Meet Hannah Elling

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Elling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Having grown up deeply environmentally conscious and interested in the beauty and cosmetics sector, I was always curious about the intersection of the two. Particularly, how to find a way to combine them without compromising a product’s efficiency and quality. Upon finding out 550 million plastic shampoo bottles enter landfills each year, I started looking into ways I could produce a haircare product that would eliminate single-use plastic while ensuring the health and safety of consumers and the planet, which eventually led me to create ‘Viridian Cosmetics’.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started off working in modelling, which introduced me to the manufacturing and beauty industry. Gaining extensive insight into the industry, I became increasingly disappointed with the lack of honesty brands had regarding how ‘clean’ they really were. I knew that if I started my own brand, I could hold myself accountable in ways I couldn’t influence these large corporations. With the help of the people around me, I connected with a cosmetic chemist who agreed to help me figure out how to create a clean and vegan product, and thus Viridian Cosmetics was born.

The creation of this brand was definitely not a smooth road. I found that creating a plant based, sustainable and clean beauty product was far harder than I could have ever anticipated. We went through two years of many trials and errors, encountering many textural issues along the way. However, after our many efforts and hard work, we were able to overcome these struggles.

Whenever giving up feels like the easiest choice, it is important to remember why you started, what it is you want to achieve, and how gratifying it’ll feel once you do so.

I believe many brands in the beauty industry are turning sustainability into a marketing tactic rather than a long-term goal. There is a comprehensive lack of transparency in large-scale cosmetic operations that are harming the environment more than they are alleviating it. This is something I want to challenge with Viridian Cosmetics.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my mother, an interior designer who started her company, Pacific Dimensions Inc., over 30 years ago. Although she was the one who raised me, watching her grow was a privilege. Her perseverance, drive and determination are essentially what shaped the values and mindset that eventually led to the creation of Viridian Cosmetics. I also want to dedicate my shoutout to Amanda Lam and Laura Lam-Phaure, two of my dear friends who I can fully credit for the initial development of my brand. Amanda and Laura introduced me to Product Society, the manufacturing company that helped me bring my vision into reality. It was not easy to create a product that bypassed so many conventional processes, therefore, their contributions were invaluable to me, and for that, I will always be grateful.

Website: https://viridiancosmetics.com/