Female Disruptors: Ipek Yolyapan & Melike Aktas Atilgan of The Banyo On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Vanessa Morcom
We would like to expand Banyo ritual. We are going to reach more people who want to switch their body care products. We are going to add non-toxic home cleaning and pet care. We are working on zero waste loyalty program which our clientele can follow their carbon footprint on our website and win rewards.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ipek Yolyapan & Melike Aktas Atilgan.
Ipek and Melike, co-founders of The Banyo Co, have introduced a new approach to beauty and wellness. Dissatisfied with the prevalent use of chemicals in mainstream products and the phenomenon of greenwashing in the industry, they set out to make a change. Drawing inspiration from ancient Mediterranean beauty traditions and familial wisdom, they developed the Banyo bath and body care line — a fusion of heritage and sustainability. Ipek collaborated with traditional Turkish bath exfoliating glove artisans in Istanbul to ensure authenticity and craftsmanship, while Melike sourced suppliers globally for essential oils, prioritizing purity and ethical standards. The result is The Banyo Co, offering a balanced blend of timeless practices and contemporary values, promoting holistic well-being for individuals and the environment. Welcome to a mindful approach to self-care with The Banyo Co.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
We, Ipek and Melike, have always been interested in beauty and wellness. However, we’ve grown tired of the products available on the market. Many of them are filled with chemicals and packaged in plastic, harming both the environment and our health.
Additionally, we’re weary of unrealistic beauty standards and the greenwashing in the industry. We wanted to find a better way.
So, we set out on a mission to create something truly special and unique.
Drawing inspiration from the ancient beauty rituals of Mediterranean women and the traditions passed down by our grandmothers from various countries, we developed the Banyo bath and body care line — a line of products that nourishes not only the skin but also the soul.
Ipek ventured into the streets of Istanbul and found original Turkish bath exfoliating glove crafters who only used raw and natural materials and still used traditional methods on wooden looms. She personally engaged with them, gaining a deep understanding of every aspect of the production process, and sourced the finest raw materials from the local area.
Melike searched globally for the premier essential oils and carrier oils suppliers and partnered only with those that had the necessary certifications to produce the highest quality essential oils sustainably and ethically. She created blends using the purest, finest, and sustainably sourced essential oils, carrier oils, and floral waters.
And The Banyo Co was born! Ancient soul and body care, unique and transformative — a harmonious blend of timeless wisdom and modern sustainability. For you and our planet.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Changing consumer behaviors and introducing a new non-toxic, eco-friendly body care ritual in a new country.
Greenwashing and mass production companies pose significant challenges. We offer healthy and genuinely eco-friendly exfoliation methods rooted in Mediterranean culture, with unique materials and weaving techniques. We educate our customers on non-toxic body care, greenwashing, healthy aromatherapy practices, and body care rituals through our content, pop-ups, and small business efforts.
We found ourselves disheartened by the prevalence of toxic products and the packaging crisis in the beauty industry. Store aisles were inundated with green-washed items that posed harm to both the environment and our health.
Dreaming of a body care ritual that prioritized not only skin health but also spiritual and environmental well-being, we drew inspiration from our grandmothers’ natural body care practices to establish The Banyo Co.
This healthy body care routine has been used for a hundreds of years. It is crafted with 100% tree bark yarn. This yarn is woven on a traditional semi-automated handloom.
The semi-automated handloom prevents stiff weaving as a result those gloves absorb more between fibers and become malleable and protect your skin from any scratching or irritation. It clears skin and impurities using only water, caused by environmental factors like air, clothes, and chemicals. 100% eco-friendly, sustainable and compostable.
Its is also known for its superior quality and effectiveness.
At Banyo, we carefully select top-quality materials and utilize traditional weaving methods to create our world-renowned Turkish Bath Exfoliating Glove. We enhanced this ritual with our 100% natural aromatherapy body oils for a transformative experience that cares for your skin, soul and planet.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
We can genuinely say that we both were mentors to each other and fellow entrepreneurs within our communities.
We have weekly sessions to evaluate not just our business growth progress, but also our personal development. Because being entrepreneur in hustle culture has significant affect also entrepreneurs wellbeing.
We have been always check, Where we are? How we are stick to our mission?
E commerce is highly distracted sector. Trying to catching trends sometimes does not align with your brand or personal values.
We believe our different experiences feed our strengths, and our passionate personalities enable us to absorb all the qualities instead of just learning. Our passion and curiosity also acts as our driving force.
Community support and collaboration with other entrepreneurs are highly important to us. We always have brainstorming sessions with fellow successful entrepreneurs.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
If it’s not consistent, and if it’s not creating a sustainable impact, disruption is pointless for us.
During our journey, we always questioned what we add and contribute besides what we sell.
Market aisles, especially in the beauty industry, are full of products. Every decision we made valued kindness to the human body and environmental health. We also care about providing affordable products. Clean and eco-friendly beauty and body care should be reachable.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey?
1. Be enthusiastic about what you are doing
We both have passionate personalities, always enthusiastic in everything we do. We love to put our hearts into our endeavors. Our products, from exfoliating gloves to oils, show how passionate we are. Every single order, we put our heart into it.
2. Invest in soft skills and emotional intelligence
Invest in soft skills and emotional intelligence. You might have the best products, you might have strong finances, but if you lack human insight and do not invest in your emotional intelligence, you are limited. We create all the networks and connections with local retailers and collaborate with in-person communications. We don’t use paid ads or work with agencies and distributors.
3. Make an impact and educate customers.
We offer healthy and genuinely eco-friendly exfoliation methods rooted in Mediterranean culture, with unique materials and weaving techniques. We educate our customers on non-toxic body care, greenwashing, healthy aromatherapy practices, and body care rituals through our content, pop-ups, and small business efforts.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
We would like to expand Banyo ritual. We are going to reach more people who want to switch their body care products. We are going to add non-toxic home cleaning and pet care. We are working on zero waste loyalty program which our clientele can follow their carbon footprint on our website and win rewards.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Being a women disruption definitely disrupt gender bias and societal expectations and stereotypes.
Even you are very successful and talented society still expect ‘good girl’ movements. Cultural norms discourage you they big risk. They expect safe, small low risk steps.
As we observed from other women entrepreneurs, balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with familial responsibilities sometimes can be particularly challenging for women.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
Sarah Blakely, Developing Your Big Idea, Anna Wintour Creativity and Leadership also, Martha Stewart Think Like Boss on Masterclass were highly helpful.
We really like the podcast Diary of a Leo with Steven Barlett.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Embracing planet-friendly body care means supporting small-scale producers who prioritize ethical sourcing, fair labor practices, and sustainable production methods.
This can empower local communities and contribute to economic development while fostering a stronger connection between consumers and producers.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start. “-Simon Sinek
Since the beginning most overwhelming part is start.
We celebrates small steps and not being perfectionist while starting. This helps us for overthinking and unleash our creavitity. Starting even with small steps is source of our energy. So stop overthinking, make a plan and start.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can visit our website www.thebanyo.co to reach our blog about clean beauty and eco-friendly lifestyle. Also they can reach our social media account thebanyo.co handle.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Morcom is a millennial mom of three and founder of Morcom Media, a performance PR shop for thought leaders. She earned her degree in journalism and worked for Canada’s largest social enterprise. She can be reached at vanessa@morcom.media
