Photo caption: Ethique founder, UC graduate Brianne West, has moved on to create another plastic-free industry disruptor.
While studying biochemistry at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), West started developing shampoo bars, aiming to create environmentally friendly, plastic-free products.
Her kitchen table project grew into the world’s first zero-plastic cosmetic company. Ethique now sells shampoo bars, conditioning bars, deodorant and body bars worldwide, saving the use of 41 million plastic bottles and counting.
Customers locally, nationally and globally have responded to the ethical beauty option, supporting Ethique to become a $100 million brand when West sold the majority of shares in 2024 and stepped away as chief executive.
“Business done ethically would solve so many of the social and environmental problems we face. Largely, because 'business as usual' created most of them,” West says.
She has been named Young Entrepreneur of the Year twice, Stuff NZ Women of Influence (business enterprise) and an Obama Foundation Leader, but she isn’t one to rest on her laurels.
Her latest venture is Incrediballs, the world’s first effervescent drink tablet in compostable packaging, is due to launch in January 2026. Her goal is to make a dent in the estimated one trillion single-use plastic bottles the drinks industry produces each year.
Ethique has paved the way. As well as cutting out plastic, Ethique’s solid bar formulation reduces water in products, which cuts transport costs, reduces the amount of energy needed for manufacturing, and saves water (6 million gallons so far).
Add with the highest ethical commitments (cruelty-free, vegan, paying workers a living wage and ethically-sourced ingredients), it's no wonder Ethique is one of the highest-scoring B Corps (equitable, sustainable businesses) globally, setting new standards for social and environmental impact, and proving it's possible to be financially viable and environmentally sustainable.
Ethique also donates 20 per cent of its profits to charity and, with CleanHub, removes the equivalent of one plastic bottle from coastal communities for every product bought - creating jobs while keeping oceans cleaner.
West can still be seen around the UC campus where she is undertaking postgraduate studies, and she regularly volunteers, inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs to turn their scientific curiosity into businesses that benefit people and the planet. Further to that mission, West has created a free education hub, called “Business, but Better”, offering free resources, videos and worksheets to help start-ups grow ethical product brands.
Read more Brianne West | Home Page.
