Quickie Wellness: Why YUNI-eed These Products

Emmanuel Rey’s commitment to sustainability and kindness is apparent in his every word. It’s no wonder that his vegan beauty brand, Yuni, shows no exception.

For several years, you have displayed a great interest in making ethically sourced goods available to the public – from where did this passion emerge?

I am an engineer in agriculture by trade — I started my professional life as a cocoa and coffee buyer in the bush of West Africa (Cameroon and Ivory Coast).

I became very aware of the growers’ difficulties and started to develop with them a win-win model based on premium quality paid at a fair price.

I am fortunate enough to have lived, travelled and worked in many countries, and doing business in an ethical way is a key part of our philosophy.

How did your practice of Ashtanga Yoga help you to develop Yuni?

Suzanne and I did our teacher’s training for Ashtanga Yoga on the beautiful Greek island of Amorgos in 2012. We had been already practicing yoga for 10 years but wanted to deepen our practice. We noticed that the people in our group wore the same apparel brands. However, when asked about beauty, not one brand stood out. These same people also admitted that they were looking for a brand that embraced their lifestyle and values. We realized there was an interesting white space that could be explored in a very mindful way.

Our mission then became to make wellness attainable for all by addressing 3 key needs: saving time, restoring health and relieving stress.

Why vegan?

To me, there are no good reasons to use animal ingredients in this day and age of the cosmetic industry. We are now able to make very effective products using plant-based ingredients that are easy and fast to grow (bamboo, for example).

We are destroying the world’s animal species at record speed, and it is our responsibility to do what we can stop this trend.

Also, we stand fiercely against cruelty (Leaping Bunny certified).

Your mission to provide “responsible beauty” is wonderful in that it makes it “easy” for them to treat the earth with kindness. Can you share other insights with our community so they can be more responsible in their daily lives?

Everyone has different situations that they deal with on a daily basis, and I won’t pretend to lecture anyone on this.

A good starting point, though, is to question daily habits. We all tend to “sleep walk” parts of our daily routine. For example, we waste clean water in many different ways, we drive too much, we tend to eat too much beef, etc.

Overall, I find that when kindness starts with yourself and your loved ones, people become also kinder with Earth.

What was the first product you created as Yuni? How did it come about?

It was the Shower Sheets. As Suzanne stepped outside of a yoga studio locker room, I caught a glimpse of a mountain of baby wipes inside. We realized that people did not have time to shower and instead used several baby wipes (some of them not very good for the environment).

So we created large body wipes (one to service the whole body) that are compostable/biodegradable and infused with Neem extract, a plant-based antibacterial/deodorant with citrus/peppermint essential oils.

Tell us what you like most about each of the products we carry – Shower Sheets, Beauty on the Run, My Om World Mist, Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel, and Glow with the Flow.

Like all of our products, these are created in a clean and responsible way (in solar powered factories), pleasant to use, healthy, portable and very effective.

Our goal is to bring pleasure to the wellness journey and mindfulness to the ritual of beauty.

Any tips on how to incorporate them into one’s busy routine?

Shower Sheets can be used literally anywhere you want to freshen up. My OM World is a great blend of essential oils in a body spray to restore moments of relaxation. It is also great to spray on linens before going to bed. (Bergamot, Neroli, Ylang-Ylang, Sage promote tranquility and calmness.) Beauty on the Run is great to travel with or to tote around festivals. Chillax will help your body to recover and relax quickly via a powerful blend of Arnica and peppermint. Glow with the Flow is a very effective scrub made with bamboo beads that you can use on the face or the body. It is infused with a blend of essential oils that helps you to breathe better — it’s like a spa in the shower!

Your mantra:

You are what your deep, driving desire is.

As is your desire, so is your will.

As is your will, so is your deed.

As is your deed, so is your destiny.

— The Brhad-Aranyaka, Upanishad 5.5

Place that serves as your greatest inspiration:

As I’ve lived in many places, I suppose I easily get inspired because I think the world and the people in it are amazing. But, I would say:

Joshua Tree, because it feels like a different planet.

The South of France, because it takes me back to my childhood.

Ananda in the Himalayas, because it feels sacred.

The Mornington Peninsula in Australia, because we are going next week!

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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog

5 years ago

I’ve heard quite a bit about Yuni’s products, actually! I can’t remember from where, but they’re definitely an awesome brand!

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

Ewa Macherowska

Sounds great! x

http://www.evdaily.blogspot.com

Tomi

I haven’t heard about these products but after reading your post, I think I should give it a try and maybe buy some of them :)

http://petersegit.hu