A lovely JOURNAL about us by our friends at Yrolí

Yrolí is a responsible Danish brand creating effective skincare. Yrolí inspires quality and encourages lower consumption and simple routines, with a skincare philosophy built on a "one layer philosophy", where a few effective layers — preferably a single one — give you healthy skin. Yrolí

is a blue beauty brand with a 360-degree focus on responsibility. With an emphasis on natural ingredients, the latest research and uncompromising quality, Yrolí connects skincare with responsibility for people and the environment.

read along here:

What if we left a planet in (better) balance to our children and future grandchildren? And a planet in balance — how exactly do we get there? What does it mean? And where do we start?

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The founder of The Organic Company, Joy Vasiljev, gives her answer. Read her perspectives here. At the bottom you can read why Yrolí uses readily biodegradable ingredients.

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The Organic Company designs and supplies everyday products for the home within kitchen, bath, wellness, bags, relaxation and meditation. Everything is produced under proper conditions and with care for the environment. All products are designed and made to have a long life.

Joy Vasiljev, Founder of The Organic Company

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My own journey

I started The Organic Company almost 16 years ago and I am still on a journey. A journey into knowledge that turns into insight. A meaningful journey. My ikigai, I would like to say. The latest thing that makes good sense to me, and that I am practising, is Regenerative Leadership. And "regenerative" means to repair, to mend or to heal. And that is what we need more of on this planet. Think about it.

Relationships — private, in the workplace and between nations — need healing in many places. Nature; biodiversity, the water environment and the climate need healing in many places. In general, small things and large things need healing in all sorts of places at all sorts of times.

And that is where I have arrived now. It is about approach. If we all learned to use the regenerative approach at school and at home, we would use it as our starting point in every one of life's challenges. Imagine if every conflict, crisis and imbalance was approached with "how do we best restore the balance here".

How beautiful is that approach?

It is a holistic approach that aims for balance. As in yin and yang — the principle of duality. We are generally out of balance, are we not? We, particularly in the West, have to acknowledge it in order to do something about it. We have too much yang in the world, for instance — the creating, the achieving, goals, the material, appearance, tasks and so on — and it wears us down. Just think about how large parts of our society, education and business, are built on performance. We need more yin — rest, stability, slowness — to achieve a harmonious balance.

Joy Vasiljev, Founder of The Organic Company

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Focus

We know there are MANY imbalances on this earth, and we cannot solve them all as individuals or as a small group. So focus. Take one subject and learn more about it. I call it "choose your sustainability hat". Learn from the experts. Go deep. One subject at a time. And act from your focus.

Connection

We have lost our connection to nature, to ourselves and to each other. Pay attention, and seek connection and belonging. The era of ego is over.

Community

You cannot reach the goal alone, and we are pack animals after all. So think in relationships, think in groups, think in community. And honour the community. Take a humble approach to it. Imagine seeing the earth and all of us humans from a good distance out in space — from there we would look like small identical dots standing close together. And that is what we are: small dots that are connected. So let us drop the self-importance and rest in the community. Respect it and nurture it.

The whole picture: balance, tips, our water and face scrub 💚 – image 3 | The Organic Company

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So where do you start?

Set your intention: do you, or do you not, want to be a better version of yourself tomorrow than you were yesterday?

Decide on a subject: organic farming, social inequality, plastic in the oceans, misuse of resources, or something else. There is plenty to choose from. But remember: one subject at a time.

And does it make a difference? Yes, it does. Just try for a month. Perhaps you have saved two birds, three kilos of plastic, or our drinking water from more toxins. Perhaps you have felt joy and meaning. Perhaps you have felt an inner balance. And then imagine if there are many millions of us following suit. Think about it.

And hey — if you find yourself feeling bad about working on an imbalance, promise me you will embrace those difficult thoughts and remember that it is better to do a little than nothing at all.

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No one can do everything, but all of us can do something.

The whole picture: balance, tips, our water and face scrub 💚 – image 4 | The Organic Company

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Our water

Joy encourages us to take one subject at a time. At Yrolí we would like to bring awareness to our natural water environment and the damage that is taking place.

The beauty and clothing industries play a significant part in polluting our water environment. One reason is the quantities of chemicals used, which end up in our watercourses and marine environments, where they have negative effects on both marine life and ecosystems. The same applies to microplastic particles, which end up in the water environment and cause serious harm to marine organisms, as they can be mistaken for food and accumulate up the food chain.

Pesticides

Our water environment, including our drinking water, is strongly and negatively affected by many of the pesticides used in the fields all year round. The pesticides seep slowly down through the different layers of soil. And since vast quantities of pesticides are used almost everywhere on the planet, our water is exposed constantly. For that reason alone, you should choose organic.

In GOTS-certified cotton production, around 91% less added water is used compared with conventional cotton production. And NO pesticides or hazardous chemicals are used at all.

When we at Yrolí formulate our skincare products, the choice of ingredients is crucial. We are dedicated to choosing readily biodegradable ingredients that take our natural water environment into account. As part of our Blue Beauty commitment we seek ingredients from wild harvest, organic sources and natural sources. We try to avoid ingredients originating from vulnerable biotopes, and we only choose synthetic ingredients when it is more ethical, more environmentally sound or safer.

Microplastic

One of the most harmful ingredients for our marine environment is microplastic. These small pieces of plastic, less than five millimetres long, accumulate in our oceans and pose a threat to fish and aquatic organisms. Glitter is part of this category and is a particular danger, as fish and birds can mistake it for plankton and ingest it in large quantities. The sharp edges of glitter can cause internal injuries to fish and birds, or lead to starvation as it builds up in their systems. Unfortunately, even if the animals survive, the glitter can end up on our own plates, as it can become part of the food chain.

Microbeads

Another form of microplastic is microbeads, found in some makeup and skincare products. Although they have already been banned in detergents because of their harmful effects on the environment, they are still permitted in cosmetic products.

Silicones

Silicones, used to give skincare products a smooth texture, are another ingredient we avoid. Silicones are virtually impossible to break down within a reasonable timeframe and therefore accumulate in our marine environment and watercourses. Fish and marine life can be exposed to these ingredients, which in the worst case can lead to serious harm or death.

Teflon

Teflon, also known as PFOA, is found in many cosmetic products, even though it does not break down and therefore does not belong in our marine environment, our water supply or our bodies.

Oxybenzone

Another harmful ingredient is oxybenzone, found in certain chemical sunscreens. Oxybenzone is a threat to our coral reefs, as it makes them more vulnerable to bleaching and causes long-term damage to these vital and irreplaceable ecosystems. Oxybenzone reaches our oceans through swimmers as well as through our waste water systems.

In addition to these ingredients we also avoid substances such as EDTA, PFA and PFC, which accumulate in the environment and can harm fish, animals and marine life.

Hazardous chemicals

We are also mindful of hazardous chemicals used in the production of certain ingredients. Many of these ingredients are grown with genetically modified organisms or require the use of heavy pesticides and insecticides. These chemicals can degrade the soil, pollute watercourses and cause harm to animals, marine life, people and various forms of plant life.

Water use

Finally, water use is an important factor to consider. Some natural ingredients require large amounts of fresh water to produce. To preserve our precious natural resources it is essential that we choose water-efficient ingredients that do not waste water.

Readily biodegradable ingredients

By focusing on readily biodegradable ingredients and avoiding harmful substances, we can take responsibility for our natural water environment and preserve its beauty and vitality. As consumers we also have the power to choose skincare products that are gentle on our planet. By supporting companies that prioritise Blue Beauty and sustainability, we can together help preserve our natural water environment and secure a cleaner, healthier future for us all.

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