Anna Covelli, a partner of Ringana talks about her involvement in 100% pure and freshly produced, free of chemicals skincare products.
Anna was born in Italy but moved to Austria when she was 18 to study education, focused on stability and social change. She is passionate about the plant-based lifestyle and the concept of holistic health.
Anna is a mindfulness and meditation coach and specializes in vegan nutrition. She is the author of HEALTHY vegan BAKING, published in English and German.
Since last year, she has been working as a partner for RINGANA, a company that has been producing fresh, sustainable, and ethical cosmetics products since 1996. RINGANA products are made from 100% pure and fresh ingredients in Austria with no chemicals and microplastics.
In this interview, we will focus on Anna’s work at RINGANA.
Can you share your story about how you started working for RINGANA?
It was actually during the time when I was moving to Austria that I faced a lot of internal battles about what I wanted to do in my life and what I wanted to achieve with my work.
As I was asking these questions, I was also changing my daily habits because I realized that every action of mine affects the environment, the system I live in, and the people I work with.
So, the year 2018 was like the first rolling stone— I became vegan. I became choosy about what I was eating, especially focusing on nutrition. Then I followed into wanting to know more about how my food is produced, then serially into the transportation system I am using, the clothes I am wearing, and the things I am putting on my skin. So basically, every question I was asking myself was pushing me further to maintain a sustainable life that doesn’t harm our environment.
At some point, when I put all the pieces together, I realized that Sustainability is the field I want to work in but I was looking for a way to make an impact.
And then Covid hit, and I slipped into an eating disorder. At one point, I could not feel myself any more. In the healing process that followed over the last few years, I noticed that skincare for me was self-care. It ended up becoming a huge part of connecting with myself again. That’s how I started as a partner at RINGANA, selling vegan and sustainable skincare cosmetics.
What kinds of products do you have? And why is it good for the environment?
Our products are made from organic farming ingredients and natural essential oils. We specialize in skincare and all the products can be found on our website.
Our service is built with three pillars. First, care for humans—because if we think about our skin, everything we put on our skin goes directly into our blood system. So, we must be conscious of that. We do not use any hormones, plastic, or alcohol. So, it is a 100% active substance. The products’ freshness is our unique selling point.
Also, the people who work in the company get a vegan meal every day. We also support various social projects that support the labour rights of people with disabilities.
The second pillar is the animal aspect. All the products are vegan and we do not test our products on animals.
The third pillar is the environment. We don’t use plastic in packaging but the glass for the products. For outside packaging, we use GMO-free corn pops, so you can literally eat the packaging.
We also have a reuse concept in place. That means once you buy 10 products, you send the package back and you get one product for free.
Since the products are free of chemicals, how long do they last?
We use our patented technique to airtight the bottles with a specific air pump system. So, even when you open the product to use it, there’s no air going inside. Once you open the products, they’re good for three months.
What made you attracted to this company?
We have currently around 100,000 partners. I love working with them because sustainability right now is a very trendy world, right? And what I love is that the founders thought about building a sustainable business already in 1996. At that time, you know, nobody talked about sustainability. They still managed to do this. It’s amazing.
What I also like is we are always thinking about innovation, like finding new systems and new lines. For example, some months ago, we launched baby products. So, we always do our best to meet the customer’s demand.
Two weeks ago, we started the business in Mexico, but it will be opened in October this year. That will cover the American market.
What are the challenges the business is facing right now?
As I said, all the ingredients we use come from nature. So that means sometimes we don’t have one of the ingredients and that automatically means the product is not available. It’s a challenge to bring this message to the customers but we must go on with this cycle of nature. I think that is the biggest challenge for us at the moment.
Have you noticed any interesting public perception about these kinds of products?
I think people love the freshness and as I am also a regular user, I know what they mean. You can literally feel the freshness on your skin. Also, the packaging is very clean and transparent. I think our customers love that as well.
Any last few words for people starting a company?
Be human and be real because even though AI has gained lots of attention, people still want to work with people. Show yourself how you are and it’s okay to show the weakness.
It’s one thing to make use of different opportunities but don’t push yourself too hard. Look after yourself and think about where you can make a difference. Be grateful for the people around you.
Visit previous interviews with other Green Initiatives.
