suki, inc.

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this spotlight illustrates the success of one small, ethical company that is making a name for itself by formulating & manufacturing effective, high quality, clinically proven personal care that is completely synthetic free. suki® clinically proven natural solutions™, is steeped in a foundation of hard science while at the same time being truly pure & containing substantive amounts of organic, fair trade & food grade ingredients & of course, never testing any products on animals, are what president / formulator / owner Suki Kramer calls "the inevitable evolution of skincare." the only brand of its kind that conducts clinical trials, suki® puts their money where their mouth is & backs up their claims of highest efficacy in the brand's technologically advanced, yet synthetic-free product line. these formulas combine advances of science & the powers nature in focused, targeted skin care treatments. Kramer dedicates herself to skin care, research, the science of formulation, chemistry & to constantly increasing her own ingredient knowledge to share with an increasingly confused public. she is constantly striving to educate her growing fan base about what is really in the cosmetics they use, how to read product labels, what the growing list of new "organic" & "natural" seals mean, the body's internal processing of external influences, such as environmental stressors & toxins, & the ingredients we put into & onto our bodies, & many other things on her blog, www.sukiscoop.com.

this spotlight illustrates the success of one small, ethical company that is making a name for itself by formulating & manufacturing effective, high quality, clinically proven personal care that is completely synthetic free.

suki® clinically proven natural solutions™, is steeped in a foundation of hard science while at the same time being truly pure & containing substantive amounts of organic, fair trade & food grade ingredients & of course, never testing any products on animals, are what president / formulator / owner Suki Kramer calls "the inevitable evolution of skincare." the only brand of its kind that conducts clinical trials, suki® puts their money where their mouth is & backs up their claims of highest efficacy in the brand’s technologically advanced, yet synthetic-free product line. these formulas combine advances of science & the powers nature in focused, targeted skin care treatments.

Kramer dedicates herself to skin care, research, the science of formulation, chemistry & to constantly increasing her own ingredient knowledge to share with an increasingly confused public. she is constantly striving to educate her growing fan base about what is really in the cosmetics they use, how to read product labels, what the growing list of new "organic" & "natural" seals mean, the body’s internal processing of external influences, such as environmental stressors & toxins, & the ingredients we put into & onto our bodies, & many other things on her blog, www.sukiscoop.com.

how it started: after struggling with skin issues her whole life & solving them by preparing basic skin care formulas for herself, friends & family, Kramer says, "i saw a real void in the market for a line that 'actually did something' but was also really clean & empowered people, especially women. my products are active, results-driven cosmecueticals & because of that, it is difficult for folks to understand. most people think you cannot have efficacy & purity in one product. that’s just not the case anymore. it’s the natural evolution of good scientific formulation strategy that you SHOULD be able to have a good quality product that includes 100% purity with 100% results. no one should demand less for themselves. period." given the significant gap in the market, Kramer decided to go for it & create what she so desperately sought, a product that worked, that was completely natural & that satisfied the sensuality she loved in classic "department store brands." that 'affordable treat' luxury from packaging to texture to aroma to feel to use - & that philosophy is what informs every formulation she creates.

having no background in business or chemistry, she studied extensively with cosmetic chemists from companies such as revlon & estée lauder before launching her first four products & immersed herself in business books, any aid she could find from local to global. Kramer started "hustling" out of the trunk of her car during the lean early years when she performed every duty in the company including working day & night filling bottles, orders, & pretending to be someone else on the phone so the company could seem bigger than it was. suki® incorporated in 2002 & now sells over 65 products in 800 stores around the world. the company has doubled in size each year, employs over 25 people, is 100% owned by Kramer & 98% staffed by women.

today there are many lines within the brand including sukiface®, sukibody®, sukihair®, sukicolor®, sukispa® & sukipro® (the esthetic use only line). the philosophy behind the line is to "balance" or "nourish" the skin of people with severe issues like rosacea, eczema, acne & to prevent & repair toxic damage to the epidermis. the products restore harmony & the radiant healthy complexion clients did not remember or never knew they could have. by successfully integrating cutting edge science & the healing power of nature in skin care, suki® has transformed the skin of clients all over the world & therefore captured an audience that has, as Kramer says, "built this company from the ground up & i am profoundly grateful for each & every one of them."

everyday, the suki® office gets letters & phone calls from fans with success stories – the most rewarding for Kramer come from those with severe illness or who have survived illnesses like cancer. fans now speak to Kramer through facebook & twitter as well. also, she explains, "it seems i'm pretty in-synch with [clients] because whenever i am thinking about formulating a product, the letters start rolling in requesting such a product." new skin care treatments are based on client feedback, however some formulations cannot be made right away because new product launches take a great deal of time, resources (i.e.; money). Kramer must ensure that a product is in demand, effective, safe & clinically proven before she launches it. "we have a rolling list though & really do want to satisfy every need."

the privately owned suki® organic innovation lab™ integrates the chemists Kramer says she has been lucky enough to gain access to & continues to study with. "well before even considering going to market, we test all my formulas in house with staff, then do studies with control groups, we do safety evaluation in vitro & of course, we have product testing & clinicals done with an independent lab. the products are dermatologist, make up artist & esthetician tested as well."

every product contains 100% high performance natural, organic, biodynamic & food grade ingredients that work in harmony with the body’s natural biological processes. the diagram above illustrates how each formulation contains a 100% pure base that is instilled with a high potency botanic concentrate™, standardized extracts, organic actives & cosmeceutical grade ingredients. the nutrient rich base of the suki® formulations contain full, organic botanicals that are slowly boiled down & triple filtered to maintain their unique essential properties. standardized botanical actives are then added to the base of the products. Kramer standardizes botanicals by isolating the most potent part of a plant & refining it to a consistent potency in order to help treat skin conditions. for example, Kramer standardizes salicylic acid, an anti-inflammatory, from white willow bark. In order to obtain this ingredient Kramer isolates the white willow salicins from the bark & refines them to 15% potency, which is clinically proven to effectively calm conditions of inflammation.

suki® takes enormous measures to ensure that all aspects of the skin care line is environmentally friendly & cruelty free. all of the ingredients are sourced from fair trade suppliers & are 95% organic or biodynamic. the company sources locally whenever possible & considers fuel emissions & travel when choosing suppliers. at suki®, cruelty free means avoiding any ingredient that pollutes or harms natural habitats, water & animals. though the products are primarily vegan, some do contain beeswax. this beeswax is carefully selected from apiaries that do not harm their bees in any way, & Kramer refuses to buy from any farm that burns their bee hives. careful thought & consideration has been made to the actual physical production of the products as well. everything is made by hand in small batches to ensure that there is virtually no carbon output that a large machine would emit. the suki® line only uses recycled glass & aluminum packaging as opposed to plastic packaging that could leach toxins into the product & compromise the essential vitamin & botanic ingredients. even the external branding of this skin care line is environmentally sound, as all of the suki® packaging suppliers support environmental initiatives including the forest stewardship council’s certification. the vegetable based ink on the packaging is biodegradable & clean. even the lack of leading capitals at the beginning of each sentence is part of the suki® branding. it conveys a tightly focused approach.

once products are ready to ship, suki® uses unbleached newsprint papers & organic cornstarch peanuts as packaging material to reduce their carbon footprint. clearly the suki® brand sets a high standard for green & effective manufacturing.

all in all, Kramer says this journey has given her more than she has given even though she has done quite literally nothing else but work for 10 years. the rewards of a tearful letter, a thankful client, a successful program, a happy workplace, but also Kramer says, her own personal evolution as a woman, a boss, a person have been a direct result of starting, running, maintaining, growing this business & although it's been a huge risk, incredibly scary, always stressful, & had tremendous costs, she wouldn't change it since she has become a better person because of all of it.

suki® can be purchased at whole foods, select spas, boutiques & natural products stores. for a complete listing of vendors please visit the store locator at: https://www.sukiskincare.com/v2/pages/store+locator

For more information on SukiPure: http://www.sukiskincare.com