by Frédérique Renaut

What a pleasure to see an artist affiliated with a brand when it is meaningful!

10 days ago at the opening of the photo exhibition of Daniel Silva Yoshisato’s works, I had the privilege to meet and interview the photojournalist that I consider as much an artist as a journalist. He exposes the pictures he captured in the Peruvian part of the vast Amazonian forest, for Aïny, a new bio cosmetic brand.

Exhibition at 36, Galerie Véro-Dodat, LAB by Terry, Paris 1st

from January 14th until February 13th 2010.

Daniel Joutard, founder of Aïny, commissioned Daniel Silva Yoshisato to capture the beauty, the colors, the textures of the plants from the jungle as well as the Peoples living in the rainforest whom Aïny collaborates with to elaborate their products (the Achuars, Ashàninkas, Yaneshas and Quechuas Peoples).

Daniel Silva Yoshisato is a half Peruvian and half Japanese photojournalist. He started his career in 2000 working for Lima Peru’s oldest newspaper El Comercio. His work has been published in: Time Magazine, Paris Match, L’Equipe, Der Spiegel, Stern, Geo Lino, Le Monde, El Pais Semanal. He received several photography awards including in 2002, the national photography award “Eugène Courret” in Peru, the Visa d’Or award in the daily press category in 2004 (the premier International Festival of Photojournalism) and the 1st prize Sports Feature Stories in the World Press Photo contest in 2004.

New bio cosmetic brands are blooming every day. As a citizen, a customer and after having worked over 10 years in marketing and media for the cosmetic industry, I am very suspicious when brands self proclaimed themselves as “bio”, 100% natural products, fairtrade and hide themselves behind a battery of labels and cetifications more or less binding and permissive and at the same time participate in the destruction of the rainforests in using massive amounts of non-regulated palm oil ressources. “Eco friendly” is the niche for the cosmetic industry today, where “bio” and fairtrade arguments serve the marketing sales pitch.

Biopiracy is a major scandal and a system used by many pharmaceutical companies and corporations in the cosmetic industry. After having exploited the natural ressources of the rainforest, they plunder the ancestral knowledge of indigenous Peoples.

One can appreciate the commitments taken behind the philosophy of Aïny in their statement against this practice. That is quite unusual!

“Aïny practices fair trade with the groups of producers and gatherers by committing to buy quality plants at a fair price. Aïny also pursues alternatives to biopiracy, respecting the peoples with whom they collaborate, as well as their traditional knowledge and wisdom. Aïny forms partnerships with indigenous organizations. Aïny commits to buying plants at a fair price, returning 4% of Aïny’s turnover to the peoples of Ecuador and Peru as usage rights for their traditional knowledge, and not registering any patent related to plants. Aïny also assists these peoples in defending their rights”… And four percent of the turnover is the classic medium figure for most licensing deals.

Aïny products are using sacred plants and are benefiting from the shamans’ knowledge. They collaborate with Herlinda Agustin Fernandez (opening photo and video below), from the Shipibos Indians. She lives in the native community of San Francisco Yarinacocha near Pucallpa, on the banks of the Ucayali River. She is 56 years and has 7 children.
Like all women of her tribe, she teaches ceramics. She excels in painting and embroidery of the “Kenes” which are traditional designs from the Shipibo-konibo community. Herlinda sings and draws chants!

Herlinda was the originator of the brand name “Aïny”. It means reciprocity. She designed the “Kenes” which became the visual identity that is represented on the packaging.

That is total “reciprocity”! Or should I say “Aïny” from now on?

For those who are interested in acquiring one of Daniel’s photo, they can contact him directly at on his website www.danielsilvaimages.com

Aïny is only distributed in France. It can be purchased via Internet for other European countries. For orders outside of Europe, be patient, coming soon. Stay tuned for future updates on the Aïny site.