Innovation

Hyssop Beauty Apothecary aims to only sell various sustainable beauty products that are compostable and support the environment and the well- being of others. For example, all-glass bottle products have a glass buyback system of 25 cents credit towards a customer's next purchase. Originally the focus was on human health by avoiding plastic packaging that releases toxins into products and into human bodies. The all-natural product components remain healthy and safe to use. Hyssop Beauty Apothecary realized these sustainable manufacturing and packaging benefit the environment as well.

Through their innovation, they aid the town of Nutley, New Jersey by promoting responsible production in the community. Their clean non-toxic ingredients packaging and manufacturing ensure good products for humans' health and well-being. As well as responsibly harvesting organic ingredients for their beauty products. Their business solution supports a culture of increased well-being for everyone including employees, customers, and community members. Their sustainable methods of packaging, manufacturing, and ingredient harvesting can be used on a larger scale by other currently unsustainable companies today. The approach Mary Spinelli grows her business by is, "First and foremost, to make anything possible sustainable if not, we do not make it."

Inspiration

Mary Spinelli's inspiration came from a focus on creating health products with no artificial ingredients by using naturally sourced products which she describes "naturally took the [her] business into a path of sustainability." In the beginning, the focus was largely based on creating healthy products with all-natural ingredients. This included no artificial colors and fragrances and used ingredients that were responsibly sourced. The focus on human health led to using sustainable packaging.

Spinelli knew she wanted to package with glass. Our common plastic packaging, although BPA-approved, studies show these plastics are releasing hormone-altering toxins into products. These products are then absorbed by our bodies through skin and care. Founder Mary Spinelli quotes the moment she embodied her innovation,

"We realized very quickly when we started the business we can create skincare products that are healthy and put them in sustainable packaging, so it was a no-brainer!"

Overall impact

Hyssop Beauty Apothecary is a business that prides itself on the ability to preserve the environment by making its product out of sustainable ingredients and shipping/selling its products in eco-friendly materials such as cardboard and glass bottles. With these changes alone, the more prolonged-term effect of this innovation on the environment should be tremendous. The short-term effects should be no different from that of the long term. This is because Hyssop Beauty Apothecary has implemented sustainable changes in the company every day for the improvement of the world.

Although Hyssop does not have any concrete evidence regarding their overall impact on the world, there have been some ways to estimate their positive impact. An example of this is the fact that Hyssop tracks all of their bottle returns and the bottles they prevented from ending up in a landfill year to year. They also could calculate the amount of energy saved when they switched from regular lightbulbs to LED lights in their store.

Business benefit

After speaking with Mary, it has become apparent that she is proud of her innovation and business. Because this business uses all-natural ingredients and creates products packaged in eco-friendly materials, they built a strong relationship with their customers that keeps coming back. She says, "When customers trust a business, they are more likely to shop there." This customer-business relationship creates a bond with customers who then can tell others, bringing more customers to shop at the business.

Being able to state their mission to the public to attract like-minded customers has also been one of the most beneficial parts of the business brought about by their innovation. As stated by Mary, "Clearly defining our mission also attracts our target audience, like-minded customers who are more likely to buy our product because our values align." This innovation has brought so many benefits to Hyssop Beauty Apothecary that simply too much to list.

Social and environmental benefit

Mary has provided various ways that Hyssop and its all-natural products have helped society. Mary believes that if more prominent companies who perform on a larger scale can see what these smaller, more sustainable companies can do to help the environment, they can also become eco-friendly. Not only that, but the products Hyssop makes can also help people buy it in many different ways. The products are made in glass bottles which ensures that no hormonal toxins found in plastic bottles can make their way into the body of the consumers.

Being an all-natural, sustainable company has also helped the environment in remarkable ways. All the products are packaged in biodegradable materials such as glass and compostable cardboard. These packaging can be recycled or reused, as emphasized by Mary Spinelli. The products packaged in compostable cardboard come with seeded flower paper containing wildflower seeds. Once the consumer is done with the product, they can plant the container in the ground and grow wildflowers, resulting in zero-waste packaging. These innovations in the packaging of their products help the environment more than anyone can imagine.

Interview

Mary Spinelli, Founder