Innovation

The innovation that To Your Health focuses on is an all-natural deodorant that is registered with Health Canada. This is a new locally sourced product that was created with the community in mind. The main goal that Emily, the owner, had in mind during the creation of the product was ensuring that the community would benefit from having healthier alternatives to standard products. The innovation emerged out of Emily’s dislike towards the standard “chemical laden” products that are currently on the market. In addition, she wanted to make a product that would work just as well, if not better than these traditional products, without the harmful chemicals. Emily conducted various forms of research including speaking with friends on what types of products and ingredients they would be comfortable with putting on their body. To Your Health has a website which features the different scents of the deodorants (made from essential oils and other natural ingredients), how to apply the different forms (cream vs. stick), as well as testimonials from consumers.

Though Emily is the main creator and producer of To Your Health deodorants, she was originally introduced to the concept of a natural deodorant by a friend. From there she did extensive research and conducted trial and error tests in order to make it into the product that it is today.

The overall purpose of To Your Health deodorants is essentially to promote a healthy lifestyle in the form of staying away from harmful chemicals by using natural ingredients on your body. Emily explains that “a lot of the deodorants and antiperspirants available on the market today are chemically based with aluminium and, given that people put these products on more sensitive parts of their bodies, there's a lot of controversy surrounding the absorption of the product potentially resulting in Alzheimer's disease”. This relates to one of the main goals of To Your Health by informing individuals of the dangers of chemicals in regular deodorants in order to raise awareness.

Inspiration

The innovation originated after Emily had discussions with friends who were concerned about exposing themselves and their children to harsh chemicals found in deodorants. After researching and testing alternatives available on the market, she found that they did not perform to her standards. Emily wanted to create a product that didn’t compromise function while maintaining a focus on personal well-being. Her desire was to benefit consumers’ health and social aspect while having a positive environmental impact.

The main motivation was to create a chemical free deodorant that was more versatile than those on the market. Emily said, “I wanted people to be able to have diversification, to be able to use the cream in different ways, some people use it on their feet, while some people use it on their hands and hockey gloves.” The desire to provide a healthier alternative stemming from a personal experience led to the many attempts creating the product offerings provided today. The focus of creating a product that not only affected the body positively, but the environment as well, led to the design of aluminum free products, reusable packaging, and sustainably sourced ingredients.

Overall impact

The impact of the innovation on the business is that it creates a unique product that attracts loyal customers looking to find an alternative to traditional deodorants. Since the business is small, there is an opportunity for good customer relationships. Emily has the chance to get to know her customers and the reasons why they purchase these chemical free products. The owner also uses her product to inspire other women in business. There is an opportunity for private distributors to offer her products to regions that may not have access to alternative, chemical-free deodorants.

The impact of the innovation on society is that the product is reaching health conscious groups to help them improve their well-being. Specifically, Emily discussed how she has "a lot of cancer survivor groups from women who have survived breast cancer and they don’t want to put chemicals on their bodies. They’ve had enough of a scare, and they want to try to avoid that sort of thing.” To Your Health has provided these people, and other health-conscious consumers, a more effective alternative than what is currently available on the market. Through private distributing, To Your Health gives regions that do not have access to these chemical-free deodorants exposure to a healthy, sustainable alternative.

The impact of the innovation on the environment is that the cream deodorant comes in glass jars which reduces waste. These glass containers do not absorb scents and therefore can be reused by customers when they are finished with the product, which promotes responsible consumption. Emily discussed that some customers use these containers for spices and other storage needs. Also, the ingredients used to make the product are sustainably sourced and do not negatively impact the environment.

The short-term impacts of the innovation are to provide a quality, chemical free product that performs better than those currently available to consumers. The long-term effects of the innovation are that consumers will become more aware of the effects of the chemicals found in products they use every day, like deodorant. As these consumers become increasingly aware of the potential side effects, they will begin to purchase more of these alternative products. Another long-term effect is the reduction of plastic waste caused by consumers reusing of the glass jars.

Business benefit

Incorporating the innovation of chemical free deodorant and reusable glass jars has allowed To Your Health to address multiple target markets of health-conscious and environmentally-conscious consumers. Cream deodorant has provided a versatile product line for which alternative uses are available and has positively impacted the consumers of the business.

Social and environmental benefit

To Your Health is an example of a company that is environmentally conscious. This is outlined through their business innovations which address the UN sustainability goals of Life on Land and Life Below Water. On average, Canadians dump 777 kilograms of garbage into our landfills every year (CBC News, 2013). The use of glass jars and natural products reduces this excessive waste. A reduction in waste is a step in the right direction according to To Your Health.

The
innovation incorporated by this business benefits society by creating
sustainably sourced, chemical-free products for everyday use. Emily’s products
have multiple positive impacts on society. Breast cancer survivors who are
conscious of the chemicals they use on their bodies make up a large group that
utilizes To Your Health’s products with much less worry than that of the
current product offerings on the market. Also, To Your Health allows consumers who are conscious of their carbon footprint, to feel satisfied
knowing that they can re-use the packaging which is offered in glass jars.

Interview

Emily Silverstein, Owner