The best kind of Ethos
Ethos skincare is helping make a world of difference to a community in
Cambodia with the production and sale of its gorgeous moisturisers and body washes. Ethos founders Hana and
Gerard Wakefield worked as volunteers in
Cambodia 11 years ago and the injustice of extreme poverty and modern day slavery hit them hard.
“It didn’t seem right resuming a normal life back in New Zealand,” explains Gerard.
Three years ago the couple started Ethos, a 100 per cent natural-origin sustainable skincare brand, focusing on direct trade of a hand-squeezed and fermented coconut oil, to increase the incomes of local coconut-growing families in Kampot.
“Because our coconut oil is made in the traditional way by hand, it’s scientifically proven to be up to six times higher in antioxidant-rich polyphenols than mass-produced and centrifuged virgin coconut oils*,” says Gerard.
Hand-pressing creates fair-wage employment for local women and Ethos also buys its coconuts direct from the tree so family growers can double their incomes. “We use 100 per cent of the profits to sustainably develop poor communities in Kampot, replant coconut trees for future benefit, and scale up Ethos so we can increase our impact,” says Gerard.