Winona Tan: Sustainable and Socially-conscious Skincare

Singaporean ethical skincare brand WANT is one of the forerunners of the sustainable and socially-conscious beauty movement. Local founder Winona Tan sources organic and fair trade ingredients from local communities and women co-operatives in Bali (Indonesia) and Benin (Africa) to create a range of handmade beauty products that are natural, sustainable and cruelty-free. We sat down with Winona to find out more about WANT.

You used to work in the IT industry. What led you on the path of wanting to create your own beauty brand?
I quit my job and moved to HK. During that time, I was switching to natural skincare products but realised that there is a lack of 100% natural skincare. One night, I had the "Aha" moment. Starting something on my own had always been a dream so it all happened very organically.  




What challenges have you faced creating, producing and sourcing ingredients for your natural beauty products?
Being a small company, it is hard to find suppliers who will sell at small quantities. Creating products is actually the fun part but finding the ingredients can be daunting especially when it has to be organic and fair trade too. That always means the cost is much higher than usual.

A big part of the W.ANT DNA is about being more ethical. Tell us a little more.
At WANT, beauty isn’t just about the appearance. Looking good should not be at the expense of animals being tortured and farmers earning a measly amount for the hard work they put in to grow their crops. Ingredients used in our products are sustainably sourced and products are only tested on humans. WANT has recently switched from plastic bottles to glass bottles to reduce plastic use and to encourage reuse and refills of the bottles.

You've been in business 4 years now and customers love your products. How has their feedback helped you grow your business?
Customers’ feedback is everything as new products and changes are made as to what they WANT. It has certainly helped to build better customer relationships, which is essential in any business.  



What's a typical morning skincare routine for you?
Instead of cleansing my skin, I mist my skin with The Facial Spritzer to ‘wake up’.  Reason being that I had The Face Oil the night before as an overnight mask. I then roll on The Eye Oil and massage The Face Oil all over my face and neck.

And your night regime?
I remove daily grime and make up on my face with Beet This Honey Cleanser. I double cleanse with it as it is a gentle cleanser. I follow up with The Facial Spritzer as a toner. Then I use 5 drops of The Face Oil all over my face and neck as a moisturiser and overnight mask. This leaves my skin super soft and supple the next morning.