Dolphin Organics™ has quickly become a bath time
favorite for families across the country. The familyowned company developed one of the first line of
QAI-certified bath products for babies and young
children which has received rave reviews including the 2012 Best Kids Skin & Hair Care Line award
from Delicious Living. Recently, Dolphin Organics
launched a new line for tweens, DO Naturals™ and
so seems positioned to emerge a brand for the entire
family. We sat down with founder, Ayo Hart to learn
more about her company, her products and see what
all the buzz is about.
It seems you have grown quickly, when did you first
launch?
We first started with thorough industry research,
then contacted dozens of moms across the country,
who like us were looking for better natural products.
These Dolphin Moms offered invaluable insight into
our packaging, formulation and all that is Dolphin.
We launched the products in the summer of 2011 and
continue to work with our growing group of Dolphin
Moms. With DO Naturals™, we started a similar consumer program with teens and young adults. These
Green Divas™ have been amazing in their commitment to learning about healthy skin care as well as
what they can each do to make a difference in their
communities. Our credo is Do Healthy, Do Good,
DO Naturals™.
Your Dolphin Organics line is certified to NSF/ANSI
305 by QAI. That’s a mouthful! What does it mean?
It simply means, we don’t just say we’re organic, we
prove it. In order to meet the strict standards of NSF/
ANSI 305, a product must be formulated with at least
70% certified organic ingredients, and the remaining 30% materials must be derived from non-GMO
agricultural products. In an attempt to help parents
understand various organic claims, markets such as
Whole Foods adopted NSF/ANSI 305 as the organic
standard for personal care.
So why DO Naturals™?
Our girls were getting older, and once they were able
to read the word baby on our Dolphin Organics line,
no matter how much they loved the yummy Simply
Citrus scent, they felt too “big girl” to use baby shampoo. Also, they were both swimming and more active,
so they needed a higher functioning shampoo and
conditioner. We created our DO Naturals™ products
for older members of the family who may need a little
more than a baby shampoo. DO Naturals is not just
for tweens any more than Dolphin Organics is just for
babies. We like to say our Green Divas are 6 to 60.
Advertorial
What is the difference in the lines?
We will always remain transparent in our labeling.
The DO Naturals line bears its name because it is not
certified organic. It is formulated with plant-based
ingredients, which are approved by the NPA (Natural
Products Association). Like Dolphin Organics™, all
of our DO Naturals products are also PETA certified
cruelty-free and vegan, and our DO Naturals line is
gluten-free. We use absolutely NO Parabens, Phthalates, Petrochemicals, artificial fragrances, dyes or
other harsh chemicals in either line.
Your ingredients labels are also different on the two
lines. Why?
From all of our research with our Dolphin Moms
prior to launch, the one common denominator was
confusion over interpreting labels. We wanted to
make the ingredients label easy to decipher for the
busy parent quickly scanning a product in the store.
With Dolphin Organics, all ingredients are categorized as Organic, Natural or Artificial. The last column is of course, empty. Parents want to know what’s
in their children’s products, and more importantly –
what’s not! With our DO Naturals™ line, we took our
innovative rear label a step further and included the
source and function of each ingredient. A growing
number of teens and young adults also want to know
what is in their products. We want to educate them so
we included a virtual ingredients glossary right on the
bottle. Also, on our DO Naturals products, we proudly display the logo for Friends of Karen, to whom we
donate a portion of all of our proceeds. Friends of
Karen is a four-star rated non-profit on Charity Navigator which provides financial support and advocacy
for critically ill children and their families.
What products does Dolphin Organics offer and what
will you develop next?
We offer a full line of skin and hair products such
as Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Bubble Bath,
Lotion, Detangler and Mineral Suncreen in a variety
of natural scents including Fragrance Free, Simply
Citrus, Norfolk Lavender and Just Berry.
Ayo Hart,
CEO and Co-Founder
of Dolphin Organics
35