Did you know that over 50% of beauty products contain high levels of chemicals commonly recognized as harmful to human health? A study into cosmetic ingredients revealed that many of our common beauty products contain high levels of PFAS (polyfluoroalkl substances) which are chemicals often used for industrial products that have been linked to mul- tiple health issues in humans. In some products, such as eye and lip products, the percentage was even higher — 82% of waterproof mascaras contained high levels of these chemicals.
Melanie Petschke and Kelly Kreusler are two women on a mission to put an end to health risks caused
by our beauty products. Crunchi is a completely safe, toxic-free, and environmentally-friendly makeup and beauty line committed to providing women with quality products that perform, without compromising. Petschke and Kreusler are not only bringing safe, sustainable beauty products to the market, but also empowering women with knowledge to make safer choices and better support their health.
IS IT ALL JUST A COVER UP?
The global beauty industry is set to be worth $571.1 billion in 2023, and an estimated $91.4 billion in the US market. With such a huge demand, perhaps it’s not surprising that some companies tend to skip corners when it comes to creating safe products.
Due to a lack of regulation, the US Food and Drug Administration allows cosmetic companies to use toxic chemicals in their products that have been known to cause health issues such as cancer, endocrine disruption, toxicity, and more, in humans. Many women who are using these products are not aware of the harm they could be causing themselves.
Kelly Kreusler discovered this shocking reality when she began to look more closely at the ingredients
in her beauty products after experiencing cancer in her family. It was part of a wider effort to move to using cleaner, safer products across the board. While it was fairly easy to transition to using safer cleaning products, organic foods, and even clothing, she found that sourcing clean beauty products that still performed well was almost impossible.
She and co-founder Melanie Petschke, a board- certified family nurse practitioner who has spent the last decade studying the emerging research surrounding the potential health implications of environmental toxin exposure, knew that something had to be done.
GETTING THE JOB DONE IN THE MARKETPLACE
Committing to clean beauty shouldn’t mean skimping on quality. Time and time again, Petshke and Kreusler found that clean beauty products simply didn’t meet the standard of other product lines. It was this huge gap in the marketplace that really sparked the drive to launch Crunchi.
Petschke and Kreusler firmly believe that women deserve high-quality products without putting their health at risk. With Crunchi, they are providing women with safer cosmetics that still perform and that compete with conventional products on the market.
WHAT WE PUT IN OUR BODIES IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT GOES IN
At the heart of Crunchi is safety. Both Petschke and Kreusler are passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and optimizing health at all levels, and that includes what we put on our bodies and our external environment, not just what we are putting into our bodies. In a world where health challenges face us at every corner, finding a way to eliminate additional toxins and harmful components from our lives and optimize health is fundamental for Crunchi’s founders.
All Crunchi ingredients undergo a highly stringent screening process, and the entire Crunchi line is toxin-free, Leaping Bunny Certified, cruelty-free, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and crafted prioritizing only certified organic ingredients. Crunchi products are cosmetics you can feel good about — quality products that perform, reducing the toxic burden that many cosmetics provide to promote healthier living.
Upholding this level of safety in such a competitive market has not been easy, and it has been challenging to build such high-quality products on this ethos when other major brands do not. “From day one we have had to make tough decisions to put our priorities of safety and performance first, despite the added costs and time”, the pair told Forbes. But what was initially a challenge has now become Crunchi’s greatest weapon.
With the rising pressures of social media, girls are looking to beauty products from an increasingly younger age, and it is now more important than ever to be educating women and young girls on sustainable, safe beauty. Empowering women with the knowledge to make safer choices with their beauty products means that women can make the smart choice, earlier on in their lives, and avoid health risks further down the line.
SAVING THE PLANET, AND YOUR HEALTH
Alongside a commitment to safety, Crunchi is actively supporting the environment at every possible stage. All Crunchi products are made with certified organic and EcoCert ingredients, and the Crunchi makeup brushes are made from completely vegan materials, as opposed to the traditional animal hair alternatives.
Crunchi is also proudly partnered with Cleanhub, an environmental company committed to ending ocean plastic. The company uses sustainable and environmentally- conscious packaging with 100% recyclable shipping boxes, not only reducing their plastic usage but becoming plastic-positive by offsetting more than they use.
EMPOWERING WOMEN TO FEEL BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT
Crunchi is female-led and female- focused, and this goes beyond the production line. Both Petsche and Kreusler are strong advocates of female empowerment and entrepreneurship. Crunchi is part of the Clean Beauty Movement, a movement created by everyday women to help educate others to be more conscious and educated about the ingredients in their beauty products.
“We believe that it is important to share with others what we have learned about safe and harmful cosmetics. Our mission is to get everyone involved in the safe cosmetics movements.”
Petsche and Kreusler also launched the Crunchi Advocate programme to further engage women in safe cosmetic education. Women from all walks of life — be that mothers, wives, entrepreneurs, or health advocates — have come together to champion Crunchi and help others find a safer, cleaner, and more sustainable way to feel beautiful, inside and out.
PARTNERSHIPS TO BE PROUD OF
Crunchi has become the first cosmetics brand to collaborate with 4ocean, a global organization committed to removing plastic waste from the ocean and fostering a future where environmental sustainability and human progress go hand in hand.
As a 4ocean Certified Plastic Neutral company, Crunchi offsets every pound of plastic used in its packaging by funding the removal of an equivalent amount of ocean plastic. In fact, the company often goes even further—investing in additional cleanup efforts through limited-time initiatives and ongoing environmental campaigns. Learn more @ crunchi.com.
