ELEMENT - Refillable Beauty
Element was designed to empower folx to embrace their inherent natural beauty.
Conscious, natural hair care created and sent in bulk to us from our lab. You choose your bottle, fill it with something awesome, enjoy, and come back when it is time to refill. Thought and care are put into every product offering and ingredient used so you feel good about slathering yourself with all this goodness. Our aspiration is to care for the planet to our best ability while making a positive impact on our community and you.
Focused on natural & organic products that complement and enhance your skin and hair, using science-backed formulations that are good for you and the planet. At every step of the way we continuously work towards making the best choice possible.
Founded by two best friends who are hairdressing professionals, had the desire to make a difference in the beauty industry towards conscious consumption. We found ourselves progressing as individuals, becoming increasingly concerned about industry’s impact on the environment. The beauty industry is full of caring, creative and service minded individuals. We need those people to have a desire to make a difference and to stop buying into big businesses selling them greenwashed products. We will be the first to admit that we were part of that herd, truly thinking we were doing what was best. The question is, how do we continue to push further?
WHAT IS ZERO WASTE
Zero Waste is the common and most recognized name, but realistically low waste is the more appropriate term. Essentially you are trying to create as close to zero waste going to landfill as possible.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
-Anne Marie Bonnneau, Zero Waste Chef
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Our goal is to help others in reducing their waste by offering bulk refills, and goods that are sustainably packaged, to prevent contributing them to the landfills. We aspire to meet people where they are at on their low-waste journey without any judgement and to create a space where you feel comfortable and welcome. Remember, even minor changes can have a major impact.
We continue to improve on our journey everyday as well. When we learn and find a better way, we shift.
We're in this together... Let's make a difference.
NEW ON YOUR JOURNEY?
“Take it easy and give yourself some grace. Choose to nix one single use or plastic option from your life at a time. Once you get that down, try eliminating something else. We didn’t become this advanced in our eco consciousness or clean beauty overnight. It takes time to adjust to a new way of life. The most positive thing to note is that once something becomes a habit and part of your lifestyle, it becomes normal to you and is no longer difficult.”
-Easton Bajsec
INFINITELY RECYCLABLE PACKAGING
If you visit our Apothecary, we will fill any bottle a guest brings in but if you need a bottle, we offer two sizes in both glass and aluminum. In the zero waste world, we choose glass and aluminum over plastic because they are infinitely recyclable, whereas plastic has a lifespan and will eventually end up in landfill, usually prematurely. We even have a jar library, where you can take a recycled salsa or pasta sauce jar that has been donated and sanitized, and fill it. This is really handy for both the guests who forget their bottles and those who just want to try a little bit before committing. We sell all of our bulk products by ounce, so you can buy as much or as little as you’d like.
We have been able to divert 80 plastic bottles for every 5 gallon bucket of Element product!
All of our shampoos and styling aids are purchased in bulk, mostly in 5 gallon buckets. Once our 5 gallon buckets have been scraped clean of all their goodness, we donate them to I Love A Clean SD. They are a local organization that empowers people to improve the health and beauty of our local environment through community programs, education and regional recycling resources. They use our buckets to facilitate community clean-ups here in San Diego.
WHY REDUCE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
Did you know that all the plastic that has ever been made is still somewhere here on Earth? That’s because it is designed to last forever, it takes 450 years to break down. Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole last century. While we definitely advocate for recycling, it comes fourth in the zero waste circular economy. Plastic can only be recycled once or twice because it downgrades each time through the process, and only 25% is recycled in the US.
THERE IS A BETTER WAY
With simple changes to our daily routines, we can have a lasting impact on this rapidly growing problem. Our decision to use glass and aluminum stemmed from many reasons. Both are successfully recycled all over the world and are able to be completely recycled without any loss in quality, at a fraction of the initial production costs and energy requirements. They are also easily cleaned and sterilized, so that you can reuse our bottles again and again.
YOU CAN’T GET CLEAN BEAUTY WITH DIRTY INGREDIENTS
Sustainability begins with responsible ingredients. We source sustainably-harvested and worker-friendly products, choosing organic wherever possible. Our formulations are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oils, GMOs, and are always cruelty-free. No testing on bunnies over here.
CRUELTY FREE - GMO FREE - PALM OIL FREE - PARABEN FREE - PHTHALATE FREE - SULFATE FREE
“I became aware of toxins and many places they hide when I became a mama, but the toxin free importance really hit home for me after going through personal hormone battles. I didn’t have any doctors giving me answers, when my naturopath suggested that I may need to quit doing hair, due to my long and continuous exposure to xenoestrogens. It was frightening to hear and since we had begun the journey to switch to zero waste, it made sense to be toxin free as well. I knew I couldn’t be the only woman being affected and who desired clean beauty products.”
-Melissa Parker
WHAT IS THE TRANSITION LIKE
“It was pretty easy to find a zero waste product company, or a toxin free company, but we had difficulty finding a zero waste, toxin free company that would also curate professional beauty results. And can I say that the testing process was rough! (Laughs) We learned then that we really wanted the transition to sustainable beauty to be an easy one for you.”
-Melissa Parker
“I was so used to using synthetics on my own hair and that of my guests, that I had no idea what natural hair felt like anymore. When we first shifted, I thought the hair seemed to feel more dry and tangled because I was so used to the slip of synthetic stylers, now I don’t notice that anymore. I understand the way natural hair feels when clean and damp, I had no clue I was missing that as a professional. I continue to be surprised by the comments from guests about the improved health of their hair once they have used our products for a while, and my own hair is longer and healthier than ever. “
-Easton Bajsec
CLEAN BEAUTY ADVOCATE
Are you a beauty professional who wants to implement Zero Waste, Toxin Free products in your salon? We want to make a difference in beauty practices, and hope to pave the way for other professionals. Fill out this form and find out how you can partner with Element. We can all evolve/grow/trailblaze together.