Images and content provided to straål by Provenance, we are a licensed user of their software and first South African partner.
straål joined the Provenance® initiative in March 2022, although announced only later in 2022. Since then, we’ve been developing the initiative together with the team in the UK, albeit slow and steadily.
The Provenance® blockchain transparency tech is now live on straål through interactive Proof Points and can be found in the products listed below. Provenance® is helping us share credible, compelling and fact-checked social and environmental impact information with brand and product Proof Points. Proof Points are interactive icons representing a claim about a business or product. Each Proof Point is part of the Provenance Framework, a collection of 50+ jargon-free claims about social and environmental impact.
straål is the first (South) African platform and brand to join Provenance® and make use of this type of tech. Our goal has always been to do something truly different with our platform, not only on the design front but also when it comes to the services, brands and tools we offer too. We are actively seeking South African brands to join through our platform.
Have you seen our colourful badges designed by JANA + KOOS? Provenance®’s integrity team helps us look into how we use badges accurately and have gone through a preliminary check. We aim to improve and update these badges as we go.
We’re working on it! At *this time, straål is the only (South) African partner to Provenance®. That means the idea for our geographic region is still very new and very much in the exploration and development phase.
Many international brands available in South Africa have joined Provenance® in their respective geographic regions such as the UK, EU and USA.
We believe other South African retailers and brands will follow our lead; right now, we are proud to be first movers and set the tone for what the future of beauty commerce will look like [even if we’re doing it very much on a smaller scale].
We have invited all our South African partners to join Provenance® by providing their proof to claims. However, Provenance® is an opt-in initiative, hence the choice remains with brand founders.
Check back in regularly to see new Proof Points on straål.
*Dec 2023
In a nutshell, what it means in this context is that the Provenance® Framework “holds” evidence and third-party certifications in a live, unalterable digital ledger accessible at any time by the public.
What it means for beauty brands (or even textile and fashion brands) is that claims are ‘backed-up’ by a publicly accessible verification to that claim without any marketing jargon. It puts deed by word.
It’s important to note that Provenance® does not certify claims, simply collects claims and tiers them according to the level of Proof provided.
There’s a lot going on in the beauty & cosmetic world [similarly as in any other industry, be it fashion, food production etc]. We found something was amiss in South Africa with regards to beauty platforms. Sometimes, we’d browse retailers but we are not able to find a single ingredient listed, even though words like ‘conscious’, ‘sustainable’ or ‘vegan’ are being used. This often begs an interesting question. When we looked overseas, e-commerce platforms (and in our case, beauty platforms) are miles ahead in creating value for customers, curating unique collections often according to particular criteria/values and using technologies to help customers understand what it is they’re buying, regardless of preference.
The big deal is that for a young, independent and women-run company in SA such as ourselves, we put in the same efforts in diligence that international retailers in the US and UK are. We do so because we have a greater vision for straål and the South African industry.
Provenance® powers sustainability claims you can trust. The global leader in sustainability marketing technology, Provenance® exists to drive positive change through transparency. They’re protecting shoppers from greenwashing using their Proof Point technology, connecting ‘green’ claims to evidence from the supply chain or third-party verification.
Provenance® is helping us share credible, compelling and fact-checked social and environmental impact information with brand and product Proof Points. Proof Points are interactive icons representing a claim about a business or product. Each Proof Point is part of the Provenance Framework, a collection of 50+ jargon-free claims about social and environmental impact.
Visit them here.
We’re so proud to join retailers such as Cult Beauty, Douglas DE, Beauty Heroes and Naturisimo as partners of Provenance®. Moreover, beauty brands like KORA [just landed in Woolies btw], The Ordinary, Summer Fridays, Glow Recipe, Honest, VERSED, and Herbivore–among others. We hope to see a South African brand join this initiative brought to South Africa by the straål co-founders.
Additionally, fashion brands like GANNI also makes use of the Proof Point tech.
You’re more than welcome to check out the full directory here.
In short: we found transparent, nuanced communication and modern approaches missing in the South African beauty (*retail) industry. Few retailers take the initiative to provide detailed or transparent information to their customers about beauty brands: whether it be ingredient lists or checking marketing claims. That doesn’t mean there aren’t great platforms in South Africa OR that straål is perfect (that would be greenwashing or authority bias); but we’re definitely always working on these aspects. We invite our straålfriends to let us know anytime they feel we made a mistake or where we can do better 🙂
To expand more, if you’ve followed our journey on instagram from the start, you’ll know that we are very inspired by what we experienced in our respective times overseas. Ultimately, we look towards international trends and developments to guide us and try to find a framework by which we can implement similar ideas in SA.
When we started straål, we did not observe the SAn beauty industry taking similar steps to improve compared to what we see overseas. We found few retailers or platforms in beauty & wellness focusing in on specific curation- and communication criteria beyond PR and marketing.
We’ve taken on a very unique stance and vision on for our platform with a solid foundational framework that informs our decisions and what we offer. Partnerships like this with Provenance help us get to where we believe our potential lies, step-by-step. We hope you’ll love it!
Provenance has a Proof Point framework of over 125 claims.
It is subcategorised in FIVE broad themes i.e.:
……….>
The types of verification that a brand can submit falls under one of three:
To view the framework, click here.
A rich shea butter moisturiser.
A deep cleansing mask with clays and sea ingredients.
319 Add to #STRAÅLBOX
Marula SPF 30 (Broad Spectrum) Moisturiser in a universal tint
A gentle gel cleanser with some skin conditioning ingredients and mild acids.
249 Add to #STRAÅLBOX
Green Tubs of Legendary Skincare, adapted to a buttery format
Ultra-deep nourishment + intensive moisture.
525 Add to #STRAÅLBOX
Want to know more? Are you a South African fashion, textile, food or beauty brand who’d like to get involved? Beam us below.
Provenance’s ‘Skin Deep Beauty’ report explores sustainable beauty’s trust problems
Provenance, the global leader in sustainability marketing technology, has launched its partnership with Douglas, the European e-commerce platform for beauty and health.
In July, Provenance’s partnership with Cult Beauty was awarded first place in the ‘Best Use of Tech for Good’ category at the inaugural Marie Claire Sustainability Awards.
Harper’s Bazaar features Provenance in 2022 trends piece
straål talks to MINKI on Via TV about the initiative pre-launch in August 2022.
As you probably know by now if you’ve followed our journey on instagram, we are very inspired by what we experienced in our respective times overseas. We look towards international trends and developments to guide us then try to find a framework by which we can implement similar ideas in SA.
When we started straål in 2020/1, we did not feel like the SAn industry was moving in a similar direction to what we experienced overseas (more thoughtful, discerning, product expertise and criteria-based beauty is a big deal overseas). We found few retailers focusing in on specific criteria or expertise beyond blasting PR and marketing. That doesn’t mean there are no platforms in SA putting in effort though.
We’ve taken a very unique vision for our platform [even in the design] with a solid foundational framework that informs our decisions and what we offer. We want to be sure that you can trust shopping from straål. Partnerships like Provenance® help us get to where we believe our potential lies, step-by-step.
In short, ‘greenwashing’ is when beauty (or fashion & food) brands try to make products seem more sustainable than they really are. The fact is, Beauty and Fashion are two of the most wasteful industries. It’s important therefore that each brand make thoughtful decisions in their production and improve where they can. There’s no such thing as perfect sustainability, perfect eco-friendliness, or even perfect science. That’s why two things are important: 1) Effort 💪aka continuous improvement where the option exists to make a better choice and 2) Communicating with transparency what efforts were taken (or not) and why.
*It’s important to note that miscommunication is not always intentional or malicious. Throughout this education series, it’s important to keep 1) context and 2) intent in mind. It’s our belief that most brand owners generally do not have bad intentions. Second, look for brands or platforms who are able and willing to clarify their language, design language or decisions. Oftentimes, the industry will use shorthand or certain design choices because it’s easy and accepted, or simply because they liked that colour or idea. That doesn’t mean that they are intentionally ‘greenwashing’; especially if they have a section where they inform about their process, decisions or criteria.
While ‘alternative beauty’ brands often get scrutinised and picked apart, brands or platforms that lean heavily on communicating through scientific-sounding claims or authority generally get a free pass. However, it’s also something to be aware of when shopping or making decisions.
Sciencewashing can be defined as using scientific terminology or authority to simulate scientific practices or quality assurance to create an impression to gain an advantage in the marketplace. It occurs in various industries, e.g., the beauty marketing or the nutritional supplement industry. We highly recommend reading this article by LABMUFFIN or this one published by Wissenschafts Kommunikation.
By the way, through Provenance®, beauty brands can also submit the proof to their scientific or clinical claims.
Wong M. Scientism or “Science-Washing” in Beauty. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. April 14, 2019. Accessed December 19, 2023. https://labmuffin.com/scientism-or-science-washing-in-beauty/
It sure can! And that’s the goal. One thing we’ve always kept in mind with straål is that rolling on a Santal deodorant or gliding on a Mango lip balm should ultimately be something you enjoy. In addition, for products like SPF that can help prevent a life altering event, it has been shown that the likelihood of usage is tied to whether its use is ‘enjoyable’ or not.
Across the industry, there’s a definitive shift to ‘fun and colour’. Coincidentally, that’s exactly why the decisions that go into making products and how it’s communicated should be careful and thoughtful–so you can just enjoy it without thinking about all the factors that go into it!
Like the fairytale from where this quote was taken, it is a myth that there is such a thing as perfection or “the best”. Most brands and companies are, for the most part, always improving and learning. Us too!
The idea of straål listing shopping criteria and of technological initiatives like Provenance® is not to cast judgement of who is the “best”, but rather the exact opposite: to bring impartial and complete information to help you understand what you’re buying.
Keep in mind that there’s also a lot of subjectiveness and personal opinion that goes into what is considered “best” in beauty. Further, sustainability and science is much more complex than drawing hard lines–it’s also always evolving.
Nuance simply means being able to elaborate on or clarify information, whether positive or negative. For example, if a brand says that they are sustainable, can they elaborate on the details without using jargon?
Depends on what you’re looking at. There can certainly be brands that are more wasteful than others, that’s a fact. There are also brands who use really harsh or inexpensive ingredients in order to be cost effective or aren’t sure where controversial ingredients are sourced (e.g. Palm Oil or MICA). Lastly, some brands can be vague about their supply chain, their workers or how efficacious the product really is.
In general though, companies and brand owners aren’t intentionally mis-communicating or setting out to be harmful. Most products on the racks aren’t immediately harmful or harmful in general, though it might be formulated less well than an alternative (e.g. too much fragrance) or indeed harmful to the planet. Subjective experience also plays a role in determining good or bad while there are many factors that go into what and who people support.
The only ‘less good’ thing is when brands deliberately do not make efforts to improve on all aspects. More and more, ‘better’ brands will set the new standard.
Yes and no. It would certainly qualify as ‘greenwashing’ if there were no criteria that underpinned it and if the meaning isn’t clarified anywhere. It is also ‘greenwashing’ when it’s used to mislead customers by hiding certain details.
When a brand’s values are clarified and efforts are made to substantiate claims, it’s much better.
Lately, we’ve been using the words CLEAR much more often. Our intention with the word ‘clean’ has been to mark two concepts under one term: 1) clean-cut and 2) clear. The first, to refer to the fact that you get what you see with us: we do not have gray beauty products (aka parallel imports). Parallel imports generally misleads customers, contravenes the CPA and suggests affiliation where there is none. Not to mention that resellers are being called out more often for reselling fakes! Plus, clean-cut also refers to the fact that we always research or interview brands if they are available to find out how they go about things. We check ingredients against various criteria to make sure we inform you correctly. Many brands have educators that are available to provide information to retailers. Plus, we invited our brands to submit their Proof Points to our Provenance® blockchain. You will always know where you stand with straål and are welcome to beam us with questions.
Secondly, ‘clear’ because we’ve had one goal from the first day: be clear about what’s in the product so customers can verify for themselves. However, more and more we’ve seen platforms use words like ‘clean’ and ‘conscious’ (or even ‘green’) to hop on a trend which has impacted trust in the industry. Know that we are always doing our best 💌
There’s lots of talk in beauty how free-froms are irrelevant or often misleading.
We agree! At straål, our discernment over ingredients were borne out of personal experience. Our co-founder, Chrystene–a qualified skincare therapist–not only has eczema and psoriasis but also developed severe, skin-blistering allergies to personal care products. This makes it crucial for her to know what’s in- and what’s not in products. But, she found that platforms often do not provide this information, while in-store staff aren’t trained what to look for. These ingredients she has to avoid was tested and determined by a Dermatologist btw, so it’s not exactly ‘fear mongering’ as TikTok would have you believe.
Our intention is not to class products ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but rather to help you understand the product you’re purchasing, regardless of your preferences. You should always be able to have the information to know what you’re buying to make the choices YOU want.
For that, we list (as best we can):
We certainly can’t list it all, that’s why you’ll always have the ingredient list available to do a quick scan 🙂 If you have any suggestions of criteria that would be more relevant or accurate for you to shop by, please don’t hesitate to beam us on [email protected] or [email protected]. We love getting your input!
It’s important for you to feel like we’re putting in the best effort we can to make sure we’re trustworthy and that you enjoy our platform. There’s so much debate about the beauty industry that it’s really important to be candid.
The Beauty Industry is without a doubt one of the most wasteful and controversial industries. However, it’s unlikely that people will want to stop using a nice shampoo to feel good or a beautiful red lipstick for a special occasion. So the goal should be improving! And there is some amazing progress on this front. Here’s where it gets really important: When brands or platforms use terms like ‘sustainability’ ‘eco’ or ‘better beauty’ (as just a few examples) loosely or use scientific sounding language, it undermines those who put in really hard efforts to make real changes. So everyone gets thrown under the bus while misinformation and mistrust spreads further. And this spreads to other industries as well.
It’s a very good sign!
There are enterprises that exist to reinforce high standards. In general, these enterprises have a set of criteria brands have to meet to qualify. These criteria are often expensive (and is cited as a reason why many brands don’t have these certificates). Further, the enterprises that uphold these standards generally do independent audits of brands to ensure the certification is accurate and relevant to the brand’s current situation.
Third-party certifications are often the highest standard and completely objective, measured against publicised criteria, hence this makes it a very good thing to see. Lastly, it’s illegal for brands to use certification symbols on their websites or packaging without holding the actual certificate, therefore it’s really trustworthy.
Sometimes, you can also check the status of these certificates yourself. For example, at the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil, you can search members of this initiative. Type in ‘Ere Perez’ to verify their ACTIVE status or check out the three South African retailers who are ACTIVE 😊
Examples include: Leaping Bunny, Beauty Without Cruelty, COSMOS Natural, NATRUE, FSC, B-Corp, PETA, Fair For Life and more. Scientific and conscious claims can only be certified through these various Third Party institutions, however, simply using those phrases does not refer to a particular Third Party certification.
Retailers and brands partner with Provenance® under a license. For those retailers (like straål, CULT BEAUTY, Beauty Heroes etc.) who are partners, there will be a section on these shopping sites for their brands who have opted-in to have their Proof Points published. So Proof Points can be seen on Brand- and Product Pages with the relevant Proof on the applicable product.
In short: just being honest about what you are and are not; what you do or don’t do; what you can or can’t do (and why); and what you know for sure or cannot know for sure. In plain language preferably. Marketing is magical and fun, but should be matched by integrity.
In the spirit of education and transparency at straål, we’re focused on continually keeping up with education and learning together with you, our audience (we don’t claim to know everything). We rely on information from brand owners to communicate these to you. In addition, our co-founder Chrystene is a qualified skincare therapist through Isa Caarstens Stellenbosch.
However, there are a few persistent misconceptions we see across social media that we want to clarify. Generally, these are simply misnomers 👉
As mentioned, we receive naming conventions and copywriting descriptions from brands, although we often add our our touch. Retailers or platforms can’t exactly change what brands market. Rest assured, we’ll always make sure you understand what the product actually is. And when we drop the ball, don’t hesitate to beam us 💌
The key takeaway is that beauty is improving. The standards are changing and there’s lots of innovation to look forward to. But in doing so, it has become a behemoth of waste. It can be overwhelming, even for retailers like us. That’s why it’s important to support brands who are genuinely giving it their all to do better, without gimmicks.
Our recommendation is to start small by focusing on brands with more sustainable packaging or to help recycle packaging. While ingredients are being hotly debated, one thing is for sure: the waste cannot be disputed. Start there 😊
No, not necessarily. Not all brands have the same resources to substantiate claims. However, transparent communication and higher manufacturing standards will become the new norm together with better understanding of scientific communication. In fact, in many countries, there has already been a crack-down on beauty brand claims.
It can be as simple as asking a question! Beam us in the Video Bubble or on email [email protected] / [email protected]
Also called Glycerol. It is a skin-identical ingredient used as a humectant.
Frequency: This ingredient is used frequently in cosmetics.
STRAÅLTHROUGH INFORMED SHOPPING®
Why choose LEBON?
Built by straålcompare®. The selection is made up of toothpastes with similar characteristics, value propositions or price points. This is part of our straålthrough® transparency initiative–we encourage our straålfriends to pick the products they love ♡
Want the same tool for your shop? Contact us to build it for you.
R2 per ML (size is 80ML)
Certified Organic Ingredients by Ecocert.
Vegan-friendly
Aluminium tube
Contains Calcium Carbonate as colourant.
LEBON is a fluoride-free oral care range (for those who prefer to shop fluoride-free).
LEBON is sulphate (SLS)-, triclosan-, plastic- and titanium dioxide free (for those who prefer to shop these characteristics).
Sold at straal.shop
R3.75 per ML (based on 60ML at R225)
No certified Organic ingredients
Vegan-friendly
Plastic tube
Contains colourants that are not Calcium/mineral based such as Reds and Yellows.
Contains Sodium Chloride (good for oral health)
Contains MICA (controversial unless sourcing disclosed) & Titanium Dioxide.
Has a texture from beads (noted as not plastic)
Both LEBON and Curaprox contain essential oils for aroma, including D-Limonene.
Curaprox contains 5 sweeteners; LEBON contains 1.
Both are free-from SLS, triclosan and plastic.
☑️ Good toothpaste albeit very sweet; more expensive than straål.
R2.2 per ML (based on 75ML for R165)
Not Certified Organic but both LEBON and Dr. Hauschka has similar ethos.
Not Vegan-friendly due to Propolis
Plastic or aluminium tube
Contains colour pigments from Titanium and Copper.
Contains Titanium Dioxide [disputed ingredient] although from illmenite.
Contains Alcohol (LEBON is alcohol-free).
Both LEBON and Dr. Hauschka contain essential oils, although the latter contains 4 EU allergens.
Both Dr. Hauschka and LEBON are fluoride-free. Plus other free-froms in LEBON and this are similar.
☑️ Great ingredients and similar price to LEBON albeit not appropriate for Vegans while containing Titanium Dioxide. We were unable to verify whether the tube is plastic or aluminium.
R5.16 per ML (based on 60ML for R310)
Not Certified Organic
Both Aēsop and LEBON focus on ingredients with proven safety, efficacy and sustainability.
Vegan-friendly.
Aluminium tube
Contains Calcium Carbonate as Colourant, like LEBON.
Contains Sodium Chloride (good for oral health)
Both LEBON and Aēsop contain essential oils, although Aēsop has 3 EU allergens.
Both LEBON and Aēsop specialize in exquisite ‘natural’ aromas in their toothpastes.
Both Aēsop and LEBON are fluoride-free, titanium dioxide-free, triclosan-free and SLS-free.
☑️ Great ingredients and aroma. If high-end toothpastes with sophisticated and unique scents are your thing, try LEBON for a more affordable option.
Please note that straålcompare® is meant to help our straålfriends compare attributes and prices based on factual information.
When a product is marked with certain attributes, it is for informational purposes so that purchasers can make choices according to their own criteria.