Since the UN released its report emphasizing the dangers of global warming, sustainability has become a leading issue for almost every industry across the globe. In the beauty world, UAE fragrance brand Arcadia is leading the way.
The brand’s founder, Amna Habtoor, has made her perfumes cruelty, paraben and chemical free since 2017. Now, she’s taking things to the next level. Habtoor has ditched her cardboard packaging and opted for pouches made from recycled materials sourced from the UAE. She’s also decidedly introduced bags made from recycled paper and fabric.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3olKegHJTR/
Why? “Climate change is everyone’s issue,” she says. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to make changes, no matter how “minor”. Even if the changes Arcadia is making are miniscule on a global scale, it’s still something.”
With the new packaging, Arcadia has become multi-purposed too. “We’ve factored that in a lot of what we do as a brand, especially since Arcadia is all about treasuring memories. Our pouches can be used to keep jewellery, coins or anything really,” she adds.
Habtoor, who became a certified perfumer after studying at the Cotswolds Perfumery in England, has always been conscious of Arcadia’s footprints. Aside from making sure the perfumes were free from harmful ingredients and are environmentally-friendly, she made sure they were also free of societal and gender norms from the get-go: all of Arcadia’s fragrances are unisex.
With the recent sustainable relaunch, Habtoor’s brand now ticks all the right boxes for conscious consumers. And her commitment to both sociological and ecological matters that ultimately skyrocketed Arcadia into immediate success.
“We have gone from strength-to-strength and emerged as one of the leading perfumeries in the region,” she proudly says on Arcadia’s success in the region. But Habtoor doesn’t want to stop there. Her plans include taking the label to global heights. “We wanted to take the expertise garnered in the last two years and expand our footprint internationally to meet the demand from around the world,” she admits.
