Sustainable Beauty Luminary: Attila Koronczay and Eminence Organic Skin Care
Attila Koronczay is the co-owner and General Manager of Eminence Organic Skin Care, a spa-grade skincare company that employs sustainable farming and green practices to craft natural, organic, and Biodynamic® products. A recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, Attila has helped Eminence achieve the distinction of being the first professional skincare company in Canada to attain certification as a B Corporation. This certification underscores the company's dedication to upholding high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and ethical accountability.
The journey of Eminence Organic Skin Care began with a personal experience within the Koronczay family. Attila grew up witnessing his younger brother's battle with a rare form of leukemia. In response, their mother and grandmother turned to crafting natural homemade products and incorporating organic foods to aid in his recovery. This transformative experience kindled a deep appreciation for the potential of natural ingredients. While Attila pursued civil engineering, absorbing strategic and organizational knowledge, his brother Boldijarre pursued his passion for esthetics, eventually culminating in the establishment of Eminence Organic Skin Care – a company firmly rooted in the healing power of nature.
Growing up in Budapest, Hungary, and later moving to Vancouver, Canada, how have your cultural backgrounds influenced the formulation and ethos of Eminence Organic Skin Care?
To this day, the majority of Eminence products are formulated in Hungary, a country with a unique culture focused on holistic health. For centuries, Hungary has been known as a wellness destination due to its abundance of thermal baths, fertile soil, and leadership in organic agriculture. There's also a focus on athletics that begins at a very young age and continues throughout adulthood.
Estheticians in Hungary are highly trained and incorporate not only the abundant fresh organic produce into their treatments but also train in many traditional rejuvenation techniques to support the overall wellness of their clients. At Eminence, we still value these techniques, especially when used alongside products that incorporate generations of traditional craftsmanship unique to Hungary.
As a skincare brand owner, what challenges did you face when introducing the concept of natural and organic skincare to the North American market in the late 1990s?
There were many challenges. For years, my brother and I were so broke that we helped with building renovations in exchange for rent. It’s easy to hear the story of bringing these products from Hungary and think Eminence was an overnight success, but that’s simply not true. Consumers didn’t understand the benefits of natural, organic and biodynamic the way they do now, so it required dedication to our mission and a lot of education about the potency of our organic ingredients and the amazing potential that they held for skin care.
Eminence Organic Skin Care has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. How do you ensure that all offices and warehouses are dedicated to green practices, and what steps have you taken to minimize the company's environmental impact?
We believe every business has to protect and heal the earth. After all, we want future generations to enjoy our planet just as much as their ancestors. At Eminence, we prioritize environmental sustainability through every part of our business and our offices and facilities physically represent our commitment to sustain our planet.
Here's just a few examples of the specific ways we run a sustainability-focused business:
We offset electricity used at our facilities and support office with clean, renewable power and solar panels on the roof.
Our offices were designed with large windows and skylights for optimum natural light and include LED lights, eco-preferred timers, and motion sensors.
We used many other eco-friendly materials in the construction of our support office, including carpet tiles containing 60% recycled materials and non-toxic paint with low VOC chemicals.
All appliances and electronics installed in our facilities are energy efficient.
We provide sortable waste disposal for our team members, including a section for compostable materials.
To reduce the environmental impact of our supply chain we utilize hybrid vehicles fueled with biodiesel from recycled household vegetable oil.
Product packaging includes recycled or recyclable materials, FSC-certified paper, and eco-friendly vegetable inks.
Our shipping boxes are made from reused or recycled materials, and we use biodegradable packing chips made from corn.
92% of our employees receive a green transportation benefit because they walk, bike or take public transit to work.
Lastly, our most popular ongoing green initiative is called Forests for the Future. We created this program in 2012 with Trees for a Future, an organization that has helped us plant a tree for every product we sell. Along with planting trees, this initiative also funds programs that provide a sustainable source of food and income for families in need. Our employees can contribute to Forests for the Future through wellness-focused internal initiatives that support the well-being of our employees and further contribute to the amazing impact this program has for communities in need around the world.
Forest for the Future just celebrated a new milestone - 24 million trees planted!
In the ever-evolving world of skincare and beauty, how does Eminence Organic Skin Care stay ahead of the curve when it comes to ingredient research and product development?
The skin care industry is constantly evolving, so to continue being leaders we hire passionate industry experts in botanical formulation. We also prioritize education for our Team-members and our spa partners to ensure they understand how our products work and why our novel formulations are so efficacious. As a company, we're incredibly proud of the level of education that we offer Spa Partners and they have recognized us by voting us their favorite company for product education 14 years in a row.
Eminence Organic Skin Care has a loyal and dedicated customer base. What do you believe sets the brand apart from others in the industry, and how do you ensure that your customers' needs and expectations are met?
At Eminence, we consider our spa partners an extension of our team and therefore play a key role in supporting the wellness of their businesses every day. This includes our passion for education and customer service, along with the premium and highly efficacious products we provide their estheticians and spa clients. As I mentioned earlier, this education is highly awarded and has been recognized by spa professionals as the best education program in the professional skin care industry for 14 years in a row.
While other professional skin care companies are reducing the size of their teams and shifting their businesses online, we continue to offer a one-of-a-kind level of in-person service and education only possible with one of the biggest support teams in the industry. This is what enables our spa partners to truly succeed. Look, it’s no secret that brick-and-mortar businesses like our spa partners have had an especially challenging few years, but we’ve experienced first-hand the positive impact that our teams’ daily commitment to their businesses has had.
Can you share any exciting upcoming projects, collaborations, or product launches that Eminence Organic Skin Care fans can look forward to?
We are all excited to launch our Bakuchiol + Niacinamide Collection, which will include a deeply smoothing and hydrating Bakuchiol + Niacinamide Moisturizer and a Radiant Protection SPF Fluid. Both of these feature multi-functional ingredients to smooth, hydrate and protect the skin without any of the adverse side effects typically seen with other products addressing concerns associated with aging, like retinol.
Bakuchiol is a powerful botanical ingredient comparable to conventional retinol. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that helps strengthen the skin and create visible luminosity very quickly. These products work together with other key botanicals to gently diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles without irritation, dryness or UV sensitivity while hydrating the skin, minimizing the pores and targeting uneven skin texture to maintain luminous skin.
As a successful entrepreneur and skincare expert, what advice would you give to individuals aspiring to start their own natural and organic skincare brands?
Resilience is a critical part of being a successful entrepreneur. My brother and I faced countless challenges while building Eminence Organic Skin Care into the company it is today. What helped us was surrounding ourselves with vendors, partners, and people that we trusted and shared our vision. It may sound cliché, but having a dream you believe in and being surrounded by people who support your dream will help you face your toughest challenges and continue to grow your business. We wouldn’t be where we are today without incredibly talented and dedicated staff. Boldijarre and I are so grateful for their passionate dedication to our brand.
Lastly, what legacy do you hope to leave with Eminence Organic Skin Care, both in terms of the brand's impact on the skincare industry and its contribution to the environment and community?
As a business owner and father, I hope that I can leave the world a little better for future generations. That’s why our commitment to sustain our planet and support our communities is so important to me. From our Eminence Certified Organic Farm in Hungary or our B Corp Certification, I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved so far. But I’m even prouder that we are always thinking about what’s next as we continue growing our vision of being a global skin care company delivering world-class products & services at every touchpoint, while sustaining our planet and supporting our communities.
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