Formula Botanica, the online school for organic cosmetics science, has grown its sustainability commitments by donating a record £30,000 to environmental charities Plantlife and TreeSisters, aiding their efforts to protect and regenerate the environment and natural resources.
Based in the UK, the educational platform offers a range of courses to help its students develop their own organic skin care brand, with options including those focusing on hair care, anti-ageing, business and more.
After seeing a surge in student enrolments – an 80% increase on the previous year – Formula Botanica was able to double its charitable contributions in 2020, bringing the figure to a total of around £60,000 to date.
Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, said: “We are proud to be part of global networks that donate to fund the acceleration of tropical reforestation and the conservation of wild plants as an expression of collective planetary care.
“The indie beauty sector operates at a completely different scale to the mainstream cosmetics industry.
“This difference allows the beauty brands created by Formula Botanica graduates to set themselves apart in how they view sustainability and conscious consumerism.
“It is our responsibility at Formula Botanica to embed sustainability principles such as these into the way that we teach, market ourselves and operate.”
Sustainable growth
In line with these principles, the platform has chosen to partner with UK-based non-profit Plantlife, supporting its work to save threatened wild flowers, plants and fungi to support wildlife and the diversity of our natural environment.
Ian Dunn, CEO of Plantlife, added: “We are delighted to be able to share the next major step in our relationship with Formula Botanica.
“Great partnerships are built on shared values and Formula Botanica's focus on teaching a global community the wonders and powers of green beauty resonates strongly with everything we do at Plantlife.”
Meanwhile, TreeSisters is dedicated to the restoration of tropical rainforests, with a focus on women and female leadership, which Formula Botanica said resonated with its values as the majority of its graduates are women.
The school will help to fund the planting of 60,930 trees in projects across the tropics, providing habitats for endangered species and sustainable incomes for local communities; it has pledged to grow this number to 250,000 by 2025.
Since the school's opening in 2012, Formula Botanica has fostered a community of more than 11,000 students and graduates across 170 countries, with its alumni going on to create brands including UK-based Bybi Beauty and Lena Wild; apothecary brand Flowerspice from the Netherlands; and natural skin care brand Osco in Hong Kong.
