PROMOTION: KISUNA

KISUNA

Why KISUNA?

Founder of Kisuna, Wendy Reiner, is a cosmeceutical formulator who has successfully developed, commercialised and then on sold her previous laser aesthetics brand in 2020. Now, Wendy has recently launched her next skincare sensation, KSIUNA, an Australian native active skincare brand.

WENDY REINER, Founder Kisuna

www.kisuna.com.au

“KISUNA is a return to heart and soul, I love our country, so it was very easy to fall in love with the idea of showcasing the unique biodiversity of Australia and the benefits of native botanicals for skin through skincare.”

The pandemic has been a reset for Wendy, after stepping out of the corporate world and taking some time off. The creation of KISUNA rapidly evolved to embody the values of self-love, self-nurture, wellness and conscious living.

What is KISUNA?

KISUNA is Australia’s largest and most comprehensive range of native active skincare, developed with high end extracts and luxurious oils for performance, feel and texture. Every product is a result of deeply considered research, resulting in the pairing, and grouping of native ingredients into products aimed at balancing each skin type, correcting a skin concern, and providing the finest skincare experience.

KISUNA formulations use organic Aloe Vera juice in place of water to help increase calming and soothing properties. KISUNA uses natural preservation and is void of silicones, other petrochemicals, palm oil, and is sulphate free. It is marine friendly, vegan friendly, and cruelty free.

By being a sustainable brand, we are giving consumers a choice and an opportunity to combat climate change with us, decrease their carbon footprint, and support a company that is involved in financially contributing to active ecological projects that clean up the planet, regenerate forests, and fight global warming.

Sustainability is at the forefront of KISUNA’s brand values, it’s culture is all about people and the planet. The planet is under threat, consumer buying decisions collectively impact climate change. Choosing companies who are earth conscious is one why we can make a difference for our future generations. KISUNA’s focus is on supporting a not-for-profit organisation that is engaged in Australian Native Forest Regeneration Projects to offset carbon emissions. As we all know, Australia is prone to traumatic and devastating bushfires and floods that also destroy our native wildlife, their homes and food sources. It is only fitting that a native skincare brand would be involved in supporting native forest regeneration.

The name KISUNA, is a play on KI or QI (life force) and the word SUN. All life on the planet is dependant of the sun. Our sun grows our food, it raises forests, it influences the weather, there is a continuous birth, death, and rebirth cycle. We are all connected to each other, the earth and we all partake in this cycle.

Interestingly and by coincidence KISUNA sounds like the Japanese word “KIZUNA”, which means “connecting large numbers of people together to help each other”. The last great Japanese KIZUNA occurred in 2011, because of the devastating tsunami that ravaged their land. KISUNA would say climate change is calling all people of the world to be a part of another great KISUNA.

KISUNA is a woman owned business with an all-female team. “Our focus is on women in business, women supporting women and empowering the feminine”, Wendy says, “I started out on my own, it was hard, there are plenty of people willing and waiting to take advantage of you, particularly when you have a good product. I’ve learned many lessons, and I am passionate about supporting other women in business as a result. Business is about people, yes you sell a product or service, but it’s all about people and if you don’t have integrity you stand for nothing.”

Why is it so important to be recognised as a sustainable brand?

Climate change is world community issue in need of immediate attention. At an individual level, making changes that combat the effects of climate change make very little difference, but, at a collective level together we can make a measurable difference.

“As the founder of KISUNA, the climate change issue is a concern to me, my conscious cannot permit me to engage in commercial activities that don’t consider environmental impacts. Eco-conscious consumers are demanding that companies change the way they do business, to take climate change into consideration and change the way they relate to the planet.”, says Wendy.

“By being a sustainable brand, we are giving consumers a choice and an opportunity to combat climate change with us, decrease their carbon footprint, and support a company that is involved in financially contributing to active ecological projects that clean up the planet, regenerate forests, and fight global warming.”

What are the benefits to being eco-friendly?

“KISUNA’s goal is to be a leader in sustainability, to do this we must make the consumer feel good about interacting with our brand, buying our products, and make sure that they have a great experience when using our products.

By engaging with consumers in this way, we are doing our best excite our customers and create consumer loyalty.

KISUNA is all about skin and the planet. Personally, Wendy has struggled with her skin most of her life, which is how she became a formulator. Self-esteem is grossly affected by the reflection that we see in the mirror. Fortunately, Wendy’s background in human biology has helped her greatly to unpack the complexities of the skin and apply that understanding to developing products that nurture the skin and therefore our spirit.

Having seen the volumes of plastic produced by the skincare industry, it is a priority that KISUNA is not a contributor to the problem. KISUNA uses minimal plastic in its packaging, preferring to use glass which can be recycled indefinitely. In addition, all labels, POS displays, shipping and packing materials are either made from recycled, recyclable, bio-degradable, or compostable materials.”

What is one of your most stand-out initiatives in the sustainability arena?

“Being an Australian Native skincare company, it’s only fitting that KISUNA is partnered with Greenfleet. Greenfleet is a notfor-profit environmental organisation committed to restoring Australian Native Forests with natural biodiversity and empowering individuals, communities, and companies to take tangible, effective, and long-lasting environmental action.

The projects involve planting native bio-diverse forests to offset carbon emissions on our behalf. Their efforts have resulted in over 9.4 million native trees being planted in over 500 diverse forests to address critical deforestation, reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, restore native habitat for wildlife and endangered species, and capture carbon emissions to protect our climate.

KISUNA contributes to projects that help recreate native ecosystems, natural bush corridors, and replant native landscapes in times of climate change and the related consequences that result from bushfires, droughts, heatwaves, and flooding.”

What are some of the major challenges of ensuring your brand is sustainable?

“There is a misconception by consumers that natural and eco-friendly products should be cheaper than high end brands.

Unfortunately, there is a cost upholding sustainable brand values. Sustainability isn’t cheap compared to using plastic and cheap ingredients. In the “natural” market segment, KISUNA is competing with companies that have not implemented sustainability into their business model. KISUNA isn’t a cheap natural/organic brand, and they make no apology for it.

KISUNA is a luxury native active skincare brand that hasn’t and won’t cut corners on performance or the quality of the final product. It is a brand for those people who want conscious quality, luxury, health and wellness for their skin, and participates in conservation.

“Our supply chain undergoes rigorous research, we examine the culture of each supplier we use, what chemicals they use to manufacture. Every component and starter material is investigated. For example, the printing ink on our labels needs to be certified to ensure that it doesn’t contain chemical pollutants harmful to the environment.” Wendy says.

“It takes time to ensure that our entire brand adheres to our values, our effort and vigilance isn’t always apparent to the consumer or our retail partners. However, the culture within KISUNA revolves around nurturing each other, our customers, and ensuring that we put the planet first.”

Samples available on request. Please contact:

Wendy – 0402 367 836

Sarah – 0412 861 435