An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Don’t be afraid to quiz your suppliers and ask for proof of what they’re claiming. They should be able to openly share certifications, safety data sheets, and all the nitty gritty about their raw materials, production, and quality. For example, if a raw material or ingredient is vegan, ask to see their VegeCert certifications (or similar). Reputable suppliers will be proud to share these with you.
In an era where conscious consumerism is on the rise, the beauty industry is undergoing a significant transformation towards cruelty-free and ethical practices. This series aims to highlight and celebrate the brands and individuals who are at the forefront of this movement, showcasing their commitment to ethical sourcing, animal welfare, and sustainable production in the world of cosmetics. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Christina Gjiri, Founder of Brightfield.
Brightfield creates artisan-crafted sustainable home fragrances that help spark joy in your everyday. Their candles, reed diffusers and room sprays are loved for their clean, simple ingredients and functional fragrances that help enhance your mood and home. Made in small batches from their studio in The Beach, Toronto, Brightfield gives back by donating to Second Harvest from every candle sold (1 candle = 3 meals to those who need it most). They are also a proud 1% for the Planet member and use their small business as a force for good.
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Before founding Brightfield, I was an award-winning Director of HR in tech. I had grown a tech company from 15 employees to over 300 and was known for making it one of the best places to work in Canada. One day on my morning commute I asked myself “what would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?” The answer was to have a small business that could help spark joy in the everyday lives of others. To create beautiful, clean products that help people feel good, that are good for the planet, and to use my small business for good. I worked for another year before quitting my job and launching Brightfield. I feel so lucky to be living my dream and helping people every day.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
After only one year in business, a competitor that launched after me started using my company name and applied for trademarking. I had to make a hard decision to either fight it or rebrand. As I was still a young company, I decided to rebrand and used it as an opportunity to build my business for the long term. I worked closely with a trademarking team, rebranded, and changed our name to Brightfield. I love our new name more than the original one — and it feels like it was meant to be. The lessons I learned from this experience are to not only proactively protect your intellectual property, but to also embrace change because something better is meant for you.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Kindness:
Being kind to people and our planet, and working to help spark joy for others is my north star. From every candle sold, I donate to Second Harvest, a leading food rescue charity that helps get food to people who need it most. 1 candle = 3 meals donated. Even though we are a small business, there isn’t a limit to the impact we can have to help others and this is something that drives me every day. Our candles help spark joy in the everyday lives of others through their cosy glow, feel-good scents, and by supporting those experiencing food insecurity.
- Learn something new every day:
Every day I proactively learn something new. From listening to podcasts, joining and hosting female founder meetups, reading, learning from experts, or talking with mentors and fellow business owners, I am always curious to learn. I love helping to support others in their journey too and I share what I’ve learned that might be helpful. I recently presented to a group of school children about what it’s like to be a small business owner and loved sharing stories and lessons learned with them. A key piece of advice was to learn something new every day, both in school, but more importantly, in your own spare time because that’s where the real growth and creativity happens. Staying curious has helped me be successful.
- Legacy:
Legacy to me is a mindset and it’s about building for the long-term. Whether it’s the suppliers I choose, the ingredients I use, and every big and small decision in between, I am always thinking about our legacy. For example, from the beginning, before I even launched Brightfield, I wanted to use it as a force for good. I became a 1% for the Planet member before we launched and every year we donate at least 1% of all sales (not profit) to environmental and social charities, typically donating more than 5% of all sales. Since we joined 1% for the Planet years ago, we’ve seen many companies join too and it’s great to see the movement growing! Thinking about the legacy we’re having helps me make decisions that are best for people, the planet, and our small business for the long term.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
I am developing new personal care products, launching in 2025, that will help people feel good at home. I believe simple, beautiful things made with clean, non-toxic ingredients can have a big impact on how people feel about their bodies and how they live their everyday lives. I can’t wait to share more soon.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. What inspired you to embrace cruelty-free and ethical practices in the cosmetics industry, and how has this commitment shaped your brand’s philosophy?
For years I experienced allergic reactions, sensitivity to synthetic fragrances, headaches, and migraines so bad that I would temporarily lose my vision. They happened so often that I called them episodes — and they were scary. After visits to many doctors and doing hours of my own research, I learned that the products I was using on my body and in my home were making me feel sick. I was tired of it and wanted to create safe, beautiful products and functional fragrances that helped myself and others feel good. It was out of necessity that I embraced cruelty-free and ethical practices for home fragrance because I couldn’t use what other companies were making. With my nose for fragrance and a strict list of ingredients I wouldn’t use, I created cruelty-free non-toxic candles, room sprays and reed diffusers that have helped my customers feel good in their homes and go from stressed to joyful. Now we’re known for our clean, feel-good scents and home fragrances and every day I have customers tell me that our candles are the only ones they can use that don’t give them headaches or that are safe to use with their asthma. It’s rewarding to know that the problem I set out to solve for myself is helping my customers too. Everyone deserves to have beautiful, cruelty-free, ethical, non-toxic products that help them feel good every day.
How do you ensure that your products meet both ethical standards and consumer expectations for quality and performance?
I have a strict list of ingredients that I won’t use (such as parabens, phthalates, carcinogens, and mutagens to name a few) and everything I make is cruelty-free and vegan. I work closely with my suppliers to ensure their practices are ethical and I lean on industry experts such as EWG (the Environmental Working Group), peer-reviewed research papers and studies, and I look to European standards that have more consumer protections in place compared to North America. Quality is at the heart of everything we do and making each product by hand in small batches helps ensure this. We don’t outsource our production but instead make all of our products by hand in small batches from our studio. This artisanal approach to making our products is why we’re known for quality home fragrances that are equally functional, safe and beautiful. Every candle, reed diffuser and room spray is handcrafted with care by hand and our customers can feel that every time they use them.
Can you share a challenge you faced while transitioning to or maintaining cruelty-free practices and how you overcame it?
Being cruelty-free has always been at the heart of our small business and manufacturing practices so I haven’t had to overcome a challenge related to this. I would say that not all businesses are though and sometimes it’s confusing for customers to understand the difference between a clean, ethical brand and a multi-national corporation with a big marketing budget that sounds good but doesn’t actually ‘walk the walk’. Supporting smaller brands that are innovating in the beauty, home fragrance, and personal care space is the best thing people can do because it helps us continue to make the best cruelty-free products.
In your opinion, what are the biggest misconceptions about cruelty-free and ethical cosmetics, and how do you address these in your marketing and education efforts?
Customers are really smart and most already prefer to use clean, non-toxic products that are cruelty-free and ethical. The biggest misconception I see still is that if a product is from a well-known established brand, some people assume that it must be safe to use because they’re a big company (typically a multinational organization). Products should be safe, ethical, and cruelty-free by default. This isn’t the case for many large companies that put profit above all else and unfortunately, there’s still a lot of work to do to make their products safer for people and our planet. I wish there was a mandatory labelling system on products (a red X or green checkmark label) so that customers could easily tell if a product is safe to use and ethically made.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Things You Need to Create a Succesful Cruelty-Free Brand”?
1 . You will need to learn constantly and keep up to date with what’s happening in the industry, with regulations globally and nationally, and do your research. Being a cruelty-free brand is the bare minimum standard now so you always have to be learning and growing so your products and business can not only be safe and cruelty-free but be exceptional. For example, a simple learning tool to use is EWG’s Skin Deep® database. You can enter an ingredient or product and it will tell you its hazard score out of 10 based on data. I’ve always found this tool helpful and recommend it to anyone creating or using cosmetics and personal care products (or just curious!).
2 . Don’t use anything that you wouldn’t put on your own body or use in your own home. With my own previous health journey and sensitivities before starting my company, this was a no-brainer for me because it was important that anything I use (and work with everyday in the studio) is safe. In the past, I had suffered from headaches, migraines and allergic reactions to other company’s products that made me sick. It’s so important to me that what I create is safe for me, my family and for others.
3 . Don’t be afraid to quiz your suppliers and ask for proof of what they’re claiming. They should be able to openly share certifications, safety data sheets, and all the nitty gritty about their raw materials, production, and quality. For example, if a raw material or ingredient is vegan, ask to see their VegeCert certifications (or similar). Reputable suppliers will be proud to share these with you.
4 . Focus on what you’re doing and for the most part don’t worry about your competitors. I’ve seen some people get so obsessed with what other companies are doing that they start to (subconsciously or not) copy them and they lose their own point of view and direction. Suddenly everyone looks the same, which is so boring. In an overcrowded space, like cruelty-free beauty and home fragrance, you have to focus on where you’re going and how you’re uniquely helping your customers live their best lives.
5 . Have fun! Once you have the basics covered of being an ethical, cruelty-free business, you have the freedom to have fun and be creative. What new products can you create? What would spark joy for your customers? What’s possible for your brand? Bring the fun, you never know where it could take you. For me, I love creating fragrances in my studio and blending natural fragrances to create complex, composed home fragrances. I use functional fragrances that have benefits beyond smelling great, for example, to help you unwind at the end of the day, for an energy boost, or to make you feel happy. I was having fun when I created Skinny-dip, with notes of wildflowers, sea salt and amber. My customers love this feel-good scent in our candles, reed diffusers and room sprays, and it’s one of my favourites too.
Looking ahead, how do you see the future of the beauty industry in terms of sustainability and ethical practices, and what role do you hope your brand will play in this evolution?
Sustainability and ethical practices are the new baseline expectation and any company not already there or on this journey is going to be left behind. Brightfield was built with sustainability and ethical practices as a core part of who we are and we are excited to be a part of the movement of creating products that do good for the planet and for people.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I love this question.
- I would encourage other businesses and individuals to join 1% for the Planet because it’s a movement that I’ve been a part of for the past few years and it’s only getting bigger. Committing to supporting environmental and social charities with at least 1% (if not more) of all sales is the least that businesses can do if they’re serious about helping people and our planet.
- I would love to see a simple labelling system on every product that is either a red or green label so that consumers can instantly tell before they buy if the product is safe to use and ethically made. This would help everyone make data-based decisions and encourage companies to clean up their practices and products to benefit everyone.
- On a personal level, everyone should ask themselves a simple question: “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Be honest with yourself about what that is and write it down. If you have a dream, it’s never too late to do it.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
We’d love to meet you over on Instagram @brightfieldshop You can shop our clean home fragrances at www.brightfield.ca
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
Beauty Without Cruelty: Christina Gjiri of Brightfield On The Future of Ethical Cosmetics was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.