August 16, 2020
How Beast Brands is Grooming the Planet as Well as the Body
Merryn Johns READ TIME: 3 MIN.
The Butterfly Effect is the theory that the tiniest action reverberates on a much larger scale. While self-care mantras were trending long before the current pandemic, life in lockdown has left us with few pleasures greater than a little spa time at home.
Beast Brands has a mission to be good for both you and the environment. As official members of 1% for the Planet, Beast is committed to donating a percentage of total sales to eco-driven nonprofit organizations. Beast products are also made with natural, organic, biodegradable ingredients, and a minimum of plastic packaging with the eventual goal of going plastic-free.
Most consumers aren't aware that many personal care products contain undesirable ingredients, from allergens to cancer-linked chemicals. Surprisingly, the FDA does not regulate skincare ingredients. Toxins known as PFAs exist in everything from shampoo to shaving cream.
The skin is our largest organ. About 60 percent of what we put on it gets absorbed. And everything that goes down the drain is absorbed by the ocean, Earth's largest topographic feature.
Jay Wilkison, VP of brand strategy and development for Beast Brands, says the pandemic has "strengthened what we are about as a brand, as consumers, and as people."
Source: Beast Brands
The Birth of the Beast
When Beast was founded, the company focused on male customers with eucalyptus-heavy scents and products like beard oil. It soon became evident, however, that women loved and bought many of the body washes, shave creams and lotions on offer. Today, Beast Brands' unisex formulations welcome "Beasts of all kinds." Take, for example, Beast's award-winning body wash made with aloe, shea butter, ginseng and orange – called simply Wash for Everyone.
The message of inclusivity resonates beyond gender-inclusivity to the new reality that "we're all in this together, we can take these steps that are good for everybody," says Wilkison. "We want people to know when they come to Beast they're in a warm, welcoming, inclusive space where you're going to have a lot of fun, you're going to have wonderful products that are great for your skin, and they're great for the earth. That's the journey that we're on together."
Wilkison, in lockdown with his wife and two children, says that his personal care rituals have become even more critical. "A shower is still an escape, especially now that we're all together all the time, so whatever time you take, you want to be surrounded by good stuff."
Soap has become a lifesaver. "And we make pretty awesome soap," says Wilkison.
[READ: The Beast Within: An Insider's Perspective on Personal Care]
As part of their philanthropic efforts, the Beast Brands team brainstormed ways to be useful during the COVID-19 pandemic and realized they had the perfect product to help first responders and health-care workers in the front lines of the virus. They have since shipped over 1,000 liter-sized bottles of Extreme Yawp all-in-one hair and body wash to hospitals and medical centers across the country.
"We're trying to build not just a skincare company but a consumer lifestyle brand that will expand far beyond the shower, and hopefully inspire a lot of people to do a lot of good things," says Wilkison. "Ultimately, self-care is also about everybody else. No one can deny the fact that if you do better for someone else, it's going to make you feel better."
Purchase Beast Brands products at getbeast.com and Amazon.
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Merryn Johns is a writer and editor based in New York City. She is also a public speaker on ethical travel and a consultant on marketing to the LGBT community.
