Talking plastic-free beauty with Claudia at Circla
It’s Plastic Free July and as part of our initiative to rethink the relationship we have with plastic, we spoke with Circla’s CEO and Founder, Claudia, for the low-down on plastic-free beauty.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and your awesome brand, Circla?
Before starting Circla I was caught up in the corporate rat race, long hours doing work that was just totally unfulfilling and lacked any sense of purpose. At the time, the David Attenborough effect was taking hold of the world and it really made me look at my own consumption patterns. Having always been a bit of a beauty junky - my bathroom cabinet was filled with endless bottles and jars of different lotions and potions - I started to become more curious, not just about what was inside those products, but also at the extraordinary amount of waste I was producing. I had always been blissfully ignorant to what happened to the rubbish I kept putting in the bin, but as I started to lift the lid, I realised that despite any of my best intentions to recycle the packaging,
“the actual way we consume and dispose of products needed to fundamentally change”.
Claudia Gwinnutt, Founder and CEO of Circla
What inspired you to start Circla, and how has it evolved since you started?
Whilst I wanted to do my part for the planet, I didn’t want to have to sacrifice on quality or aesthetic but unfortunately most of the options that were available were requiring me to do that or were just incredibly inconvenient. I believed there had to be a better way and that’s why I started Circla. A space to discover incredible brands that have been curated by our team - that not only work but meet certain sustainability criteria. We only have one request, which is once you have squeezed out the last drop of your moisturiser, shampoo or cleanser you leave the empties out for us to collect. The one thing we really put our foot down on is that single use packaging belongs in the past!
One of Circla’s goals is to prevent 100,000 units of packaging from being thrown away. When are you hoping to achieve this goal, and how is it going so far?
We are making amazing progress, particularly now that we have over 100 products for customers to choose from on the platform so people are swapping more and more of their products to Circla. Originally our goal was to achieve this by the end of the year, but I think we took off a little bit more than we could chew and hopefully will reach the target by mid 2022!
What have you found to be the biggest challenge when encouraging people to change their mindset and choose circular consumption?
It’s just a different way of shopping and any change requires time but also education and incentive. At Circla we face two issues, one is that maybe someone discovers what we do, loves the idea but they are pretty loyal to their current brands so there is a part around educating and letting them try our selection of brands and products. This is why last month we launched a sample box that lets you select six different products (all packaging can be returned!) because actually if you have been using the same shampoo for the last few years you will be reluctant to try something new. The second part is the change in how Circla works, it might feel quite strange leaving your empty shampoo bottle outside to be collected. My biggest goal is to make the experience as seamless and convenient as possible as we know that at first it might be a little weird and then we will reward you when you do return the bottles!
Circla products on their way to a new home where they will stay until empty then be collected for a new life
Will you be participating in the Plastic-free July challenge this year, if so what area will you be focusing on reducing plastic in?
Where I trip up the most is lunch at work. Running Circla is super full on and I don’t always have the time or energy to make lunch, so I often fall victim to getting food on-the-go which is generally wrapped up in plastic - even worse unrecyclable plastic. I am so desperate for one of these reusable takeaway companies like Caulibox to launch near me as I would be their number one customer. So, this July I have set myself the challenge of bringing in lunch 4 days a week and having Friday off with the team. I believe by setting realistic goals you are way less likely to fail and be able to maintain it going forward.
What tips would you give to someone looking to reduce their plastic consumption?
Start small and use what you already have at home. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed as once you notice how much plastic you consume in a day you might start to think what’s the point it’s everywhere and what impact can I really have.
“focus on small changes that you can easily integrate into your daily life and also remember the power in collective impact”.
For the second point, the trend towards sustainability has led many brands to create some very cool products, which is amazing, but if you already own an electric toothbrush at home throwing that away for a bamboo one doesn’t make much sense.
We’re obsessed with your ‘low-waste beauty’ routine! What products would you recommend to others looking to make their skincare routine more eco-friendly?
It has taken me nearly two years to really find make-up products that work and also are actually sustainable, in terms of skincare my fav brand is Evolve - I am obsessed with their gentle cleansing melt and their moisturiser (a little secret, we will be launching the moisturiser on Circla soon!). In terms of make-up my go to brand is Kjaer Weis, I appreciate it’s a tad pricey but I love make-up, I wear it every day and for me it’s worth the investment as all the products are refillable and actually a much better quality than what I was using before. I also recently started using the unpackaged foundation from Lush, I was pretty skeptical at first and I have to admit it’s a little messy when it’s coming to the end but as a foundation it’s the best one I have ever used. So far, I still haven’t found a decent mascara or SPF for the face. I also love using Vitamin C, Squalene (make sure its plant-derived!) and mix up my routine with various oils depending on what my skin needs.
Some refillable beauty products from Circla
And, what is a low-waste skincare/beauty product you couldn’t live without?
This changes often, I guess given my job I get to try so many products so I find it hard to pick one but my fav product is the Evolve Cleansing Melt. The smell is insane and I love the texture!
We’re all about good finds here, we’d love you to recommend us three things that you love, or have been inspired by!
I will take this opportunity to promote three other businesses who not inspire me but I think you will love, first up is Sojo (the most convenient way to repair and fix your clothes), second is Pott Candles (refillable candles that actually smell and look amazing) and the third is Dabba Drop (reusable takeaway boxes!).
For more founder’s chats, check out our ethical living blog where we speak with Founder’s doing good things.
Words by Leonie Carver