Reyna Goshinmon's plant-powered apothecary line is designed to enhance your daily ritual with thoughtfully blended ingredients that support your body, mind and spirit.
Inspired by the minimalist Japanese bathing rituals of Reyna's heritage, each product is designed to provide powerful benefits, from soothing sore muscles and easing stress to softening the skin. Our top pick is Kodo's Eucalyptus & Rosemary Body Polish, a favourite ingredient at the spa at Nimmo Bay.
We asked Reyna to share the intention behind the brand.
What is the leading intention and inspiration behind the products you create?
Comfort. I want my people to feel comforted by the products I make. It’s my indirect way of saying, I got you, everything is going to be okay.
I want them to feel joy when they need it. I want them to feel inspired when they need it.
I feel very lucky to receive messages from people and they all contain stories of how and when they use/used Kodo or who they gifted Kodo to and why…they are all very moving and I am beyond grateful to be a part of their journey because they are a part of mine. It is reciprocal.
How does your surrounding environment or home influence your brand and products?
What most people may not be immediately aware of is my Okinawan heritage is represented in many subtle ways when it comes to our brand aesthetic. From our logo, to the look, and feel of our products, to the ingredients and the traditional or practical use of each product. Our skincare line is a good example of Japanese beauty rituals where less is more, and embracing the beauty of simplicity. It is a humble line, with minimal skincare steps.
Tell us how you embody the principles of sustainability and ethical production?
One thing that I will mention off the top of my head, and something that I have noticed sets us apart from other ‘natural’ beauty brands is I make a conscious decision with each product to look at the trends with sensitivity. We have such a salacious appetite for creating rituals using other cultures sacred herbs, woods, oils etc. and I think we really need to check ourselves when creating. I have seen natural ingredients become extinct or obsolete due to trends and it makes me sad. Rosewood essential oil for example; no more. Gone. Palo Santo, Sage, Sandalwood, Hinoki and more we have to be careful if we are using them, where we are sourcing from and when in doubt just don’t use it. Give the plant time to properly regenerate before it is gone completely.
As for examples of sustainability:
- only use organic, unrefined and/or sustainable harvested ingredients
-Paying more for these ingredient and earning less, but most importantly supporting these growers and distillers
- glass packaging (reuse or recycle)
- always looking for ways to reduce carbon footprint, moving some products from glass to biodegradable packaging
- larger sizes of skincare products for purchasing per year to reduce carbon footprint
- moving into bulk sizes for people that are hooked
- some retail partners are collecting old glass bottles and returning them to us to sterilize and reuse
How does Kodo inspire the wild within and connect people to place?
Scent. Scent will always connect you to place.
