Ethique

Values

Our Story

The journey of Ethique began in 2012, when founder Brianne West started developing formulas in her kitchen in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Aotearoa.

At that time, the concept of plastic-free was not as prevalent as it is today and solid beauty bars were not common or very accessible. By 2015, Brianne successfully crowdfunded capital to expand the business, and international sales began in 2016.

“I started Ethique out of frustration for the abhorrent amount of waste created by the cosmetics industry, and in particular, the amount of plastic and waste created by our bathroom essentials. I figured that switching to a solid product would be the answer not only to the water waste issue, but also plastic waste.”

Aside from their cruelty-free and environmentally sustainable practices, Ethique is a B-Corp that upholds rigorous ethical supply chain standards.

They strive to purchase direct and fairly traded ingredients, like Fairtrade coconut oil from Samoa, which is used in a lot of their products.

Ethique partners with Women in Business Development Inc (WIBDI) that work across 183 villages on the island of Savai’i, helping to create organic agriculture businesses which supply products like coconut oil, dried bananas and coffee all over the globe.

There are between 4 to 6 families on Savai’i alone that produce coconut oil for export and WIBDI has helped to facilitate all of these. They work with families, teaching them about the process, helping to purchase the equipment and setting up the resources and support needed to help the business succeed.

By purchasing fair trade coconut oil from WIBDI, Ethique indirectly helps families pay for their household expenses like electricity and food and also leads to better education, healthcare and community support.

Ethique also creates their babassu oil from babassu nuts, which are wild harvested in Brazil, giving pickers a valuable seasonal income. Most of these pickers are women and work under Plantus, a collective that pays a price per kilo for the harvest, then also distributes a share of the profits.

That’s not all - Ethique also donates 2% of their sales to their charity, Ethique Foundation, which invests in regenerative projects and supports indigenous communities. They have currently donated over $2 million to their tree planting project which works with local communities around the world to provide an ongoing source of income for the locals, and a long term future for the trees.

In the next four years to 2025, Ethique aims to give away ten million, to be handled by the Ethique Foundation. Rather than passively give money to organisations, we want to use their business expertise and networks to help those with outstanding, scalable ideas create change.

Ethique's goal is to "raise the bar" for what it means to be a responsibly-run business. They continually focus on waste reduction, ethical operations, and contributing positively to nature and communities. Their products are exclusively plastic-free, using concentrated solid formulations that conserve resources. Packaging is home-compostable and recyclable, allowing consumers to return nutrients to the soil.

Ethique prioritises animal welfare, maintaining cruelty-free, vegan, and certified palm oil-free practices. Moreover, as a climate positive company, they strive to avoid and offset more greenhouse gases than they produce, underscoring their commitment to environmental sustainability.

You can find Ethique bars in over 6,800 stores and supermarkets worldwide.