As July is Plastic Free month we decided to catch up with conscious consultancy, L E A F’s Co-Directors Amy Le Roux and Jess de Bene. Together with Founder and Creative Co-Director Eminé Rushton, the team is committed to eco-conscious beauty and mindful consumerism.

Both Amy and Jess have previous experience in large corporate beauty companies but joined Eminé to explore their passion for natural eco-conscious brands. Amy and Jess explain why L E A F only partners with natural brands, who are eco-conscious and are taking a sustainable approach to marketing. For more of DIARY directory’s awareness days, click the link. 

“We don’t need a few people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions doing it imperfectly.”

How is LEAF naturally conscious?

With our combined backgrounds in integrated communications, we joined L E A F and Eminé to create a consultancy with clarity and with a conscious intention. We wanted to work with a bespoke, hands-on personal approach. We consciously choose to only represent natural beauty brands that don’t use questionable synthetics and never green-wash. Every choice we make is carefully considered and we always ask ourselves – ‘is it good? ‘Is it natural?’ ‘Is it L E A F’? ‘Can we deliver the results that this brand needs?’

What do you look for in the brands you represent?

Authenticity, purpose, transparency and of course, naturally beautiful products. We work only with natural beauty brands and founders who have clear, positive and ethical visions for their growth. The brands that we are currently working with all embody this.

How do you see the beauty industry changing in the near future, as more millennials seek sustainable and natural products?

Given the world we now live in, with unignorable truths around climate change, plastic pollution and environmental health, it’s impossible to think that the way forward is anything other than sustainable and eco-aware. We all feel a shift in the collective consciousness. More and more consumers are gradually making more considered choices and want to know what’s in their products. We are beginning to move beyond the top line plastic-free message to considering how much we’re consuming in the first place.

Why did you decide to join LEAF?

Eminé set up L E A F in 2016, to formalise the creative brand consultancy work she’d been doing for over 10 years. We (Jess and Amy) joined her the following year. We have decades of experience between us from an editorial, content and communications perspective. We are all passionate about natural alternatives and believe that natural choices should never mean that you have to compromise on quality or results. We all wanted to feel excited about our work and structure our work life in a way that that prioritises our passions and what is most important to us.

What is your typical day like?

There is no such thing for as a typical day and that is one of the joys of our work. We are all based remotely and each day is a balance of focused activity, checking in with each other via a what’s app call and making sure that we are on email both proactively and reactively. We will also each try to a make a moment of mindfulness in the day - whether it's meditation, a sea swim or some fresh air - all of which keep creative ideas flowing and productivity higher. We still come up to London often for meetings, press appointments or events and we love these days too - as this is our face to face time and we really enjoy catching up with everyone in person.

What do you do in your personal life to be naturally conscious?

We love the quote, “we don’t need a few people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions doing it imperfectly.” We are not perfect but we all very aware of our choices as consumers, in all that we buy, use and champion. Eminé continues to write about conscious living and has a blog and podcast (This Conscious Life) that is rooted in simple, natural, gentle choices. We all re-use, recycle and mend what we can. We opt for veg boxes, local and seasonal produce, green energy plans and sustainable brands.

How is LEAF different from previous companies you’ve worked for?

We have all worked for big global corporations, so L E A F is very different! We appreciate the flexibility that our way of working offers us. We have complete control over the work we choose to do and are also growing a brilliant small team of freelancers who form part of our conscious community.

What do you have planned in the next year?

We plan to grow slowly and organically, only taking on brands who fit into our portfolio and ethos. We will continue with our results-orientated focus for all of our clients and collaborating with the conscious, beauty and wellness communities.

How do you create connections in the beauty industry?

We’ve been working in the industry for so long now we have recognised that it has moved far beyond initial contacts to wonderful friendships and relationships that are a joy to maintain. We also really enjoy meeting new contacts from the beauty industry - whether it is like-minded brands, agencies, influencers or journalists. The new connections can come through outreach, introductions or being part of different networks. These connections bring with them great benefits to our clients for the right story and product.

How would you advise people to be more naturally conscious?

The little things help. Understand an INCI list, plant wildflowers, eat less meat, think of your money as energy – who/what do you wish to invest it in? Be a conscious consumer by considering who makes the things you buy: where do they come from? What their impact is?