For nine years, Renew Bath + Body has been dutifully providing the Western New York area with all-natural bath, body, and skincare products from its Elmwood Village retail location (with online shopping available as well). Renew’s mission is to “bring clean beauty and sustainability to all communities,” and their latest initiatives are evidence for accountability.
Across the nearly 30 different product lines carried by Renew Bath + Body, 1,600 unnatural and unpronounceable ingredients are avoided, resulting in better-for-you skincare items you can feel good about.
Beyond the wholesome ingredients within its products, Renew has most recently launched a hand soap starter kit with 100% plastic-free packaging. Each hand soap starter kit includes a reusable bottle and three refill pods that are encased in a water-soluble film. Within six months of using the product, the packaging will completely biodegrade, leaving no waste. These kits are now available to purchase and are offered in Gardenia + Lemon scent – a perfect aromatic combination to ring in the warmer months.
The creation of this hand soap line was three years in the making due to the complexities involved in ensuring a truly eco-friendly product that will stand the test of time. Production of the hand soap starter kit is made possible by the advanced technology at Junk Free Skin – the manufacturing center on Great Arrow Avenue that is co-founded by Renew’s President, Tom Akers. Within the facility is a machine capable of churning out 600 Renew hand soap pods every minute! The noteworthy efficiencies of Junk Free Skin’s technology have had a hand in earning them preferred co-packer status for an international water-soluble film company.
Opened in 2019 with long-term sustainability in mind, Junk Free Skin seeks to assist other small and medium businesses in making their eco-friendly products a reality. In describing the origins of Junk Free Skin, Akers has said, “When I started this, I quickly realized that the smaller people are not going to be allowed in this [sustainability] arena because [the other co-packers] have such high minimums – above 1 million per item.”
At that rate, Akers weighed the financial factors and determined, “I could have just bought the machine, so what I did was I bought the machine and now I want to offer small and medium-sized companies the chance to compete and come into the arena with very low minimums.”
Junk Free Skin supports businesses every step of the way, from formula testing, production, branding, and distribution. A major Junk Free Skin focus as of late has been to work closely with large hotel amenity groups to ensure compliance with impending legislative changes. Beginning in 2024, it will be illegal for hotels within New York State to provide single-use plastic toiletries to their guests. Utilizing their water-soluble film solution, Junk Free Skin will be able to offer hotels unique alternatives to these cosmetic commodities, thus “changing hotel amenities” as we know it.
The combined efforts of Junk Free Skin and Renew Bath + Body are paving the way for fellow businesses to follow suit and are putting Buffalo on the map for state-of-the art sustainability actions.
Renew Bath + Body
927 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222 | 716-881-0177
Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-4pm, Sun: Closed
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Junk Free Skin
Website | Instagram
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