When I first started Hello Wink I wanted to be really anonymous. Just have the company speak for itself and I could live somewhere in the background where no one can see me. But I quickly realized that people love to know what's going on behind the scenes to see how things are made. So for better or worse I put myself out there. Because really, it's just me, making your lip balm product and trying my damn best to bring it out to the world. Transparency for Hello Wink and for me matters for a ton of different reasons.
You need to know who makes your products and if that aligns with your value system. There's nothing wrong with makeup being made in a factory. In the United States or overseas. But if your makeup is being hand pressed by children in a factory that might be important to you and change your mind when making a purchase. I wouldn't and you probably wouldn't either want to support a company that exploits child labor.
People have allergies and sensitivities. One of the main reasons I started making makeup in the first place is that my skin is dry and weird, and I just can't put any random ingredient on my face. So complete ingredient list with all the nitty gritty is important to me so you can make the right choices with your skin.
Where supplies are sourced from and why that is important. Hello Wink is just getting to the point where we are having to source in bulk. But it's important to us that our mica is sourced from companies that have ethical mining statements and our waxes and butters don't come from a place that harms local environments.
If you need to know just ask. One of my favorite things about shopping with a small business is that there are real people behind your favorite products. Need to now specifics about something? Just ask! most everyone I talk to in small business land, myself included is super happy to answer any and all questions.
I have no secrets. Just stories of failed lip balm batches. In the end it's just me behind the scenes and I like to share a lot of what I do in the background. From blogs, to pictures and stories you will always know exactly what's going on with our lip balm.