Gemma Hirano is the CEO of Japan’s first vegan skincare brand “Unnaturally Natural”. During university, a friend of hers had a bad skin reaction to a skincare product and that’s when she realized how difficult skincare is, especially when trying to find the products that are right for your own skin. This led her down the road of skincare where she eventually launched Unnaturally Natural.
The story behind the name is that not all natural ingredients are good for the skin. Just because something says natural does not mean we should be putting it on our bodies. By combining natural ingredients with unnatural ones that are also good for the skin, we end up with a product that utilizes the best of both, and that is how the name Unnaturally Natural came to be.
As a vegan skincare brand, there is no animal testing and no animal derived ingredients in the skincare itself. Gemma herself is also vegan so she does her best to incorporate these values into her products. Unnaturally Natural is the first skincare in Japan to have the vegan certification mark on their products.
Photo Credits
Photographer: Sayo Miyamoto
Hair & Make-Up: Nozomi Mikami
Styling: Miyuki Kudo
Models: Erika Ishibashi, Sayo Miyamoto, Miyuki Kudo,
Nanami Kaneko, Wakako Yamana, Nana Ota and Ulala Mikami
Special Thanks: Women of the Earth
The environment is also something Gemma is passionate about so she makes sure that all her products are as sustainable as possible. Unnaturally Natural’s packaging is made up of recycled materials and they use water ink when printing labels. All the paper they use is certified wood free and they are constantly looking for new ways to improve and be kinder to the environment.
I absolutely love the Unnaturally Natural Instagram page @unnaturallynatural_official. They post so much about not only their products but information about veganism and the environment as well. It’s really amazing to see them use their platform to spread helpful information and to help keep people informed about what’s going on in the world and how we can help just by simply choosing a different skincare brand. Unnaturally Natural is also very open about what ingredients are in their products and list out the reasons for why they chose that ingredient, and that kind of transparency is also something I really respect about this brand.
Photo Credits
Photographer: Sayo Miyamoto
Hair & Make-Up: Nozomi Mikami
Styling: Miyuki Kudo
Models: Erika Ishibashi, Sayo Miyamoto, Miyuki Kudo,
Nanami Kaneko, Wakako Yamana, Nana Ota and Ulala Mikami
Special Thanks: Women of the Earth
Gemma’s goal with this brand is to break the stereotype that clean, ethical, sustainable, vegan skincare is expensive. She says that the definition of luxury isn’t the price, it’s the quality. She also hopes her brand will become a catalyst in spreading more vegan skincare in Japan. Her future goal is to open up a store in the United States and for Unnaturally Natural to become a well known skincare brand. Her parents have supported her a lot during her journey and she hopes to be able to repay them for all the encouragement they’ve given her. Gemma also wishes to support young girls here in Japan. Gemma herself was told once by a teacher that she wouldn’t have many opportunities because she’s a woman. Clearly she is proving them wrong.
I was graciously gifted three of the Unnaturally Natural’s products: The Treatment Lotion, a cream skin toner, The Vitamin C Oil Essence, a glow serum, and The Hydrate Rescue Cream Moisturizer, a face moisturizer. These are the same three products we, Women of the Earth, were gifted to use for this photoshoot. I have nothing but good things to say about these products. They all smell absolutely amazing and they look so cute next to each other! Just seeing them on the counter makes me excited to use them! My personal favorite is the toner, it feels so good and absorbs quickly without leaving any residue which is something that’s important to me as my eczema tends to flare up when a product is too thick.
We as Women of the Earth we’re honored to be able to shoot with Unnaturally Natural’s products. Unnaturally Natural’s philosophy and values lined up with ours and we were happy to collaborate with them. I’m happy to report that vegan skincare is starting to rise in Japan thanks to Unnaturally Natural.
Photo Credits
Photographer: Sayo Miyamoto
Hair & Make-Up: Nozomi Mikami
Styling: Miyuki Kudo
Models: Erika Ishibashi, Sayo Miyamoto, Miyuki Kudo,
Nanami Kaneko, Wakako Yamana, Nana Ota and Ulala Mikami
Special Thanks: Women of the Earth
