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We met with NUDE Magazine to talk about how our One Layer approach to skincare is closely connected to our Blue Beauty mindset. You can also read more about what motivated us to start Yrolí, what conscious choices we have made and what ambitions and goals we have for the future. Enjoy! |
HOW DID YOU MEET, WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT LED YOU TO ENTER THE SKINCARE INDUSTRY?We created Yrolí six years ago because we, as consumers, felt trapped by a skincare industry that sold empty promises, complicated routines and synthetic products. We wanted to create a response based on health, simple routines, natural ingredients, a few effective products and a responsible approach to skincare. Yrolí is what we ourselves lacked and we wanted to change the skincare industry from within and by offering a real alternative.
We have been close friends for 15 years, so we knew we could count on each other, but more importantly, we shared the same core values. It is one thing to be friends, but quite another to be business partners. Our shared values define us as individuals as well as the foundation on which we built Yrolí. We have undoubtedly had to make some difficult decisions over the years, but when in doubt, we have often had the same gut feeling and returned to our shared set of values. Our friendship is therefore a great advantage professionally.
In addition, we have a background in health and communication, so we complement each other well. Together we have a rather unique skill set. We see it as a strength that we have not worked in the beauty industry before, so our approach and what we bring to the industry is often unconventional. That is exactly how we want it! Our history is therefore the foundation of Yrolí's brand philosophy.
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WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO FOCUS ON RESPONSIBLE SKINCARE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY WHEN YOU STARTED YROLÍ?Yrolí was created for one reason. We want to challenge the complex skincare regimens where the consumer gets lost in ingredients, product selection and routines and we want to do away with the overconsumption and cosmetic waste that the beauty industry produces. When we started Yrolí back in 2018, our One Layer skincare philosophy was quite innovative, and so was our Blue Beauty approach, which hadn't really reached Denmark yet.
Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that effective skincare and sustainability are an either-or choice. Our skin and our planet are better off with “less is more.” That was, and still is, our motivation today - to reinvent skincare in a new, simple and conscious way by supporting what is natural and healthy for our skin and for our planet.
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WHAT IS BEHIND THE NAME YROLÍ?The most important part of our name is the first letter “Y”. The capital “Y” symbolizes our “why”. Yrolí is a values-driven skincare brand, which we felt was crucial to include as a main part of the name. The next part “ro” refers to calm. We believe that we need to slow down and be more conscious when it comes to our skin. We need to listen to our skin and be aware of what it needs if we want healthy, balanced skin. If you overload your skin with too many products and layers, it will become stressed – your skin needs to be calm. The accent on the i represents the future and our long-term commitment. |
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WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY AND INSPIRATION BEHIND YROLÍ?We support skin health through One Layer skincare. Our skincare philosophy is based on one layer of skincare and simple routines, as we believe that the best your skin can be is healthy and natural. We start from what the skin itself can do, and how healthy skin creates the optimal conditions for it to reveal its natural beauty.
Healthy skin is not only the result of good products, but also of understanding and supporting the skin's natural processes. We are interested in what the skin itself can do, why it is important to respect its natural balance, and why less is more when it comes to skincare. Our skincare is therefore developed to support and work with the skin's natural processes. Our formulations balance the skin's microbiome, helping the skin become healthy with a strong skin barrier and optimal collagen production.
Skin health is our top priority because healthy skin leads to beautiful skin – not the other way around. |
CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT SOME KEY MOMENTS OR EXPERIENCES IN THE EARLY STAGES OF YROLÍ THAT SHAPED THE BRAND’S MISSION AND APPROACH? WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST VICTORIES AND CHALLENGES? Many years ago, we walked around the skincare section of a Danish department store and were overwhelmed by the number of products. Even though we gave up and ended up leaving without buying anything, that experience was crucial for us. Was skincare really that complicated, or was it just a commercial illusion to sell more products? We talked a lot about our trip to the skincare section afterwards, and at one point one of us asked; "what does our skin really need?" That was the beginning of Yrolí. That question is our foundation and the which is why we focus on skin health and a one-layer approach.
Another defining moment was when we signed a contract with a large Danish production laboratory because it suddenly gave us the volume we needed to expand. It was a very complicated process and we had no previous experience to draw on. When we finally got the deal in place, it was the biggest victory.
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HOW IS RESPONSIBILITY AN INTEGRATED PART OF YROLÍ'S PRODUCT UNIVERSE AND CAN YOU ELABORATE ON YOUR COMMITMENT TO CONTRIBUTING TO LESS CONSUMPTION AND SIMPLE ROUTINES?Our choices are centered around skin health and our Blue Beauty approach. What’s important is that what is good for our skin is also what is good for our planet. For example, we do not use synthetic sulfates, as they dry out the skin rather than making it healthy. At the same time, synthetic sulfates have an uncertain biodegradability in nature. We therefore see no reason to use synthetic sulfates. We also do not use microplastics, silicone and Teflon, as these ingredients are also both harmful to the skin and to the environment.
It is also deliberate that we do not have a large product range. The skin does not benefit from more, but from the right things. However, a smaller product range also means less production, less transport, less resource consumption and less cosmetic waste. The same applies to our choice not to have outer packaging. The outer packaging does not benefit the skin in any way, but more importantly, it is waste the moment it is produced.
It was also important for us to be certified, as our credibility is closely linked to transparency and traceability. Again, both the skin and the planet benefit from our certifications. Today, we are certified by Ecocert Cosmos, Vegan, AllergyCertified and the Nordic Ecolabel.
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HOW HAS THE BLUE BEAUTY CONCEPT INFLUENCED YROLÍ, AND HOW DOES YROLÍ CONTRIBUTE TO PROTECTING THE WORLD'S GARDENS AND ECOSYSTEMS ?The Blue Beauty approach goes beyond both clean and green beauty, which fit well with our vision of being a responsible skincare brand. We do what we say and we mean what we do. The opposite is not an option if we want to make a difference, as otherwise it will once again be empty words without action, making no difference to the skin or the environment.
It all depends on our choices and what we choose to leave out, which we make on the basis that we want to help take care of our ecosystem. Quite simply, from the beginning, we have chosen to produce responsible skincare with a high efficacy and a minimal footprint on the environment. To be able to live up to this, we choose safe, sustainable and ocean-safe ingredients as well as recycled, recyclable or refillable packaging. We carefully choose ingredients that do not disturb the natural aquatic environment, the oceans and the coral reef, as they are easily biodegradable. Therefore, the ingredients can re-enter the natural cycle without polluting the aquatic environment. In this way, all our choices are tied to benefiting the skin as well as the planet.
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YROLÍ HAS MADE UNCOMPROMISING CHOICES IN INGREDIENTS, PRODUCTION, PACKAGING, SHIPPING, USE, CONSUMPTION, DISPOSAL AND SOCIAL PROJECTS. CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT SOME SPECIFIC DECISIONS YOU HAVE MADE IN THESE AREAS TO MEET THE BLUE BEAUTY CRITERIA?
An important part of our Blue Beauty approach is how we select our ingredients for our formulations. All of our core ingredients support good biodiversity, which benefits us all. We choose Wild Harvest, organic and natural ingredients and avoid ingredients from vulnerable biotopes. We only choose synthetic when they are more ethical, environmentally friendly or safe.
Our skincare contains oils and extracts from wild Nordic berries such as blueberries, raspberries and cloudberries, which grow under the midnight sun in Finland in natural surroundings. We also choose ingredients that support social projects in the local community. Our baobab and marula oil is grown in Africa on well-established farms that are Ecocert Cosmos certified.
We try to minimize our transportation as much as possible, which is why our skincare is produced in Denmark. Our packaging is 100% recyclable and made from recycled materials where possible. Our plastic packaging is from Poland and the glass packaging is from Italy. We also do not use outer packaging as part of minimizing production resources, transportation and waste.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN CREATING SKINCARE PRODUCTS THAT DELIVER EFFECTIVE RESULTS AND AT THE SAME TIME MEETING HIGH STANDARDS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY?
One Layer skincare is not only better for your skin, but also for your environmental footprint, as you use fewer products and therefore leave less cosmetic waste. That’s where the balance and coherence lies – our skincare cuts through overconsumption and offers an alternative for your skin and our planet.
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WHAT IS THE LONG-TERM VISION FOR YROLÍ REGARDING THE SKINCARE INDUSTRY AND THE SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA?
This year is quite eventful as we introduce new products to our range and we are updating our visual identity. We have also launched our new skincare concept Beauty IQ (see more here) . Our top priority is to become B Corp certified, and we are already well on our way to achieving that. It is very important that the credibility Yrolí is built on continues and that we make the right choices, which are not always the easiest, but help to future-proof Yrolí.
In the long term, we want to be at the forefront of setting the future direction for skincare, where healthy skin is the focus rather than existing stereotypical beauty ideals. We want to be your go-to One Layer Blue Beauty skincare brand. We will always set new goals because we can always improve. It’s not about being the best in the world, but the best for the world. That’s Yrolí’s raison d’être.
You can visit Nude Magazine here , where you can also read the full interview in English.