Valeria Hinojosa of Water Thru Skin is known for her transparent approach to blogging about a conscious lifestyle, sharing not just the heights of her career and travels, but also the low points, struggles, and the hard reality of building a freelance, socially responsible career. Valeria’s honesty is one of many things we love about Water Thru Skin – we also love that she promotes exclusively eco-friendly and ethical brands to her social media following of over 50K.
Last year, Valeria traveled to Bali to document the work of Social Impakt – an affordable water filtration company for rural Indonesian communities. At the time Social Impakt was crowdfunding on UpEffect to increase their reach and help more communities gain access to clean drinking water. With the help of Water Thru Skin followers, Social Impakt exceeded their goal.
In this candid interview, Valeria discusses her experience in Bali visiting Social Impakt, her thoughts on the future of ethical products and even shares some natural beauty tips🌱
UpEffect: Why did you start your blog Water Thru Skin?
Valeria: I’m a 30-year old conscious lifestyle blogger with a mind of a social entrepreneur and the heart of an adventurous nature-lover. Born and raised in Bolivia (South America) but have been living in sunny Miami for the past 10 years.
I used to be a Private Banker doing the stressful 9-5 and sitting in an office surrounded by white walls and two computer screens for 5 years until the day I decided to risk it all and dedicate fully to the blog I had started as a hobby during my last year of banking. WaterThruSkin.
What is it like being an influencer? Do you feel a responsibility to your audience?
Being an influencer is beautiful, truly powerful, fun, but also comes with a lot of responsibility. We, influencers, can either use social media to show off a life that is not real, or use it to promote consciousness and topics that matter and feed the world with some positive energy and mentality.
On my blog and social media I post about the life I live on a daily basis. The good and the bad. I try to be as raw and honest as I can. That’s what keeps me motivated every day. Inspiring others and being inspired in return. To keep being myself to the fullest.
In a recent Forbes article the author mentioned that ethical consumerism is slightly less of a motivator for buyers these days. What are your thoughts on this?
I think otherwise. I’ve been writing about a conscious, sustainable and ethical lifestyle for three years now. The interest and engagement of readers has increased with time and with this interest their mindsets and shopping habits get impacted too.
People are realizing the power they have as consumers, and how every dollar they spend affects the production and supply of products. This is also impacting big retailers who are now being pushed to focus on producing ethical and sustainable lines in order to keep up with this demand shift.
What is something you are reading these days?
I’m reading “Blue Mind” by Wallace Nichols, “The power of listening” by Ismael Cala, and “Moon Spells” by Diane Ahiquist.
What is your favorite non-toxic beauty product?
There are three things I adore and use every day: essential oils (rose and eucalyptus), Seed Phytonutrients face wash and lotion, and Juice Beauty’s nourishing lip color.
What was your favorite part your Social Impakt visit?
Bali is like my second home. The nature, the culture, the scents, the people, the magic! Being able to collaborate with Social Impakt made it even more special, not only because I got to truly immerse myself in the Balinese culture, but also because we were able to provide clean water filters to children and schools in need. I was able to see their reactions towards something we take for granted in the US: water. Their humility and genuine happiness inspires my way I view life every day!
To those who are on the fence about whether ethical businesses can be a solution to global issues, what would you tell them?
Everything we do, everything we buy, everything we eat and everything we say affects more than ourselves. For years, our ancestors and businesses acted out of ego and focused strictly on capitalism and making a big profit rather than finding a balance where people and nature are also treated ethically. Most didn’t believe in that balance.
Now, we are proving them wrong. Ethical businesses are the only solution to prevent and solve issues such as climate change, poverty, injustices, frustrations, and uncontrollable non-biodegradable waste.
Be sure to check out Valeria’s conscious blogger agency – WTS Connect. You can also follow Valeria on Instagram @waterthruskin 🙌🏽
