When did you begin ScentCerae?
After living in Asia for 7 years seeing how millions of people can live without waste, I learned to translate ingredients of everyday products and I learned to formulate natural products that wouldn't harm the environment. When I returned stateside, I was surprised nothing had changed. I wasn't able to find products not packaged in single use plastic so I started the business Scent Cerae.
Is there anything you chose not to include in the Raspberry Sunbase and why?
I knew I wanted a mineral sunscreen and not chemical sunscreen that can be filled with harmful chemicals that seep into skin blocking pores and causing acne. I wanted full spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays and zinc oxide has non-nano particles that won't penetrate the bloodstream or block pores. Formulating with zinc oxide can be tricky though. It doesn't play well with other ingredients and always wants to stick to itself. We use a high-pressure machine called a homogenizer to break up the zinc particles once it has been infused in the red raspberry seed oil. The yummy raspberry scent and gorgeous pink color are what everyone really loves about Sun Base.
How has your business evolved over time?
The same 3 product lines I started with are still my top sellers so that is pretty cool. I now have 9 product lines and 170 skus
Do you have any goals for the coming year?
My goal for the coming year is to get into REI local and launch a product I've been working on for 3 years now called Hair Chalk (a natural way to dye gray hairs in between color treatments without harmful chemicals and plastics)
What have you learned since you started your business?
I know the future of a zero-waste lifestyle is in the hands of the younger generation and I've always known I wouldn't see the impact I want to make in my lifetime but I will keep trying to make a difference. There are so many more options now than there were when I started and that makes me happy to see this movement is growing.
What have you changed this year to align yourself more with your values of living a low waste lifestyle?
Not sure I have changed anything this year that I wasn't already doing before. Reducing single use items is the most important change to make I think anytime you can re-use a container or just bringing your own water bottle everywhere you go so you don't resort to using plastic water bottles helps cut down waste more than you know. I love that customers can bring in their own jars to Off the Bottle Refill Shop and fill them. It's a great thing you are doing and I'm happy to be apart of it.
Do you have any tips for traveling low waste?
You don't need as much as you think you need when you travel. I use my Hair Rocks solid shampoo rock to wash my hair, shave my legs, and clean my clothes. That's one product rather than taking a bunch of products that can serve the same purpose.