Innovateus magazine october 2013 issue 05

OCTOBER 1, 2013

PLA NATURALS

SKIN-CANDI

The Natural Cosmetics Issue

JOSIE MARAN COSMETICS

CONTENTS Cover Story

Innovation News

5 The Aroma Of Auroville

9

11 The Great Green Filipino Beauty Feat

21 Moroccan Beauty Elixirs

Gentle Waves©

21 Revance©

22 LED Light Therapy

CONTENTS Interview

ProductPedia

15 Takeshi Morikawa ~ Tomoe Kobo 25 Jaclyn Livingstone ~ Skin-Candi 31 Daria Mostowa ~ PLA Naturals 37 Olive ~ The Sudsatorium 43 Emma Louise ~ Olibanum Aromatherapy

47 Mati Fuller ~ GreenBeauty Cosmetics

53 Tsahallah Dror ~ The Herbal Pharmacy

29 Honeybee Gardens WaterColors Nail Enamel 30 Sally B's B Glossy Lip Gloss 36 Alima Pure Balancing Primer Powder 41 Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush 42 Josie Maran Cosmetics GOGO Argan Mascara

Editor ’s letter Our search for all that’s natural in October revolves around the world of green cosmetics. Contrary to a general belief that cosmetic world comprises only of lip -sticks and make-up we have shared a more comprehensive view with our readers. What about the essential toiletries that we all require in our daily lives?

Aren’t they cosmetic as well?

Demand for organic cosmetics has sharply shot up as ill effects due to the chemical preservatives used by mainstream cosmetics industries continue taking heavy toll on health.

WHO’S BEHIND CHIEF EDITOR Arathi Singh

MANAGING EDITOR Sharmistha

Common preservative like parabens used by millions of companies across the globe is thought as a potential threat today that may very well lead to serious ailments like breast cancer. Besides parabens, names of compounds CONTRIBUTORS like phthalates, acrylamide, formaldehyde, and ethylene oxide find place in a list of carcinogenic substances published by EPA and the State of California. Avik Bhattacharya Sadly, mainstream beauty care is largely dependent on the usage of these Tsahallah Dror toxins. It’s time to ‘Say No to Toxic Cosmetics’.

Takeshi Morikawa

We are looking forward to a world of eco-friendly, natural cosmetics sans the toxic synthetics that are safe for your skin. In our cover story we have cap- Jaclyn Livingston tured the sustainable brand Maroma of Auroville. You’ll get know about the Emma Louise tryst between brand Zweena and a Moroccan elixir for the modern beauty.

Daria Mostowa We also highlight Anna Meleto’s Human Nature, a beauty brand that has helped the struggling farmers of Philippines attain sustainable livelihood.

Mari Fuller

Our interviews this month are even snazzier with what’s cooking inside the empires of upcoming organic Moghuls of cosmetic business. Check out Tomoe kobo talks from the distant land of the rising sun, Sudasatorim making way to vegan beauty, Skin-Candi pampering your soul and many more.

Olive

Sneak a peek in the world of beauty innovations like painless alternative to DESIGNER Botox and LED light treatment for your skin making the picture complete for Maddhyam Media the month.

After putting in so much hard work, it’ll be indeed rewarding for team InnovateUs and a reason for great satisfaction if our readers enjoy our issue and share their views, opinions and suggestions.

Happy Reading!

Sharmistha sharmistha@innovateus.net

ADVERTORIAL

COVER STORY

The Aroma of Auroville The enigmatic story of an aromatic brand Maroma, displaying an enviable depth in product-line backed up by a philosophy that’s sustainable to the core.

In an effort to unfold the real you in you, Maroma strongly advocates products with a holistic touch.

It’s too obvious that in order to look your very best you got to feel good first.

Maroma perfectly integrates the look and feel factors in their product line to inundate the users with a pampering rarely felt before.

Image courtesy : Thehindu.com

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elax, refresh and rejuvenate with luscious natural bath and body products from an aromatic brand that’s sustainable to the core.

If you love to surrender yourself in a deluge of aromatic essences that rejuvenates your being after an exceptionally tiring day, Maroma could be the solace for your soul.

Put a full stop to your spa running spree while you en05 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

joy the experience of spa beyond spa right at the cozy corner of home sweet home.

Maroma, the mother of all aromas, located in Auroville Tamil Nadu, brings a host of home fragrances and bodycare products that belie the concept of beauty being only skin deep.

Paul Pinthon and Laura Reddy, the CEOs of Maroma and harbingers of change believe that real beauty lies within.

An aromatic affair You may create your own little heaven of creature comfort with Maroma toiletry which is relaxation redefined. Light up some exotic jazz candles while lying inside your tub filled with water. Add some enthralling bath salts prepared from the most natural ingredients. “If music be the food of love, play on” and bask in the cool splash of aroma.

Just close your eyes and feel the gradual goodness spreading through your body cells, replenishing them with new vitality seldom felt before.

Smell the richness of pure Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY to their portfolio reveals bottomless depth in product line.

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

lavender as you bathe and by the time you finish your aquatic romance, spirit is sure to soar high.

When it comes to catering to your senses, nothing pleases like Maroma body care. The high quality, natural products understand your skin. Your skin gets the much needed breathing space that is otherwise robbed away by products made of artificial colors and preservatives.

Being in business for 30 plus years, maturing with the tides of time, Maroma has satisfied countless national and international customers. You could pick up their toiletry sets as an ideal gift for someone you care. A quick sneak a peak in-

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

The pure bliss of natural bath salts Make your home based aromatherapy a blissful experience with Maroma bath salt, soothing sore muscles and relaxing your frayed nerves.

Pick up and indulge from a wide array of aromas including Lavender, Lemongrass Rose and Sandal. Prepared with the essence of natural

Maroma, located in Auroville Tamil Nadu, brings a host of home fragrances and bodycare products that belief the concept of beauty being only skin deep. botanic extract and mineral salts, Maroma bath salt is nature’s own healing touch.

Nothing nourishes your skin remotely akin to the mother of all aromas.

Spa salts from Maroma are a replenishing blend containing essential food for your skin.

You can now reclaim peace of body, mind and spirit by wallowing in your tub transforming a lackadaisical bath routine into one of sublime bliss.

The 60gm bath salt pouches

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

are available in different names one more beautiful than the other. Only upon trying out Maroma’s “Clear Thought”, “Happy Heart”, “Quiet Mind”, and Tranquility” could you appreciate the magic these wonder sachets hold for you. Are you are keen to satiate your senses with a customized spa experience?

Make Maroma your wellness companion.

Soaps to tickle your delicate senses Formulated with ancient Indian herbs of wellness, Maroma’s very own Sama soap is a handmade bath delight. The curative Ylang-ylang oil soothes your skin removing excess oil and cleanses the pores leaving you pampered

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 06

COVER STORY skin. It moisturizes rough skin, facilitates easy breathing of your pores and cleanses with care.

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

like a baby. Bathing is never the same with Sama soaps that refreshes your body, packing your cells with zing.

To cater to the specific requirement of different skin types, Sama soaps are formulated with the goodness of Neem, Aloe Vera and Turmeric.

Sama Neem Soap is an antibacterial, antiseptic antidote for people with oily skin.

A combination of natural herbs and essential oils help in maintaining the smooth suppleness of skin.

With Aloe Vera as the essential component, Aloe Vera Soap is a medicated magic that soothes tired nerves. Aloe Vera soap provides necessary nourishments to sensitive skin. Any excess oil secreted by your sebaceous gland is removed, showering you with a complete charge up.

Turmeric soap, the ultimate in rejuvenation, is a boon for people with dry 07| InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Unleash your man’s erotic fantasies with shower power There is an amazing collection of men’s soaps for the emerging alpha males of generation Y. Concocted with the goodness of classic Himalayan Cedar woods and Lav-

Lotions to lighten up feminine essence Collection of Maroma body lotion, your potion of perfect well being, is capable of catering to the complete wellness need of anyone. True Body Lotion coming handy in six different aromas, moisturizes your skin with the healing touch of sesame oil, making you feel fresh throughout the day. Colibri Body Lotion from Maroma perfectly non-toxic insect repellent lotion especially formulated for delicate skin is a double edged sword keeping you free of bugs and bad odor.

Surrender to the seduction of Image courtesy : Auroville.org body butter Soft and downy like ender, Maroma’s Cedar Lava delicate dream, Maroma ender Soap makes you redisBody Butter melts into your cover the man within. An arskin, softening and hydrating omatic shower with Cedar your body. The fragrant Lavender unleashes raw mawarmth envelops your being chismo in you that is imposfor hours, keeping you prosible to resist. Apart from tected throughout the day. soaps, shower gels, exclusively meant for men arealso available that rejuvenates, invigorates and vitalizes the vitals like nothing else. 100 ml bottles of shower gels including Olibanum Citrus and Tonka Vetiver beside Cedar Lavender could be an ideal gift for the ideal man.

Image courtesy : Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

Nothing refreshes like a cozy massage from a loved one and you can make your days even more colorful with Maroma massage oil.

Indulge in massages

sensual

Pamper yourself with delightful drops that are ingrained with gifts of nature such as Sunflower, Sesame, Grape seed and Apricot. Devi Body & Massage Oil is indulgence redefined, enabling you to attain the highest relaxation, basking in heavenly fragrance. There is also Sama Body & Massage Oil

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

that's prepared in tandem with the timeless principals of Ayurveda; the ancient medicinal wisdom of India. Formulated to relax your senses, it’s a Midas touch that revitalizes you, to take part in the celebration called life.

Maroma list of toiletries is endless. Be it shampoo, hair conditioner, rollon or body perfume oil, you can trust your tryst

Formulated to relax your senses, it’s a Midas touch that revitalizes you, to take part in the celebration called life. blindfolded. Standing out tall as the Auroville archetype of fair-trade, Maroma provides employment for locals shunning grim practices of child labor.

Laura Reddy, the CEO of Maroma being an avid believer of Karmayoga attributes adherence to quality to be their only mantra for success. No wonder Maroma perfumes and sprays are doted upon worldwide.

It’s a name that rings a bell in countries like US, Cana-

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

da, UK, Italy, Holland, Japan and many more.

What once started with 350 people in a barren desert like land is a huge source of sustainable employment today. Women have joined hands with Maroma and are ecstatic with their newly found financial independence.

To cut a long story short, Auroville aroma has enchanted all and sundry. Is it possible after all to hide the fragrance of exceptionally good work?

Image courtesy : Auroville.org

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 08

INNOVATION

GENTLE WAVES A Laser That Erases Wrinkles

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id you ever think of getting an all purpose gadget that fights wrinkles, removes aging lines, treats acne and delivers your skin from sun spots?

Gentle Waves skin fitness system is a reality now that improves skin health from within, enabling you to adapt the inevitable process of aging in a dignified manner.

Image courtesy : lasermedica.org

The way Gentle Waves machine works is fairly simple. A light emitting diode (LED) releases a sequence of waves in different frequencies naturally rejuvenating your skin.

The most amazing part of the story lies in the fact that this whole process takes just a few minutes to take place.

You can witness major transformation in your skin happening right in front of your eyes. Within 8 sittings you can 09 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Image courtesy : skinlaser.com

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INNOVATION tion resulting from over exposure to sun. Be it acne, mild brown sun spots or freckles, the laser waves improve skin condition so vividly that blemishes are banned for ever from touching your skin.

Maryland Cosmetic Laser Institute has been successfully using Gentle Waves for wrinkle removal without any complaint.

David H Mcdaniel, an assistant professor of clinical dermatology and the inventor of this wonder machine assures that it very user friendly and is perfect for home use.

All you need to do is switch on the machine and lie down exposing yourself to the gentle yellow lights that emanate from the diodes.

make out substantial difference in your skin texture.

Blessed with the boon of being free of any pain or side effects, Gentle Waves is truly your gentle genie. LED photomodulation of Gentle Waves, strengthens the vitals of your skin and reclaims its well toned cherubic look.

Not only has “Gentle Wave” been scientifically tested and tagged as safe by FDA, it has Image courtesy : centresthetique.com also been declared that the treatment engenders a definite ening of the skin that makes 60% betterment in overall skin you often appear older than quality. what you actually are.

The results are indeed striking The LED wave multiplies the therefore is there any good in Collagen, alleviating its break- waiting further? Go ahead and down resulting in firmer, tight- ride your Gentle Waves now ener skin. “Gentle Waves” works joying life to the lees. well with any severe skin condi-

Collagen, an important chemical that makes your skin look youthful, breaks down with age.

This eventually results in loosImage courtesy : lazuliblue.com

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY

The Great Green Filipino Beauty Feat The inside story of how Philippines’ largest organic and natural personal care and cosmetic brand was born. in soil that belongs to landowners for measly payout.

It’s stifling for those privileged with their own stretch of green, to manage the ever increasing expenses of farming.

Image courtesy : beasocialentrepreneur.org

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he inside story of how Philippines’ largest organic and natural personal care and cosmetic brand was born.

21st century business environment, with its fair share of glitz and glamour is predominantly a cerebral affair. Finer sensibilities like compassion, altruism, benevolence are mere word games that have little place in the world ruled by balance sheet and brain.

Seldom do you get chance to cross path with the likes of 11 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Anna Meloto, an entrepreneur with human nature. A young Filipino, with a heart of gold was wondering since long how to alleviate the pain of the farmers in her country.

Farmers fumbling for a better living Farming in Filipino was far from fairy tale with people belonging to the bottommost rung of society. Philippines, a country that primarily depends on farming as there aren’t many industries around, farmers have to toil

Left with the only option of borrowing from moneylender, farmers often enter the vicious cycle of borrowing that has no way out. It’s doomsday for the impoverished and party time for imps. In the tumult of moneylenders gloating with glee the farmers’ voices get drowned in the drains. In a country where 90% of the people live on less than 2$ per day, Anna Meloto’s Human Touch is a silver lining of hope for a new tomorrow.

She’s got the human nature Anna, a native of Philippines belongs to a middle class family, grew up in a village amidst people stricken by poverty.

Having inherited strong val-

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY ues from her dada Gaward Kalinga founder Tony Meloto, who was involved in various social activities to enhance the livelihood of local youths, Anna grew up as an independent woman firmly rooted to the ground realities of life.

While Anna was a college freshman, Tony was conducting a camp, helping youths refrain from the propensity of doing drugs and getting involved in criminal activities.

Tony was running the program in a notorious breeding ground for criminals called Bagong Silang but still without a shade of quandary, he asked her daughter Anna to be a part of this movement.

This was a big eye opener for Anna and she picked up a strong drive to do something meaningful in life that helps the community at large.

Philippines.

In 2008, Human Nature came into being with the first of its kind store at the Blue Leaf Fort, Manila.

True beauty embraces sustainability Focusing largely on items of cosmetology Human Nature brings an assortment of natural face wash, shampoo and

In a country where 90% of the people live on less than 2$ per day, Anna Meloto’s Human Touch is a silver lining of hope for a new tomorrow.

In 2004 Anna married Dylan Wilk, a British entrepreneur with a passion for environment and a holistic approach towards life. The like minded couple settled in US and was later joined by Anna’s sister Camille in 2007. Anna’s sister had a natural knack for beauty and cosmetology. With an emerging market for organic products, US were the hot favorite for the advocates of green living. This gave Anna a brilliant idea to do something similar back home in Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

other body care items. What makes this whole affair special is undoubtedly the fact that the products are natural and free from toxicity of any kind made through fair trade practices.

The concept of manufacturing bio-degradable product was earlier unheard of in Philippines. Human Nature has pio-

neered the drive with great success. Being rich in resources, the country was already in a naturally advantageous position. Ingredients like sunflower oil, virgin coconut oil, lemongrass and citronella are abundantly available. Having partnered with seven community cooperatives, Human Nature sources raw materials directly from local farmers. The wage paid to them is competitive and better than what they are able to earn in open market.

Working in close coordination with community farming cooperatives Human Nature facilitates them with adequate funds so that they can produce valuable crops.

With full fledged support in terms of machinery and equipment Filipino farmers could now target at a happy harvest.

Community development activity never takes a back seat with Human Nature. Community development organizations have been collaborated

Image courtesy : humanheartnature.com

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 12

COVER STORY Unlike silicon based serums that coats the hair like plastic, Smoothening Hair Serum is yet another breakthrough that beautifies your hair naturally.

Sunflower, Broccoli oil and Soybeans, give that healthy, wholesome natural nourishment to your hair.

Image courtesy : humanheartnature.com

with by Human Nature to contribute in health and education of the locals through cooperatives.

The wide assortment of beauty products manufactured by the company is just awesome to look at. Apart from regular hair care and body care you could pick up pet shampoo for your four legged friend too!

A crowning glory In a beauty mart proliferating with shampoos made of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Human Nature nurtures your mane in a natural way. Doing away with chemicals that could cause toxicity, skin irritation and even cancer, the Filipino shampoos moisturizes your hair naturally curing dry, damaged hair. Packed with coco nectar, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, hair care is taken to a whole new level

that’s pure bliss.

Human Nature conditioners are your hairs best friends that work in conjunction with you shampoo, guaranteeing 100% replenishment. Rich natural ingredients like avocado oil, Omega 3 and cool coconut delight, lights up your locks in a million watt shine.

Lit up your face with incandescent glow Face wash with 100% pure tomato extract beautifies your face delivering you from skin defects. Nothing mars more the personality of an individual than a blemish on the face.

Human Nature’s natural tomato extract face wash soothes sensitive face skin, opening up the pores. A strong antioxidant that protects the skin with complete care.

Sunflower beauty oil, an elixir packed with extraordinary vitamin power makes the face

Image courtesy : business.inquirer.net

13 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY glow with health in a natural way. It removes dark circles and pimples, alleviating stretch marks from the skin.

Nothing moisturizes like Sunflower beauty oil, pampering the skin by opening up the pores. Toxin release is facilitated by Sunflower oil which comes under the tag of beauty oil but acts as a curative for the skin.

A breakthrough in bodycare Cool collection of products offering total body care solutions by Human Nature are a user’s delight.

Body Butter Cream: Packed with antioxidants, body butter cream tops the chart of favorite, overwhelming the users with a rich, luxuriant experience of a lifetime.

Formulated with nature’s best ingredients it deeply moisturizes your body, making your skin soft, supple and well nourished.

Classic Deodorant: Shed your inhibition and enjoy life more freely with a very special deodorant that leaves you fresh like a daisy. Bid farewell to dark underarms forever and bask in the fragrance of pure sunflower oil the whole day.

Bamboo body scrub: A Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

bath scrub that rewards you with ultimate experience of pampering yourself. 100% natural blend of bamboo scrub and black rice helps in cleansing your pores, leaving your skin polished and revitalized for a busy day ahead.

Natural healthy lotion: Available in flavors of Berry and Vanilla, Human Nature’s natural healthy lotion is rich in Avocado oil. While most lotions contain Parabens as

grance, the deodorant drenches smart dudes with wellness galore.

Pure Strength Black Diamond Shampoo is capable of revitalizing hair that is over exposed to dirt and heat. Impregnated with bamboo charcoal, also referred to as “Black Diamond” in East Asia, the shampoo is the strongest yet safest natural cleaning agent.

Thus continues the journey of Human Nature with Anna, Dylan and Camille, the social entrepreneurs keen to bring about some change to the economic contours of Philippine.

Image courtesy : humanheartnature.com

preservative that could turn out to be carcinogenic in the long run, Natural healthy lotion is free from any artificial preservative and is safe to the highest degree.

A musky man’s world Pure Strength Deodorant a hot favorite among hardworking men battles body odor keeping you fighting fit. Without an iota of harmful aluminum salt and synthetic fra-

Human Nature is a sustainable company today with a network of 40000 registered dealers selling products all around.

The farmers of Philippine are happier men with wider horizons to turn their dreams into fruition.

Being human is all about staying connected to your elements and Human Nature with its natural products remarkably revive the long forgotten connect.

And after all it’s all about being human.

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 14

Interview: Takeshi Morikawa of Tomoe Kobo

Tomoe Kobo, the natural skin care cosmetic manufacturing company from the land of rising sun completes a decade successfully. In a roaring market of organic cosmetics, the company has already created a strong impression in Japan. Behold as the Japanese tiger forays into an international market, ready to be pitted against some of the best.

INTERVIEW

G

ive us a little background on yourself. How did you first become interested in making natural skin care products?

My mom Fusayo Morikawa, President of Tomoe Kobo) had skin troubles since her youth and nothing in the market was of any help. She had tried many cosmetics and it only made things worse.

Finally she tried making cosmetics by herself and not only did she succeed with flying colors but was soon using them on a regular basis. At that time, she was distributing cosmetics to her friends as well. Seeing that people has started liking them, she decided to get a cosmetic license done and start selling them.

That was 10 years ago, while I was working in a company in Tokyo and studying in London.

All the while I kept helping my

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

mother to sell her products in Internet. We started getting positive feedback from our first set of customers. The cosmetics were really very good for skin.

We continued with the company and, finally, it was three years ago that I decided to join my mother officially.

What inspired you to start Tomoe Kobo?

What's your brand philosophy?

What goaded us into starting this was the realization during my mother’s skin problem that there is a dearth of good skin care products around.

Our philosophy is to make simple, natural, handmade, traditional cosmetics. This traditional way to make cosmetics is popular in Japan that doesn’t need any testing on animals as the materials we use were being used for many years. We wanted to show that it’s possible to make cosmetic without much ado.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced in doing business? How did you overcome them?

The first challenge we faced was getting license to sell cosmetics. We could overcome this by being persistent, contacting people working in the city office many times and following their advice on making

the documentation we were asked for.

The second challenge was making natural cosmetics that won’t be rotten and bad. Cosmetics with chemicals are easy to preserve, because of the preservatives.

We spent hours experimenting and checking for every possible loophole that might be creeping inside our products, defeating our very purpose.

We experimented until we were absolutely sure of the product’s quality.

What are your bestselling products? Any new products coming out soon?

Dokudami toner (made by powerful herb Dokudami in Japan) is the hot new bestseller. We are going to come up with body soap and dokudami bee wax cream next year.

What are the most interesting ingredients you're using in your products and why?

The most interesting ingredient is the dokudami herb that’s used traditionally in Japan, both raw and dry. It’s October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 16

INTERVIEW

supposed to be good for skin if used raw, and for stomach if used dry. Traditionally, people use dry leaves for making tea.

What makes Tomoe Kobo products stand out from the crowd?

In the Japanese market, we try to make more communication with our customers; because we want our customers to rely on us. This is why we try to share any information with them through our newsletters.

In the international market, we try to get closer to our customers as well. Japanese companies need to use Internet and need to speak English to approach the international market. Big Japanese companies are normally using chemicals; and the Japanese companies that are organic are still too small to focus outside.

They still have the whole Japanese market to focus on. Our company is small, but quite flexible and used to interacting with foreigners. We think we are one of the few organic cosmetics Japanese compa17 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

nies that can do that.

How green is your brand?

Every year, we collect the herbs and mix them with ethanol. It takes a year to make the essence. After having the essence, we mix it with pure water and the rest of the ingredients. If it’s soap, we have to wait for it to dry for several months. That is a gist of the

process. It’s quite simple, natural and eco-friendly, since we don’t use any machine to make it. We also try to maintain a green focus as much as possible when it comes to the containers. For example, we sell refilling lotion bags apart from the normal lotion bottles, reducing the costs and the environmental impact.

We are witnessing resurgence in demand for natural skincare products over the last deca de a cro ss t he

globe. What can you tell us about the growth trend of the company?

In the case of our company, the demand for our products was steadily growing since our beginning10 years ago. Since 2008 we started growing bigger and becoming more active. We even got our first website designed during this period. Since 2011, our company started to grow slightly faster, because our activity increased as well. We started creating new products and made a website in English among other things.

Your brand has a strong presence on social media. What platforms are you on and how have you leveraged them to grow your brand?

In Japan, we have been reviewing sites considering possibilities to run our campaigns in the most popular sites so that people may get our products at a cheaper price. For international viewers, we put samples available for people if they are keen to write a review. And we also have a Fac e b o o k p a g e (www.facebook.com/ tomoekobo) where people can see our products and the latest news.

You can also buy our products from our Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ TOMOEKOBO)

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

ADVERTORIAL

INNOVATION

REVANCE Next-gen Needle-free Botox Alternative

Y

ou must have nestled some narcissist moments of “Mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest……”? Isn’t it a dreadful experience to discover aging lines on your face narrating a telltale story? Pathetic anti-wrinkle creams available in the market are of little help to battle the impressions of advancing age and just aren’t helpful in boosting your morale. Albeit Botox is a readily available option to eradicate the dreadful crow’s feet, many are rabbit scared when it comes to bartering for a needle puncture. Botox injection is also attributed with leaving behind a frozen, icy look that is an unwelcome proposition for many.

Revance Therapeutics Inc., a company that has made available a painless panacea for aging skin, is a recent buzzword

19 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Image courtesy : Auroville.org Image courtesy : huffingtonpost.ca

making rounds all over. Clinically named as RT001, the anti aging product offered by Revance is a Botox in essence that is applied to the skin directly against the conventional practice of injecting. RT001, a “topical botulinum toxin type A” works wonders with wrinkles by directly targeting the overactive muscles lying underneath.

The product is at its ultimate stage of clinical fine tuning before it lands with a bang in the market. So far the results obtained by research have been very satisfactory. In August 2009 an initial scientific trial probe revealed that the product could cause significant difference in appearance eradicating aging lines effectively. Having been confirmed that there are no serious side effects from the usage of RT001, dermatologists are confi-

dent about the utility of this new, 21st century wrinkle fighter. 11 tests subsequent to the initial one was conducted

by Revance© on groups of 550 participants and clearly the patients achieved a clearer, youthful skin without having to go through painful procedures.

This treatment is ideal for those with needle mania and could especially work well treating cases like excessive underarm perspiration, something that currently requires numerous injections.

With a few more tests and trials pending, the official market launch of RT001 is only a matter of time. Very shortly the painless panacea from Revance is going to go live pushing you on a wrinkle ravage spree.

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INNOVATION

LED LIGHT THERAPY E

Anti-Aging Photo Rejuvenation

ver thought of bathing in a beacon of hope that prevents aging lines, removes wrinkles, heals wound and fights skin defects? With LED (light emitting diode) technology, a new system of skin therapy that has evolved into a powerful tool, corroborating your crusade against skin imperfections, nothing seems impossible any more.

LED light therapy is a painless process that uses Dermalux system to stimulate your skin, facilitating total rejuvenation of the largest organ of human body. It’s a hundred percent safe method that ensures total nourishment of your skin suiting irrespective of textures and conditions.

Skin’s innate ability to absorb light is being put to your advantage in this treatment.

LED therapy bombards your skin with different colors of light encouraging production of Collagen.

Collagen deficiency, a natural phenomenon that occurs during old age, results in sagging of the skin. The skin muscles loosen with depletion in Collagen resulting in a drop in elasticity, a condition that inexorably impresses upon your face the lasting sign of aging.

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

Image courtesy: o2planet.com

As LED waves penetrate through skin, your body cells are energized due to the increased circulation of Oxygen improving flow of blood. This in turn activates the antiaging process through extensive cell multiplication allowing you to win back the forgotten drop dead looks of your youth. There is conclusive evidence of rapid skin regeneration through LED that is almost 200%faster than what occurs naturally.

in your skin condition.

Red light therapy treats a host of conditions including eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.

Your skin retains that well hydrated, smooth look radiating a wholesome glow. Blue light treatment works wonders for acne and effectively battles skin infection. A hybrid treatment combining red and blue light is clinically testified as an effective cure for inflammatory acne, swelling and scar marks.

The method of treatment folComing handy with a price tag lowed is very simple. The afof £49 per sitting, LED light fected areaof a patient’s skin therapy is a foolproof preis exposed to a comfortable scription for troubled skin light for thirty minutes. Multithat uplifts your self esteem ple sessions are recommendwithout pinching your pocket. ed for long term benefit though one session is good enough for Image courtesy: alibaba.com Image courtesy: holisticvanity.ca you to notice considerable difference

Image courtesy: thewellnesswarrior.com.au

COVER STORY

Moroccan Beauty Elixirs Oil from Morocco that’s the crown jewel of leading beauty brand Zweena.

T

he journey of Zweena Argan oil, fondly referred to as “liquid gold” by organic aficionados, began with a Moroccan love story.

One of the most enchanting natural treasures in the mysterious land of Africa would have gone unnoticed had it not been for Jayme Barretta celebrated young author of the best selling book “FengShui Your life”.

She had zilch idea during her first visit to Morocco that she’d find the love of her life in the African state referred by all and sundry as “the Western Kingdom”. Jayme Barrett, had gut feelings that it’s going to be a very special trip, the moment she set her feet at Tangier airport. This is the place where Atlantic meets the Mediterranean ocean, silently symbolizing the timeless union of the oriental with the occidental.

With jagged mountains, swaying palm tees, somber prayer cal l f ro m su rrou nding mosques, this was the irresistible Morocco Jayme had Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

Image courtesy: zweenabodycare.com

Image courtesy: zweenabodycare.com

young manager of the hotel from Casablanca was keen to help her through shopping and lunch and very soon love was in the air. A typical Mills & Boons rendezvous that started thereafter finally culminated into marriage in the year 2009.

What Jayme did not realize was that she’d be rediscovering profound love once more in her life. Finally when Zouhir gifted her with Moroccan Argan oil, she was simply swept away by the goodness of the awesome elixir.

The Argan Epitome Of Beauty and Wellness

Image courtesy: zweenabodycare.com

dreamt of. She simply doted over the fresh fragrance of rose water and exotic Moroccan chicken, enjoying every moment of her stay. While sipping over fresh mint tea in a hotel in Tangier, Jayme met Zouhir for the first time.

Zouhir

Yakobi,

a

Thrilled at the never felt before softness of her hair and face Jayme wondered what could possibly be the ingredients of this very special oil that’s way different from anything she had ever used.

Learning that the oil is hand cracked from precious Argan nuts and sold by women’s cooperative, Jayme drove to the Southwest of Marrakech to get a first hand flavor.

dashing October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 22

COVER STORY At Marrakech, a deeply impressed Jayme started seriously contemplating the idea of introducing the potion of wellness to the US market.

Until then what was being sold under the tag of “Moroccan Argan oil” in the market was far from being authentic.

Neither pure, nor coldpressed, these counterfeited versions were packed with meager concentration. Jayme wanted to launch a real, organic, beauty product in America, that’d be free from synthetic colors and toxic preservatives.

A Liquid Gold Rush Finally she began the beauty bonanza with “Zweena” in US, a

company committed to give “American Beauty” a whole new meaning.

With the introduction of Moroccan magic oil, Zweena successfully simplified a woman’s beautification regimen. The elixir was immediately recognized as a one stop solution to the concerns of a modern day Cleopatra. You could rarely find something that offers integrated beauty solution. Argan oil replenishes, moisturizes, heals and beautifies at the same time, anybody under the sun.

Dollops of Delight If you keep a bottle of Argan oil in your handbag it’s assured that you’ve taken care of

your “pretty woman” need fairly well.

The oil is a multipurpose miracle moisturizer that replenishes your skin protecting you from the brunt of dust and heat.

It’s an excellent conditioner for those with dry hair that penetrates through the pores of the skin, soothing the scalp cool.

Regular usage of Argan oil turns your hair into shiny cascade, correcting split end problems in a jiffy. Directly sourced from fair trade cooperative run by Berber women, Moroccan Argan oil keeps alive the sustainable drive.

Underprivileged women of

Image courtesy: livefastmag.com

23 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

COVER STORY Morocco have benefitted immensely through their newly acquired financial freedom.

Zweena, meaning “beautiful” in Morocco is resolute to touch the lives of metropolitan maidens with its magic wand, spreading happiness all around.

Argan oil just works wonder with stretch marks making your skin glow with new life.

Imperfections of skin are eradicated permanently with repeated use, resulting in betterment of skin texture.

The miracle moisturizer as some prefers calling it has been used since eons by Moroccan women as a phenomenal anti-aging agent.

Copious presence of vitamin E beside Seponin that helps in softening the skinis instrumental in retaining water lipid layer. This contributes to the suppleness of skin eradicating wrinkles or other signs of aging. Stimulating your body with the oil enhances cell turnover resulting in healthy, glowing, complexion.

Argan Rose Face SerumRejuvenation Redefined Beside Argan oil, Argan rose, an organic face cream adds a lot to the Zweena zoom. It’s a divine smelling concoction made of pure Rosehip seed and Evening Primrose that makes your face radiant with Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

Image courtesy: jaymebarrett.com

youthful vivacity. Celebrate the silky softness of your skin, with a serum that seeps deep within through the pores, relaxing every fiber of your face muscles. Your skin radiates with rare rose delight, grabbing gleeful glances of your loved one making you the most adorable woman around.

Today, Zweena has emerged in the forefront as an ecofriendly brand that believes in uncovering the natural beauty of a person making life much more meaningful. Thus continues a Moroccan legacy touching more and more lives with each passing day. Aren’t you going to be a part of it?

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 24

Interview: Jacklyn Livingston of Skin-Candi

The philosophy of Skin-Candi resonates harmoniously with the timeless Shakespearian quote “Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short”. The fresh, organic, non-toxic cosmetics of Skin-Candi are an ode to the fun loving innocent child in all of us.

INTERVIEW

J

aclyn, tell us a bit about yourself. What is your expertise and background in the beauty industry?

I actually have none! I’m a working mom, photographer, and designer eyewear merchandising executive. This is a new avenue for me!

What inspired you to dabble in the natural skincare market by launching SkinCandi?

We have been using natural homemade scrubs in the shower for the past couple of years. Experimentation with natural remedies for the skin first began when my daughter (now two) was around 4 months old. She had her first bout of baby eczema and over-the-counter cleansers were irritating her skin as they were packed with chemicals which I knew so little about. That’s the first time I had ever started thinking about natural skincare!

Was it hard to get started?

In essence, no, the company was not hard to start. It was an idea I felt so passionately about seeing to fruition that the first few months we worked tirelessly night and day to complete the first run of jars. The most amount of time was spent researching the highest-quality pure ingredients that would perform the best and finding product packaging that could meet the ideas in my head.

What products does SkinCandi offer? Any new addiInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living

tions coming?

In the works, we are looking to produce Lip Candi, Body Candi and Baby Candi (for toddlers and infants)! Right now we have three initial face scrub products for three different types of skin.

Face CandiThis is an all-purpose facial scrub for most skin types.

This scrub features soothing creamed New York State water white honey which replenishes moisture and raw organic cane sugar crystals which exfoliate and polish away impurities.

Organic green tea extract tightens and naturally firms the skin while lime essential oil and other organic ingredients work together to buff, polish and rejuvenate tired skin. Face Candi also features Mother Nature’s SUPERFRUIT sea berry which rebalances the skin and infus-

es it with antioxidants from the inside out!

Face Candi + This is in essence a “medicated” version of the original Face Candi product made for those with problem skin. This scrub features the coveted wild Bio-Active Manuka Honey UMF 16+ from New Zealand where bees thrive naturally amongst some of the purist air and soil on Planet Earth.

While working with Mother Nature’s SUPERFRUIT seaberry, organic green tea extract and other organic ingredients, this potent form of honey is extremely effective at alleviating swelling, redness and especially acne. This is the Holy Grail for those with aging or acne-prone skin as well as those with skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

Face Candi VENOM This is the creme-de-la-creme of the Skin-Candi facial care line. It harnesses the power of bee venom to create what we think of as an “instant facelift.” Incorporating all the naturally delectable ingredients from the original Face Candi, Face Candi VENOM fools your skin into pumping skinboosting collagen right to the area it’s applied! This is an instant fix for any fine lines and imperfections. While the venom is boosting your skin’s youthful appearance, the Face Candi formula continues to exfoliate, cleanse and moisturize. AMAZING.

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 26

INTERVIEW and re-dipped in the glorious yellow wax and returned to them at a discount!

How green is your brand?

We strive to use ingredients that will minimize our environmental footprint.

Our products are made of only organic and natural ingredients. Face Candi and Face Candi venom also support New York State agriculture as we source our Water White honey from Ole McDonald Farms bee farm in Upstate New York. Skin-Candi’s organic cane sugar crystals, organic cinnamon and organic nutmeg support are sourced from premium quality international organic farms and are ordered through our local food co-op. Our glass jars are 100% reusable and we even offer the option to our customers of returning the glass jars for refills! Each jar can be resealed 27 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Why do you think women should opt your sk i n c a r e range over other conventional brands?

I feel strongly that once a woman tries a Skin-Candi product for the first time, they will never want to give it up! Each jar of face scrub seemingly does everything that your other products had to work together to do. It has an exfoliating factor, a cleansing factor, an astringent factor and a moisturizing factor all in one.

Literally, a woman feels more beautiful just using it. It’s a highly addicting experience (and it tastes good too).

Where does the inspiration for new products come from?

My mind! I think I have a knack for knowing what people will like.

What marketing outlets and social media platforms do you use to build your clientele base? Which ones have had the best outcome?

Right now we use Facebook and Instagram to reach our customers and fans. We have gotten a lot of support online and we use it as a platform to share any press, special offers or information on our products. It’s a great way to keep in constant contact with people who are already interested in and supporting us.

Where would you like to take Skin-Candi next?

I want to see Skin-Candi hit the national level in luxury beauty retail. This is a product that was literally crafted to be perfection. I see the potential for every girl to be a SkinCandi girl.

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

ADVERTORIAL

PRODUCTPEDIA

Honeybee Gardens WaterColors Nail Enamel

A

re you aware of the hard fact that women expose their skin to 515 chemicals every day in their daily “pretty woman” pursuit?

These chemicals are a hazard to the environment and moreover a potential threat for your health in the long run.

Keeping this in mind Honeybee Garden has launched their kitty of natural colors to paint your nails the healthy way.

Is there room for toxic, smelly nail polish on your dressing table? Well, not anymore!

What makes water color nail paint strikingly different is the usage of water as base instead of synthetic chemicals that are often carcinogenic in nature.

Traditional nail polishes are high on volatile organic compounds that damage the skin in contrast to water color enamel that looks similar to any nail polish in the mart but is a healthier alternative to 29 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Image courtesy: thetracefacephils.com

mainstream products.

It’s stretch resistant and easy to remove that makes your manicuring experiences a perfect amalgamation of beauty and bliss.

Customers, allergic to normal nail paints are overjoyed painting their nails the Honeybee Gardens way.

Place your order and paint your talons pretty, a tad healthier way.

Size/Form: 0.5 fl oz Liquid Key Ingredients: Water, mica, iron oxides, non-ionic soaps, ultramarine blue, poly-

urethane formers and thickeners carmine, water-miscible acrylic and titanium dioxide Variants : 25 shades - Vintage Merlot, Renaissance (rich wine), Tuscany, Whisper (sheer), Manicure White, Wild Fire (bright red), Desire, Risque, San Francisco, Mocha Latte, Shiny Penny, Nude Beach, Fairy Dust, Serenity (sheer), Valentine, Romance, Goddess, Camelot, Cherokee, Burlesque, Hippie Chick, Manhattan, Destiny, Abyss (pure black), Oasis (sapphire blue), Tease (purple), and Clear Price: $9.99 Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

PRODUCTPEDIA

Sally B's B Glossy Lip Gloss

B

Glossy lip gloss from Sally B is no lip service puffery but a genuine promise to make you beautiful from within.

Purely non-toxic gluten free affair from Sally B is your healthy alternative to a synthetic beauty saga.

A lip gloss, free of the poison of petroleum base and artificial colors of all kinds is suitable for all ages. It adds healthy tones to your lip enabling you to brandish a silky gloss that's sure to steal glances turning many a heads.

Made with natural Mica colors you could sport ravishing Ruby’s Red, Every Blonde’s Pink, peppy Primrose or Copper Penny. It’s a foursome delight of shimmering shades that’d leave men moonstruck with your ravishing beauty.

Applying a small amount uniformly over your lips keeps adding lush to your smile the whole day and with Sallybskinyummies.com, placing your orders is just a click away.

Image courtesy: sallybskinyummies.com

Variants: 4 shades - Ruby's Red, Every Blonde's Pink, Primrose, and Copper Penny

Price: $18.00 Where to buy: Sallybskinyummies.com

Size/Form: 7 gram tube with wand Key Ingredients: Organic Lecithin, Organic Essential oil of Peppermint, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Carneuba Wax, Organic Shea Butter, Vitamin E (Non GMO Soy Based), Micas, Organic Beeswax, Image courtesy: earth911.com

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 30

INTERVIEW

PLA — A Soapy Story It’s a pure PLA Naturals pleasure unleashed! An ancient esoteric prescription of Bali beauties is revived once more with luxury bath soaps that rejuvenate with all that’s most natural under the sun. Be a part of PLA sustainable drive that’s beyond money making machination, opening new vista of opportunities for the unemployed local women. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Daria Mostowa,

C

an you give our readers a little bit of history on your background? What prompted you to begin soaping? When did PLA naturals come into being and how?

It all started when I checked into a small luxury hotel on Bali Island, Indonesia. Located on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the hotel had a glaring air just like about everything else in Bali, the Southeast Asian tourist heaven.

In the midst of this overwhelming tropical magnificence, however, something small – almost trivial – caught my attention.

I found that the soap used in the hotel really made a difference for my skin: unique fragrance, delicate texture, and an uncompromisingly healthy, natural sensation.

I asked the hotel about the 31 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

soap, and was informed that they are made locally in a small workshop and could not be bought elsewhere. On my departure, I purchased several bars of the soap directly from the hotel as souvenirs for friends back home.

The soaps ended up being extremely popular. A new idea popped up: why not contact the Bali workshop for more, and possibly make it a business? At this time I was working as corporate client analysts in the major international bank’s branch in Poland and I simply didn’t have time for my own business.

However, I quickly realized that the heavily profit-driven, stressful environment of my bank failed to resonate with my values in life. In 2011, I came to Vancouver, Canada to

pursue my MBA studies and finally I decided to begin my own business.

Through a number of transfers, I reached the manager and owner of the local workshop in Bali. His little factory meant more than just good soap however the children of the women employees working there had limited access to proper childcare services.

With a genuine concern for the disadvantaged women, the manager issued permission to her women staff to bring their children along while coming to work.

In a region where females are often unemployed the workshops provided them with a stable income.

I was intrigued by the soap business’s underlying benefits.

Building sustainability and women empowerment is a part Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW of my personal agenda almost an inseparable portion of my value system.

With a partnership in place, I am striving to promote the small, beach-side soap workshop, creating greater opportunities for local women.

By introducing a top quality all natural soap to the rest of the world under the brand name PLA we are operating a solid online-retail business.

PLA is unequivocally rooted in profit-sharing and social awareness practices.

Where does the unique brand name come from?

Everybody asks me this question. I have even started thinking about the acronym but the truth is that the name (read “plah:”) comes from the name of the restaurant in Barcelona.

While dining with my future husband in this restaurant it was the very first time that I started dreaming of having my own business one day.

Having liked the name of the restaurant decided that this’ll be the name of my future company, PLA. Moreover, in Europe the name of the company does not have to mean anything. If you like the name you can register it.

Why natural soap?

I am crazy about researching for the best products in the world and when I find them I want to share my knowledge with everybody. My friends and my husband loved the soap from Bali so much that they pushed me to start the business because they didn’t want to use any other soap any Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

more. Natural soap is an aesthetically appealing way of doing business i.e. not for profit but for customers and suppliers. I believe that once my stakeholders are happy the money will be automatically flowing.

What challenges have you tackled when it comes to owning and running a soap business?

When you have your own business 8 hours involvement is just not enough and at times even 24 hours seem to be less.

You think, breathe and dream business all the time. When you run a start-up it is even more challenging. You singlehandedly play the roles of CEO, CFO and COO interchangeably as need be, being responsible for marketing and sales at the same time.

Moreover, you have to prepare yourself that the fruits of your labor shall be yielding in not before a couple years. Therefore you have to be really tenacious and passionate about

your business.

On the other hand there is no job in the world that could give you as much satisfaction as being an entrepreneur.

You can create beautiful things that your buyers love. You can in fact change somebody’s life when you care about your suppliers.

At the end you could be proud, being able to put all the puzzles together and tell yourself: “YES, I can!”

Please, guideus through the whole soap making process – from scratch to bar? Have you adopted sustainable production and packaging methods?

What we put on our skin matters! With a completely holistic approach, PLA products are made with love, harnessing the finest, freshest and purest vegan ingredients that are harvested and grown by local farmers.

“Old Bali” style with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, PLA’s soap is luxury at October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 32

INTERVIEW its best.

Amazingly creamy with ace moisturizing quality, the soap contains natural nutrients.

PLA soap contains protein, vitamin and mineral packed blend of virgin coconut oil, sustainable palm oil, rice milk, honey and rich, pure essential oils.

Pure plant actives like grapefruit and essential oil act as antioxidant and are source of active bioflavonoids. Rose essential oil is known for its rejuvenating quality that caters to all skin types, especially mature skin.

It is uplifting, revitalizing and helps to maintain elasticity.

PLA uses 15 different essential oils to produce 8 different scents for all skin types and needs.

SUSTAINABILITY Packaging - The majority of soaps being used these days are liquid soaps, which require plastic bottles that travel to the trash can once the soap is exhausted.

Solid soap is more concentrated, compact and earth friendly. Instead of using unrecyclable bottles we simply wrap the soaps in a sustainably handmade piece of colorful bamboo paper.

Each piece of PLA bamboo paper has been dried by the Balinese sun using traditional methods of drying pulp on bamboo frames.

33 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Chemicals- All ingredients in PLA’s luxury soaps are completely chemical-free and come from our small organic farms in Bali. That is why we have a full control with which our products are made of. We don’t use chemicals as fertilizers neither do we use pesticides to preserve plants.

Finally we don’t use any harmful ingredients that you can find in other cosmetics. We truly believe in pure and chemical free product for our skin. As the largest organ in the body, our skin absorbs everything it is subjected to.

Water - Our pure and concentrated soaps don’t contain water so no water is unnecessarily transported around the world.

Social - This project was developed by PLA to a empower group of women in a developing village of fishermen on the beautiful east coast of Bali.

Rich in natural resources but developing economically, the Project aims at enabling employment for women, especially those with young children.

Currently, we employ 9 women, 6 of whom bring their children to work with them everyday.

How many different types of soap do you currently offer?

What are your top sellers?

Your “Natural Volcanic Ash” soap looks interesting! Tell us

more about it.

PLA offers 8 different types of soap all made with virgin coconut oil, sustainable palm oil, rice milk, honey and 15 different essential oils. The top selling item is definitely Volcanic Ash soap simply because you can’t find this type of soap anywhere else. My customers love it because of its unique ingredients list. Coconut oil, palm oil, rice milk, honey, volcanic ash, lavender essential oil and grapefruit essential oilare used to formulate the soap for a vegan extravaganza.

Volcanic Ash arranges texture of skin, leading to bright skin with an exotic touch of rich lather. Extremely fine particles of Volcanic Ash are ideally sized to remove dirt and debris from skin pores without acting as an abrasive. Lavender Essential Oil is among the most antiseptic essential oils with a high antioxidant rating. Invigorates and rejuvenates mind and body. It also revitalizes the appearance of skin and has antiseptic and stimulating properties. Grapefruit Essential Oil is an antioxidant and source of active bioflavonoids. It lubricates and rejuvenates the appearance of skin.

It helps with skin problems such as cellulite, dull skin, toxin formation, and water retention. Coconut Oil is exceptional for dry, itchy or sensitive skin. It is also a great moisturizer, antioxidant and it restores the skin's moisture level. Sustainable Palm Oil contains Vitamin E which is a strong antioxidant, helps the skin to fight free radicals that damage it causing fine lines and wrinkles. Rice Milk is Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW known as a great moisturizing and nourishing ingredient. It also softens the skin. Honey moisturizes, nourishes, soothes and hydrates the skin.

Do you have specific customers in mind? What separates your natural soaps from the competition?

My customers are men and women who care what they put on their skin. Skin absorbs everything that you put on and as a safeguard to aging issues customers should not use preservatives, artificial colors or artificial scents (perfumes) that dehydrate the skin.

When you buy cosmetics make sure that you check the ingredients list thoroughly. Don’t ever trust “100% natural” tags blindfolded. These are 3 questions that I recommend to ask yourself before you buy any cosmetic: Do I understand what is in the ingredients list?

Are those ingredients natural?

Does the cosmetic contain water? If yes it means that the producer sales water instead of expensive ingredients such as essential oils that are beneficial for your skin.

Where do you currently sell your products?

PLA has an online store: PLAnaturals.ca. You can check my customers’ testimonials and find detailed information about each ingredient to pick the best soap that suits your skin.

I decided to ship the soap in the bubble envelopes not boxes to reduce the shipping costs.

How are you engaging with existing and potential customInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living

ers via social media?

PLA has a Facebook page, blog and is present on Etsy. Honestly, I found really challenging to engage new clients through social media. I always think that all posts should be very good quality so I spend a lot of time to prepare them for example I record videos or I take pictures of very good quality products. These activities are very time consuming.

Posting style of other companies is generally not very up to the mark, whereas I try to maintain class. I told you before when I do something it has to be of the best possible quality.

Are there any new products, line expansions, new methods of selling in development that we should look forward to the future?

In the near future I am going to introduce a new cosmetic called PLA Moisturizing Serum for Oily Skin. It's made with 100% organic ingredients such as fresh seaweed, aloe vera, glycerin, coconut essential oil, tea tree essential oil

and spearmint essential oil.

The product is ready however figuring out the best packaging is still a challenge. I will explore other types of products as well. I have heard from my clients that they have difficulties in finding good quality towels that are soft and last long.PLA will find the best towels in the world and provide them for the customers.

At the onset I wanted to sell online store but my clients are asking for retail store as well.

As a result I am thinking of setting up my first retail store in Vancouver, BC. Today, most of the time we have to deal with mass production and low quality, PLA promotes the opposite way of doing business. I hope in future PLA will become a new way of life. You will be able to find on my website only the best products in the world made with care and passion. am sure more and more people will appreciate it.

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 34

ADVERTORIAL

PRODUCTPEDIA

Alima Pure Balancing Primer Powder A

lima Pure Balancing Primer Powder, your natural remedy for perfect skin, exemplifies beauty beyond beauty. A heavenly deluge of mineral based alternatives free of toxins, dyes, fillers and gluten, surrounds you in a waft of dainty fragrance throughout the whole day. Be yourself with warm beige powder that makes you ready for adoring adulation by preserving every hue of your Matte foundation with care.

Size: 4.5 g. / .16 oz Key ingredients: Mica, Kaolin, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), and Zinc Oxide (CI 77947) Variants: 3 shades – Light, Medium and Deep Price: $20 Where to buy: Alimapure.com

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 36

INTERVIEW

The Sudsatorium The Sudsatorium saga started with a soul wrenching quest. Simplifying beauty needs by introducing cruelty free, vegan alternatives to mainstream cosmetics.

Brandishing a product line with organic soaps, shampoos and face toners, Sudsatorium goes all natural, replacing tawdry cosmetic items with a goodness derived from Mother Nature.

Excerpts from an email interview with Olive.

T

ell us about Sudsatorium.

What inspired you to start a business around this unique concept?

The Sudsatorium was born from an inconspicuous article in a back-issue magazine on a doctor's office's waiting room coffee table. The magazine was “Chatelaine� and the article in question was a 100 word blurb about how to make your own soap. That article was the jumping off point, the spark 37 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW that ignited the flame. The knowledge that something as essential as a bar of soap could be made from such a simple list of ingredients – water, fat, and lye – made one question why the bar at home had an ingredients list a mile long that was about as pronounceable as a college Latin textbook.

It suddenly seemed like the only logical thing to do was make it myself so that I could control exactly what I was putting on my body. From there it was onto the shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and every other product sitting in the shower caddy and beside the bathroom mirror. It was actually my friends and family that pushed me to start marketing my homemade creations to others, having become fed up with receiving my surplus goods as house warming gifts, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and on pretty well all other gift -giving occasions!

Who are the driving forces behind “Sudsatorium”?

Individually we're Olive, Sam, Alex, and Daisy - but when combined, we form the brains and brawn of the Sudsatorium, a super fantastic little shop dedicated to crafting quality fair trade organic cruelty-free vegan cosmetics.

At the Sudsatorium we have a rigorous evaluation process that involves testing every ingredient we use for purity, effectiveness, and known or suspected health concerns. and buy the first thing you see on the shelf, think about this: our skin is the single largest organ in our body. Everything you put on your skin is absorbed through your pores so

it makes sense that you know exactly what you're exposing yourself to.

At the Sudsatorium we have a rigorous evaluation process that involves testing every in-

gredient we use for purity, effectiveness, and known or suspected health concerns. We provide only the safest organic vegan skin care, hair, and body products, which are free of toxic ingredients, synthetics, fragrances, preservatives, are not tested on animals, are Fair Trade and are ethically sourced to ensure they come from sustainable, renewable sources.

What was the most challenging part of creating an allnatural cosmetic business?

How have you dealt with it?

For us, our biggest concern has always been trying to educate potential customers as to the reasons why they need to use all-natural cosmetics. We feel like there has been an upswing in media awareness being paid to these issues, which has in turn gotten people into the mindset of trying to be

Identifying and solving a unique problem for the customer is a key aspect of building a successful business. How did you spot a problem in the marketplace?

With the glut of cosmetics companies in today's marketplace, it can often be very confusing to know what product is best for you. Before you go out Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 38

INTERVIEW more conscious of what they are putting on their skin and hair. Most of the time people can tell just by looking at an ingredient whether it is something lovely and natural or is a “Frankenstein” product conjured up in a laboratory somewhere. But sometimes or common sense can lead us astray.

What we implore healthconscious consumers to do is take the time to do a little research – not sure what “coco glucoside” is? Google it and you'll find out that it is nothing to be afraid of. It's actually a wonderful natural alternative to sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) derived from fresh coconuts.

Your brand offers more than just shampoos and soaps; you have actually launched a full cosmetic line. Can you name some of the best-selling products from your line right now?

What’s the best thing about Sudsatorium products?

What I find so refreshing about the Sudsatorium is our honest commitment to going green. Going all natural and reducing our carbon footprint is what we strive to do with all of our products. At the end of the day all packaging is pointless waste, destined for the trash bin and eventually onto landfills where it pollutes the environment. Packaging generates an enormous amount of waste with millions upon millions of tonnage ending up in the landfill each year. It is our mission to help educate the public to this growing epidemic and to hopefully persuade others to follow suit.

Naturally, this approach isn't always feasible – like with our lovely liquid shampoos and 39 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

We use a lot of different ingredients across all of our unique product lines, but the one super thing that our customers can depend on is that everything that goes into our bottles is absolutely, positively the freshest, most awesome stuff imaginable. shower gels. When we can’t eliminate waste completely, we look to find the simplest forms of packaging to do the job and use 100% BPA-free post-consumer or postindustrial recycled materials that are 100% recyclable, compostable and/or biodegradable.

We use a lot of different ingredients across all of our unique product lines, but the one super thing that our customers can depend on is that everything that goes into our bottles is absolutely, positively the freshest, most awesome stuff imaginable. Our focus is always on making beautiful, highly effective products f r o m scratch using only

fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables gathered from local gardens and farmers, which we squeeze, squash, and infuse into our lovely bases made using only vegan-friendly raw materials and the finest essential oils from all corners of the world. At the end of the day, this all makes for beautiful results which we are extremely proud to call our own!

Anything synthetic is automatically a giant no-no for us.

There is almost always a safer, natural alternative available to every cheap synthetic used by the major cosmetics companies, but that's something they don't want you to know. We pride ourselves on our com-

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW

mitment to making natural products from natural ingredients, naturally!

Green makeup and skin care lines are slowly gaining wider acceptance. Both recognized and emerging eco beauty brands are striving to tap a larger pie in this highly competitive growing market.

What marketing outlets do you use? What has been the most successful selling channel for Sudsatorium, and why?

We cannot say enough about the brilliance of etsy. For small businesses like ours, etsy is perfect because it provides us with immediate access to millions of potential customers worldwide in one easy to find, easy to navigate and beautifully designed website. They've spent the big bucks building their own brand recognition and attracting site traffic, the Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

type of stuff that would be financially infeasible for us to tackle on our own. With a wide array of seller statistics to analyze and track our shop traffic and sales, we love it to bits!

How important is social media to your business? How has it helped your brand to grow?

Being an entirely online business (we don't have any retail locations an we do not do any print-based or television advertising) social media is our only means by which to spread the word about Sudsatorium and what we're about.

What inspires you to create new collection?

The Sudsatorium is all about providing customers with fresh, handmade, eco-friendly vegan alternatives to the synthetic-laced products being offered up by many of the ma-

jor brands. We believe in using organic fruits and vegetables, the highest quality essential oils, and zero preservatives to deliver fun, exciting products that are not only effective, but more importantly safe because they only contain ingredients that you can pronounce. Don't get us wrong, we think that synthetics have their place, but that place is in your car's motor oil, not your bath oil What's next for the Sudsatorium?

Right now we're in the midst of developing a new line of facial care products – serums, moisturizers, cleansers – to compliment our existing range of facial toners. You can expect to see us roll out theses exciting new products in waves over the coming months as we continue to grow the Sudsatorium.

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 40

PRODUCTPEDIA

Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush

E

nhance the beauty of your blush through vapor power.

With the new Aura multi use blush from Vapour Organic Beauty, you can redefine your elegance with élan.

It’s a multi use blush that embellishes with ease the contours of your beauty. A multitasking maestro that simplifies your beauty needs is essentially a stick application adding hues of wholesome glow with each stroke.

Birchbox Breakdown, the makers of Organic Vapour has infused the best of plant extracts to make your blush bloom with health.

The magic mix of lotus petals and holy basil with ample anti -oxidants refreshes your eyes, cheeks and lips. Moreover, you finally have something that could be applied without tools of any kind. Use your Midas touch and see it blend perfectly with your skin. Pick up your pack and say no to

chemical away.

concoctions

right

Size: 0.34 oz.

Key Ingredients: Sunflower Oil, Tulsi/Holy Basil, Castor Seed Oil, Silica, Frankincense, Lotus petals, Beeswax, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Essential Oils & Natural Fruit Essences, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470) Mica (CI 77019), Manganese Violet (CI 77742) Variants: 4 shades – Crush, Courtesan, Starlet and Spark Price: $34 Where to buy: vapourbeauty.com Image courtesy: foreverfika.blogspot.com

PRODUCTPEDIA

Josie Maran Cosmetics GOGO Argan Mascara Y

ou can be the “black magic woman "that you had always wanted to be with dark GOGO seduction of Josie Maran.

It’s pure Argan Mascara that enables you to look at life the way you must have never looked before. Free from the urban toxic dump of Parabens, Sulfates, Triclosan and synthetic dyes, Josie Maran Mascara gently gels with your eyes.

They could finally breathe in relief with each luxuriant stroke of GOGO that you apply with an easy to use triple V brush.

Nothing could replace GOGO Argan Mascara that’s a healthy road to happy eyes. With regular use, it hydrates your eyelashes making them smoother and healthier with each passing day. Getting those killer eyes is finally within your reach. But are you sure you can handle the heat?

Oleic Acid, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Ci 77499, Tromethamine, Black 2, Kaolin, Pvp, Mica, Organic Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Organic Beeswax, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis, Lecithin, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Laureth-4, Panthenol, Simethicone, and Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol

Size: 0.11oz.

Price: $22

Key ingredients: Argan Oil, Natural Carbon Black, Water, Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, Styrene/acrylates Copolymer. Organic Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Dilinoleic Acid/ propanediol Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid,

Where to buy: josiemarancosmetics.com and sephora.com

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

Image courtesy: organicbeautyview.wordpress.com

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 42

INTERVIEW

H

ow and when did you fall in love with aromatherapy?

My love affair with aromatherapy began when I was a teenager, I loved the fragrance of essential oils and gradually started to learn bits about the meanings behind them and the effects they could have, although it wasn’t until I reached twenty that I decided to do my clinical diploma to properly understand the effects that aromatherapy can have.

What is the story behind your natural beauty brand Olibanum Aromatherapy?

Olibanum Aromatherapy

43 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

Olibanum Aromatherapy, a name synonymous to relaxation unlimited, brings forth the best of body care products especially for those with sensitive skin. Packed with the zing of natural things Olibanum is a fragrant phenomenon that pampers you beyond measure. Excerpts from the interview with Emma Louise.

started during my time as a student, I’d had a lot of trouble using commercial products and suddenly found that the aromatherapy treatments I was learning didn’t have the same effect, my skin was so much better with none of the problems I’d had before and so I started looking at making my treatments easier for everyday use and found that it was possible to make them into moisturisers which was my first experiment. Within a few months I was producing for family and friends and eventually decided to introduce my products to a wider audience.

What have been your toughest

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW struggles in achieving your business goals? How has the entrepreneurial journey been so far since starting the business?

For us I think the most difficult thing towards achieving our business goals has been finding our target audience, I’d created Olibanum Aromatherapy to be an affordable brand for everyday use, as I knew from my own experience how expensive natural skincare can be, and whilst we still stick to creating affordable products we’ve learnt that we need to identify our customer base better as over the first few years we found that our customers weren’t those that we’d initially thought that they would be, we’ve also found that people can be wary of aromatherapy products which is why we openly state the fact that they created and made by a clinical therapist, it helps to give our customers the confidence they need especially when we are trading at fairs I’ll be talking the customers through the correct benefits of the products and doing mini consultations with them to ensure they find the correct product, as such we find ourselves finally moving towards our correct place in the cosmetics market.

For us the entrepreneurial journey hasn’t necessarily been easy there is a lot of legislation behind cosmetic products and it’s always changing, so keeping up with that is a tough task in itself, but otherwise we set small goals as then it’s easier to achieve, less daunting and certainly less disheartening if it doesn’t go to plan first time round, we have Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

to make mistakes to learn from them, What products does Olibanum Aromatherapy offer? Your 3 best-selling products are…

We offer a range of aromatherapy skin care and candles, our current best sellers are our hand cream with includes vitamins a and e which not only moisturise but help to replenish the skin meaning that hard working hands get the care they need. Our hand care set is another favourite and many of

The nice part of Olibanum Aromatherapy is that as a clinical therapist I can take on clients in order to create custom blends specifically to help them; this generally consists of custom essential oil blends, and for an entire range of treatments, as it’s impossible to tell what the next client is looking for beforehand. our customers give them as gifts. But it is our candles that are currently top of our products list we make them from natural rapeseed wax and then fragrance them with a range of essential oils to utilise the power of aromatherapy through inhalation.

How do you identify customer needs and customize you products? What more inspires new products?

For us identifying our customers needs is all about listening to them, finding out about their skincare regimes and working out how our products fit in with that and what products we already do that work with what they need. The nice part of Olibanum Aromatherapy is that as a clinical therapist I can take on clients in order to create custom blends specifically to help them; this generally consists of custom essential oil blends, and for an entire range of treatments, as it’s impossible to tell what the next client is looking for beforehand. Our new products are inspired by our customers and indeed by ourselves we’re currently looking into a range of night creams as our next door neighbour asked about them, as have several of our customers, but sometimes we look at our own skincare regimes and realise that perhaps something’s not working quite as well as it needs to as our skin changes and needs slightly different care.

What's your hero essential oil [s] and natural ingredients?

For me my hero essential oils are Frankincense (otherwise known as olibanum) which is my personal oil that helps me no matter what the problem is.

It also has cytophylactic propOctober 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 44

INTERVIEW erties which encourage cell renewal and growth. Other than that Lavender is a definite favourite, it’s so versatile in it’s uses and works to encourage the properties of the oils it’s blended with. Avocado oil is a favourite ingredient as it sinks into the lower layers of the skin, allowing healing to happen both on the surface of the skin and beneath it. My current favourite though is natural rapeseed wax grown mostly within the UK but we do occasionally source from Europe as well, rapeseed wax is probably one of our most sustainable ingredients as it not only used for cooking oils, bio fuels and food for animals, the remains of the crop then act as a soil improver, so not only does it have a lower carbon footprint but it gives back to it’s environment, we use it to produce our candles.

Can you take us on a brief tour of your operation? How do you ensure your business to be greener and eco-friendly?

For us it can sometimes be a challenge to be greener and more eco-friendly especially when we’re using ingredients that simply won’t grow close to

45 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

home, however we offset by buying those that we can from as close to home as possible, with the ingredients that we use we try to ensure that they are fair trade and that where possible they are organic. We also use more eco-friendly packaging as all of our packaging is recyclable, and the boxes that our products arrive in are made by us with card from a British paper mill that have high conservation standards, like ourselves.

In general, eco-conscious consumers are becoming more receptive to the idea of adopting natural beauty and wellness than a decade ago? How do you see your brand growing in the next few years?

Consumers are willing to adopt natural health and beauty, but it can be difficult for them to get the correct information as to what the best ingredients for the job are, part of what we at Olibanum Aromatherapy aim to do is to improve our clients understanding of the products they are using, it is easy to be told what to use but if you don’t understand the background then essential oils can be quite dangerous, we aim to grow our brand by helping our clients to understand more about our products and the ingredients we use, we’re aiming to do this simply because it allows our clients to have confidence that the products they’re choosing are the best for them and that our essential oil blends and

natural ingredients are the best for the required task. We also aim to introduce new product lines to grow our range allowing us to offer a more complete skin and natural health care package.

How do you reach your target customers? What marketing strategies worked well for you?

Many of our clients have come to us through my aromatherapy work and from there it’s been word of mouth that has worked for us, we are currently working on our online presence, as so far we haven’t really built this side of the business up, however I do foresee that social media will be a big platform for us in the future.

Do you have expansion plans for Olibanum Aromatherapy?

We definitely have expansion plans aromatherapy is a way of life for us, and we want to share that, we are currently in talks to do wholesale and gift books with international companies, and hope to be able to expand our online presence, as well as producing new products and scents for our clients.

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

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RevivaL Upcycled & Eco-Friendly Clothing

Find us at Revival.Etsy.Com

INTERVIEW Finally you get to see greener pastures with Green Beauty. For Mati H Fuller, the owner of Green Beauty Cosmetics every moment in life is a divine celebration. Mati, an original thinker with a propensity for positive thinks of age as no more than a number. Green Beauty, the brainchild of a gutsy woman brings a host of natural cosmetic products that enables you to be the real you with dignity.

I have never had. So, we sold the house, packed everything up and headed for Eugene, Oregon.

an you tell us about What was your inspiration for creating your own all natural beauty line?

I have always been a creative, rebellious person. In 1985 I left Norway and came to live in the United States. When you come to a new country, you have to be creative if you want to survive because nobody cares about any papers or references you have from your home country. So, I indulged in different businesses ever since I came to this country.

Big city buzz and traffic was a shock to my system. I realized how much I loved the silence in the terrains and I instantly felt homesick. When I contacted the labor office and found out they had nothing to offer someone who has always worked for herself, I basically realized that I was 50 and unemployable! It was a scary time for me, and when a friend gave me a copy of the movie “the Secret” it basically changed my life. I realized it wasn’t the place that had to change, it was my attitude! So, I went back to Colorado again, where I knew I would be happy, and I decided to draw from my own resources and create something new that I was really interested in – a green, natural skin care line made with no toxic chemicals, with products that are especially good for dry and mature skin.

When I was 50, I hit menopause, which is something I was not very excited about. At the time, I was tired of living in the mountains and working for myself and I started dreaming about how nice it would be to have a weekly paycheck, which is something

What consumer problem is your green business trying to solve?

The number one problem with skin care products available on the market is the fact that the FDA allows companies to put 30% pure poison into their products and still call them

C

Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

“organic” and charge a price accordingly. This deceives the consumers into thinking they are buying a product that is safe for their health, while in reality, it is not safe at all.

Therefore, I wanted to create a product line that contains no toxic ingredients so that people won’t have to compromise their health just to keep their skin looking beautiful. So, my main concern is to create a non-toxic product line consumers can trust while keeping the whole operation as eco -friendly as possible.

How has been your experience in running the business from what you expected?

Running the business has been a real challenge! The biggest challenge was how to create stable products that don’t separate. The reason why most October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 48

INTERVIEW cess!

companies use synthetic emulsifiers is that they make it easier to create stable products. If you only want to use natural ingredients, this issue is a huge challenge, especially since there isn’t a single book on amazon that will actually tell you the secret of producing products that don’t separate.

So it took months of research, trial and error before I figured it out (these are now my trade secrets).

Some of the other challenges I ran into were finding the right packaging that works for each product, learning about branding, taxes and marketing, and last but not least, learning to manage my time and be disciplined enough to get everything done each day.

Natural cosmetics market is growing steadily in the US. How do you measure success of your brand?

I measure my success by the fact that my income has almost doubled every year since I started the business! I think that is a good measure of suc49 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

What products does GreenBeauty Cosmetics currently offer? What are the 3 top selling products from the line? Do you have any personal favorite?

Green Beauty Cosmetics offer almost 60 products, if you count all the different sizes and colors. I have a basic face moisturizer, anti-aging moisturizer with peptides, face oil, 2 face creams, cleanser, mask, scrub, 4 sunscreens, 2 lotions, 2 tinted moisturizers, feminine lubricant, mascara remover, 2 makeup primers, 9 cream blushes, 9 lip tints, 2 lip balms and 10 lip glosses. So, it is not difficult to find something you might need from this skin care line.

The face moisturizer is good for all skin types, and definitely my best-seller and my favorite product. The sunscreens are also very good sellers, and of course, the lip tints are very popular items as well.

What makes your brand of cosmetics better than other options on the market?

I actually came up with a new concept in skin care, which was a line of products you can layer. When I found that women in menopause age twice as fast as people with younger skin, I wondered what the difference was. The main difference is that we produce less oil after menopause, and then the moisture in the skin evaporates and wrinkles appear as a result. I don’t know if you know this, but most of the signs of aging are actually caused by dehydration (and

then sun damage, smoking, and aging). So, I came up with the idea of layering products to create a similar condition as what you find in younger skin.

To layer the products, first you have to apply a moisturizing serum that penetrates the skin and increases the water levels in your skin cells. Hyaluronic acid is a fantastic moisturizer that can plump up dry skin cells and decrease the appearance of fine lines. On top of this serum you need to put a barrier cream of some kind to seal in the moisture and stop the water from evaporating.

The barrier cream stays on the surface of the skin, while the moisturizer goes into deeper layers.

I have 3 options for sealing in the moisture, using face oil, face cream or an oily balm on top of the moisturizing serum, depending on how dry your skin is and what temperatures you live in. This system works incredibly well for any type of skin! So, the biggest difference between my line of products, and other product lines, is that I came up with products that can be layered to mimic the natural conditions of younger skin.

What’s your creative process in coming up with new products?

Very simple! Whatever I need, or anyone in my family needs, is what inspires me to create new products. I am my own best customer! I only make things that I absolutely love and need and use every day, and I am very picky about exactly what I want the products Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW swers. This is why I say that I use recyclable and environmentally friendly packaging materials “as much as possible” because many factors complicate the picture. I also use recycled tissue paper and recycled packing peanuts to ship the products.

to do or how they are supposed to feel on the skin. I keep perfecting the products until they are exactly what I want them to be and I don’t give up until I get them just right. So, you can tell, I love to pamper myself with lovely skin products, and I have put a lot of love and energy into every product I have made so far because quality is very important to me.

What principles do you follow to select greener and healthier ingredients for your products?

Have you embraced any green pro du ct io n/ pa c k ag in g/ shipping methods as well?

I make every formula from scratch so I can control what goes into each formula. I only buy ingredients from companies who have pledged not to do any animal testing. I don’t use ingredients that involve hurting animals. I check every ingredient on the cosmetics database before I decide to use Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

it, to make sure that I don’t choose anything toxic or harmful. I stick with recyclable packaging as much as possible, but this issue is tricky, because the packaging also has to fit the type of product that goes into it.

Thick creams that contain water will get contaminated in no time if you package them into glass jars, for example. They need to be in recyclable, airless polypropylene containers that keep your fingers out of the product and increase the shelf life drastically, even though the polypropylene might be harder to recycle than glass.

However, polypropylene saves on shipping cost, transportation fuel and packaging materials because it is much lighter and less fragile than glass. So, there are many difficult decisions to make about packaging that you only realize when you produce your own products, and there are no simple an-

Your nature-inspired product range is eco-friendly and100% safe to use. How do you educate your consumers about these positive aspects of GreenBeauty Cosmetics?Do you find your buyers already well-educated about these issues?

I find that many of my customers are already educated and actively looking for non toxic products. I educate the rest of my customers by telling them my story of how I worked in 3 different hospital labs when I was younger, and how the work conditions were so bad that one person after another came down with cancer from breathing in the chemicals they had to work with every day. This is when I discovered the importance of staying away from toxic chemicals. I created a happy ending

October 2013| InnovateUs Magazine| 50

INTERVIEW

to this story when I called in the labor union and they threatened to close down the hospital unless they agreed to put in a brand new vent system to protect the workers. So, you see, I have been on a mission to make the world less toxic for a very long time…

The best advertising strategies for a small business is NOT advertising. People only buy from companies they know, like and trust. If you have a new company that nobody knows, likes or trust, you have to use other methods.

51 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

I have 4 favorite methods: The first one is search engine optimization. The first step for getting people to buy your products is to make sure that your website can be easily found, so SEO is a must.

out what keywords people are searching for and optimizing your pages for those. SEO is the hardest thing to do, but also the most necessary because without it, you get nowhere. So, focus on SEO.

Second, people must have a way to get to know you and your company, once they find your website. So, there must be about pages, stories and pictures on your website. Or, even better, a blog! Once they know you, they can decide if they like you and trust you, and then they chances are that they will decide to buy your products.

What’s next?

I’m at the point right now where it is very overwhelming to be a one woman do-it-all, so the next step is to figure out how to hire someone so I can keep my company growing.

When you start your business, it is like pushing a snow ball up the mountain. Very hard and no reward! But, once you reach the top, the ball starts rolling down the other side, and then you find yourself running after it, rather than pushing. That is where I am right now. I have managed to create a business from a vision, and now it is taking on a life of its own, and I have to figure out a way to keep up with it. So, that will be my next task…

Three, with a skin care line, you must offer samples. Samples are important because it gives people a chance to try your product before they commit to buying full sized bottles.

And four, put a small promotional offer into your packages so that it gives people a reason to come back and buy more.

What ecommerce platforms did you choose to market your products? What was (is) the toughest obstacle you faced when marketing your natural makeup line?

I have two websites, a regular website with a beauty blog, and etsy store. With etsy, you don’t have to worry about ecommerce because they have everything already set up for vendors. With my website I simply use PayPal's shopping cart system. It is simple, free and easy and offers everything I need, including gift certificates.

The biggest obstacle is figuring

Website: www.greenbeautycosmetics.co m Blog: www.greenbeautycosmetics.co m/blog/ Etsy store: www.greenbeautycosmetics.et sy.com

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INTERVIEW

Y

ou are a pharmacist.

What ignited the spark in you to change career and become an entrepreneur? How did the idea for The Herbal Pharmacy come about?

Well, honestly saying, I never felt very comfortable as a pharmacist. I was always interested in all sorts of alternative medicine. I have studied homeopathy, Chinese medicine, aromatherapy, nutrition and herbal therapy. I also read many books on this subject.

But I never intended to become an entrepreneur. I even did not think to be self – employed. I belong to a dynasty of employees. Eventually I started combining my pharmaceutical skills with my herbal skills and started making skin care for my own use. I started getting many compliments and people in my environment wanted to try too.

Therefore I started selling.

Why did you decide to make only natural skin lightening products? Are your products just for tanned or darkskinned consumers?

I had hyper pigmentation for ages. I think even from before I was pregnant (and I have 3 lovely daughters by now). I've tried just everything that was in the market, including pre53 | InnovateUs Magazine| October 2013

scription medicines. Nothing really helped. When I started making my own cosmetics this is the first thing I wanted to get rid of. So this is how my all natural skin lightening line began. It was only later that I found out it's much easier to lighten skin then to get rid of hyper pigmentation. With hyper pigmentation one has to be much more persistent because it can take a few months to be really satisfied with the re-

sults. With skin lightening the effect is way faster. I have a lot of knowledge and can make many more products but decided to focus on all natural skin lightening because as a mother of 3 little children I felt an urge too powerful to resist.

I think this is a unique line that can actually help many people. This is quite a tragedy that people do so much damage in order to lighten their skin. The most famous examInnovation and Information for Sustainable Living

INTERVIEW both sides. Regularly you can see my daughter's drawing on the other side of the address on the package :)

ple is Michael Jackson. I think my skin lightening soap and cream are the most effective yet natural whitening products today.

Can you outline your typical day?

I don't have a typical day. I juggle between family and my work like any working woman.

I also tried working from home but that does not help. I pack and send packages everyday. This I do somehow always because I know my customers are looking forward to get my products. I have also a Facebook fan page, a blog and even a pinterest album where I share my knowledge about healthy lifestyle but they are quite neglected recently. I wish I had some more order in my life.

How have you incorporated sustainability into your business?

I use only natural ingredients which are obviously biodegradable. I use ingredients that grow nearby as much as possible. About packaging, right now I don't have proper packaging. I print the strips on my own. I many times recycle printer paper and print on Innovation and Information for Sustainable Living

What have been some of the biggest hurdles in getting the biz up and running?

I think it was the decision to make it a biz. It took me a very long time and today I can't see myself working for somebody else. After this, nothing was really hard, but mere obstacles on the way.

I think being self employed is a very creative way of life.

There’s an upward trend for all -natural skin whitening and lightening products. How would you rate your success?

The Herbal Pharmacy skin lightening soap is sold well. I get very good customer feedback on this product. Many are my repeat customers and it is sold to just about everywhere in the world. I think what makes it better then other products is the fact that the effect is quick and lasts quite a long time. I'm especially proud of my high ratio of repeating customers. When someone buys a second time he does it for the right reasons out of experience and knowledge.

What are your top sellers?

What’s the best thing about your skin lightening range?

My top-seller is the skin lightening soap. It is sold much better then the lo-

tion. I guess it's because I love it more. The soap is preservative free this is why I like it more and I think the effect is just the same. Of course I use a mild and safe preservative but I think it is still better to avoid them if possible.

How do you research on the best ingredients to use in The H e r b a l P h a r m a cy products? Do you follow trends? Listen to your customer’s?

I use only ingredients I know will do the trick. I keep experimenting on myself, my family and friends. I love to hear my customers' comments, it means a lot to me and I learn a lot from it. I like to make functional skincare, not just good smelling soaps. My formulas are very precise. I can't follow trends; I just use the best of my knowledge.

What has been the best marketing outlet for you, and why?

Marketing outlet? I wonder what it is, maybe the right marketing channel.

Where you see The Herbal Pharmacy in next 5 years?

I want to have many more products. I have so many dreams and I believe in the next 5 years they’ll become reality.

Upcoming issue Be atop cloud nine with our next issue that covers host of eco-friendly homestays around the world.

You can drink life to the lees at any part of the globe enjoying every bit of your respite at home away from home. We present to you stories of homestay entrepreneurs who’ve made colorful cross cultural exchange between people of different countries a reality.

Safety, comfort, family vibes, you name it and it's all there for you to make your holidays more meaningful. If living “alone in the bee loud glade” is what you want, we have covered stories of some breathtaking sites that’d give you a first hand account of Mother Nature’s own abode.

It’s a green dream come true in Yangsum Heritage Farm located at the hilly terrains of luxurious Sikkim.

It’s a hermitage cut off from roaring city life amidst the halcyon lap of nature.

Gowri Nivas lying at the foothills of the highest peak of Coorg is nature’s own nook in magnificent splendor.

Your hospitable hosts will serve fresh home cooked food making your stay a delight of lifetime.

Kasim’s home stay in Lakshadweep, situated in an island surrounded by bobbing blue Indian Ocean is “far from the madding crowd”. A world of crystal clear lagoons, pristine coral reefs and amazing water sports that guarantees unlimited fun under the sun.

There has seldom before been a peep so deep into the world of homestay tourism. November issue puts wings to your imaginations offering a much needed break from cosmopolitan cacophony.