by Zero Water Beauty
Inspired by the beauty around them in the land of 10,000 lakes, a group of friends came together with one mission: inspire a movement away from single-use plastics through beauty products.
Jay and Nora Schaper had already been making soaps and working with local co-ops to distribute their products. They decided to shift their focus, go plastic-free and recruit Ward Johnson in the process. But it came with a whole new challenge: neither product formula nor its production process existed.
The health and beauty industry is largely plastic and water-oriented in its bottles and formulas. Jay, an avid ceramist, used his knowledge of molding and casting to engineer his own formula with a custom extruder. The formula resulted in a product that was salon-quality, all while reducing the amount of plastic and water use drastically.
HiBAR is now distributed nationally with the help of Whole Foods Market, hoping to grow a movement.
“I know there’s a lot of climate anxiety and this is one thing that you can do that does make a difference, and hopefully it inspires you to think about how you’re doing other things. If everybody makes small changes, then real change happens.“
Nora Schaper, Co-Founder and President, HiBAR
Inside The Factory
HiBAR Shampoo, conditioner, face wash and deodorant are produced in a factory space in Minneapolis, MN, shipping to local and national customer bases. Prior to occupying this space, the company produced out of Jay and Nora Schaper’s home basement.
“I think that we’re becoming a more conscious society. And brands play a big role in reflecting what the consumer is looking for but also can be leaders. And I think it’s really important that there are brands that are truly trying to innovate and change the paradigm and show consumers that there are alternatives. “
Melissa Christenson, Founder and CEO, BRIDGE, Inc. Product Design + Development