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“Great” brand Disruptor London harnesses the chemical engineering know-how of co-founder Sira Dheshan Naidu to create waterless, multi-purpose bars for cleansing, shampooing, conditioning, and shaving. They’re ideal for busy mums, time-strapped gym-goers, and everyone in between, but the best part? It’s all rooted in veganism, transparency, and reducing consumption.
A beauty brand built on personal passions and sustainable values
Unlike many businesses that start with an idea for a product or solution, Disruptor London—the highest rated beauty brand in Good On You’s directory—grew from co-founders Sira Dheshan Naidu and Dr Juan Jose Jimenez Anca’s core values. “We’ve always known who we are—individually and as partners—so it felt natural to infuse these values into the foundation of our brand,” Naidu says. “We’re both really involved in Greenpeace and environmental activism. He [Anca] is a Quaker as well.” Together, they set out five principles (Naidu calls it a consideration framework) that guide everything Disruptor London does: Ingredient transparency, responsible consumption, waterless formulas, just-in-time manufacturing, and plastic-free packaging. These factors closely align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12, which is all about ensuring responsible production and reducing consumption.
The consideration framework, like the brand’s name itself, reads like an opposition to everything mainstream beauty represents—the industry is shrouded in mystery, littered with complex ingredient names, and crowded with so-called targeted products, from upper-arm creams to under-eye serums. And in this era, the co-founders want you to know that you really can do more with less—a single bar, in fact. Guided by circular design principles, Disruptor London’s sole product unites the functions of shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, and shave product in a single, sustainable solution.
“We need products that work hard for us in a green way, and it can only do that if it’s multi-functional,” says Naidu. Creating the bar required “forgetting everything we know about beauty,” and reimagining how products are used. “If I’m washing my hair and my face is getting wet, then why can’t we develop a product with a formula that’s going to be compatible with my skin, my hair and my scalp?”
The pair registered the business “after a few glasses of wine” on their sofa during COVID. “We’re partners in both life and business,” smiles Naidu, sharing how they decided to combine his beauty industry knowledge and formulation expertise with Anca’s skills in software engineering to become, perhaps, the ultimate power couple of the sustainable beauty movement. “I vividly remember when we decided to put things on paper—me the old-fashioned way with a notebook, and Juan sitting down with his laptop, but that’s just how we are,” Naidu says of how they complement each other.
Disruptor London’s co-founders, Dr Juan Jose Jimenez Anca and Sira Dheshan Naidu.
Why ingredient formulations are key to reducing beauty’s overconsumption problem
An insider with over 20 years’ experience working for major beauty brands, including Estée Lauder Companies, LVMH, and contract manufacturer MANA Products, Naidu knew exactly where to start in creating an alternative. “I’d always read INCI [cosmetic ingredient] lists on products, I know what goes into these things, and I have the understanding to develop them on my own,” he says.
Unsurprisingly, Naidu has selected the very best for Disruptor London’s shampoo bars, even upskilling with a course in organic skincare and haircare to ensure greater transparency in ingredient sourcing, and sometimes changing formulas completely if they’re unable to source raw materials of the highest standard and with ethical credentials.
We need products that work hard for us in a green way, and it can only do that if it’s multi-functional.
Sira Dheshan Naidu – co-founder, Disruptor London
Ingredients also play a big role in reducing consumption. Formulas based predominantly on water are cheap to make and therefore popular amongst brands, but they don’t last nearly as long as solid products that are packed with concentrated ingredients instead.
Long-lasting products present a business challenge because repeat customers don’t need to come back as frequently—the brand’s 100-gram bar, for instance, is designed to last around 80 washes. Naidu isn’t worried, though, noting that building the business slowly and making a small difference to the lives of consumers is exactly what he and Anca signed up for.
In fact, the latter is what brings Naidu the most joy: “The fact that we can put the power into your hands as a consumer, just through a product that you get up in the morning and use, take to the shower, to the gym, or on holiday, and know that you can make a difference—that makes us happy.
A final word, then, on how the rest of the beauty industry might take a leaf out of Disruptor London’s book? “It’s time for the beauty industry to hold up a mirror and confront a hard truth: Are we truly living up to the values we claim to represent? Or is it just PR? If sustainability isn’t a real priority, that’s a choice—but let’s not hide behind buzzwords like ‘clean beauty’ or the greenwashing that comes with them. Disruptor London isn’t here to shame or scare. Our focus is on creating high-performance products and giving consumers responsible, informed choices.”
Watch Disruptor London’s video to learn more about the brand’s history.
Discover Disruptor London’s multi-use shampoo bars and see its rating in our directory.
The post Our Highest-Rated Sustainable Beauty Brand Sells Only One Product appeared first on Good On You.
Our Highest-Rated Sustainable Beauty Brand Sells Only One Product
As humanity grows in its understanding of the complexity of living systems, we will encounter many opportunities to restore nature. Taoist author Deng Ming-Dao wrote in his daily meditations, 365 Tao, that “Life is one endless equation of darkness, brilliance, fragrance, color, sound, and sensation.”
Imagine the joys of nature, live them fiercely and gently in your daily life, and the world can grow anew.
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Life Is An Endless Equation appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-life-is-an-endless-equation/
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Author Topher McDougal Asks If Earth Is Evolving A Planetary Consciousness
Would you like to read a transcript of this episode? Introducing Sustainability In Your Ear transcripts: Learn more.
What if Earth is developing a planetary collective intelligence emerging from the convergence of ecological crisis, new global information systems, and the data-crunching capabilities of artificial intelligence? This provocative question drives economist Topher McDougal’s book, Gaia Wakes: Earth’s Emergent Consciousness in an Age of Environmental Devastation. On this episode of Sustainability In Your Ear, we explore McDougal’s sweeping theory that our planet may be in the early stages of developing what he calls a “Gaiacephalos”—a planetary consciousness that could fundamentally reshape humanity’s role in the global ecosystem. McDougal opens his book with a striking metaphor from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the Enterprise’s computer systems flicker into sentience, its emerging “personality” acting out disagreements in the holodeck that nearly destroy the ship. That episode, McDougal argues, mirrors our current moment. As environmental devastation accelerates and technologies become increasingly networked, we may be witnessing the birth pangs of a planetary intelligence that could guide us toward survival or react chaotically to the damage humans have caused.
Building on James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, which views Earth as a self-regulating living system, McDougal explores the profound and unsettling implications of Gaiacephalos. What is humanity’s role? Noting a paradox in human development, that societies have become increasingly peaceful at the expense of massive environmental degradation, McDougal discusses how concepts like “progress” and “free will” might change in a world governed by an emergent planetary intelligence. Drawing on ancient myths—from Hopi legends to the Tower of Babel—McDougal uses traditional stories as lenses for understanding global transformation. Throughout our conversation, he repeatedly references the work of René Descartes and how his mind-body split has defined Western thinking since the Enlightenment. He argues that this mechanistic view prevents us from understanding emerging systems holistically—whether we’re talking about AI, collective intelligence, or planetary consciousness. We keep separating the physical system that performs calculations from the experience of thought itself, missing the integrated whole. Consequently, becoming “indigenous to our times” offers a path forward. Rather than appropriating Indigenous ways of life, he suggests we need to learn how to live fully in relationship with our current systems and places. True indigeneity means understanding our role within larger systems and, as the apex predator currently destroying the ecosystem we depend on, being thoughtful about our interactions within that system.
What if Earth is developing a planetary collective intelligence emerging from the convergence of ecological crisis, new global information systems, and the data-crunching capabilities of artificial intelligence? This provocative question drives economist Topher McDougal’s book, Gaia Wakes: Earth’s Emergent Consciousness in an Age of Environmental Devastation. On this episode of Sustainability In Your Ear, explore McDougal’s sweeping theory that our planet may be in the early stages of developing what he calls a “Gaiacephalos”—a planetary consciousness that could fundamentally reshape humanity’s role in the global ecosystem. McDougal opens his book with a striking metaphor from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the Enterprise’s computer systems flicker into sentience, its emerging “personality” acting out disagreements in the holodeck that nearly destroy the ship. That episode, McDougal argues, mirrors our current moment. As environmental devastation accelerates and technologies become increasingly networked, we may be witnessing the birth pangs of a planetary intelligence that could guide us toward survival or react chaotically to the damage humans have caused.
Building on James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, which views Earth as a self-regulating living system, McDougal explores the profound and unsettling implications of Gaiacephalos. What is humanity’s role? Noting a paradox in human development, that societies have become increasingly peaceful at the expense of massive environmental degradation, McDougal discusses how concepts like “progress” and “free will” might change in a world governed by an emergent planetary intelligence. Drawing on ancient myths—from Hopi legends to the Tower of Babel—McDougal uses traditional stories as lenses for understanding global transformation. Throughout our conversation, McDougal repeatedly references the work of René Descartes and how his mind-body split has defined Western thinking since the Enlightenment. He argues that this mechanistic view prevents us from understanding emerging systems holistically—whether we’re talking about AI, collective intelligence, or planetary consciousness. We keep separating the physical system that performs calculations from the experience of thought itself, missing the integrated whole. McDougal’s concept of becoming “indigenous to our times” offers a path forward. Rather than appropriating Indigenous ways of life, he suggests we need to learn how to live fully in relationship with our current systems and places. True indigeneity means understanding our role within larger systems and, as the apex predator currently destroying the ecosystem we depend on, being thoughtful about our interactions within that system.
Gaia Wakes poses challenging questions about whether we’re building toward a benign planetary intelligence or heading toward dystopian risks. McDougal doesn’t offer easy answers, but he provides a framework for thinking about how technological trends—from AI and smart infrastructure to global information networks—might be assembling the components of a planetary brain. The book is part speculative theory, part analytical deep dive. It challenges readers to think beyond traditional boundaries between nature and technology, individual and collective intelligence, human agency and planetary systems. You can learn more about Topher McDougal and his work at https://tophermcdougal.com/. Gaia Wakes is available on Amazon, Powell’s Books, and at local bookstores.
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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on August 25, 2025.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Author Topher McDougal Asks If Earth Is Evolving A Planetary Consciousness appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-author-topher-mcdougal-asks-if-earth-is-evolving-a-planetary-consciousness/
Yes, we resorted to a Britney Spears reference, but this isn’t cute anymore. The World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2025 was the second-hottest year on record, with average global temperatures reaching 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. Only 2024’s record-breaking heat was worse.
The past 11 years are now the warmest 11 years in the 176-year history of temperature records.
What is especially concerning about 2025 is that it occurred during La Niña, a natural Pacific cooling pattern that usually brings lower temperatures. This time, it did not help. Climate scientist James Hansen reportsthat global warming is now speeding up by 0.31°C per decade, and he predicts we will pass the +1.7°C mark by 2027.
For the first time, the average temperature from 2023 to 2025 was higher than the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement. Scientists say this threshold is crucial to prevent severe and lasting climate impacts for people alive today. In 2024, atmospheric CO₂ reached 423.9 parts per million, which is 53% higher than pre-industrial levels.
Meanwhile, the cascade of extreme weather continues: heat waves are now 10 times more likely than a decade ago, Arctic sea ice hit its lowest winter maximum on record, wildfires are devastating Greece and Turkey, and typhoons are forcing mass evacuations across Southeast Asia.
“Each year above 1.5 degrees will hammer economies, deepen inequalities and inflict irreversible damage,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
The measurements are undeniable. The data cannot be denied. Still, the United States government under the Trump administration is suppressing climate information and reversing clean energy policies to support coal, oil, and gas. COP30 ended without a clear promise to phase out fossil fuels.
As the planet cooks in industrial era pollution, playing politics with climate science is beyond irresponsible. It’s dangerous.
The post Oops, We Did It Again: 2025 Second Hottest Year On Record appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/earth-watch/oops-we-did-it-again-2025-second-hottest-year-on-record/
This Won’t End Well for the Minnesota Shooter
DeBriefed 9 January 2026: US to exit global climate treaty; Venezuelan oil ‘uncertainty’; ‘Hardest truth’ for Africa’s energy transition
DeBriefed 9 January 2026: US to exit global climate treaty; Venezuelan oil ‘uncertainty’; ‘Hardest truth’ for Africa’s energy transition
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