Certified Organic Beauty Products
From LoveToKnow Organic
In the world of certified organic beauty products, Surya Brasil is one company that is unique above all others. Surya Brasil uses native herbs from Brazil and the principles of Ayurveda from India to create the perfect combination of innovative beauty products that include hair care, body care and even a line of men's skin care products.
Surya Brasil
Recently, LoveToKnow was able to speak with Clelia Angelon, CEO and Founder of Surya Brasil, about how her company got it's start and what it has to offer.
About Clelia Angelon
Clelia began her interest in natural products when she was very young and her love of natural living has carried over to her adult life. According to Clelia, "One thing pushes another--the food, the way of thinking, the practice of yoga and meditation, contact with nature, all of this makes your lifestyle."
This belief guided her in life and in business. She and her husband, Raj, created an import business in Brazil exporting goods from India. Out of that business, Clelia started Surya Brasil with a dedicated commitment to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives by creating body care products that were healthy and natural. At that time, many thought it was too good to be true, but Clelia made it a reality with Surya Brasil.
Interview with Clelia Angelon of Surya Brasil
How long has your company been in business?
Surya Brasil emerged in 1978 from my imported products business called the Vedic Hindus Company. In 1980, it became the first company to import Henna from India. This opened a market that has grown gradually, expanding when we had the possibility to develop a henna formula that had Brazilian plants. That happened in 1995 with the launching of Surya Henna Powder.
Two years later, we started to export to the United States. Because of this, it was necessary to open an office in New York in 2001, which provided a doorway for our participation in international markets. Since 2005, Surya Brasil has participated in both the national and international cosmetic marketplace, attending natural and organic trade shows throughout the world, such as COSMOPROF, Expo West and Expo East, in countries like France, Germany, United States, Russia and more -- confirming a strong international reputation.
What was the inspiration for your products?
Our focus always was the consumer of natural cosmetics, but not using the term "natural" as a marketing appeal. We know that consumers of natural products are very demanding about what may be used or not in formulas and we take this seriously. Understanding who buys organic and natural products is important to us; creating the quality as well as a set of other values such as the environmental preservation, no animals testing, and environmentally friendly packaging. For me, personally, the greatest inspiration is part of a collective effort to have a better world.
Surya Brasil Certified Organic Beauty Products
Hair Products
You began with natural hair car products; what made you decide to expand your product line?
There were plans to launch products for body care, but it was necessary to wait until the right time to purchase our own technology and to create these products with organic and natural ingredients. In addition, there was the need for a larger portfolio of products, something that is necessary for every company that wants to grow.
Are your henna colors just for dark hair?
Surya Henna coloring is for all hair types. But Surya Henna does not lighten the hair because it does not contain ammonia (to open the hair cuticles) or peroxide (to remove natural hair color and replace it by artificial color).
Surya Henna coloring, when applied to dark hair, leaves it much softer and shinier. The Neutral and Black colors of Henna Powder are just for hair treatment.
Are the colors permanent?
No. Surya Brasil hair coloring is semi-permanent. It colors without damaging the hair structure. The pigments do not penetrate in the hair cuticle, so the color naturally rinses out, unlike a permanent coloring that shows the color line at the roots over time.
Other Surya Brasil Products
What are the benefits of your products?
Surya Brasil is a pioneer in the body care industry that has united Ayurvedic science with the traditional knowledge of Amazonian natives, plus sophisticated technology to benefit hair and body. According to Ayurvedic principles, all we use on the skin and hair is absorbed into our bodies. Guided by these principles, Surya Brasil does not use harmful substances. The use of natural alternatives requires innovative technology. Surya products are enriched with exotic plants native to the Amazon forest which, in addition to their benefits, are associated with environmental conservation and social responsibility.
Discuss your product lines.
- Amazônia Preciosa – A cosmetic line with Ecocert organic certification that is rich in plant oils, extracts, butters and other active ingredients that promote the benefits of Amazônia.
The natural and organic formulas are more compatible with hair and skin substances. The ingredients that go into Amazônia Preciosa are extracted directly from nature, native forests or pesticide-free plantations, which are farmed sustainably, without damaging the environment. The packaging was designed with environmental protection in mind.
- Surya Color Fixation – Formulated to extend the color of dyed hair and to revitalize damaged hair to bring back shine. This line is enriched with plant proteins that nourish and repair hair scales to invigorate the hair and tame its volume, leaving it resilient and manageable.
The ingredients protect the hair and keep the color longer. It has a powerful formula enriched with Rice Protein, Cupuacu Butter, Buriti Oil, and 15 Herb and Natural Exotic Fruit Extracts from India and the Amazon forest. Products include Restorative Shampoo, Restorative Conditioner, Leave-in Conditioner, Restorative Hair Mask, Single Application Intensive Treatment and Restorative Serum.
- Surya Organic Fruits – The shampoo does not contain salt, while conditioners are free of mineral oils and parabéns. The products are Vegan Action certified, guaranteeing that they are not tested on animals and do not contain ingredients of animal origin.
- Sapien Men – Sapien Men is Surya Brasil’s first men’s cosmetic line, and the first men’s line in Brazil with Ecocert organic certification. It has a set of ingredients, fragrances and textures that suit men’s skin, hair and taste, and were designed to meet the chief demands of men for a cosmetic product: convenience that combines personal care and esthetics.
Its ingredients are gathered from nature with sustainability and respect for natural resources. It does not contain ingredients of animal origin and is not tested on animals. Sapien is an intelligent and modern choice for those who care about beauty, well-being and planet conservation.
- Surya Henna – Surya Brasil presents two options of this line. The Henna Powder is formulated with 100 percent plant ingredients, enriched with vitamins and nutrients. In addition to coloring, Surya Henna Powder also moisturizes, revitalizes and nourishes the hair. Surya Henna Cream is a new concept in hair coloring that combines hair color dye and plants that condition the hair while coloring.
It is semi-permanent and washes out. It is guaranteed to color gray hair and provides excellent tone and coverage. Common complaints among consumers using permanent dye products are that their hair feels dry and straw-like after coloring or they have some type of sensitive reaction. These are not complaints heard from consumers that have used Surya Brasil’s henna products! Since allergic reactions can happen, patch testing is always suggested. It is free from harmful ingredients like ammonia, peroxide, lead, PPD, and heavy metals.
- Surya Professional – This is the first hair color and treatment Professional Line that is 100 percent efficient. This line has cream and powder hair coloring and hair treatment products with nutritive shampoo and conditioner; hydrating mask and leave-in. It is free from harmful ingredients like ammonia, peroxide, lead, PPD, and heavy metals.
- Surya Tattoo – These are temporary tattoos that are 100 percent natural and vegetal composed with Jenipapo (the same plant used by Amazonian natives in tattoos), approved by the Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency. There are 4 thematic kits, each with many different designs to choose from: Extreme, Surf, Teen and Mystic.
- Hand Sanitizer – Organic Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer kills 99.9 percent of all known germs. Made with plant ingredients from Brazil and Ecocert certified.
Where can your products be purchased?
In the US, you can find Surya Brasil certified organic beauty products at health food stores, some drug stores and a few beauty supply stores. There are many online options including SuryaBrasilProducts.com. The website SuryaBrasil.com will have the English functional very soon.
Surya Brasil the Company
How do your company and products protect the environment?
When consumers use Surya Brasil products, the environmental impact is small as compared to conventional products, because of the high use of plant ingredients and use of few synthetic ingredients, not harmful to the consumer or the environment. All future launchings will be Ecocert Organic certified.
We strive to use the most recycled containers for our products. The “award-winning” pots for the Amazonia Preciosa face products are 100 percent biodegradable flasks with no chemical ingredients in their composition, and once discarded degrade naturally in eight months.
Our products are not tested on animals. As for animal origin ingredients, only the Henna Powder has honey, but we are studying a substitute ingredient. We are in process to certify all vegan products; many of them are already certified. Respecting animal rights is also respecting the environment.
We have a department dedicated to action for society and the environment called Surya Solidarity. Through this branch of the company, we do all sorts of environmental and sustainable projects. For example in 2004, we were part of the Brazilian Ecological Brooms that were exported to the United States. Each month, more than 2,000 of these brooms were manufactured in Brazil by “Tres Rios Cultural and Environmental Association” in Rio de Janeiro as part of its environmental education program which involves the selective collecting of waste.
Thanks to this initiative, the volume of bottles collected in Tres Rios increased, leaving the city cleaner and providing a number of jobs for the people. This year at Carnival we sponsored an animal rights float and encouraged all of the Carnival participants not to use bird feathers and animal ingredients in their floats. Our products are environmentally friendly in the use of plant ingredients with sustainability or in the social and environmental actions.
LoveToKnow would like to thank Clelia Angelon for taking the time for this interview. For more information on Surya Brasil, visit their website at SuryaBrasil.com or SuryaBrasilProducts.com.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 986 times. This page was last modified 03:41, 3 May 2009.
© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
Print this page
Follow ltk on twitter
Visit us on facebook