Impact
Our foundation is rooted in a strong belief that businesses must play a key role in solving the big challenges of the world and create long lasting change. We are a small player on the market but believe we can make a difference. It starts with being transparent so that you can make conscious choices for you and your family. Below we have gathered some key choices that we have made along the way.
Sharing experiences
Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do. We believe in honest, straightforward communication and want to engage in dialogue with potential and existing users from all walks of life. We understand that everyone's hair journey is different, and we are here to provide support, guidance, and inclusive hair care solutions for all.
Growing self-esteem
We do not like the term "normal" which is often used when it comes to hygiene and beauty products. Hair comes in all forms and expressions. What is normal is relative. Although "normal" is used to describe what is typical for a group, it often makes those who are not typical feel excluded. Instead, we want to talk about variations and diversity and celebrate all the wonderful shapes and expressions that hair can have. Being happy and knowing how to care for your hair plays a big role in your confidence and self-esteem.
At Rufs, we like to highlight three things that we have a positive impact on self-esteem and self-confidence:
- Representation - the importance of showing different hair types so people can see and identify themselves
- Supply and availability of suitable products
- Knowledge of how to best take care of your hair
This belief is reflected in our vision; “Growing hair esteem for generations to come and our mission “detangle and help kids embrace their hair the way it is”.
Dermatologically tested
The skin is the largest organ of the body and it protects us from external factors like bacterias. Young kids have extra sensitive skin and many people worldwide suffer from asthma and allergies. That is why we have chosen to develop our products without harmful or skin irritating ingredients. All products have undergone dermatological testing by an external authorized body according to the European Commission Directives 2001/20/EC and 2005/28/EC and the COLIPA Guidelines.
Fragrance free
Fragrance and perfume lurk in many cosmetic products causing both contact allergies on the skin as well as breathing issues. Knowing this, plus our own experiences with dry and eczema prone skin that is extra vulnerable to damages to the skin barrier, we decided to formulate our products without fragrance/perfume.
Made in Sweden
Our products are developed and produced in Sweden because we value the proximity to production and the high-quality standards that Sweden stands for. We carefully select ingredients both from Sweden and around the world, according to desired properties, such as shea butter which is fantastic for detangling and moisturizing hair and skin. We chose our production partner carefully, ensuring that they matched our values. Our producer, an industry leader, has more than 50 years of experience from skin, hair and pharmaceuticals and abides to high European Union regulatory, ethical and environmental standards.
PACKAGING
Product containers
After evaluating various packaging materials, considering factors like safety, CO2 emissions, circularity, and reduction of materials used, we came to a strategy that we are proud to stand behind. It included choosing renewable materials whenever possible and recyclable materials. We stay up to date with the technological development materials and seek to become a regenerative business. In regard to color, we opted for an undyed matte white finish with text in laser printing on the containers after having understood the environmental impact of dying materials.
Tubes
Our tubes are made from green PE (bio-based polyethylene), derived from renewable sugar cane. This material, also called green plastic, stores CO2, has low emissions. The sugar cane is sourced responsibly from Brazil, ensuring it doesn't compete with food production. The material is used for food packaging. At present, the cap is made from conventional plastic due to limited sourcing options.
Spray bottle
The spray bottles are made of 100% recycled plastic from the Netherlands. It is not completely smooth but may have a few dark spots precisely because the entire bottle is recycled. The cork, on the other hand, we could not currently get our hands on in recycled plastic.
E-commerce packaging
We are mindful about excessive packaging. The e-commerce boxes are customized to fit our most common sales combinations to avoid shipping air. The boxes are made in Sweden from FSC cardboard and should be recycled as paper.