<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">By Fiana Herscovici </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></em></p>
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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Inhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">peace. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">release.</span>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">About a year ago, my family bought a Peloton bike. My mom, my two older sisters, and myself, fell in love with cycling in the span of a week, and since then, we have all formed what feels like deep, personal bonds with Cody Rigsby, Ally Love, Emma Lovewell, and so many other Peloton instructors. We donned Peloton gear, relishing in the time we spent working on ourselves with a virtual community spanning across the country and around the world. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I got to school, I found the closest thing I could to spinning at the university gym: an elliptical. One day in March 2021, I hopped on one of these machines, loaded up a Gilmore Girls episode, and brought the elevation up to the highest it would go. I had a great workout, showered, and then walked to the dining hall with a few of my friends. As I went to leave my dorm, I felt something slide out of place in my left hip. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Doctor’s appointments, stretching videos, and most importantly, no cycling, followed in the weeks afterward. As someone that uses physical exercise as a source of mental health stability, I could feel myself circling the drain, becoming more sluggish and unfocused. That was when I rediscovered yoga—the form of movement that would soon become the foundation of my mindfulness journey.  </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ll give you a visual of my first yoga class. I was in seventh grade, wearing my favorite outfit at the time: black tights, a blue skater skirt, and a Forever 21 crop top I had bought with my very own babysitting cash. At the time, my sister had been on a gap year and the two of us were obsessed with Jillian Michaels' Six Week Six Pack class on YouTube (just Level 1 - we were slightly terrified of the Level 2 circuits). I had come to assume that all exercise should be rigorous, accompanied with a damp shirt and sweat dripping into my contacts. With its stretching and breath work, I labeled yoga as a “beta” method of working out, a form of exercise that was ineffective because there were no immediate physical results. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I kept the same opinion of yoga until my senior year of high school. I needed to take a physical education class, and the only course that fit in with my schedule was Yoga 1. It was at 7:25AM, and the one thing I could remember from my middle school experience was that yoga always had a brief nap time section. With college applications creeping into every corner of my mind, I decided a little extra sleep couldn’t hurt, and I enrolled. My teacher was kind, caring, and passionate about teaching Yoga 1 to a classroom of sleepy seniors. With her instruction, I unraveled my apprehension towards the practice of yoga and even began to enjoy more than just the nap time, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">savasana</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, at the end of class. The most important teaching she shared on those drowsy mornings was her personal mantra: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">inhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">peace, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">exhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">release. To this day, those words bring stillness to my rippling thoughts. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flash forward to my freshman year college dorm room. It had been a year and a half since my last yoga class, and yet, there I was, in downward dog, forced into my last resort for physical exercise, wishing for the heart pumping, cycling class of my dreams. Remembering that I liked yoga in high school because of the instructor, I turned to the Peloton app in the hopes of finding the yoga equivalent of Cody Rigsby. Enter Chelsea Jackson Roberts, who “</span><a href="https://www.onepeloton.com/instructors/CJRLovesYoga"><span style="font-weight: 400;">believes that practicing yoga connects you more deeply to yourself and the world around you, making you happier and healthier in your daily life</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">”.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> She taught with the same kindness, care, and passion that my high school instructor had, working twice as hard to connect with subscribers through a screen and through the sludge of a pandemic. I began to look forward to my thirty minute classes with her, relishing in the movement that yoga returned to my body that my injury had stolen. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Throughout April, I flowed through </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">vinyasa </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">yoga classes, perfecting my form the way I had with cycling. I learned that there is power in stillness, in breath, in being present within one’s body. Instead of pushing myself to spin as fast as I could, I was exploring the strength I had within me, weaving together my mind and my physical being. I felt like I had been turned inside out - so much of my relationship with exercise was focused on improving my outsides that working on my mental health felt backwards. My grandfather has a simple saying: “It is easier to fix a boo-boo here”, pointing at his knee, “...than it is to fix a boo-boo here”, moving to point at his temple. We have years of science and research telling us how to patch up the parts of us we can see, but how do we begin to heal our invisible hurt? </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As much as my hip injury set me back, it propelled me forward in my mental health journey. My routine thinking that exercise needed to be associated with intensive cardio and hundreds of burned calories to be effective was disrupted in the span of a 45 minute elliptical ride. Cycling was like a shot of espresso, a quick burst of energy that made me feel good but that I was reliant on for energy. Yoga was like water, nourishing me with lessons that I could take into every facet of my life. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Savasana</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was no longer nap time, it was an act of mindfulness, a space where I could feel the earth under my palms and understand what it meant to be grounded. Yoga became my refuge, but unlike a temporary settlement, the practice gave me a permanent home within myself, a place where my body and mind could balance to support my entire being. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The moments we perceive as earth shattering have the capacity to rebuild our sense of self. </span></p>
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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Inhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">peace. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exhale </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">release.</span>
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<img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/Fiana_Blog_Post_2_480x480.jpg?v=1631559605" alt=""><br>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fiana Herscovici is a Sophomore Operations and Information Management major within the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She writes for HerCampus UMass Amherst and contributes to her university’s business school blog. Fiana is also the co-founder of StudioU, a free headshot photography studio that enables students to jumpstart their online presence with a profile picture that captures their genuine self. </span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">When she's not writing or working (or reading YA novels, practicing yoga, or daydreaming about being on the beach), Fiana is a competitor for the Isenberg Business Ethics Team and a Junior Analyst for the Isenberg Undergraduate Consulting Group. </span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can read her works </span></i><a href="https://www.hercampus.com/author/fiana-herscovici/"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, where she shares insights about sustainable business practices, the importance of small businesses, and investment trends. </span></i></p>

Becoming an Accidental Yogi

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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">By Samia Abbasi<br></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Editor + Content Lead, Kulfi Beauty</span><br></span></div>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I never imagined myself to be someone who wears blue eyeliner. I come from a lower income, traditional, Indian-Muslim household, and this influenced how my siblings and I explored our personal styles while growing up. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a teenager, I had a minimalist makeup collection. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It consisted of a trusty drugstore mascara, a neutral-toned eyeshadow palette, tinted lip balm, and concealer. I would admire my older sister’s smoky eyeshadow looks or a beauty YouTuber’s sharp winged eyeliner tutorial, but I’d often think: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">I can’t do that! That wouldn’t even look good on me!</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> In college, I stayed in my comfort zone of the no makeup - makeup look, with the exception of special events. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My distant admiration for beauty blossomed into love at the age of 22. I became the editor of Kulfi, a South Asian-owned beauty brand, and as an early post-college grad, I had a newfound access to disposable income. I learned so much about the beauty space, both as an insider in the industry and as a consumer. I realized something simple, yet profound: there are beauty brands out there that cater to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">my</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> skin concerns and style aspirations. These brands tend to be new, independent, BIPOC-owned, and/or rooted in communal experiences with beauty.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/Samia_-_Blush_Collection_480x480.png?v=1631250334" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My beauty purchases were now empowered decisions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve embraced the Gen Z in me: dewy pink blush, sunny yellow eyeshadow, shimmery light blue eyeliner. In addition to Minori and Kulfi, some of my favorite brands are Tower28 Beauty, Musée Beauty, Em Cosmetics, and Eczema Honey Co. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was also nervous and guilty about whether this was the best use of my money. I’d wonder: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be honest, Samia, will you actually wear this a lot? Are you getting your money’s worth? </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This spoke to a deeper economic anxiety of how I was socialized to think about spending: only essentials, nothing too frivolous, and always with a coupon in-hand. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A year later, my collection continues to grow with my sense of personal style. Three key tips have helped me be more mindful about my beauty spending and routine:</span></p>
<h3>1. Buy products that add a new dimension to your collection. </h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A crisp color that excites me, a product that suits my skin type, a brand I’ve been pining after for months. This has allowed me to craft my ideal makeup style in a more focused, financially feasible way. I also try to buy things that make me </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">feel</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> something when I use them: confident, ethereal, joyful. There are so many brands, products, and styles within the beauty space. You don’t know what makes you feel like your best self until you explore and experiment at your own pace. </span></p>
<h3>2. Look at a color wheel when you’re getting ready. </h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, I had all this gorgeous makeup but a new challenge arose: I was still reaching for the same three colors every day. I didn’t know what eyeshadow would go with which blush or if I should stay monochromatic with my makeup and outfit. Stemming from my love for interior design, I realized makeup can tell a story with color, too. Some days, I’ll wake up and choose an outfit or eyeshadow color first, and will look at a color wheel for inspiration. A fun recent discovery was pairing a lavender outfit with yellow eyeshadow or terracotta eyeliner. </span></p>
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<h3>3. Know your beauty collection and visualize it. </h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This might be simple, but being able to visualize my makeup has been so helpful. My aunt once encouraged me to put clothes I haven’t worn in a while to the front of my closet, and I do that with makeup. My collection is robust yet small enough that I can visualize everything in my head in little families by product type, brand, or complementary colors. I’ll sometimes think: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oh, I haven’t used that one product in a while!</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And I’ll try my best to use it the next day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My makeup routine has become a playful mood-lifter every morning. Ultimately, it’s allowed me to express myself in new ways and has taught me so much about how to approach money with intentionality. </span></p>

How Intentional Spending Led Me to Find my Makeup Style

<p><em>By Abigail Grimm</em></p>
<p>I can’t be the only person who feels like my wardrobe dwarfs in comparison to those on the internet. The life of spending hundreds of dollars on new clothes, coloring my hair and buying expensive makeup products never seemed necessary. But I’m young and spend a lot of time on the internet. It feels like every time I open Instagram an over-smiley woman is adding a “swipe up” to yet another item of clothing, another face cream, another tube of mascara that will change my life. Some of this is part of sponsored content, paid advertising influencers produce in collaboration with brands. They also offer advice on finances,  relationships and even college decisions. They show off their significant others, their children, their parents. Seemingly nothing is off limits.</p>
<h2>Where does the influencing stop?</h2>
<p>The lifestyle difference of influencers compared that of the people who consume their content is stark. For example, seeing the sheer number of things some influencers have in their closet and their home falls short of reasonable to me. Highlighting this grandeur creates a false sense of expectations of what success should look like. Personally, seeing some of the beautiful homes and huge closets many well-known influencers boast, I feel like I’ve somehow fallen short. But why is some person on the internet, whom I’ve never met, telling me what I need in life to be happy and successful? And when did “more” become “best”? My life is so drastically different from these people, so why should I believe them when I am my own unique person on my own journey? With often hundreds of thousands of followers, many of whom are young adults and teenagers in their formative years, these people’s words matter. They are, after all, called “influencers.”  It would do us all well to remember that.</p>
<p>This force of influence also becomes problematic when you consider the dangerous trend of overconsumption that has been growing in the last several decades.</p>
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<p>According to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate">BBC</a>, the fashion industry accounts for 10% of all global carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater production.</p>
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<p>The supply chain and shipping, which involves sourcing materials and manufacturing the goods, is a key culprit, as is the end-of-life disposal of goods in landfills. As the BBC article details, "a single pair of jeans requires a kilogram of cotton. And because cotton tends to be grown in dry environments, producing this kilo requires about 7,500–10,000 litres of water, [about] 10 years’ worth of drinking water for one person.” Each new item of clothing we buy and subsequently throw away is a drain on the environment. Current consumer norms, highlighted by the content we consume, ignore this larger issue and encourage excessive consumption of goods. When we normalize this, we normalize the overconsumption of resources this planet so desperately needs.</p>
<h2>A shift towards positive influence </h2>
<p>And yet, I can’t deny that I love consuming content online. YouTube and similar platforms can offer an escape, inspiration, education. But these platforms are global. They attract millions of people, and their impact is far-reaching. Imagine the power if we as a global online community reevaluated our priorities, both as content creators and consumers. In the past year, I’ve seen several influencers produce sponsored content for an online thrift store and encourage second-hand shopping.</p>
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<p>I’ve also seen several influencers offer disclaimers, emphasizing that everyone is different and what works for them may not work for someone else. </p>
<p>There is a lot to be said for intentional living... something the greater online community has yet to grasp. When we take a step back from the overwhelming state we often fall into, there is a moment to breathe, to think, to consider what is important to us today and in the days to come. Consider the life you want to live and the values you want to lead with. To consumers: Is the content you're consuming and the items you’re buying supportive of that life? Who is advertising these products to you? What are you putting your energy towards? How do those actions impact the larger global community? To content creators: Do the products and brands you’re advertising  have missions you support? Does the life you show on the internet reflect the life you actually live? How do your actions affect your followers and the larger global community?</p>
<p>As the power of influencers continues to grow, let’s reevaluate our priorities and our intention to create a supportive and inspiring online community we all want to be a part of.</p>
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The Power of Influence: Reevaluating Influencer Marketing and Content Consumption

<p><em>By Morgan Grimes</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My name is Morgan! I’m an LA-based makeup artist originally from North Carolina! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love living in LA but it can be very hard on anyone’s self-esteem. I’m going to take you all on my journey of self-love and what that has looked like for me over the years. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growing up, I was always pretty slender and had my mother’s genes of great skin, so in my teens, I honestly didn’t worry too much about my looks or beat myself up about them until I reached my twenties. With a holistic upbringing, I have never taken birth control but sometimes accidents happen. I grew up in a religious home so I wasn’t about to tell my mom [about my decision]. I was on Plan B for a short time, and then came breakouts. Growing up with great skin, these breakouts were such a shock to me. I didn’t know this would disrupt my hormones so drastically. I became so self-conscious about how I looked. I would cake foundation on which in turn made my skin condition worse. Even with my mom being an esthetician, neither of us could get it under control. This was an extremely low period of my life. I started to become depressed, canceling plans with friends, staying home, missing out on jobs and life opportunities as a whole.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> No matter what people said, I thought I was hideous. I dreamed of the day when I could leave the house confident with no makeup and feel good about myself.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This was about 7 years of feeling like that until I finally got it under control and my hormones adjusted. The battle of dealing with my self-image transitioned from beating myself up over my skin to criticizing my body.</span></p>
<img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/Facetune_23-08-2021-15-56-31_480x480.jpg?v=1629857304" alt="Morgan Grimes Body Image"><br>
<p><b><i>Body Image: Navigating Mental and Unrealistic Societal Pressures</i></b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Working around gorgeous, fit models all day undoubtedly wore on my self-esteem. Dealing with severe ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), it becomes hard for me to gather enough energy to structure and stick with a workout routine.  I feel I’m always stuck. Sometimes I wish I could just wear a crop top and feel confident or look at my body the way others do. If I want to cut weight I’ll just stop eating which is not healthy.  For me, this was the only way I could control how I look. Self-love takes time. It takes years, and it's something that even at 32 I’m still working on. </span></p>
<p><b><i>From Comparison to Appreciation</i></b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Self-love to me is realizing social media isn’t real. Everyone has their struggles, and to not miss out on life because of a pimple or because you don’t feel skinny enough whatever that may look like to you. I have a quote that speaks to me when I’m down and need a little boost, especially when overcoming situations:</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You are probably constantly worrying about the next part of your life without realizing that you are right in the middle of what you used to look forward to”. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love that one quote when I get upset or when I get a blemish but 90% of the time I’m able to go without makeup and have pretty skin and 7 years ago when I was at my lowest it was the one thing I wished for. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I ask myself “What is happiness?” I find that happiness is not fulfilling every pleasure or getting every outcome you desire. Happiness is being able to enjoy life with a peaceful mind that is not constantly craving for more. It is the inner peace that comes with embracing change.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love this perspective so much because as women we always want more. A better body, tighter face, prettier hair, nicer clothes. We should be happy with how we were created and the uniqueness that is naturally ours. With age, all of those desires fade away. You’re left with yourself, and the kind beautiful human you are.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The last saying I learned from another makeup artist I admire is “everyone is born perfect”. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because you are. We are all perfect and unique in our own way.</span></p>

My Long Journey to Self-Love

<p><em>By Josie Lo, Contributor</em></p>
<h2>Money as a social barrier </h2>
<p><span>Growing up, I was usually aware of family’s financial struggles. Though I appreciated living simply, I often felt that money was a barrier that isolated me from friends and classmates.</span></p>
<p><span>In middle school, I worried about if I had enough outfits to rotate through. Some classmates would consider it a crime to wear the same top too often. I had nice things, but I was painfully aware of how different shopping trips were for my friends. I envied the kids who had Hollister clothes, a cell phone with a data plan, or a Vera Bradley backpack. I couldn’t participate in Nintendo D.S. group chats, couldn’t catch cable TV references, couldn’t join the class trip to Europe or take horse riding lessons with my friends. I remember spending my afternoons making wishlists on the internet, strategizing what I would pick when Christmas or a birthday came around. I felt that if I looked the part, I wouldn’t feel like an outsider. This was how I lived for years, trying to buy the confidence I didn’t have. </span></p>
<blockquote>During high school, I worked long hours at a lousy hotel restaurant, just to spend a week’s earnings on an American Eagle hoodie or a MAC foundation to hide behind.</blockquote>
<p><span>I always knew what I wanted to buy with my next paycheck. I had a never-ending wishlist. As a 15-year-old, earning $7.25 per hour, I started to realize how much work I was doing and how little I could afford in the adult world.</span></p>
<p><span>Around age 15, life events just became a new goal on the calendar to diet towards. Rather than buying my confidence at retail stores, I became convinced that happiness would come once I achieved the perfect body. Now, every paycheck was going towards cosmetic procedures and diet pills. I secretly saved to get my eyebrows micro-bladed and filler in my cheeks. The wishlist of products became a wishlist of procedures. Undoubtedly fueled by unrealistic social media standards, I spent all my time, energy, and money becoming skinny and pretty. I was miserable and isolated, lost in my pursuits of being a perfectionist. </span></p>
<h2><span>Shifting my value of worth through healing and mindfulness</span></h2>
<p><span>By the time I finished my freshman year of college, I had done a lot of healing, and pulling myself out of an eating disorder gave me new confidence. I lived more in the present rather than always being consumed by how I needed to improve my outward appearance. I started to become self-aware that I was compulsively shopping when a<b data-stringify-type="bold"> </b>trip to Target felt like a “pick-me-up”. I would always leave the store with more than what was on my shopping list. Maybe cheap trendy jewelry, a fast-fashion piece, or a new beauty product to add to an overflowing bathroom cabinet. </span></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/IMG_3092_480x480.jpg?v=1629474821" alt=""></p>
<p><span>Throughout college, I worked to gain confidence from within and make friends. My obsession with beauty and style did give me the confidence I needed to put myself out there. Once I started making meaningful connections, I realized that my genuine friends weren’t concerned about looking like an influencer and that my friendship was what they valued. Around the same time, my artistic sister inspired me to start buying secondhand. By thrifting my clothes, I elevated my style beyond just trying to fit in. I was saving money, feeling like a more responsible consumer, and making friends doing it. Sure, I went through phases of overbuying at Goodwill. Still, I distanced myself from the fast-fashion industry and the associated remorse when your FashionNova jeans don’t look like they did online. It is a great feeling to find a hidden gem among old housewares or get a compliment on a thrifted item! I highly recommend spending a few months buying secondhand (or shop your own home!) for as many of your needs as possible. One of my favorite recent purchases was an “almost new” Ninja blender that I bought for half the retail price! So satisfying! </span></p>
<blockquote>Post-college, I’ve continued to evolve as a more careful consumer. I now see a store more like a museum that tells a story about the current consumer market. I still enjoy a stroll around Target or a vintage shop, but now I can shop without the ensuing buyer’s remorse.</blockquote>
<p><span> I appreciate getting ready with a few makeup products that I love, rather than a whole collection of each product type. I feel more relaxed living in a space where I use everything I have without feeling burdened by too many impulse purchases. I’m grateful that I have friends who understand and respect my financial boundaries. Friends who are down for a chill night at home with a cheap bottle of wine, on days when I shouldn’t spend on an evening of Ubers, cocktails, and drunk food. </span></p>
<p><span>It can be hard to set financial and emotional boundaries, especially when you’re exposed to Youtubers with a new haul video every week, influencers who aren’t pictured in the same bikini twice, and an inbox full of sales that expire in 24 hours. However, I’m learning to set aside present bias, the culture of immediacy, and impulse buying, so I don’t have to feel as anxious when monthly bills come around. By shifting my attention away from consuming, I can focus on my health and relationships. I’m looking forward to saving money for retirement, trips (post-COVID), and memories that will last much longer than my next purchase. </span></p>

<span>In middle school, I worried about if I had enough outfits to rotate through. Some classmates would consider it a crime to wear the same top too often. I had nice things, but I was painfully aware of how different shopping trips were for my friends. I envied the kids who had Hollister clothes, a cell phone with a data plan, or a Vera Bradley backpack.</span>

How I shifted my value of worth

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the start, Minori has been committed to promoting sustainability through mindful consumption. Part of this includes being thoughtful about where our packaging comes from. Intentionality is at the root of our values. We are continuously improving our sustainability practices as the brand grows. </span></p>
<h2><strong>What does the FSC label mean? </strong></h2>
<p><strong><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/FSC_Logo_480x480.jpg?v=1626498798" alt=""></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On our unit cartons, you will find a </span><b>Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> label. This mark certifies that the materials used to produce the cartons are responsibly sourced, according to FSC’s comprehensive social and environmental standards.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minori cartons are made from FSC Mix materials using FSC-certified wood, recycled materials, and/or FSC controlled wood. Though controlled timber is not from FSC-certified forests, it mitigates the risk of materials coming from unacceptable sources. In addition, FSC’s controlled wood standards help address significant problems like illegal logging, human and traditional rights violations, and deforestation. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ideally, cartons would be made from 100% FSC-certified materials; however, there isn’t enough FSC-certified forest area to meet the demand. Nevertheless, the growing demand encourages forest managers to work toward FSC-certification.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our shipping boxes are also made from FSC-certified paper. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can learn more about how FSC labels are supporting responsible forestry </span><a href="https://fsc.org/en/fsc-labels"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span> </p>
<h2><b>Look for the logo</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can find the FSC label on all types of consumer products, your coffee cup, a book, or food products. By choosing FSC-certified products, not only are you supporting brands that are committed to sustainability, but you are driving the demand for more companies to become FSC-certified. </span></p>
<h2><b>Where does Minori get their packaging?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our unit cartons are printed by a company in Butler, NJ. Our shipping boxes are produced in Pennsauken, NJ. </span></p>
<h2><b>Recycling </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our shipping box and unit cartons are 100% recyclable. Simply place them in your curbside recycling. To find out how to recycle in your area, visit </span><a href="https://recyclenation.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recycle Nation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minori has partnered with TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box platform to recycle cosmetic containers, like our lip-gloss tubes. You can participate in our recycling program </span><a href="https://www.minoribeauty.com/values#sustainability"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">!</span></p>
<h2><b>Our Journey</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By 2025, we aim to use 50% post-consumer materials in our packaging and implement systematic carbon emissions tracking to offset our environmental impact.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We appreciate you joining us on our mission to live simply and sustainably!</span></p>
<br><br>

What Does the FSC label on Minori's Packaging Mean?

Moving Past Unidimensional Beauty: A Conversation With Ryan Jule Cruz

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What does clean beauty actually mean? The short answer is that there is no clear cut definition of clean beauty and that is exactly why this is such a controversial question. The longer answer is a lot more nuanced. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The term ‘clean beauty’ has entered the mainstream beauty vocabulary over the past few years. Prior to that, brands used terms such as green beauty or natural beauty. These terms were equally as vague and undefined. There was a lot of room for brand greenwashing leading to customer mistrust of these marketing terms.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More recently, beauty brands have started adopting a more balanced and transparent approach by formulating products with a mix of safe synthetics as well as naturally derived ingredients. Clean beauty came out of the idea that not all synthetics are harmful and not all-natural ingredients are safe. Instead, cosmetic formulation requires a careful and proactive approach in avoiding certain ingredients that could potentially be harmful.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This list of excluded ingredients goes by several names: "Black List", "The No List", "Free From list" to sometimes more creative marketing twists like "The Undesirables", "the Toxic 20" or "The Dirty List".</span></p>
<h3><b>Who determines which cosmetic ingredients are bad and which are good?</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the ideal world, the FDA would determine which ingredients should not be included in cosmetics. Unfortunately, the FDA has not issued new cosmetic regulations since 1938, where they banned 11</span><a href="https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/resources-consumers-cosmetics/cosmetics-safety-qa-prohibited-ingredients#:~:text=Regulations%20restrict%20or%20prohibit%20the,chloride%2C%20chlorofluorocarbon%20propellants%20and%20hexachlorophene."> <span style="font-weight: 400;">ingredients</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. It's fair to say that the beauty and skincare industry has evolved since then! To give you a comparison, the European Union banned 1300 ingredients from being used in cosmetics.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The discrepancy between U.S regulations and European regulations is definitely startling and can leave many Americans afraid that their cosmetic products are full of potentially harmful ingredients.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Without official oversight, we depend on the scientific community to clarify which ingredients should be avoided. Scientific research carries its own limitations such as studies with small sample sizes or statistically insignificant results. Even when scientists agree that there is enough evidence to presume that a chemical to be harmful to humans the FDA will deem that there is not enough hard evidence to support such claims.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One common example of this disagreement is the question of the safety of Phthalates, which are </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">esters of phthalic acid mainly used as plasticizers helping plastics increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">A quick google research, will tell you that phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I wanted to dig in deeper to truly understand what information is available and why there is tension between the FDA and the scientific community regarding the risk of Phthalates and other suspected ingredients. This exercise also helped me understand why clean beauty brands often take the precautionary approach of avoiding an ingredient even when the evidence is not black and white.</span></p>
<h3><b>Studies on Phthalates</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2003-2004, scientists at the</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">CDC (Centers for disease control and prevention)</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> measured 13 phthalate metabolites in the urine of 2,636 or more participants who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The amount of phthalates that entered people's bodies is estimated by analyzing metabolites levels in urine. The study found that phthalate exposure is widespread in the U.S population, but found that adult women have much higher levels of urinary metabolites than men, seemingly from their higher use of cosmetic and personal care products containing them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phthalates have been shown to have</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK453249/#"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">adverse effects on the reproductive organs of male rats</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Similar studies on humans show that we are much less sensitive to phthalates than rats. Nevertheless, scientists presume that it is possible that phthalates can cause reproductive issues in humans.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A 2015 study published in the</span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935115001899"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Environmental Research journal</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> concluded their research on Phthalates on the neurodevelopment of children by saying: "There is enough scientific data around the adverse effect of phthalates on animals. A systematic review of the literature supports the contention that prenatal exposure phthalates is associated with adverse cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children, including lower IQ, and problems with attention, hyperactivity, and poorer social communication."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are a few other studies for you to read if you want to dig in even deeper: looking at possible links between phthalates and</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27822670/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">obesity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29886235/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">breast cancer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653519305922"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<h3><b>Does this mean Phthalates are bad?</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scientists suggest that there is enough evidence pointing to the possible risks of phthalates to humans. Small daily doses do not seem to be dangerous, but aggregate exposure over decades is a cause for concern. The FDA nevertheless maintains the stance that there is</span><a href="https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/phthalates#:~:text=At%20the%20present%20time%2C%20FDA,cosmetics%20pose%20a%20safety%20risk."> <span style="font-weight: 400;">not enough scientific proof against phthalates</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, leaning on the opinion of the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel) that suggests that exposures to phthalates from cosmetics on humans are low compared to levels that would cause adverse effects in animals.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1646/6840/files/amplitude-magazin-srXbJ1TAdhI-unsplash_480x480.jpg?v=1624827728" alt="cosmetic chemist in her lab"></span></p>
<h3><b>What to make of clean beauty claims then?</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My personal take as both a consumer and a beauty brand founder, is that science isn’t static and that there isn’t always a definite black and white answer. We shouldn't accept the status quo and continue to formulate with ingredients that are strongly suspected of being harmful. It is also important to point out that there will always be new scientific developments, new studies and new opinions. An ingredient that is deemed safe today and widely used by clean beauty brands might be suspected of being harmful in the future and vice versa. So no, clean beauty is not a hard promise of ingredient safety, but rather a promise to do it's best based on current information, and to continue to push the conversation and refute the status quo.</span></p>
<h3>What else does clean beauty focus on?</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other than focusing on safer formulations to protect consumer's health, clean beauty brands also make an active effort to practice sustainability and protect the earth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some ways that Clean Beauty brands can make a difference:</span></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Refuse to test of animal and formulate using only vegan ingredients</span></p>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Manufacture locally</span></p>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aim to use more sustainable packaging and propose recycling solutions (such as partnering with Terracycle)</span></p>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Promote ingredient transparency</span></p>
</li>
</ol>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is the term ''clean beauty'' criticized?</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clean Beauty is not a regulated term, so any brand who wants to market themselves as such technically can. Customers however are more informed and know which questions to ask to learn whether a brand's practices conform with their claims of trying to do better.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The final criticism of the term "clean beauty" is that it can come off as accusatory of the rest of the industry. It's very easy for clean beauty brands to intentionally or unintentionally use scare tactics when actively speaking about all the toxic ingredients they do NOT use, reminding you that unless you switch to all clean beauty, you continue to put yourself and your family at risk.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hopefully this article has helped you understand a bit more about clean beauty and the space it is carving out for itself in the beauty industry and in your makeup bag.</span></p>

What Does Clean Beauty Actually Mean?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three years ago, before I even started </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">working on product development, I started the Minori blog to write about my personal experience with minimalism. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">As I began crafting a minimalist lifestyle for myself, I saw how minimalism in practice varies from person to person; we each have unique ways of creating intentional lives. This inspired me to create a space that fosters an open dialogue, a place where we can  exchange insights from our experiences, learnings, and values -- making the journey available to anyone and everyone. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, our blog is reborn under a new name: Musings, a word that means “a period of reflection and thought.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Musings is meant to be a space for the Minori team, our community, and guest writers to share real human stories, and to showcase the different paths and experiences that we can take in our attempts to live more mindfully and intentionally. </span></p>
<p>Becoming more mindful is hard, as is teaching ourselves to be more patient, less impulsive, and less wasteful. There is no perfect path to mindfulness. There is no one model of minimalism. Musings is about exploring all avenues, stories, and realities of humans trying to do better for themselves and the planet. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the Musings blog you will find specially curated content about beauty, lifestyle, sustainability, community, and news from Minori's team. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With anything that we write, our aim will be to help you discover people, narratives and even other brands that align with our values. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Musings will be a space to celebrate conscious<strong> </strong></span><strong>beauty</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. We hope to share content in a way that is fun, approachable, educational, and inspiring. Our goal is to  help you make good and informed beauty purchases, without pushing trends or promoting impulse buying. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our </span><b>lifestyle </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">posts will explore how to incorporate intentionality across all areas of life and help you discover other purpose-driven brands that we think you might like to know about or support. Whether we write about fashion, food, home living, self-care routines, we will aim to do it with a mindful perspective. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We will also write about </span><b>sustainability</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, particularly through the lens of how mindful consumption can lead to the biggest impact in reducing our personal footprints. Whether you are just dipping your toes in trying to reduce your impact on the environment, or whether you are a zero waste pro, you are welcome in this space. Together we will learn and support each other in trying to do better by our planet. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Through our </span><b>community </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">posts we aim to create a space for dialogue. We will share interviews and profiles of people who inspire us and show us the very different ways and circumstances in which we can live more mindfully. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, Musings will also be a space for our </span><b>Minori</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> team to share news with you. Being open and transparent with our community has been crucial for me since day one of building Minori. I look forward to continuing to bring you along our entrepreneurial journey, celebrating milestones and being open  about challenges or dilemmas we face as a young startup. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you would like to write for the Musings blog we would love to hear from you. Email us at partnerships@minoribeauty.com or sent us a DM on instagram. To all our readers, We would love to hear from you and speak with you directly. Let us know if you liked something we wrote, if you know someone who we should interview, if you yourself want to share your personal story with us, or if you simply want to say hello! Our (virtual) door is always open! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to Musings! Wishing you happy reading!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With love, </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anastasia &amp; the Minori team</span></p>

<span>Musings, a word that means a period of reflection and thought, is meant to be a space for the Minori team, our community, and guest writers to share real human stories, and to showcase the different paths and experiences that we can take in our attempts to live more mindfully and intentionally. </span>

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