It’s a shame, really, how public perception can make people take decisions detrimental to themselves. Decades of relentless consumerism and marketing in the cosmetic industry has enforced the opinion that self-care is an entirely feminine affair; if a man is shown to be overly concerned with the health of his skin or the texture of his hair, that behaviour is regarded as “unmasculine” and it is socially acceptable to berate such behaviour. True, it is extremely unfortunate how the cosmetic industry has made self-care into a perfection-obsessed competition, but it is equally unfortunate how some people have taken this as a sign that all self-care is superficial and self-obsessed.

YellowBerry has been a woman-led venture from its inception — a rarity in the male-dominated business world — and, as such, has been self-aware of the need for equal opportunity and access. Our hiring practices are anti-discriminatory and inclusive, with all genders contributing to the process of bringing you the best that organic self-care has to offer. We believe that no matter your gender, you have the right to employment, to healthcare, to education, and to self-care and personal wellbeing.

As YellowBerry emphasises equality behind the brand, so do we promote it in our customer base. Our products are not exclusive to women because self-care is not exclusive to women. Men face similar, if not equal, problems. Acne, dandruff, hair loss, stress and anxiety — all men are inflicted with some concern or the other. So why does society ask them to ignore their own bodies? Why are men expected to repress any signs of stress? Why are the standards for self-care so extreme and opposite for both genders?

To be fair, it is a hard balance to achieve, given the slippery slope of social media. We are bombarded with images of so-called perfection, impossible standards that set in envy, insecurities and inferiority complexes. Both genders are caught in consumerist cycles of feeling inadequate, buying anything that promises to “fix” us and then being told it still wasn’t enough — we have to do more, buy more, never be complacent, always be consuming.

The values of YellowBerry stand against this vicious and self-destructive culture. Our products are not marketed according to gender, nor do we claim beauty and glamour as the end-goal of our brand. Instead, we are concerned with health of our customers, whether physical, mental or spiritual.

We try our utmost to ensure our products are not harmful in the long term by shunning synthetic ingredients and processes.

We look at skincare and haircare through the lenses of health and quality of life, instead of cosmetic ones.

We strive to address common problems through scientific scrutiny and effectiveness, instead of feeding the monster of mass commercialism.

And, finally, we believe that self-care is unisex and are eager to promote this new ideal for our customers and society at large.

We hope that being a part of YellowBerry World means being a part of an inclusive, respecting and equal community where we all believe in self-care as a human right.