With a second Dutch Beauty award to its name, Africa Organics has relaunched in South Africa with a brand new website and a host of proudly South African products on offer.
The sustainable, eco-friendly brand which has been in the market for the last decade, once again wowed industry experts at this year’s Dutch Beauty awards, previously known as the Astir awards.
The awards see a jury of experts go through the best in the year’s beauty innovations to award prizes in 20 categories. Africa Organics has impressed both in 2021 and 2022. This is an accolade that the proudly-South African brand owners, Kyle and Brigitte Hartley, do not take lightly.
“Dutch Beauty recognizes some of the top brands in our industry, in one of the largest conscious consumer markets. To not only be nominated for an award but also to be awarded two years in a row is an achievement that we are proud of and a testament to the hard work that our distribution partners in Europe are putting into growing the brand and creating brand awareness.’
“We are honoured that the brand we represent proudly in the Netherlands is also recognised by professionals from our national beauty industry. The jury is very experienced, knowledgeable and influential within our industry which makes it even more special to receive this kind of recognition for the brand and its values,” they said.
The brand is COSMOS ORGANIC, certified by Ecocert Greenlife according to COSMOS standard, 100% Natural Hair and Body care range using Africa’s powerful natural and organic plant ingredients. Ranging from shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, body lotions to hair treatment oils, this is a perfect fit for the couple who were in the market for a natural and sustainable “lifestyle” business with international potential when they stumbled across the opportunity to take over the company.
“We share a passion for nature, sustainability, and preservation in a world that is experiencing devastating biodiversity loss at the hands of humanity,” they said.
The pair started their journey with Africa Organics as loyal users and supporters of the product.
“We are one of few organic brands in the market that are carbon and plastic neutral and that genuinely support African communities through the sourcing of our raw materials,” said Kyle.
“Our formulations are self-preserved and gentle, suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. We are focused on holistic, lasting efficacy and not short-term results. We aim to minimise the disturbance to the natural ecosystem (the skin microbiome) and we pH balance all of our products to match the skin’s natural pH of 5,” he added.
The pair are passionate about Southern Africa and proud that it is home to a quarter of the world’s plant species and is one of four global biodiversity hotspots. Our goal is to share the benefits of Africa’s
rich biodiversity with the rest of the world.
“They say sustainability and environmental preservation start at home. Anne Marie Bonneau said it best: “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
SOCIAL MEDIA DETAILS:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaorganics/
Website: https://www.africaorganics.co.za/
ABOUT AFRICA ORGANICS:
Africa Organics is COSMOS ORGANIC, certified by Ecocert Greenlife according to COSMOS standard, 100% Natural Hair and Body care range using Africa’s powerful natural and organic plant ingredients. Choosing natural ingredients doesn’t mean having to accept ineffective products. On the contrary, the African plant species we use have had to adapt to the harshest conditions on the planet by producing some of the most powerful protective activities known to man. You can now benefit from these ingredients in our range of body and hair care products:
• Our ingredients are sustainably sourced from within sub-Saharan Africa, benefitting rural communities.
• We are certified organic by Ecocert and classified as 100% natural origin.
• We are endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty and don’t test our products on animals. We don’t purchase raw materials from suppliers that use animal testing.
• All of our products are rapidly biodegradable and by using them, you contribute to the health of our watercourses.
• We don’t use any animal ingredients in our products and all our products are vegan-friendly; we are endorsed by the Vegan Society of South Africa. The range is free of all harmful chemicals including parabens, petrochemicals, sulphated surfactants, silicones, animal products, ethoxylated or PEG ingredients, propylene glycol or any other ingredients red-flagged by Ecocert standards.
ABOUT KYLE AND BRIGITTE HARTLEY
Kyle Hartley
Role in the company: A bit of everything, from production and new product development to international sales… but most importantly Chief Sustainability Officer.
Goals: After 12 years in the international trade of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, bringing two kids into this world brought about a realization that my business activities were contributing to the global destruction of our planet’s biodiversity on which we are totally dependent. My wife and I are passionate about conscious consumerism and have vowed to make our passion our work and lifestyle. Our journey on this path has begun very recently through our acquisition of an international personal care brand that is natural, certified organic, earth-friendly as well as plastic and carbon neutral.
Outside of work: A Husband, doting father, and lover of everything that the outdoors has to offer.
Brigitte Hartley
Role in the company: Director
Goals: To build a lifestyle brand (a household name) that can one day become a family-run business, on an international scale. A brand that aligns with our values and the call to make a difference.
As individuals, we are passionate about doing more to save the environment and over time (and especially since becoming parents) we have become more conscious consumers. As humans, we have a moral obligation to preserve nature and its features. The Earth can only continue to sustain us if we protect its biodiversity.
Professional experience: 10 years of experience in the finance industry, working for a listed corporate.
Who I am outside of work: A wife, mother to two gorgeous children and two fur babies, nature and outdoor enthusiasts, all things health and wellness, running is my hobby and my escape to clear my head.
