For R+B co-founders Irene Lim and Soo-Hoo Siew Kheng, it’s one of the key ingredients in their brand’s new product line.
To drive home their point, the launch of their beauty brand was held at Bean Brothers, which specialises in fresh roasted coffee.
FMT was there to speak to Lim and Soo-Hoo regarding the humble brand’s much-awaited official debut.
“Beauty is a fast-growing industry and as the people are getting more educated and aware of what they put on their faces, we strive to be as transparent as possible when it comes to our products’ ingredients,” Lim said.
“At the same time, we are also very passionate about making natural and eco-friendly products, something that’s good for the skin and the planet, hence our name: Repurposed plus Beauty.”
Circular beauty, the brand’s motto, aims to build sustainability throughout their entire product value chain from the use of repurposed or upcycled by-products and other natural ingredients to the end of the product’s life cycle in its waste management.
The natural ingredients in question include spent coffee grounds, fruit waste, seeds and shells which are still rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
According to the co-founders, the journey from conceptualising the brand to the launch was an arduous one.
“We came up with the initial concept of the brand in 2021 during the pandemic, and it was not an easy task to bring everything to fruition, since everyone was under lockdown,” Soo-Hoo told FMT.
Once pandemic restrictions were eased, they got to work immediately but lab testing took a while as they wanted to make sure the repurposed items were safe for consumer use in skincare.
Out of the 300 women surveyed during the consumer trial, they identified that consumers’ top concerns were dull skin, large pores, pigmentation and fine lines.
R+B offers a range of five products which include the Anti-Cellulite Body Cream, Anti-Cellulite Body Scrub, Deep Cleansing Face Gel, Exfoliating Face Scrub And Revitalising Face Moisturiser, all of which contain coffee that’s known for its rich antioxidant properties.
Lim said that at present, their products are only available online.
“We want to make sure that our products are easily accessible and affordable (under RM100), so we choose to sell them strictly online for now, as putting them in physical stores will entail a lot more costs such as listing fees, hiring promoters and so on,” said Lim.
Their ‘return, refill, reuse and repeat’ policy encourages customers to return empty jars and bottles so it can be recycled and reused to minimise waste.
The brand is also giving back to the community through their “Beauty That Gives Back” subsection.
“A minimum of 10% of the purchase amount you make will go to the 4X4 Relief Malaysia’s indigenous community project or the Animal Projects & Environmental Education’s (APE Malaysia) plant-a-tree project to Restore Our Amazing Rainforest (ROAR),” Soo-Hoo said.
“This way our customers will be able to contribute to a greater cause while shopping with us.”
As for its future endeavours, the duo is optimistic with the brand’s mission to make a mark in the beauty industry with its natural and ethical products.
“We hope that through our brand we’ll be able to send out the message of circular beauty to everyone, maybe even beyond the shores of Malaysia in the future.”
For more information, visit the R+B website or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.