Annually, on June 1st, the world celebrates World Reef Awareness Day to create more conversations about the fragile system of our oceans' coral reefs. This event aims to unite people globally to come up with various ideas and techniques to protect ecosystems from deteriorating.
The recent years heard more alarm bells ringing about the status of our seas. Some of the most beneficial reefs have been diminishing because of coral blanching, rising ocean temperatures, and toxic pollution. Moreover, the use of harmful sunscreens and irresponsible tourism activities are also considered threats to the well-being of our planet.
These and more inspire Magwai, a local sustainable personal care brand, to make every day a great day to protect the waters within and beyond our archipelago as Filipinos.
In 2016, founders Czar Carbonel and Maffy Tamayo learned the grim reality behind the sunscreens that are widely available in the Philippines, a country that sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle.
"I was about to go on a beach trip so I tried looking for a reef-safe sunscreen in the Philippines, but couldn't find any. I was working in corporate advertising at that time and shared this with my colleague Maffy," shared Carbonel through an email interview.
"Incidentally, she also knew about the issue of chemical sunscreens being toxic to coral reefs and the inaccessibility of reef-safe sunscreens in the Philippines was also a frustration for her. So we decided to start MAGWAI to develop reef-safe sunscreen here locally to make it more accessible to Filipinos and tourists," she added.
Magwai's reef-safe sunscreen.
It took two years for Magwai to produce its first product as Carbonel and Tamayo were both working for their corporate jobs while pursuing their goal. "Since Maffy and I both had a background in corporate advertising, we had to team up with another co-founder who had expertise in product development, production, and FDA compliance," Carbonel revealed.
For the trio to produce a reef-safe product, they used non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as active ingredients. However, as expected, there were sacrifices in the name of their mission. One of them is a white cast appearing upon application on the skin.
"Our company strongly believes that personal care products should be sustainable without making people compromise," Carbonel shared. "Right now, we are working on making a better formulation that keeps the sunscreen reef-safe while also being enjoyable to use, so people don't have to choose between quality and sustainability."
Magwai makes sure that they are sending the message in every aspect of their connection with consumers, beyond the use of their products. Colorful and meaningful designs were used to make the experience of using Magwai items a definite chance to think about our seas and environment.
"Our branding and packaging design took inspiration from the vibrant colors of the coral reefs, the marine ecosystem, and our goal of protecting their beauty. We also believe that eco-friendly products can be fun and colorful, breaking the stereotype that sustainability is always serious," Carbonel explained.
Aside from reef-safe sunscreen, Magwai also has shampoo bars, conditioner blends, and facial bars which are all 100% plastic-free alternatives to traditional products packaged in plastic bottles. Each of their quick-drying beach towels is made with 10 post-consumer plastic bottles, printed with all-natural dye. Currently, they use LDPE plastic tubes for their sunscreen, a type that is challenging to recycle, but they are on their way to finding more environmentally-friendly alternatives for their next production batches.
Magwai's quick-drying, colorful beach towel.
Magwai understands the limitations that they have amidst the mighty goals that they are pursuing to achieve. What keeps them going is focusing on their progress as an ocean-loving group, quantifying how much chemical and plastic pollution they were able to reduce through their products. Carbonel mentioned a US National Library of Medicine research as their inspiration to continuously work on their goals.
"Research shows that just one drop of oxybenzone in regular sunscreen can contaminate 6.5 Olympic-sized pools. By making our sunscreens reef-safe, we aim to reduce this pollution," the founder said. "We know that our way of measuring impact is still a work in progress. We understand the importance of analyzing the full value chain to better understand and address our environmental impact,"
Another step towards progress that they do is partnering with other organizations on the way to achieving their brand's dreams. Currently, they are taking care of their connections with social enterprise Plastic Flamingo and Green Antz Builders, Inc.
"We encourage our consumers to drop off their empty sunscreen tubes at the designated drop-off points of The Plastic Flamingo and Green Antz, two innovative organizations that help us upcycle empty and cleaned sunscreen tubes to be part of the circular economy," Carbonel proudly shared. MAGWAI is also a proud member of 1% for the Planet where the brand pledges to donate 1% of their sales to support ocean and marine conservation efforts.
In the future, the brand is looking forward to expanding the depth of its mission's reach. "We want to make our products available in more popular tourist destinations across the Philippines," Carbonel revealed, excited to spread the beauty of mindful consumption to more Filipinos.
"By practicing mindful consumption, we show care for both ourselves and the world we live in. This form of self-love involves making choices that align with our personal values and goals, bringing a sense of empowerment and purpose," she added.
Follow Magwai's journey here: https://www.magwai.com.ph/