We recently connected with Melissa Parker and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission is to create sustainable, toxin free beauty practices as San Diego’s first Zero Waste Salon and Apothecary, with well developed employees in a warm and unique environment, so that everyone who enters feels cared for and has a safe space to grow.
As for our why…
The beauty industry creates 877 pounds of waste per minute. Easton and I became increasingly concerned about the impact of the industry, and we had the desire to move towards conscious consumption.
Our intention is to take back the responsibility of waste, which has been placed on the consumer by major corporations. It is also important to make the switch to zero waste an easy one, making it a simple choice.
Melissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Founded by two best friends who are hairdressing professionals, had the desire to make a difference in the beauty industry towards conscious consumption. We found ourselves progressing as individuals, becoming increasingly concerned about industry’s impact on the environment. The beauty industry is full of caring, creative and service minded individuals. We need those people to have a desire to make a difference and to stop buying into big businesses selling them greenwashed products. We will be the first to admit that we were part of that herd, truly thinking we were doing what was best.
Element (our in house brand) was designed to empower people to embrace their inherent natural beauty.
Conscious, natural hair care created and sent in bulk to us from our lab. You choose your bottle, fill it with something awesome, enjoy, and come back when it is time to refill. Thought and care are put into every product offering and ingredient used so you feel good about slathering yourself with all this goodness. Our aspiration is to care for the planet to our best ability while making a positive impact on our community and you.
Focused on natural & organic products that complement and enhance your skin and hair, using science-backed formulations that are good for you and the planet. At every step of the way we continuously work towards making the best choice possible.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
That sustainability equals sacrifice.
In the beginning of my personal zero waste journey, I was experimenting with all sorts of homemade concoctions, from make-up and hair care to deodorant to home care. I was so committed to the movement that I was sacrificing the quality of a product and ultimately how beautiful I felt.
As stylists ourselves, we know how we want a product to perform. Zero waste, toxin-free hair care should not sacrifice your beauty, nor your results behind the chair.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When we were beginning our transition to zero waste, we had approached a professional hair care company, who was well known for sustainability and philanthropy in the industry to create a refill program for salons. They had decided that wasn’t in alignment for their brand, leaving us a little underwhelmed.
We then decided to pivot and look for a professional beauty line that was zero waste, toxin-free, and refillable, it didn’t exist. It was pretty easy to find a zero waste product company, or a toxin free company, but we had difficulty finding a company that did both and would also curate professional beauty results. So we were inspired to create our own. Element Refillable Beauty is designed to empower people to embrace their inherent natural beauty.
Contact Info:
- Website: scisters.com
- Instagram: scisters
- Facebook: scisters