Bothell business hopes to put a dent in modern slavery

Kristina Valiani's Beauty of Hope opened last Saturday in Country Village with a unique sense of calling.

Since she was 12-years-old, Kristina Valiani knew she wanted to work with skin and body care products, so last Saturday after eight months of planning, she opened her own store in Bothell’s Country Village.

Beauty of Hope is the 25-year-old Bellevue resident’s first independent venture, though she’s worked for big-name skincare businesses for years. What makes her business unique is its mission and profit structure.

Ten percent of all purchases at her store go directly to the Seattle-based Real Escape from the Sex Trade, or REST, a non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking and the sex trade in Seattle.

“The giving back is in the DNA,” she said of her business model.

Sexual slavery has been an issue on Valiani’s mind for years.

“My church actually did a big campaign when I was 17 bringing awareness to human trafficking,” she said.

According to REST, between 300 to 500 minors are sexually exploited in Seattle every night, a number which the organization is actively trying to stop.

With her business, she hopes to bring even greater awareness to the problem, a strategy which she hopes other small businesses follow.

All her products are hand-crafted and made in her store, including soy candles, body butter, body scrub, solid perfume, bath soaks and other products.

Beauty of Hope is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and is located in Suite B.