The CPG(Consumer Packaged Goods) industry is evolving, and MILO is leading the shift from extraction to regeneration. Rethinking every step—from product development to marketing—comes with challenges, but MILO is proving that ethical, sustainable business is possible. We spoke with Lisa Hillyard, CEO, MILO Human Care about MILO’s journey, the obstacles they’ve faced, and their vision for the future of regenerative consumer goods.
MILO positions itself as a regenerative alternative to traditional consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. Can you share the key challenges you’ve faced in shifting from an extractive CPG model to a regenerative one, and how you’ve tackled them?
The biggest challenge with operating on a regenerative business model is that each and every step of the usual process for designing a concept and building it needs to be reconsidered. There are many ‘best practices’ in CPG, but most of them don’t apply to us because those standards are inherently extractive. Marketing is a great example of this. There’s a playbook for launching and building buzz around a beauty brand, but much of it is designed to reinforce insecurities and sell ‘miracles’ in a bottle. FOMO-driven marketing is another extractive technique we reject.
A regenerative alternative to these tropes is connecting on a values basis, fostering long-term customer relationships through meaningful content. We’re doing this through Regenrati, which is launching soon. It’s the first-ever lifestyle zine focused on regenerative living, with content focused on ‘underconsumption core’ and fostering self-determination and completely devoid of anything related to chasing trends or constructed beauty standards. Put simply, shifting from an extractive to a regenerative model means taking the long road to popularity and profitability in service of the common good, not just our bottom line.
Many consumers value sustainability but are often constrained by price and accessibility. How is MILO addressing this balance while maintaining its commitment to ethical and regenerative business practices?
Mass accessibility of affordable regenerative personal care products will be the lynchpin of mass adoption, and the environmental and social benefits that come with it. We know that consumers are increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of their consumption. In one US survey, 22% of Gen Z consumers said they only purchase from sustainable and ethical brands, whereas 57% consider sustainability among other factors.
With the knowledge that most of Gen Z cares deeply about the environment, it’s a fair assumption that we could convert that 57% into loyal customers at the right price point. Our debut brand, MILO Multifunctional fits within the Prestige category, focused on delivering ultra-premium ingredients through formulas that focus on skin health fundamentals. Launching in the prestige price category was a choice that provides the financial leverage needed to reinvest in future brands that prioritize efficacy at accessible price points, without sacrificing quality or our regenerative values.
MILO’s roadmap includes a venture studio aimed at developing new brands under the Human Care model. How does this differentiate from traditional corporate acquisitions, and what impact do you foresee for aspiring entrepreneurs in this space?
We believe that the ‘exit to Big CPG’ model is cracking under the pressure of oversaturated product and marketing climates. CPG investors are much more conservative in recent years compared to the Dollar Shave Club days for example, when being a cheap D2C alternative was enough to create a unicorn. As the landscape becomes more competitive, and consumers become more discerning when it comes to things like greenwashing, we know there will be increased demand for brands that serve as regenerative replacements to today’s CPG mega-brands across categories.
MILO’s Venture Studio is designed as a 3-year program that aims to recruit aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities to co-create these regenerative ‘replacement brands’ with us. We take on all the overhead for everything from R&D to go-to-market, while fostering the next generation of regenerative business leaders. The plan in the beginning is to incubate 5 brands per cohort for the first few years, and then revisit the model to ensure that we’re not creating unnecessary brands which would inadvertently be promoting overconsumption.
Many sustainable brands struggle with scaling while staying true to their mission. As MILO aims for a multi-category global presence, what safeguards have you put in place to ensure that growth doesn’t dilute your commitment to regeneration and ethical business?
To put it simply, if it’s not regenerative then we’re not doing it. Our goals as a mission-driven company can never be compromised for profit – that’s the lens through which we make all decisions. It’s a mindset that refuses to prioritize growth over values. We think this makes us a stronger and more creative company in the long run because it forces us to design sustainable growth models that fit within our ethical boundaries. Our governance model reflects this – we are a Steward-Owned company which means that we have separated governance rights from financial rights.
By doing this, we can maintain a management board whose sole purpose is to ensure the regenerative mission of the company. This ‘mission lock’ is enforced by a third party who holds veto rights in case the Board is deadlocked. While new to North America, Steward Ownership is well-established in parts of the EU, and is especially popular in Finland and Germany. It’s so new here that legislation around it hasn’t yet been introduced anywhere in North America. Instead, mission-driven founders can create this structure through their operating agreements. Beyond the mission lock, the benefit of this separation between governance and financial rights is that we can invite key partners into financial upside via dividends without putting our mission at risk. Our commitment to investing in sustainable growth models allows us to remain in control of our destiny.
You’ve worked with global giants like P&G, Unilever, and Henkel. How do you envision the future of CPG evolving, and what role do you see MILO playing in reshaping industry standards over the next decade?
Kodak, Blockbuster, and BlackBerry are prime examples of market leaders who failed to adapt to the cultural shifts that ultimately outpaced them, despite having the resources to make different choices. Since working with these legacy CPGs and many other Fortune 500 companies at the executive and board level, I feel qualified to confirm that corporate groupthink can’t be underestimated as a blocker of true innovation.
MILO’s concept of Human Care isn’t something we intend to own outright, in the same way that Personal Care can’t be owned by a single entity. Human Care is a way of life and a category that has the potential to replace the current CPG system. The world needs more Human Care brands, regardless of whether they bear the MILO name. If Human Care becomes an established alternative to today’s CPG industry then we’ll have accomplished our goal.
As consumer demand for ethical products grows, MILO is redefining the future of CPG. With a mission-driven model, innovative governance, and a commitment to regeneration, they’re proving that sustainability and profitability can coexist. By setting new industry standards, MILO is paving the way for a future where regeneration replaces extraction as the norm.
Yugbodh (YB) is a contributing writer at Onside Media , he skillfully weaves captivating stories. For him music and movies serves as an escape, and he finds them fascinating as they constantly evolve. If you have interesting tales to share, feel free to reach out: info@theonside.com
