ELEMIS: The beauty of B Corp

We talk to Elemis co-founders – global president Noella Gabriel and chief product and sustainability officer Oriele Frank – about what B Corp accreditation means for the brand

Elemis recently joined some 1,000 other British companies that have B Corp certification, a mark of their consideration of people, environment and profit when making business decisions.

This is an impressive achievement for the global beauty brand, which is available in 103 countries. B Corp is said to be the most comprehensive sustainability audit available. It goes beyond product evaluation to rigourously apply high verified standards of social and environmentally responsible practices, transparency, and corporate accountability.

To certify as a B Corp, a business’s performance is analysed across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. We asked the brand’s co-founders – global president Noella Gabriel and chief product and sustainability officer Oriele Frank – what the status means for Elemis.

Noella Gabriel, global president and co-founder, Elemis

What does it mean for Elemis to have achieved B Corp certification?

Oriele Frank: B Corp Certification is a huge achievement for Elemis, our B Corp team and for me personally.

We were very proud of the speed at which we managed to be certified and achieving 93 points on our first verified assessment was truly outstanding. None of the team had any experience in B Corp, so it really was fast learning all the way.

It is important as a 33-year-old brand that we show we are taking our role and responsibilities in business seriously. Not only are we hugely ambitious to successfully grow this British brand globally, but also to ensure that we consider our social and environmental commitments while doing this – making sure Elemis is a business that is a force for good. It’s no longer just about shareholders and profit, it’s also about stakeholder alliance and ensuring we are only making a positive impact on the planet.

As co-founders, we had a vision at the start, but as we grew this became less about our focus due to four changes of owners. It is amazing that Groupe L’Occitane has given permission for Elemis to champion the purpose of the brand at the forefront of everything we do.

How does your B Corp benefit spas?

Noella Gabriel: Being B Corp means that Elemis meets high standards of social and environmental performance throughout its business. These standards are reflected in our products, our treatments and our operations.

Every day we are improving our impact, such as introducing more sustainable packaging, increasing the biodegradability of our formulations and investing in programmes to help reduce our carbon footprint.

For our spa partners, our achievements are theirs too. We want spas to thrive with purpose, using the tools we offer with confidence that they have a more positive impact on people and planet.

Oriele Frank, co-founder and chief product and sustainability officer, Elemis

What does it mean for your consumers and your spas’ guests?

Noella Gabriel: We have had incredible feedback from our community. They recognise that B Corp means we have purpose at our heart. We have taken them with us on our journey.

We listen to what they want and then we share what we are working on, what we need to improve and what our achievements are. We hope our community will be proud to use our products and be part of a brand that is making change for the better.

What did the process of certification reveal about the business?

Oriele Frank: It revealed that we all have the power to make change. B Corp helped us question every aspect of our business. We asked of everything; is it enough? Are we happy with that? Then we could improve.

We were super-proud to introduce new initiatives and practices, such as our Bloom employee wellbeing programme, moving employees to the UK Living Wage and doing a thorough audit on our supply chain, ensuring they too met our social and environmental standards.

The audit did reveal that we need to act fast on our carbon management plan and to reduce our impact from packaging. It was a catalyst to get things done, and quickly.

Why is corporate accountability so important?

Oriele Frank: Our planet is in crisis and businesses are better placed than any other organisations to make a positive impact. Without a healthy planet, businesses will not survive. We must put people and planet on a level playing field with profit. It is our responsibility to make the right decisions. We must all be accountable.

What is next for Elemis in 2023?

Noella Gabriel: We will be introducing new treatments to our spas. This year we are launching Pro-Collagen Glow Boost Exfoliator, Pro-Collagen Rose Micro Serum and Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm. We have also collaborated with the Netflix series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

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To find out more about Elemis and what its B Corp certification could bring to your spa, visit: www.elemis.com