KraveBeauty is turning a recent production blunder into a happy accident.
After production on a reformulated version of the brand’s Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser resulted in a 1,200 gallon — or $1.5 million — botched batch, the brand decided to tweak the batch to create a limited-edition body wash, rather than discard the product.
The impetus for the brand’s newly launched “Waste Me Not” campaign, the Matcha Hemp Body Wash sells for $8, which is just enough to cover production and order fulfillment costs, and comes in a refill pouch to conserve packaging material and waste.
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“We weren’t satisfied with the quality [of the batch] and didn’t want to disappoint our customers, but we also didn’t want to throw it down the drain and pollute the environment,” said Liah Yoo, founder and chief executive officer of KraveBeauty.
The brand is also offering a discounted pilot version of its Makeup Re-Wined cleanser, which launched in June, for $12.50, or half of its retail price. Though it has a more fluid consistency than the product’s intended jelly texture, the cleanser has the same ingredients and efficacy as the original product.
“Customers don’t know and don’t get to see the hidden waste behind the curtains,” Yoo said. “By us opening up, I do believe that it’ll start a conversation. We expect more companies to follow suit and be more transparent about these mishaps that naturally happen when you have a product business.”
As part of the campaign, Yoo interviewed longtime sustainability advocates, Rhode Skin CEO Melanie Bender and Blueland cofounder and CEO Sarah Paji Yoo, on her YouTube channel to discuss the ramifications of excess waste, and how the beauty industry can do better.
To highlight the “Waste Me Not” mission, KraveBeauty will also host its first pop-up in New York City at 2 Rivington Street from Nov. 3 through Nov. 6, where customers can shop KraveBeauty products, enter giveaways and learn about how the brand is combating unnecessary waste.