In partnership with By Beth
What does it truly mean to be clean and conscious? With the world the way it is, and with the growing prevalence of greenwashing in the beauty industry, it's this question that Beth Levis, founder of ingestible collagen label By Beth, continues to ask herself.
Before dreaming up what would become a cult wellness product, Beth Levis was inundated with examples of what clean and conscious beauty does not look like. The founder had been on a long search to soothe her dry and flaking skin, and after endless prescriptions, holistic recommendations and topical treatments, she finally came across ingestible collagen — the first thing that made a difference to how her skin looked and felt.
But there was a catch: every brand of collagen she tried simply did not align with her commitment to sustainability, nor her belief that beauty should be above all, clean and conscious. Whether it was the use of marine collagen — which involves fishing that is normally untraceable — the plastic packaging, or the fact that none of these products were made in her homeland, in Australia, individually all of these issues signalled that there was a dire need for a more conscious approach to collagen.
Flash forward to 2021 and By Beth is on the scene. From the outset, Beth Levis was adamant that anything she created would be uncompromising in its commitment to sustainability, which, as she noted in her recent conversation for RUSSH Weekend, is one of the blessings of starting your own brands "from scratch".
As a consumer this dedication is immediately evident in the design of her bovine collagen range. That green vessel, plastic-free and made from UV-protected glass to preserve the active ingredients within. The soy-ink printed labels. A wooden lid to seal in freshness, and paper packaging that's FSC certified. That's a lot of work for one jar. But Levis says it's worth it, and we can't help but agree. Each jar is designed to be refilled and enjoyed for life — even the refillable pouches have been thoughtfully crafted, using compostable film so that they too can return to the earth. While the travel pouches are created from bamboo, a regenerative and versatile plant.
But that's only scratching the surface. A large focus of the By Beth ethos is that the label should be actively supporting local Australian industries. Not only to fortify and contribute to the economy, but this practice to ensure complete transparency over the By Beth supply chain; including how the ingredients are farmed, who they're farmed by and how these people are treated.
It's this hands on approach that means Levis can make changes when things aren't working the way they should. Take for example, the harsh droughts imposed on farmers. By Beth solely incorporates 100% bovine collagen into its products, sourcing the ingredient from pasturerised, grass-fed cattle. But in the instance of droughts, Beth Levis can seek an alternative in our friendly neighbour New Zealand to supplement supplies until the brand can return to its original methods of operation.
Beth Levis' dedication to transparency is such that she meets with every single one of her producers, including those farming the native botanicals — like Quandong, Muntries and Strawberry Gum — that are combined into the bovine collagen formula. In her conversation for RUSSH Weekend, Levis shares a memory of meeting with her Davidson Plum producer — an antioxidant rich fruit endemic to Bundjalung and Ngarabal country — where after a morning of hand-picking the fruit, the woman cooked Davidson Plum pikelets for both Levis and her daughter.
It's these moments of intimacy and connection that go into By Beth the brand. A commitment to community, fostering a transparent supply chain, and to using only quality, local ingredients, are at the foundation of the business. Which, as Beth Levis points out, should be the bare minimum for collagen brands, let alone the wellness and beauty industries more broadly.
You can revisit Beth Levis in conversation with Rebecca Harding for RUSSH Weekend, below.
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Find the complete range of By Beth collagen products on the brand's website.
