Founder Spotlight - Jenni Tuominen of Henua
Growing up in the countryside of Finland has given Jenni Tuominen a particular affinity to the ingredients she uses in her organic skincare brand, Henua. From an early age, she learned to value ingredients that her abundant backyard had to offer like birch sap, pine bark, sea buckthorn, lingonberry and oat. These traditional Nordic resources have been used for centuries for wellbeing and health.
Even the name of her brand - Henua - an old dialect word from where she grew up, meaning "an exclusive feeling, like when you are in love, cuddling and kissing" aptly represents the skincare collection she launched in 2017 with her sister, Anu. She wanted to create a skincare collection that loved and cherished the skin like no other brand had ever done.
It all started from her own skin issues. She had been working in the beauty industry for years, graduated as a cosmetologist, and never really questioned the ingredients in the products she was using until her own skin started react. That's when her path to natural and organic skincare started. Jenni wanted to broaden her expertise by studying skincare formulations, natural ingredients and skin biology, and really found her passion. And so the idea was born to create Henua, a high-performing skincare line made up of only active ingredients.
The main ingredients Tuominen uses are...
BIRCH SAP
Birch sap is nature´s own supercharged vitamin water. It has the ability to reduce inflammation. It also hydrates, detoxifies, boosts cell regeneration and gives a glowy complexion.
PINE BARK EXTRACT
Pine bark extract has been shown to boost production of the collagen. it is safe, effective way to reduce visible signs of aging like age spots, wrinkles, sun damage and fine lines.
SEA BUCKTHORN
Sea Buckthorn is high in vitamin C and vitamin E. it has nourishing and rejuvenating effects on your skin, and it can also help to heal burns, sunburn, rashes, and other types of skin damage.
Has transparency and sustainability always been a priority for you as a brand founder?
Absolutely yes! We have nothing to hide. We want our customers to understand from which ingredients the products are made of, so on our products, there are English translations after the latin names. And there is, of course, every single ingredient listed, not hiding anything under the name “parfume”. Sustainability is actually quite naturally ingrained into our traditional lifestyle in Finland, and the recycling methods are one of the bests in the world. So for us being sustainable is a no-brainer, and an absolute priority.
What is it about the beauty industry that inspires you?
Beauty industry is an inspiring place that gives me a chance to help and serve others. It is also, especially in Indie beauty sector, full of empowering women (and men) and people who are true to themselves, that I love to look up to – they inspire me.
What is your personal beauty credo?
Keep it simple! Simply put, skin needs a rest, it needs to breathe, and it needs to restore its natural health. If we constantly disrupt that process with tons of products that alter skin's natural regeneration mechanism, we might end up doing more harm than good, to a point where the skin no longer knows how to properly restore itself. Simplifying the skincare routine will help prevent any overreactions and support skin’s ability to repair and rejuvenate on its own. Also, I think the simplicity is in our DNA here in Scandinavia. We want maximum effort with minimum steps!
Who or what influenced your thoughts on beauty growing up?
I was obsessed with MTV, so that was definitely a big influencer for me when I was growing up. But at the same time, I grew up in a small town, so natural beauty was always there – no need to cover and bake the face to hide nor to be something you are not.
How do you practice self-care?
Self-care for me not only means taking care of my skin (simple skincare routine), but walking in nature, trying to keep my mind out of stress, eating clean and just loving myself the way I am ( which is the most hardest part).
What has been the biggest challenge in creating your brand so far?
The industry is very crowded and noisy. So getting our voice to be heard and getting brand awareness isl very challenging.
How do you think the beauty industry could take better care of the ingredient producers and farmers responsible for the many of the ingredients used in beauty products?
Giving them the voice, not hiding them behind the bigger corporations. And cutting out too many middlemen, so the producers and farmers would get a better margin for their incredible and valuable work.
TEMPTED TO TRY FOR YOURSELF?
To try these Skandinavian products for yourself, the Henua Discovery Set offers all 5 products in a mini take away collection, perfect for a weekend getaway or gift for any occasion.
