Cover Story _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
in our DNA since inception,” Carlton begins.“ We simply believe there is a better way than using synthetic ingredients and we’ ve invested heavily in proving it. By working closely with our suppliers to find organic alternatives to conventional ingredients, we’ ve been able to ensure our products not only feel amazing, but they deliver real, clinically proven results.” An example of this is retinol – a derivative of Vitamin A – which is hugely popular in the beauty industry today.“ We use a plant-derived retinal, sourced from sea algae. It performs the same way but stays true to our values.”
Tropic holds multiple key accreditations including Cruelty Free International, Vegan Society and Cosmos certification, assuring customers that none of its ingredients are tested on animals nor animal derived.“ We also work with Provenance, which traces the full lifecycle of our ingredients right back to the source,” Carlton continues.“ Using a product’ s batch code, you can track an ingredient all the way to the farmer who grew it – showing that they are fairly paid, the farming practices are certified organic and that everything we claim on-pack is independently verified. There is a meaningful difference between saying you use organic ingredients and having that claim certified by an external body.”
Carlton describes Tropic’ s business strategy as‘ community commerce’ and favors this model over more traditional direct sales, due to its alignment with the company’ s ethos.“ In many ways, the model is an extension of how Susie started on the market stall – demonstrating products and allowing the public to experience them firsthand,” he notes.“ We have over 20,000 Tropic Ambassadors who visit people’ s homes, let them try the products and really experience the brand. Today, 95 percent of our business is sold through this incredible community of Ambassadors across
30