Y-Yo is a cosmetics range that specialises in fragrances made from a sensuous blend of oils extracted from plants. These essential oils not only smell divine but are organic and chemical-free too. Also on offer are Y-Yo’s travel packs consisting of candles, handmade using soy wax and organic essential oils, and chemical-free body bars made from sustainably produced palm oil, which gives the soap its smooth, creamy lather. The brands’ name Y-Yo (pronounced ee-yo) is derived from an Indigenous Australian phrase, which means “the spirit in the earth that makes everything come up alive”. Y-Yo owner and director Helen Coates says that she just loved the phrase and the way it encapsulates the wonder and beauty of nature – which is exactly where all of their ingredients come from.
The concept for Y-Yo came to life after Ms Coates had endured one too many bad mosquito bites at social events, such as barbeques. She later discovered that the cocktail of chemicals in conventional fragrances was what attracted the mosquitoes in the first place. “I love wearing fragrance so, together with a Naturopath friend, I developed a chemical-free concept of marrying the science of aromatherapy and the art of perfumery to the rest of our chemical-free fragrance range,” she said. Not only does Y-Yo offer a “no nasties” Australian-made fragrance range, the essential oil combinations also perform beyond simply stimulating the olfactory senses by giving additional benefits such as feeling energised, uplifted and relaxed.
The idea to start up the business came as an entrepreneurial venture for Ms Coates after living overseas for 15 years, where organic perfumes were widely accessible. Her ambition was to create a product range within the Australian market. The striking point of difference in the way Y-Yo runs things is their distinct attention to creating an ethical range of products. “Unlike other conventional fragrance products, our products are ethical – that is, we care for people, animals and the planet,” Ms Coates said. It seems that Y-Yo adopts the notion of ‘beauty with a conscience’ both in their product manufacturing right down to their business operations. There are no chemicals found in Y-Yo formulations, the company never test their products on animals, the products are made in Australia from raw materials sourced from local suppliers and they make a concerted effort to minimise packaging.
Y-Yo has always been committed to ethical practice and has chosen to follow this belief so closely because it never crossed their minds not to run an ethical company. “Y-Yo is dedicated to demonstrating that there is another way to do business by caring for people, animals and the planet. We live our “normal” lives like this so it was never something we consciously considered doing when starting our own business,” Ms Coates explained.
Ms Coates can’t pinpoint exactly where her passion for ethical practice has derived from, other than the fact that she simply cares. Surprisingly, a great deal of her customers have expressed this same mentality when purchasing Y-Yo products. “Over the last ten years or so we’ve just made a point of making ourselves more educated and informed about the state of our planet,” Ms Coates said. She has also been working closely with colleague Rebecca George (also known as “Miss Green”) to put together an Australian ethical beauty book. “From our research we have found over 100 ethical Australian beauty brands that prove that maintaining a successful business whilst caring for the environment is possible,” Ms Coates said.
Y-Yo prides itself in showing a commitment to helping the wider community and supports a number of charities as part of their ‘giving back initiative’. “We always wanted to financially support a charity in which we knew, firsthand, the good that our money would do. We recently picked up our newly adopted daughter from the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. We’ve seen the need there, so most of our support goes to them,” Ms Coates said. But their support doesn’t stop there. Y-Yo contributes to a lot of local charities on an ongoing basis including Animals Australia and The Lost Dogs Home. Plus they’ve participated in planting days with their local Lions Club to help them work towards offsetting Y-Yo’s carbon emissions.
Ms Coates admits that while there are few freedoms and perks in running her own business, she feels an added sense of contribution to helping the environment by running an ethical company and demonstrating that there is ‘another way’. “I’ve met some really inspirational, smart people in this industry. There’s no competition amongst industry players, just a desire to help spread the ethical word,” she said. In terms of owning her own business though, Ms Coates believes the best part is enjoying the flexibility, particularly as a new working mother. “I can’t believe how restricting and inflexible child minding and schooling facilities are. I feel for women having to juggle an office job and kids,” she said.
There are big plans ahead for the business of Y-Yo. They’re currently going through the organic accreditation process in the hopes to become ‘Certified Organic’ within the next few months. Then there’s the Australian Ethical Beauty Directory due for release in the next month or two. Beyond that, Ms Coates has many ideas to extend the Y-Yo range of fragrances and expand their market too. “We’ll then set our sights on Japan (the largest organic market in the world) and the US,” she said.
For other keen entrepreneurs wishing to set up their own business in the cosmetics industry, Ms Coates offers the following helpful advice:
· Network – I didn’t really “do” networking, but it makes life so much easier because you can tap into others’ expertise and knowledge to help get things done quicker and cheaper.
· Outsource – You can’t do everything. Do what you do well and pay experts to do what they’re good at.
· Go ethical – Help to secure a future for our planet whilst tapping into the growth area of the cosmetics industry.
· Plan – I know it sounds boring, but write a plan such as a business plan or marketing plan. It’ll help you crystallise your ideas and improve your focus.
To learn more about Y-Yo and to view their product range, visit: www.y-yo.com.au.
