Founded by naturopath Hannah, Hanami Cosmetics create cosmetics with natural plant based ingredients. Hanami’s range of products include; nail polishes, mineral cream blush, BB cream, lipsticks and more. Hannah is passionate about what she creates, and is committed to ensuring everything meets her ethical standards and values.
Read on to find out more about Hannah and the incredible business she has created, including her brand new Plant Polish!
When did you start Hanami?
I started Hanami in 2016 as a side project, I was already running a pretty full on small business of my own and working full time in another job. I had no idea it would become my ‘one and only’ after just a couple of months from launching.
What inspired you to start Hanami?
I had worked in the health food industry (as a naturopath, store manager, and sales rep) for over 10 years at the time that I started to create Hanami – I realised that there was a gap in the market when it came to ‘clean’ beauty products that were bright, bold, and fun to look at, which also ticked all of the ethical boxes that were super important to me as a consumer… so, I set out to do it myself.
You have just launched your brand new ‘Plant Polish’, congratulations! Tell us more about this new formula.
Thank you! It has always been my mission to create safer alternatives to commercial beauty products, and when Hanami first launched back in 2016 the nail polish range was ‘7 free’ meaning the harshest seven ingredients in the ‘traditional’ nail polish recipe were stripped out of the formula. In 2017 we found a way to remove even more of the troubling chemicals and moved to a ’10 free’ formula, but still I dreamt of finding a way to make Hanami nail polishes even ‘greener’—and last month we did just that with the new Plant Polish formula. It’s made from 82% naturally derived ingredients (such as corn, cotton, sugarcane and potato) – rather than petrochemicals. It is still breathable, water permeable, 10 free (non toxic), as well as certified vegan, cruelty free, and Australian made.
What aspect of your business do you enjoy most?
Creating new products, drawing up ideas for packaging, and also seeing what colours are trending on runways in the EU and US – as they are a couple of seasons ahead of us it is exciting to see what will be trending in Australia colour wise come the next summer or winter
What do you find most challenging?
My inbox! Do not start me…. it’s a mess, and the thing I least enjoy trying to organise. I’d rather be looking at pretty colours or testing out a new formula any day!
What keeps you motivated and inspired?
I focus on what makes me happy, and I reflect on this daily. I am motivated by a constant goal to keep improving and updating Hanami products to reach their ‘cleanest and greenest’ potential.
You have created an incredible range of non-toxic beauty products, do you have any favourites?
Haha it’s like trying to pick a favourite child (lucky I only have one, so at least that’s an easy decision)… ummm I would have to say our Super Soothie BB Cream (I wear ‘nude’ every day in every season) and on my nails I am usually sporting either Purple Rain or Tides.
Do you have a morning routine?
Yes, I love mornings. I always start with a very large stove brewed coffee with coconut oil, and chop up a big fruit salad with my 3 year old. We then sit down to scoff it, and play LEGO for a large part of the morning.
What’s your favourite way to unwind?
I absolutely LOVE Yin Yoga, I was so surprised at the immediate improvements I had in body and mind after I started doing it regularly. I’m also the world’s biggest fan of massage, though they are few and far between.
Your favourite quote?
‘Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.’
– LR Knost
View the full Hanami collection online here.