Congratulations on finally landing on Malaysian shores! Why was the Malaysian market appealing for Biossance to expand to?

The idea of clean and efficacious beauty together is something we believe has full global appeal.  The Malaysian beauty client knows her ingredients and knows how to navigate them to get the best from her products and her skin. We think Biossance will be a perfect fit for her.

What is the key ideology and brand story you’d like to highlight to your new Malaysian customers?

Founded in 2017, Biossance was born through the creation of an innovative ingredient: sustainable squalane oil from renewable sugarcane. Our sugarcane-derived squalane oil is the foundation of every product we create, and each additional ingredient in our formulas is carefully reviewed for the highest sustainability and efficacy, knowing that the final product will be used on faces and bodies every day. From our recyclable packaging to our blacklist of 2000+ ingredients and our No Compromise™ approach, we’re passionate about the health of people, animals and the planet, and the environmental impact of everything we do.

Squalane Oil is very much heavily associated to the Biossance name. Tell us more about this special ingredient, and why Biossance uses it in their products?

Squalene is naturally present in the skin’s lipid barrier and helps prevent moisture loss and increases a soft, supple feel. When our skin’s barrier becomes compromised—whether through severe climates or harsh products—it shows in irritation, redness and other sensitive skin issues. Squalane helps replenish the skin with vital moisture to help keep your moisture barrier in optimal condition and your skin smooth, soft and healthy-looking.

Squalane was previously sourced from shark liver. Shark liver is roughly made up of 80% squalene, and it takes 3 sharks to harvest just 2 pounds of the ingredient. Squalane derived from deep sea shark liver killed millions of sharks and left many on the endangered species list. At Biossance, we’ve found a way to create squalane through biotechnology from renewable sugarcane. And by creating a better way to produce squalane through sustainable sugarcane, we save approximately 2 million sharks per year, a number that continues to grow.

What makes Biossance squalane a superior ingredient to other plant-derived is that it isn’t subject to environmental conditions which can change the quality of the end product. Since our squalane is bioengineered from sugarcane, a crop that naturally grows in abundance in Brazil, there aren’t the same issues of quality. The end result is exceptionally stable, deeply moisturizing and highly sustainable squalane.

Biossance prides on its sustainable efforts, from packaging to its ingredients. Tell us more about the green steps the brand has taken since its start in 2016.

At Biossance we have a zero-waste goal and are always looking for ways to continuously improve our sustainability practices. Almost all our bottles and jars are made of recyclable glass or plastic and here are a few things that we’re working to improve:

• Non-metalized collars to increase the recyclability of our pumps
• Education to customers and better recyclability of our caps and closures
• 100% PCR paperboard for our inner cartons
• And of course, our outer cartons will still be made from the same sustainable sugarcane paper we’ve always used!

For anyone who’s not heard of Biossance before, what would be the star product they’d need to know about first?

If you’re looking to enhance your own natural moisture and only want to add a couple of new products to your routine, we suggest Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil for your face to help lift, visibly brighten and even skin tone. This luscious oil is our #1 best seller for boosting radiance and glow. Use it in your routine following serums and moisturizers, prior to sunscreen and makeup.

What is Biossance’s approach to Clean Beauty, and how are Biossance products align with the vision of Clean Beauty?

To Biossance, “Clean Beauty” means creating products with the health and wellbeing of people and the planet in mind—from start to finish. It means that the products you’re using aren’t leaving a huge carbon footprint through non-recyclable packaging, or ingredients that deplete natural resources.

We have our own standard of what it means represented in our three brand pillars:

• Nontoxic: we have a blacklist of 2,000+ ingredients that are either proven to be toxic or potentially toxic for you and the environment.
• Sustainable: from the ingredients and packaging we use to our people and office practices, we’re mindful of the impact we make on the world around us—and continually strive to do better.
• Effective: we use ingredients in our products at efficacious levels that are clinically proven effective and safe to sustain the beauty and healthy look of the skin.

Why is leading a lifestyle revolving around Clean Beauty important for this generation?

We need to take the best care of our skin and the best care of our planet in tandem.  Our future generations are the ones that will see the benefit of our positive decisions around clean beauty