Where does the name “Kypris” come from?
Kypris is the name of a Cypriot goddess who was eventually co-opted by the Greeks to become Aphrodite. Unlike the common retellings of Aphrodite’s stories, in which she is beautiful yet haughty, the ethos of Kypris has retained her pre-Hellenic, divinely feminine roots. So her energy is that of a robust, integrated, healthy, divine Feminine.
What are you mission-bent on accomplishing with the brand?
For our consumers, I am determined to initiate a positive, wellness-centered experience of beauty. There are a variety of clinically verifiable benefits to properly caring for one’s skin and creating experiences of pleasure. My hope is to shift the experience of beauty practices from one about fixing made-up problems to one about fulfilling desires, free from guilt, regarding appearance, skin health and pleasure. Our beauty and wellness depend on it.
On the supply side, I would like to achieve more measurable, holistic prosperity for all those involved. Human rights and sustainability should not just be associated with a particular initiative. It should be part of business conducted properly. To me that means continuing to support and develop quality growing and procurement practices as well as improving our ability to assess the success of these decisions.
What is most important to you when it comes to ingredient sourcing and sustainability?
I have three priorities: quality of the source, quality of the process and procurement, and geopolitics.
For KYPRIS’ plant oils, extracts and grown actives, I want to know how the plant is grown—is it organic, pesticide free or certified non GMO? How was it procured? And who are the people who manage the crops or wild-craft the fields? How are they compensated? What are the policies in place?
We check to see if there is anything that would indicate poor or excellent labor practices, and identify whether the group is a co-operative, a small farm, a woman-owned farm or a family farm because these operations tend to have better land stewardship and labor practices.
Ultimately, I seek to maximize quality, efficiency, equity and kindness. So when I talk about a holistic approach to sustainability, everyone and everything involved in the equation needs to benefit.
You are based in Arizona, is there anything “local” that factors in?
Prickly Pear!! We are currently the only company in the world that sources its prickly pear seed oil from the U.S. We’ve been working with a group of wild-crafters for the past few years to bring this ingredient to market. In many ways it epitomizes sustainability because it is such a nutrient-wealthy oil boasting 150 percent or more vitamin E than is found even in argan oil.
What’s feminism got to do with it?
We make every effort to foster a positive, realistic experience of and conversation around beauty. A person’s relationship to his or her beauty, how they feel in their body, is a fundamentally sacred one. Beauty is a vital spiritual experience of love, acceptance and pleasure.
Many of the ingredients we use are farmed and collected by women. It’s a known fact that when we invest in women, when women are empowered personally and financially, their families and greater communities benefit.
Share one of your success stories with us.
A huge moment of celebration for me and for the KYPRIS family was when we won the Green Spa Network Green Product Company of the Year award. The Green Spa Network is a community for which I have deep respect, appreciation and admiration. These are the people and companies that make spas safer and more sustainably luxurious.
NEW Product Spotlight
In a base of luxurious organic and wild-crafted oils like moringa and prickly pear, the new Body Elixir: Inflorescence features sweet iris stem cells, neroli and sweet orange oil, and vitamin C ester to boost luminosity, elasticity and soothe dryness. kyprisbeauty.com
KYPRIS Founder on Sustainability, Sourcing and Success
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