Exotic, ethically harvested ingredients are creating a new beauty paradigm.
Ten years ago, Denis Simioni was working as an advertising executive in Oakville, Ont., when a relative who was visiting from Honduras introduced him to a native remedy for damaged skin and hair. Intrigued by how effectively the earthy, smoke-scented paste seemed to repair dry, colour-treated hair, Simioni decided to track down its source. After a chartered flight across Honduras and a five-hour boat ride down the Amazon, he met the Tawira tribe, who for centuries have harvested oil from the nut of the ojon tree to make the treatment. The discovery proved fortuitous: Simioni started his own company, partnered with the Tawira to create the skin- and hair-care line Ojon and eventually became one of the leading architects behind a new movement in beauty. Along with brands like Jurlique, L’Occitane and Weleda, Ojon is raising the bar for so-called “natural” formulations. It is using raw materials from faraway locales like Turkey, Brazil and Ghana and undertaking thoughtful, eco-friendly harvesting practices that consider the welfare of the land and local communities.
“Wildcrafted” is a term that Simioni coined to describe his company’s approach to ingredients, but it could just as easily apply to those of his competitors. “What it means is that the way we find it is the way we leave it,” he says of not only the aforementioned ojon oil but also the shea-butter, acai, copaiba and buriti oils used in his Batana skin-care range, which will be launched this year. “It’s about using traditional ways of extracting certain ingredients, as opposed to making it easier for the people by giving them machinery. That would be more cost-effective for us, but it would change more than 500 years of experience.” That’s why Simioni — whose corporation is now a source of steady income for thousands of Miskito families who harvest and process the oils — formed an alliance with MOPAWI, a non-profit group dedicated to sustainable development in the region. He also donates a portion of his profits to the Tawira people and consults them on everything from marketing to product development. “It’s not just about preserving the rainforests,” he says. “It’s also about their traditions.”
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