Our Philosophy

We believe clean and healthy skin, hair and teeth can be achieved with far fewer products, chemicals and complexity.

We’ve taken a radically simplified, back to basics, truly natural approach.

The problem: a "Personal Care Industrial Complex" exists.

Typical personal care products are fraught with unhealthy and unnecessary chemicals. Mainstream brands promote too many products, while advertisers & the media perpetuate misinformation about body care & grooming.

The reality is — the mainstream approach to personal care and grooming is out of control. If you believe the hype, then in order to have clean and healthy teeth, gums, skin and hair you need tons of products - the more you spend the better you will be - and it’s ok to douse yourself with a wide array of weird sounding synthetic chemicals. In this industry more is more – the more I pay, the better it is, the more I use the better I will be. There is nothing normal about what has become “the norm”.

Ask yourself, is the cumulative burden of all these chemicals we’re absorbing through our skin and mouth worth it? (not to mention the impact on our environment) Does it make sense to follow daily rituals and use products that can wage war on our body’s natural and complex microbiomes? Are we getting healthier skin, teeth and hair in the process? Do we really need to follow daily routines requiring so many products? Enough!

In the face of this, we take an outsider’s approach and show a simpler, healthier, smarter way.

“Akamai’s philosophy is music to the ears of non-toxic beauty advocates and minimalists alike.” —Treehugger 

Our approach is rooted in the following 10 principles:

1. Use the transdermal effect to improve health, choosing ingredients that are naturally rich in bioavailable nutrients, especially minerals (since we are all deficient).
   
   
2. Don't use synthetic chemicals. Sometimes even naturally derived ones can be harmful.
   
   
3. Design highly effective products that are multipurpose that anyone and everyone can use (not gender specific). Not as a tricky marketing move, rather as a sensible, practical thing to do.
   
   
4. Support our body's skin, hair & oral microbiomes. No overuse of anything (including essential oils). Leverage and support our body’s abilities to regulate and heal itself.
   
   
5. Use only time-tested, nourishing, natural ingredients. Whole form, minimally processed, food grade to retain nutrients and bioavailability.
   
   
6. Use the fewest number of ingredients possible. While still being highly effective.
   
   
7. Every ingredient has a real purpose and impact. No hype, no fillers, no "chemistry"; more like cooking a nourishing meal.
   
   
8. Offer fewer products. Versus an array of single purpose and nonessential.
   
   
9. Question authority, marketing and current advice. Use the wisdom of the past and get back to basics. Read labels, question ingredients. Use common sense and trust your gut. Seek out good science that does not wage war on wellbeing.
   
   
10. Simplify protocols and routines — less is more. We only need the basics, the rest is fluff.
    
    

“Make it as simple as possible but no simpler.” —Albert Einstein 

Take action

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

We know far too many people who have passed away from c@ncer, or who have battled and won, at great cost to themselves and their family. While genetics do play a small role, our lifestyle choices and environment have a profound effect on our overall health.

The choices you make every day increase or decrease your chances of maintaining good health - the products you choose to clean your house, the furnishings and cookware you choose, the personal care products you use to protect you from the sun, moisturize and clean your body, the food and meals you buy and consume, the water you drink, the air you breathe. These choices add up.

Maintaining overall health is the greatest concern and exposure to toxic chemicals can have adverse effects, whether small or large.

Join us and the EWG to spread the word about toxic chemicals in personal care. Read more at EWG’s website.

A few milestones

Using Business as a Force for Good

We are a B Corporation and donate 1% of sales to cause-based organizations.

We are committed to a higher standard of business. As a benefit corporation, we legally prioritize social and environmental impact alongside financial goals.

By choosing us, you're supporting a company that values people, the environment, and ethical practices.

In addition, we donate 1% of our sales to high-impact, grassroots, nonprofits dedicated to supporting healthy minds, bodies and our planet. Learn more...

“Startup Akamai is on a mission to get people to wash less.”  —The Guardian