It seems like everyone’s talking about “clean,” “green,” and “sustainable” skincare these days. But what does it all really mean? While we certainly can’t talk on behalf of other beauty brands, we’d like to share what green beauty means to us at [EDO BEAUTY LAB].
There’s a good reason that green beauty is in. Generally speaking, “green” products tend to be eco-friendly and gentler on the skin, too. “Green” evokes images of our planet Earth and is synonymous with all the qualities you want in your skincare: “clean”, “natural” and “non-toxic.” Bonus points if the products are cruelty-free and vegan!
However, since there’s no regulating body that has set a specific definition to the term “green beauty,” how do we define it? How do you know if a brand and its products align with your values?
What Green Beauty Means To Us
In our previous blog post, “7 New Year Skin Care Resolutions,” we discuss “going green” is an impactful means of updating your skincare routine.
While there are many reasons to introduce green beauty products in your your skincare routine, we’ve outlined 5 points that align with our brand values:
(1) Choose products with eco-friendly packaging
(2) Recycle or repurpose your containers & packaging
(3) Opt for eco-friendly ingredients
(4) Ditch disposable and go reusable
(5) Shop from sustainable brands
In the case of [EDO BEAUTY LAB], here’s what green beauty means to us:
(1) The Natural Beauty of Edogawa City
You may know Tokyo as the world’s largest “megacity,” where some 37 million people make their way amongst skyscrapers towering over an expansive metro system of nearly 900 train stations.
But, tucked away in the eastern corner of Tokyo Prefecture is Edogawa City, a green enclave resting along its namesake Edo River.
There are nearly 500 parks and green spaces in Edogawa City, covering a total area of 7,760,682 square meters. The city is home to Kasai Rinkai Park, the largest park in central Tokyo which covers 810,000 square meters. Established as a wildlife preserve on Tokyo Bay, the park has various facilities, including an aquarium and a bird garden and Japan’s second largest Ferris wheel.
(2) Our Superfood Ingredient, Komatsuna
Here at [EDO BEAUTY LAB], our star ingredient is komatsuna, a Japanese superfood rich with vitamins and antioxidants that enrich, repair, and protect the skin.
The idea behind adding komtasuna to the formula of our Green Radiance Clay Mask was very simple. Superfoods like avocado and kale nourish the body from the inside out and also double as skincare ingredients. Likewise, nourishing Japanese superfoods like tofu, rice koji, matcha, etc. are skincare ingredients that J-beauty aficionados love.
Why not introduce the beauty world to the Japanese superfood komatsuna?
Komatsuna is a hearty leafy-green vegetable cultivated in Edogawa City since the 13th century, and it’s a vital part of our local agriculture. In fact, Edogawa City grows a majority of Tokyo’s komatsuna – a staggering 2,819 tons in 2019 alone!
It’s worth noting that the komatsuna used in our Green Radiance Clay Mask isn’t grown and harvested for the sake of making cosmetics. Rather, leftover komatsuna is upcycled into a fine powder at a local factory and later used by eateries across Edogawa City to create delicious komatsuna-infused dishes like udon and soba noodles, dumplins, pastries, and even chiffon cake!
Unfortunately, our Green Radiance Clay Mask isn’t meant for consumption (don’t let that matcha scent fool you). But, we’re delighted to share Japanese food and beauty culture to a audience of J-beauty lovers.
(3) The Color of Our Green Radiance Clay Mask
When we established ourselves as a “green beauty” brand, we decided to take it literally and formulate green skin care products!
Our signature Green Radiance Clay Mask infuses three naturally green ingredients – French green clay, matcha powder, and komatsuna – to target concerns like acne, blemishes, dullness, and uneven skin tone.
French green clay gently exfoliates the skin and helps control excess sebum and oil production. Meanwhile, the antioxidants in matcha and komatsuna limit the production of free radicals and brighten your skin.
The inspiration for our Green Radiance Clay Mask lies in Japanese tea ceremony rituals and traditional Japanese approaches to skincare. A green clay mask does wonders for the skin when used regularly – and it’s incredibly photogenic, too! Next time you get your mask on, snap a few selfies of you masking and relaxing, or film an ASMR mixing video. Learn more about our Green Radiance Clay Mask here: 3 Reasons Why You’ll Love Our Green Radiance Clay Mask
FUN FACT: We initially called our Green Radiance Clay Mask “Komatsuna Radiance Clay Mask.” However, this did not meet the strict naming regulations set forth by Japanese cosmetics industry
(4) Our Motto, “Green Beauty From Edogawa, Japan”
At [EDO BEAUTY LAB], our goal is to share Japanese beauty culture that you can easily incorporate into your existing skincare routine. This goal would not be possible without the support from our local suppliers and manufacturers. Our office is registered in Edogawa City, and nearly every stage of production and manufacturing takes place here.
As we mentioned in #2, our komatsuna is grown at a family farm in operation for 6 generations. This komatsuna is refined and processed at a factory in Komatsugawa district, then taken to our manufacturer in Shinozaki where it becomes our Green Radiance Clay Mask.
Aside from our Green Radiance Clay Mask, we also stock our original komatsuna print tenugui towel. It is hand-dyed using traditional methods in the Ichinoe area of Edogawa City.
The tenugui itself is a green, eco-friendly beauty tool used in Japanese bathing culture for centuries. When used as a bathing towel, its textured fibers remove dead cells on the surface of the skin.
Tenugui also function as a multi-purpose accessory. Keep a tenugui in your handbag or as a burping cloth or nursing coverup; use your tenugui as a handkerchief, scarf or handbag accessory or even as a headband or ponytail holder. For more uses on tenugui see this post:
(5) Our Commitment to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly designated 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.”
We have aligned ourselves with these goals while paying homage to sustainable practices that developed during Japan’s Edo Period. This “was a society of eco-friendly practices such as conspicuous consumption and resource conservation in which items were used, reused, and repurposed with gratitude.”
Diminished relations and trade with other countries left Japan with little resources, and a culture of “mottainai” flourished. “Mottainai, [is] a simple but powerful phrase that conveys the wasted opportunity of objects that have yet to reach their full potential.”
As previously mentioned, “green beauty” is unregulated. However, we believe that it is our responsibility to be open with our customers in regards to our production and manufacturing chain, source of ingredients, and “low-waste” packaging.
Overall, “green beauty” is more than a fad to us. Our goal is to produce a sustainable skin care line that promotes harmony between our community, customers, and the environment. We aim to achieve these goals through locally-grown ingredients, local means of production, and low-waste packaging.
We’d love to know what “green beauty” means to you! Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.
What Green Beauty Means To Us – Sources
The 17 Goals. (n.d.) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals
The (Not-So) Definitive Guide to Japanese Superfoods and (Anti-)Aging Care. (December 1, 2021) The Wagamama Diaries. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://thewagamamadiaries.com/the-not-so-definitive-guide-to-japanese-superfoods-and-anti-aging-care/
What is Mottainai? Japan’s Eco-Friendly Philosophy. Japan Objects. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://japanobjects.com/features/mottainai
江戸川区の農業データ. (n.d.). Edogawa City Official Website. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://www.city.edogawa.tokyo.jp/e032/shigotosangyo/jigyosha_oen/nogyo_suisan/data.html
