Wild magazine chats with Andy Young, chief brand officer of NO FACE, about the importance of sourcing skincare as close to nature as possible.
Products at NO FACE are Australian sourced and made, organic and vegan, as well as free of fragrance, parabens and cruelty. Why were these attributes important when formulating the range?
Being natural and organic is what NO FACE is about as a brand. We are strong enough to say “no” to harmful ingredients such as synthetic fragrances, parabens and [those that endorse] animal cruelty, because we believe that beauty comes from within and by treating our environment and all living beings with kindness and care, we harvest a better future. We have lots of beauty brands from all over the world here in Australia, but we don’t realise that Australia has some of nature’s finest beauty ingredients. By making full use of what we have and learning to cultivate them, help them grow and protect them, we are not only benefiting from them, but also giving back to nature and having a better relationship with the Earth.
What does the term “sustainable skincare” mean to you and how does NO FACE adhere to this?
Sustainable skincare means that we source ingredients from raw, renewable, natural materials. To us, sustainable skincare also means giving back to nature what we took from it so that it goes in a good cycle and we are not stressing our environment. NO FACE is such an interesting and philosophical phrase, if you think about it: Where is the beauty if there’s no sustainability? Where is our face if there’s no environment? So we say “no” to ingredients that aren’t renewable, such as petrol-derived ones, as well as harsh synthetic chemicals.
So, again, “no” is a powerful word to make us reflect on our relationship with nature and our business practice. The NO FACE code of conduct is in place to make sure that we source ethically, to give back to nature and our customers as much as possible.
Why is it important to source products as close to nature as possible?
Not only do we truly and fully believe in being 100 per cent natural and organic, we also have tonnes of scientific research data showing that NO FACE natural ingredients consistently outperform other skincare products made of chemicals. We want this brand to work and we want people to truly benefit from and fall in love with our products, so we don’t compromise in this process. NO FACE has learned that being close to nature is the only way to discover new ingredients and new benefits for our beauty and health. PHYTOGEN, for example, is a line of our clinical products that are derived from the finest Australian plants, where our lab scientists separate different phyto DNA chains to utilise the specific peptides to address different skin concerns. But none of these would be possible if we didn’t set our direction right by being close to nature.
What does natural beauty mean to you?
Natural beauty means true beauty that comes from within and seeing the best in nature and others, as well as taking care of each other. The philosophy behind using natural beauty products is that we are achieving healthier skin and bodies by not causing harm — to nature or ourselves — and that, to me, is beauty from within.
Please explain a bit about NO FACE’s work in supporting cancer societies and charities.
NO FACE truly cares about the world and supports people suffering from cancer, as well as other causes. We have thousands of customers writing to us to tell us their stories and how they found our products and love using them. We are very proud of that, so we give away free products and a portion of our revenues to different cancer societies and the Red Cross each year.
For more information, visit noface.com.au
