Business Name and What it Does
The Eco Alchemist makes eco-responsible hair and skin care and is presently the only shampoo bar company in Canada that is certified palm oil-free. Our goal is to reduce the personal care industry’s impact on the environment by keeping it at the forefront of all our choices. Hence offering waterless, concentrated alternatives to products conventionally packaged in plastic, choosing infinitely recyclable or compostable packaging, and using sustainable ingredients wherever possible.
Founder’s/Owner’s Story and What Motivated Them to Start the Business
The founder and sole owner of The Eco Alchemist called Terri, a Holistic Nutritionist, and soon-to-be Cosmetic Chemist. Her motivation to create personal care products came from her studies in nutrition which led her to seek out more natural options, not just for food but for her care routine too. Finding it difficult to find products she could trust, she started taking courses in aromatherapy and soap making. She created a small company selling soap and natural body care to friends/family and at local markets, then opened a health and wellness store. This store was where she saw firsthand the amount of plastic waste that the personal care industry produces.
Contrary to popular belief, only a fraction of the plastics produced get recycled. Plastic is not recyclable; it can go through a couple of cycles before it’s no longer suitable for production. It is then considered plastic waste that takes hundreds of years to degrade. The personal care industry is one of the major contributors to plastic waste.
Personal care is also a major contributor to the destructive palm oil industry. Palm oil production is low cost and high yield, and because of this, demand is dangerously high. This demand fuels mass deforestation, causing wildlife and human displacement and the loss of biodiverse ecosystems to make way for mono-crop palm plantations.
Terri created the Eco Alchemist from a need to provide palm oil-free alternatives to everyday products in environmentally conscious packaging. After 2 years of product development and studies, the Eco Alchemist was launched in May 2021. The line includes waterless hair care and a highly effective skincare line with sustainability at its core. Funding for the business comes partially from the sale of Terri’s wellness store, a family loan, and ongoing product sales. Not having outside investors during start-up means that she can make decisions on packaging, ingredients, and manufacturing from a moral standpoint rather than just a monetary one. The environmental impact of her products is priority number one. Achieving “success” may take a little longer with this business model, but we feel that true business success is being able to create and grow a company with your values still in check.
A Review of Its Products/Services
We handcraft all our products in small batches in-house at our HQ in the Okanagan Valley, Canada. Creating our products by hand gives us complete control over what goes into our products while ensuring quality and ethical manufacturing practices. Our line features facial serum and oils, facial cleansers in bar form and an innovative powder-to-foam format, concentrated shampoo & conditioners in bar form, powdered facial masks, soaps, dry shampoo, and deodorant in compostable packaging. These are currently available to customers in Canada and the US and can be found online at https://theecoalchemist.com and in a select few boutique stores, salons, and spas in Canada. We are starting to officially launch our wholesale program to reach many more people looking to eliminate palm oil and excessive waste from everyday personal care products.
The Challenges The Business/Market is Facing
Lack of transparency in the industry is a major pain point for us, starting with cosmetic raw ingredient manufacturers. Many do not freely give full details of what makes up an ingredient. The most common example is stating that a naturally derived cleaning agent is made from coconuts, but it says “coco” in the name, and a portion is indeed made from coconut oil; there are other derivatives as well – usually palm oil. Unless it is explicitly stated palm free with evidence to back it up, you can almost guarantee that it will contain palm oil. This lack of information manufacturers provides lead brand owners to believe that the products they sell are indeed palm oil-free, which is then promoted to their customer base, creating a world of misinformation.
We found it extremely difficult to get a clear answer on ingredient composition from many manufacturers, which is extremely frustrating. Now we only deal with trusted manufacturers who will not only go into full detail of what exactly makes up the ingredients that we use in our products but who will provide information on how they are sourced and processed, so we can be 100% confident in letting our clients know what they are purchasing.
Easy access to palm-free goods has always been limited compared to products without palm oil derivatives. The global supply chain shortages make it difficult to have a steady, reliable supply of certain ingredients. We must purchase in quantities higher than a start-up to guarantee access to the ingredients that support and complement our ethos. To learn more about why The Eco Alchemist chooses to be palm free, click here.
The Opportunities the Business/Market is Facing
We are grateful to be able to give folks in North America the opportunity to purchase locally made hair care that is not only plastic-free but free from palm oil and its derivatives. Shampoo bars are our hero product and are wonderful! They are essentially the same as bottled shampoo but in a highly concentrated, waterless form. We believe that if the consumer can add water at home, we can leave it out of our manufacturing processes. Leaving out the water means the product is more compact, reducing the shipping impact and our carbon footprint. One bar of our shampoo packaged in a paper box with compostable labels is equivalent to 2 regular-sized plastic bottles.
I was always torn as a palm-free consumer buying a Canadian-made shampoo bar that saves on plastic waste but also contributes to the destructive palm oil industry. I used to have to forfeit one value for the other. Now with The Eco Alchemist, we no longer must compromise!
Advice To Others About Business
First, before committing to owning your own business, be sure you love what you are about to do. I saw a quote the other day that made me laugh… “I quit my 9 to 5, so I could work 24/7,” and it is so true! Work will consume you in the early days, especially if you start on a budget. There is always something that needs to be done. I feel as though I’m a month behind at all times. Second, be persistent yet patient and hold to your values. You will likely face challenges that may seem impossible, but there is always a way. Keep pushing forward, especially during the tough times, and you will be glad you did.
