of the Covid-19 guidance is coming from our governments and health experts so their expertise is paramount.   Involvement from others includes companies (Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Bulk Barn, etc.), zero-waste community members, governmental body for regulation and inspection, front-line staff and managers, and PPE/sanitation suppliers.   The Problem Statement…   It’s time to define the problem. By using Mural’s Design Thinking Canvas and using the outlined steps in combination with Mural’s 5 Why’s and End-User Persona, the problem statement revealed itself.   Consumers are uncertain and fearful if BYOC programs will further spread Covid-19.   *A copy of the Design Thinking Canvas can be found at the end of the post.   How might we [re]define the problem   ‘How might we’ statements change your viewpoint of the problem and as Kris Hans reminds us, make the problem into an opportunity. With the identified problem above, a company’s approach to how might we…  

• How might we receive government subsidy support for safely operating these programs?
• How might we create a safe customer experience that turns into a repeated practice?
• How might we provide education on the best sanitation practices and PPE to our employees?
• How might we educate and communicate to our customers that builds trust in our program?
• How might we demonstrate our sanitation procedures so they are visible to our customers?
• How might we design with public health as a design priority?
• How might we have public health experts communicate support for BYOC?
• How might we create a pleasurable and welcoming yet sanitary and safe experience for the end-user?
• How might we address the barrier to access to the end-user?
• How might we provide clear communication of the behaviour we want from the end-user?

  I wonder how companies and consumer advocacy groups will address and redesign BYOC programs back to life as we adjust to our new normal.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Simpson of Amethyst Skincare.   Nicole Simpson is a highly motivated entrepreneur and accomplished beauty veteran in the aesthetics industry. As founder of Amethyst Skincare, she proves her innovation in the beauty space with the first skin care line entirely dedicated to healing & protecting the skin from environmental toxins and skin stressors, as well as a brand that is environmentally responsible and sustainable. As the former AVP of Global Education and Business Development at SkinCeuticals, L’Oreal, Nicole was an aggressive world traveler — spending lots of time in Europe, Asia and South America — and as such, she observed firsthand the imbalance of the world. When she traveled to places with heavy pollution, like Beijing, her skin would have adverse reactions to the pollution and toxins. When developing Amethyst Skincare, she committed to creating a skincare line with a purpose — to heal the skin from environmental stressors and lead the charge to moving the beauty industry to being more environmentally conscious. Amethyst maintains a relationship with TerraCycle to ensure all of their glass bottles are 100% recyclable, aloe is used instead of water in most products and the brand has a waterless production, in order to preserve natural resources when possible, and they are also committed to supporting 4Ocean (for every 5 Amethyst Skincare products sold, 1 lb. of plastic is pulled out of the ocean). Finally, the brand aims to be carbon neutral by the end of 2021.     Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit how you grew up?   I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, with 3 siblings, where the majority of our time was spent outside on the beach. Things like clean water and environment were a big part of our culture. It’s funny- when we were little, things were super pristine, but it was notable that as the planet got warmer, our beaches were affected. Red tide lasted longer. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (an area of water that doesn’t support life due to the bioaccumulation of toxins), started off small, and got bigger and bigger each year. It defined us. So of course, sustainable business is a natural direction for all of my projects to go in. Also, from a very young age, I was obsessed with reading the labels of shampoo bottles, skincare products, and almost anything I could get my hands on. Fortunately, my parents saw it and cultivated a STEM environment for me and my siblings to learn in. That sparked an undeniable space for biology and chemistry. Mixed with an equally strong passion for skincare, the rest is history.   You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?   I have been in the beauty industry for more than 16 years, and with that has come a lot of international travel and the opportunity to see the world through a different lens. I worked for a short while as a chemist after graduating from university, but I hated it. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be in the skincare industry, so I followed my absolute passion and became an aesthetician. The rest is history! I was recruited by a major skincare company to teach skincare from a scientific perspective to other aestheticians, physicians, and nurses. From there I went on to become the AVP of Global Education and Business Development for SkinCeuticals/L’Oreal. I traveled to more than 37 countries, working with some of the most prominent physicians in the world to help them become successful with skincare in their practices.   It was during my travels that I started to see that in America, our reality is a bit different than the rest of the world. My time in China, India, and some European countries allowed me to see our future. The air is heavily polluted. The water is contaminated. There are places in the world where food doesn’t grow because the soil is too acidic from acid rain. The University of California Irvine published a study a few years ago that showed that all of the smog that blows over from China adds 5–8 extra days of smog to Southern California each year. While we are not alone, the beauty industry is a major contributor to this. I made the decision several years ago that when I would create my own skincare line, I would do it as a platform to have an impact on this situation. While we still don’t have all of the resources we need to be 100% sustainable, there are things we can do today to reduce our global impact on pollution, and improve sustainability, which I am committed to being a part of.   Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?   In addition to having an outdoor childhood, there was another remarkable moment when I was in Beijing in my hotel room trying to sleep, and I couldn’t. My body couldn’t stop sweating in an attempt to detox from all of the pollution. I have traveled to many places where the air pollution was severe, and I realized two things: the first was that the world needs help and is significantly impacted by the beauty industry, and the second is that our bodies aren’t meant to handle this level of exposure. If we don’t take action now, we are going to be too late.   Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?   People would always ask me when I would start my own skincare line. My response was always the same: “The world doesn’t need another skincare line”. There are so many of them! While I always knew I wanted to do it, I committed to myself that if I did, I would do it with a purpose. I created Amethyst Skincare to explore and innovate ways that the beauty industry overall can start to reduce our impact on the planet, as quickly as possible. Once I realized that the environment will get worse before it will get better, I knew that it was time and I had to start.   Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?   First things first. I know this sounds cliché, but it’s true: fail to plan, plan to fail. Research matters. At the end of the day, if you want to be successful selling a consumer product, you have to understand the consumer, and create something that a consumer loves — even goes deeper than that. Sometimes, it is not always about the product. It becomes about the mission and purpose. If people can connect to your mission and purpose, they will be with you the entire way. While we knew what our purpose and mission were, we spent a lot of time talking to our target consumer to make sure that we would execute our vision the right way.   Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?   The most interesting thing was seeing the alignment that started to happen from very early on. Once we started putting the word out there that we were starting an amazing brand with an amazing purpose, the right people showed up at exactly the right time. It’s an amazing thing to watch something greater than yourself materialize right in front of your face. We have a multi-cultural team with representation around the world that allows us to really amplify the voice behind our mission.   Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?   Early on, I was traveling in Europe to meet with potential distribution partners. I addressed some of their team in a foreign language which I am comfortable speaking, but was not my first language. The words I used were common to speaking the same language in another region, and were harmless. However, in Europe, the translation was different and literally translated to be a reference to female private parts. I didn’t know what happened until half of the room had a face of shock, and the other half was laughing uncontrollably. Thankfully, someone graciously explained the difference — I was mortified! We got through it, but lesson learned.   None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?   I have been super lucky to have a lot of mentors who have helped me along the way, however there is one who stands out. There is a woman who has been incredibly impactful to me and has always offered her support and wisdom. Her name is Katherine Fung. I met her early on in my career at L’Oreal. It was my first business trip to Hong Kong. Not only did we become very good friends, she became a mentor for me. She is a woman of incredible patience and wisdom. I appreciate her because she always gives me the best advice and takes the time to coach me through where I am today. She knows the right questions to ask me at the right time to challenge me outside of where I am. It’s like she can see what I can’t, and always helps guide me in the right direction.   Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?   There are much more than three, but here we go: The first is that society can look deeper and make simple updates, such as get educated on their local recycling systems and learn that most things that get thrown in the recycle bin don’t actually get recycled. Learning how to be impactful with simple sustainability swaps will also help our mission. Finally, bringing more awareness to the circular economy would make the most impact for us.   How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?   It’s a medium-to-long term game. It is proven that companies that best manage their sustainability practices can reduce operational costs over time. Studying the circular economy becomes very important when it comes to boosting profitability while achieving sustainability goals. When it comes to the beauty industry, some of the challenge can be that it is expensive to get started when choosing the right packaging and focusing on how to formulate in an eco-friendly way. A few of our formulas are not just waterless, but also are made via waterless production. That is expensive in the beginning, but over time, those costs improve. Our industry is at an impasse, because we don’t have a lot of options available to us yet. A lot of success can be had through strategic partnerships. So, if your budget can only sustain plastic packaging, go for it, but do the work on the back end to empower the maximum chances to ensure it is recycled via TerraCycle or other recycling agencies. As a start-up company, it is usually never a good idea to have cash going out while sales are increasing, but being as environmentally friendly as possible was important to us. So we worked with financial experts to ensure our costing structure was appropriate so that we could support the causes that could accomplish what we aren’t yet able to do as an industry, such as taking plastics out of the ocean, or making sure they are completely recycled so that there is no chance any of our products or packaging ever go to landfill. I recommend planning up front so that the business can manage out the higher costs, but the P+L can be structured to see the cost savings for the long-term.   What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.  

• The world might hate you once you start your climb. Do it anyway. As I started becoming more visible, I was also exposed to more opinions. I wish I would have learned to tune out the noise much earlier.
• I came up in this very competitive industry assuming I couldn’t say no. I wish someone would have told me it is okay to stand my ground and say no. I said “yes” on far too many occasions that compromised my family time, quality of life, and even sometimes, my personal health.
• The work you do today in the beauty industry will absolutely impact the quality of life for the multitudes of women tomorrow. The beauty industry goes much deeper than what it seems on the surface. We create products that boost self-esteem, improve health, and quality of life.
• When women go together, they go further and stronger. I was not whole until I found my tribe of absolute superstar women that I could call at any time of day to speak to, learn from, bounce ideas, and have a compassionate voice of encouragement.
• Community over competition. Period. There is enough space here for everyone. We can create more impact on the things that matter when we go together. Strength in numbers.

  If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?   To start today. We are running out of time. There will be a time that comes when everyone realizes their individual impact on the world, but by then, it will be too late. There are so many small changes we can make today that really do add up. Stop using plastics wherever you can. Research how to recycle. Plant trees. Save water. Look up all of the simple sustainability swaps you can do in the home. There are so many, and they are simple to do. Start step by step to avoid getting overwhelmed, but then enjoy knowing that the small changes you make today can have a major impact later on.   Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?   “If there is a thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s to not be afraid of the responsibility that comes with caring for other people”. This will have a personal meaning to each person who reads it, but for me, it carries a lot of meaning. If we have no planet left, we have no life. All things beyond that will no longer matter.   Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)   Jamie Kern Lima. She is a fellow woman of faith who has overcome every single odd to be where she is today. She made major history when L’Oreal purchased her company. It was their largest acquisition ever. She also remained CEO for a duration of time, which is a bit outside of the norm post-acquisition. Having worked in L’Oreal, I truly understand the importance of her accomplishments. She inspires me to keep going when the challenges get a little crazy.   How can our readers follow you online? Instagram: @nicoleknowsskin @skinbyamethyst www.skinbyamethyst.com  

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for brands to grow e-comm and online brand-building capabilities, and BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live, held next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24, feature a number of approaches for companies looking to either explore or refine their approach to online commerce channels.   Sessions designed to allow attendees to improve their e-comm game include:   A presentation titled Best Practices for Building a Digital Brand Platform and eCommerce Business that will bring together brand and company leaders from Recess, Multiply, Haus, Sharma Brands and Shopify in a discussion of ways to build and allocate an online toolkit.   Main stage session Buyers, Believers and Adapting Consumer Education, presented by David Lemley of Retail Voodoo, which will show off key ways for brands to develop and maintain their presence in consumers’ lives online. Branding firm Black Bamboo will also delve into both the characteristics that brands must strive to demonstrate as part of their online personas and the capacities they need to demonstrate in terms of product fulfillment in the next two years during Eric Zeitoun’s own main stage session.   All marketing formats will be subject to review as part of recent social and political upheavals will be discussed during a Marketing in the Age of COVID-19, bringing together an experienced panel of sharp marketing minds including 4th & Heart’s Raquel Tavares, Koia’s Maya French and Foodstirs’ Greg Fleishman. Additionally, Liquid Death’s unconventional marketing approaches have largely spread through online channels — and CEO Mike Cessario will reveal some of the innovative brand’s niche marketing secrets in a discussion with BevNET’s Brad Avery.   Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, CEOs from Ohi, TerraCycle and Otter Products will explore changes in e-comm delivery through innovations in packaging, sustainability and last-mile delivery during a breakout panel discussion.   At a time when disruption has meant accelerated evolution, brands either have to either develop and master their capabilities online, or get out of business altogether; BevNET & NOSH Virtually Live attendees will find themselves better equipped for the former, while avoiding the latter outcome.   Virtually Live registration is complimentary for BevNET and NOSH subscribers. So sign up now for our outstanding news and information platform and take the plunge into our two-day, 40-session Virtually Live event.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for brands to grow e-comm and online brand-building capabilities, and BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live, held next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24, feature a number of approaches for companies looking to either explore or refine their approach to online commerce channels.   Sessions designed to allow attendees to improve their e-comm game include:   A presentation titled Best Practices for Building a Digital Brand Platform and eCommerce Business that will bring together brand and company leaders from Recess, Multiply, Haus, Sharma Brands and Shopify in a discussion of ways to build and allocate an online toolkit.   Main stage session Buyers, Believers and Adapting Consumer Education, presented by David Lemley of Retail Voodoo, which will show off key ways for brands to develop and maintain their presence in consumers’ lives online. Branding firm Black Bamboo will also delve into both the characteristics that brands must strive to demonstrate as part of their online personas and the capacities they need to demonstrate in terms of product fulfillment in the next two years during Eric Zeitoun’s own main stage session.   All marketing formats will be subject to review as part of recent social and political upheavals will be discussed during a Marketing in the Age of COVID-19, bringing together an experienced panel of sharp marketing minds including 4th & Heart’s Raquel Tavares, Koia’s Maya French and Foodstirs’ Greg Fleishman. Additionally, Liquid Death’s unconventional marketing approaches have largely spread through online channels — and CEO Mike Cessario will reveal some of the innovative brand’s niche marketing secrets in a discussion with BevNET’s Brad Avery.   Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, CEOs from Ohi, TerraCycle and Otter Products will explore changes in e-comm delivery through innovations in packaging, sustainability and last-mile delivery during a breakout panel discussion.   At a time when disruption has meant accelerated evolution, brands either have to either develop and master their capabilities online, or get out of business altogether; BevNET & NOSH Virtually Live attendees will find themselves better equipped for the former, while avoiding the latter outcome.   Virtually Live registration is complimentary for BevNET and NOSH subscribers. So sign up now for our outstanding news and information platform and take the plunge into our two-day, 40-session Virtually Live event.

Right now on Amazon you can grab this Bunch O Balloons 100 Rapid-Fill Crazy Color Water Balloons (3 Pack) at its lowest price ever- under $6!  

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My mother died from breast cancer in 2016. The cancer was first detected because of lumps in her armpits and by that time, it had spread pretty extensively. A year after diagnosis, she died and I was left wondering what had just happened to my world.   A couple of things kept running through my head. Her oncologists told me to never do hormone treatment therapy (her cancer was estrogen dominant) and to change my deodorant. Immediately.   To that point in my life (I was 30), I’d never thought much about deodorant other than it was necessary to stay fresh and dry. I really didn’t know much about what toxins conventional deodorants contained, nor the connections they had to breast cancer. It was my mother’s cancer that put me on a path to be as clean and natural in all products that I can be, and it all started with my search for a clean deodorant that worked.   Then, there weren’t many options. But as more research continues to make us aware of the dangers of the chemicals in conventional deodorants, and the benefit (yes, benefit) of sweat to our body, we are seeing more clean and effective deodorants available.  

Smells Great, Still Wet

  The biggest thing you have to remember when using a natural deodorant that really works is that a deodorant is just that–a remover of odor. An antiperspirant is very different. Antiperspirants block your sweat glands and prevent them from producing sweat. If you don’t sweat, you’re not wet, and theoretically, don’t smell.   But there is where the problem starts. Sweating is important for our bodies to detox and maintain temperature control, organ function and so much more. Additionally, most common antiperspirants contain aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium and those have both been linked to several diseases like breast cancer and Alzehimer’s. They have also been linked to gene instability, and more research is being done regularly as more women are being diagnosed with cancers and other diseases earlier than ever before.   So what do you do? Well, you have to just give several the old college-try. There are many ingredients natural deodorants contain that help prevent wetness and odor by killing the bacteria that is creating the odor and absorbing the excess wetness so you don’t feel so…pitty. Natural powders like baking soda, kaolin clay, arrowroot and corn starch are the main ingredients, but different bodies react differently. I have no issue with baking soda, but my husband definitely does. Our skins are living and breathing as well and you may have to try a couple to figure out what works best for you.   Don’t despair, though, as we’ve polled moms, reviews and tried them ourselves so we could find the best natural deodorants that really work. We don’t like having smelly, sweaty underarms any more than the next Mama, so you can relax since we’ve done the initial work for you. All you need to do is try them out to find out which is your best fit.  

Top 10 Natural Deodorants That Really Work

            In 2018, Chantel Powell picked her six-year-old son up from basketball practice and found he ‘smelled like a grown man!’ She didn’t find a single thing in stores that she felt was safe enough for his precious skin, or that smelled good enough and was fun enough for her boy. That’s where mama-ingenuity and love comes in. She created her own deodorant and her son, Kameron, loved it so much he told her she should make it for everyone.   She laughed that off at first, but after Kameron kept insisting his mama had a fab product under his arms, she offered it initially to other team moms and from there, word of mouth spread. Her Sonshine and Suga were so popular, she ended up creating products for the entire family, including the King and Queen line for adults. The best part is that each of the natural and vegan ingredients in Play Pits’ products was personally hand-selected, tested and molded with the love of a mother. Chantel only wanted non-toxic ingredients that were safe for everyone, so that means no parabens, synthetic fragrances or aluminum. Instead, Play Pits’ specialized formula is designed to kill odors, absorb bacteria and keep your whole family fresh all day and night. We love that this female minority-owned small business has taken the sweat world by storm!               We’ve always loved Earth Mama (what’s not to love?) and we adore this mini-deodorant set because you can get the best of all their deodorant worlds in one adorable box. Find your pit-fix and make it yours forever.   Earth Mama has worked super hard to make this the perfect deodorant for those with sensitive skin, and that INCLUDES baking soda. Yes, they know–they made it with just the perfect balance of magnesium and baking soda to make it work but not irritate. It’s formulated especially for sensitive skin, pregnant mamas or breastfeeding mamas and the only fragrance comes from organic essential oils. The only non-vegan ingredient is organic beeswax, but even that was of course ethically sourced in a bee-centric manner. There’s nothing bad like propylene glycol or parabens or aluminum and it’s so good it was NSF/ANSI 305 certified by Oregon Tilth.                      

  A Jewish medical student is recycling hundreds of plastic gloves used during the coronavirus pandemic.   Leora Marcus from Hampstead Garden Suburb, 20, launched an initiative during lockdown after noticing an increase in the use of plastic.   ‘I try my best to do things for the environment in my everyday life” she said, but due to Covid-19, “the amount of plastic is going to massively increase because of gloves and PPE” (personal protective equipment).   “I just thought, let me see if I can find a way to recycle them or reuse them”.   She came across a company called TerraCycle which recycles plastic gloves, and got to work collecting from across the community.   The second year University of Nottingham medicine student said: “When I started like living on my own, I realised how much plastic there is in everyday life, and in my labs we would go through so much [plastic] unnecessarily. So it used to frustrate me quite a lot.”   Since I’ve been back at home during lockdown, I’ve had nothing to do, nothing to distract me. I thought might be a good time to try and do something more positive for the environment.”   Explaining how it works, she says gloves are put in a bag and be left at the bottom of a person’s driveway “and I go around wearing my own PPE to collect them.”   Usually, I try my best to go cycling or walking, so not to increase my own carbon footprint.  I pick them up and I have like a large box where I store them. Once stock has got high enough, I either send them to a drop off point, then they send it to TerraCycle.”   She says that “in the next few days, my house will become a drop-off point” too.   The former Hasmonean student, who attends the Central Square minyan, has gathered a crack team of volunteers collecting across north London, who have so far collected more than 300 gloves, including in areas such as Finchley, Cockfosters Edgware and Golders Green.   Find Leora’s initiative on Facebook here.

With glaring inclusivity problems in both the hair-care and tech industries, Black female entrepreneurs are stepping up to serve long-overlooked consumer demands.   Hair care has been flooded with VC money in recent years with the proliferation of buzzy DTC startups, but gaps have remained in products and services related to hair care for people of color. These include ethically sourced extension products and salons qualified to work with all hair types. With a VC funding gap for Black entrepreneurs, significant market opportunities are being overlooked, say beauty founders. A 2019 report by Nielsen found that what it calls the “ethnic hair and beauty aids category” is worth $63.5 million in the United States, with African Americans comprising 86% of the spend in the segment.   Fashion influencer Freddie Harrel founded DTC hair startup RadSwan in the beginning of 2019, filling a gap she saw for high-quality, ethical and eco-friendly hair extensions offered through an upscale shopping experience.   According to Harrel, the current beauty supply store shopping experience for hair extensions for women of color is lacking for style-conscious and ethically minded consumers. She said that she would previously shop for extensions directly through a wholesaler in China, and she noted that physical store shopping experience for extensions in the U.S. and Europe often involves “sticky shelves” and “cultural clashes” with staff. “It doesn’t match the fact that [Black women] spend six times more on beauty than white counterparts,” she said.   Harrel will be launching her RadSwan product line in the fall, which will be preceded by a connected content site called Black Like Me that goes lives next month. Geared toward the global African Diaspora, the brand has raised $2 million from an all-female group of VC funds including BBG and Female Founders Fund, making her one of the few Black female founders to raise over $1 million. In addition to stylish, millennial-friendly branding, the brand specifically provides synthetic hair extensions to avoid ethical problems in the human hair market. RadSwan is also launching a recycling program with TerraCycle to keep the synthetic products out of landfills.   According to 2018 Mintel data, one-third of Black consumers purchase hair-care products online and the percentage buying through online-only retailers has increased by 9% since 2016.   Recognizing this, salon-booking app Swivel was founded to provide women of color with a curated directory of stylists qualified to work with their hair type. Stylists “can’t just add themselves” to be featured, said Thompson, who noted each one is vetted by the team before being listed. Once on the app, they can be reviewed by clients in a Yelp-style interface.   “We can’t just walk into any salon and walk out thinking that we’re going to look our best,” said co-founder Jihan Thompson. “It’s so important that we find stylists that are skilled working and have been trained to work with textured hair.”     Thompson said that the app was founded in 2016 with co-founder Jennifer Lambert when “so much was happening in the beauty tech space,” but “so much of it just overlooked the unique hair care needs of Black women. I found that a lot of startups that were coming out at that time, whether they were booking apps or just tools or services, completely ignored us,” she said. The app allows users to search for stylists based on type of service offered, including braids and extension services.   “One of the key difficulties is that beauty schools don’t routinely teach stylists how to work with all textures of hair,” said Thompson. “I’ve definitely gotten my hair done and been in situations where, as soon as she started doing my hair, I was like, ‘Oh, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.’”   As the beauty industry has been focused in recent weeks on how to improve product diversity, with initiatives such as the 15% Pledge, Thompson hopes this will be turning point for the industry to value inclusion.   “One of the things that I hope comes out of this — and I think we’re starting to see some of it, especially with products — is that we continue to highlight and promote the businesses that were created to fill the voids that weren’t being filled by major beauty companies before,” she said in reference to the service side of the beauty industry. “So many Black entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses launched in response to the fact that we were being ignored. It’s not like we sat here and were like, ‘Nobody’s helping us; we’re not going to do anything.’ What it has shown is that so many Black entrepreneurs are willing to solve their own problems.”

There are pets. There are influencers. And then there are petfluencers — those internet-famous fur balls who capture our hearts, our attention, and possibly our brand allegiance.   They may be cute, but don’t assume they work for peanuts. As ANA magazine reports, petfluencers can really claw at the bottom line: “Producing a video is pricier than a photo, of course, while posting on Instagram Stories carries a higher fee than a single Instagram post. Total costs for such campaigns range anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000.”   If you need more tails in your tales, take a gander at “A Different Breed of Marketing.”   More ANA Newsstand highlights from May:  

• Louder Together. Brands are waging an information war against the coronavirus, and the Ad Council is helping to lead the charge. As of early May, Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman tells ANA magazine, “we've worked with more than 70 brand and creative partners, and over 200 influencers have activated on behalf of our crisis efforts.” See which brands have activated as part of the effort, and how yours can join the fray.
• Brands Doing Good Series: TerraCycle. “Our purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste," Michael Waas, global VP of brand partnerships at TerraCycle, tells Greater Good magazine. The company, which turns post-consumer, difficult-to-recycle waste into new and repurposed products, works with brands such as Colgate, Capri Sun, and Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders. Read how the company, which to date has helped raise $44 million for charity and worked with more than 202 million recyclers around the globe, all began with worm poop. Really.
• Are Shoppable Posts Clicking with Consumers? Kate Spade says they’re an important accessory for your social media marketing: shoppable posts. Explore the trend in social media marketing that’s providing a shortcut along the buyer’s journey, from post to purchase.
• Why Martech Investments Fall Short. What’s the secret to building an effective marketing technology stack? According to the latest from B2B Marketer it’s actually using the technology you pay for, which, it turns out, not all marketing organizations do. “Marketers use just 58 percent of their marketing technology stack's potential, despite pouring 26 percent of their marketing budgets into martech,” the story reports, citing the Gartner Marketing Technology Survey. “As a result, many marketers are apparently falling short in fully justifying those expenses.” Read what experts say are the major pitfalls to avoid and how to get the most from your marketing organization’s tech stack.
• How to Go Big. With smaller budgets than established competitors, up-and-comers like Grain & Barrel Spirits’ Dixie vodka use savvy marketing and feisty tactics to win an out-sized portion of marketshare, and as ANA magazine reports, there are definite lessons larger brands can learn — especially when facing an economic downturn.

  Also, be sure to catch up on the latest industry trends contributed by ANA partners in Forward magazine. May’s contributions include:  

• How the industry can upskill the next generation of marketers, from The Ad Learning Exchange
• When it comes to digital ads during COVID-19, are consumers getting the right message? From CivicScience
• Redefining relevance in a new era of personalization, from Innovid
• How to organize teams for scoping season success, from Decideware

  See highlights from April or find even more great coverage of the industry on ANA Newsstand.   Let us know your thoughts. Leave comments on articles or write me directly at aeitelbach@ana.net.