September 29th, 2021
Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer in the UK and tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year. Yet despite knowing these statistics, whether it’s 20 a day or a few cheeky cigarettes after drinks on a Saturday night, we are still smoking. And there is one pure and simple explanation for this, addiction.
Whether it’s cigarettes or a vape, nicotine is the ingredient that just keeps on dragging us back in, it’s the drug in tobacco that causes dependency. Regardless of knowing it’s not good for us, the temptation seems to be everywhere, with it all too easy to fall back into it. It’s the bad habit that feels impossible to shake off.
However, there is one company that wants to kick this habit and get the world off of nicotine for good. Say hello to ripple+.
Tobacco is a multi-billion-pound business profiting from our addiction, but ripple+ have one simple mission, to be the solution, not the problem and to change the way we vape. With their zero-nicotine, organic, plant-based usb sized holistic diffusers, they want to set people free from the addiction that is nicotine.
The company and movement was founded by brother and sister duo Sam and Lucie Beecham in 2019. The idea was inspired by a family holiday to Greece where they experienced first-hand the issues that an addiction to nicotine can bring. Having got their dad hooked onto vapes after helping him to stop his smoking habits, they soon realised that vapes were still not the answer after experiencing his very real ‘minor meltdown’ and nicotine withdrawal symptoms when he lost his vape.
We had the pleasure of talking to Sam and Lucie who explained how it was this very moment that inspired the inception of ripple+ – there had to be a better answer. “As ex-vapers ourselves, that moment really helped us understand that nicotine addiction is a VERY real issue, with Big Tobacco banking off our addiction. We knew there had to be a better way, so we got to work and created a nicotine-free alternative.”
Whilst the dangers of tobacco are well known, far less is known about the dangers of nicotine, yet so many people turn to vaping, which contains nicotine, to quit smoking. A recent report for the most common reasons for vaping in the ASH-Adult survey were to: quit (29.7%), stay off (19.4%) or reduce (11.2%) smoking tobacco. In the OPN 2019 survey, 52.8% of current vapers reported vaping to quit smoking.
After researching the vaping and e-cigarette industry, the ripple+ duo soon realised that actually, these nicotine-rich devices weren’t really that much better than cigarettes, with some e-cigarettes delivering even more nicotine than traditional cigarettes, they told us, “After doing our research, we learned that nicotine as a chemical is extremely addictive: one of our charity partners taught us that the substance is actually more addictive than heroin. This leads to over 8 million tobacco-related deaths worldwide”. Although less documented, nicotine is known to affect your blood pressure and heart rate, cause respiratory problems and clog arteries. It is also known to be a carcinogenic, which means that it has the potential to activate cells that can cause cancer, and these are just the problems that we do know about, there could be many undiagnosed risks.
With so many red flags with both cigarettes and vapes, the duo got to work on developing a product that would free people from the harmful effects of nicotine dependency without having to quit their habit of the action of smoking/vaping altogether. Smoking is an addiction that many people that are trying to quit or have recently quit will fall back into out of habit at times of extreme stress. This is where ripple+ comes in.
After thorough research, trying and testing multiple formulations and ingredients and carefully creating their botanical blends in state-of-the-art labs, ripple+ have developed the perfect non-addictive holistic diffuser that takes advantage of the power of aromatherapy.
They provide an alternative, a way to look after your wellbeing, fulfilling that smoking habit in times of stress without feeling the guilt or judgement of knowing harmful substances have been inhaled or that bad habits have been fallen back into. “Something which we’ve always been passionate about was to stay well clear of the actual ‘smoking/vaping’ market. We are now stocked in leading pharmacies and premium retailers worldwide, sitting in their health, wellness and beauty departments. Ripple is not positioned as a vape, but rather an aromatherapy, holistic diffuser.”
The device is designed to heat each of the ripple+ formulas to a specific temperature for optimum experience and control and to turn the botanical blends to vapour which can be inhaled by the body. Available in seven different formulas; Power (peppermint), Boost (lychee), Relax (jasmine), Focus (mango), Dream (lavender), Revive (lemon) and Happy (passionfruit), each one has been made to bring together plant extracts to benefit your wellbeing and transport your senses, whilst also helping users to find a way to eradicate nicotine and escape their addiction.
Stocked in 850 pharmacies and shops across the world: from Superdrug to John Bell & Croyden, this is only the start of the ‘f**k nicotine’ movement.
Not only are ripple+ fighting against tobacco and nicotine with their own product, but they have also worked in collaboration with organisation, Phoenix Futures, who help people on the road to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. All profits from products sold in their merch store are donated to support the charity’s Recovery Through Nature programme – a therapeutic initiative that empowers in-patients to grow their own produce, which has been proven to aid recovery, provide an enjoyable learning environment and prevent relapse from drug or alcohol addiction. The duo explained why they chose to work with Phoenix Futures to us, “with over 50 years of expertise fostering the community they nurture and support today, Phoenix Futures has a notable history of taking an innovative approach to support people who are battling alcohol and drug addiction. Their Recovery Through Nature programme was something in particular that we really wanted to get behind here at ripple, which is why all the proceeds from our merch store are donated to this incredible cause.”
It’s through partnerships like these, that ripple+ hopes to make a real difference in destigmatising addiction, as addiction truly can be toxic, turning people’s lives upside down where, sadly, not everyone manages to overcome it. “With all the negative connotations that exist around addiction, many people end up not getting the help they need, which ultimately leads to lives being destroyed. The best way to add value to the community and make sure we, as a society, stand up against addiction is by simply removing the negative connotations and acknowledging that substance abuse is an issue so many people deal with (1 in 3 of us, to be more exact). We are passionate about sharing addiction stories and doing our bit to help those on their road to recovery by teaming up with expert organisations.”
Recovery is a daily battle, but each day, those battles can get easier and that is why ripple+ have worked hard to put their customers at the heart of their company; taking responsibility for trying to improve people’s health, accelerate the eradication of nicotine and help people on their journey to leave bad habits behind.
“When deciding to start ripple, we knew we were always going to be a customer-first business no matter the circumstances. From the very beginning, we have always strived to keep in touch with our customers and show them that we really do care about their ripple experience (and wider life stories – we get really chatty in the DMs!).
We also strive to stay on top of what our customers want to see from ripple in the future – from creating the most sustainable product we could and optimising our recycling scheme, to bringing out formulas that our community asks for.
Ripple thrives off of its community, and, as a family-owned business, we very much treat our customers like part of our family.”
As they continue to expand on their nicotine-free range, ripple+ understands that they have the power to instigate positive change through everything they create, championing the concept that little ideas can gain momentum and create change. “We are working on some very exciting new products which we think will definitely revolutionise the market, all whilst looking for new ways we can carry on our work in the community and help give back to those who need it most.”
So, watch this space, as small ripples truly can make some big waves.
Written by Daisy Rogers, Head of Copy and Content, Hatched.
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image, however if you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at rb@hatchedlondon.com.
