Statement from the brand owner, intended to outline the events of the past few days

6.8.2023

"Hello. 

I'm Darja, the founder of a brand that has received a lot of attention these days. In a way that no one wants, and especially not in the midst of such turbulent events, when many are suffering huge losses, fighting for their lives and being left homeless. Our thoughts and compassion are focused on the only thing that matters at this moment: human lives. 

Regarding what's happening online, let me first say that the post with the code, created by us some time ago, was made on the initiative of the creator of the post and without our knowledge. Since it was removed relatively quickly, neither of the two people with access to the administration saw it. 

Our clear position is that the timing, manner, and words in the video that was circulated are completely inappropriate and misguided. All of this is in no way a reflection of what we at MOIKA believe in.

All of you who know us, our loyal users, know very well what values ​​stand for Moika. You know that we are not without mistakes and that here and there you feel something in the purchasing process. It happens that we are late with a shipment, that a season surprises us, and due to a lack of plant material, a hydrolate is not available to you all year round. All of this is Moika. We are family members, and the building blocks are our customers and their experiences. Despite the fact that we are not without mistakes, during our seven years of operation, we have never trampled on our values, neither our own nor yours. 

We rarely opt for conventional marketing approaches, we build our audience our own way and slowly. Occasionally we meet someone by chance who is enthusiastic about our products and is ready to share their experience with their friends in the most authentic way. Our condition is complete honesty, enthusiasm for the products and their realistic descriptions. If we feel something like that, we conclude a more formal cooperation. For the sake of maximum transparency and purity of the experience, we do not write scripts for publications, nor have we prepared guidelines for them to date. 

All of this thinking and adopted ways of communicating are the result of years of experience, which does not mean that we have not learned something new from the latest event. 

What happened here happened after months of pleasant cooperation, during which time I also met Ana in person. I can say that after what I saw and heard, I never got the feeling that she was thinking the way she seemed to after the last post. Precisely because we are brand people, because we have a lot of heart and mind, I try to evaluate everything that has been written about in recent days. I emphasize that I am sincerely sorry that MOIKA, with its purest intentions, found itself in the middle of such an unfortunate story. 

However, deep values ​​are one thing, a moment of weakness and an unfortunate choice of words is another. It can happen to anyone. Another dimension is hatred, terror and verbal violence. And all this to a large extent between people who do not know each other, do not know each other's stories and may never meet. I wonder if we are all sufficiently aware of how powerful words are, how their force can penetrate the mental state of individuals and how deeply they can cut into the collective well-being? 

Let me mention that I am  I experienced the power of water in my high school days, when my family and I watched helplessly on the stairs as the water flooded into our lower floor. I also remember the feeling of community and solidarity. We helped each other, and from distant places where the disaster had spared them, classmates in boots came to the affected areas, ready to work hard and rescue. There was no time for disputes, for hatred, at least for a moment teenage disagreements were smoothed out and we all breathed together. After such an experience, despite the natural disaster, the event remained a bitter memory but a warm feeling in our hearts. That we know that we can, if we want to. 

Our immediate family lives in the Celje region and in the Savinja Valley. After Friday night, we all had the news on our radios and computers. Social networks were on a completely different plane. All day long, we kept each other informed about what was happening with our family and friends. When Celje was threatened by the overflow of the Savinja River and there were already reports of catastrophic consequences from other parts of Slovenia, all our thoughts and preparedness were focused on what was yet to come. In all this, I was informed by a follower about what was starting to be shared on social networks. You can imagine why this statement did not have priority over other, truly catastrophic events. 

Personally, I can only say that even more than the statement in question, many people were hurt by the fire of hatred, attacks, and threats that came from everywhere and everywhere without any hesitation. At some point and in some way, a competition began to see who would equip the shared post with the most screaming emoticons and utter the most insults. 

We are here, all of us who somehow help shape Moika's foundations, to communicate with you at all times in a respectful and cultured manner. Our mission is to raise awareness of the power of nature, of the wealth that we have at our fingertips. About why we believe that with such natural gifts we are self-sufficient also in the cosmetic and care sense. We are here for you, to teach you to separate the wheat from the chaff among online information, we are here to tell you why, despite our immense love for nature, our cosmetics are not 100% natural, because that does not exist. We are here with very high standards for ourselves and others, but we are also here to forgive, to be human and to say when we make a mistake and apologize for it. 

Did we do it? Did we have control over it? We are certainly deeply sorry for the incident and the words spoken.  It has just been proven once again that reckless spin can bring a lot of attention in the short term, but in the long term it takes away integrity and reduces people's faith in goodness. This is precisely the true consequence of everything said in recent days. 

Let me say that MOIKA is not going anywhere. That it remains here for all the kind-hearted people who believe in the content, who believe in good, who understand the importance of respectful communication and who  they share values ​​with us. Love for nature, for fellow human beings and for sincerity. I am also Darja, as everyone who knows me knows very well, an unyielding fighter. Obstacles represent a challenge for me and I will be a messenger of reason and compassion until my last breath. If our standards are set too high, too low or just right for you, you can evaluate your opinion by clicking Follow or Unfollow. As one of the dear and rare “influencers” I follow would say. Be careful who you follow. What is the true value of certain influencers and how much added value they have on your subconscious. 

From yesterday to today, we have received a few private messages. We have responded to those that were at least somewhat respectful and explained our position in a private conversation. We have blocked a few who vented their unfounded anger with insults in the comments. And today the decision was made. From now on, all commenters on our social networks that do not comply with our communication standards will be removed. The creators of the texts will simply be blocked. The same applies to all other channels of information and communication. 

If you are ready to have a respectful conversation with us, we are here for you always and everywhere without hesitation. In the coming days, we will continue to be involved in saving plants as much as possible, with normal production and with a high level of readiness to help those affected by the disasters to the best of our ability. With a focus on preparing quality content with added value when things calm down, we say a resounding NO to hate speech and unfounded attacks. 

We, as a family, will help as best we can, and we urge everyone who has the means to do the same. While writing these lines, I was informed that a fire department near us is collecting funds for the affected areas. Every contribution counts, and collection centers are opening all over Slovenia. 

Be safe, may the waters dry up soon, and don't let anything take away your faith in a better tomorrow. Everything else will work out. 

Sincerely, Daria