More Rulebreakers in 2012, Please!

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! In the spirit of resolutions, I couldn’t imagine a better time than the present to get reacquainted with the old Naturalchemyst here. Things are pretty busy these days—what with b-school and a couple other gigantic time commitments on hand—yet I hope to write more in 2012, and felt inspired to begin doing so with a story on an amazing and forward-thinking company that’s breaking rules with the best of them. Right now you might be thinking of an electric car manufacturer, an airline breaking the space frontier, or maybe those design-driven technology geniuses in Cupertino. I’m thinking of a small skincare company named Dr. Alkaitis.

Last spring (yes, that’s how busy things are) I had the opportunity to meet with the highly energetic, intelligent, and lovely (inside and out) Trish Alkaitis—daughter and right hand woman of the company’s founder. At the meeting, I learned how her Dad, Dr. Alkaitis, is breaking every rule in the beauty business book, and is doing so to call OUR attention to what products could (and should) be.

Broken Rule: The Marketing Mark-Up

Most beauty companies follow a basic formula: 90% packaging; 10% ingredients. They compete with attention-grabbing package design, promotion and marketing, rather than healthy and effective ingredients. Basically, a $5 face lotion may be worth only 50 cents (of ingredients, production, etc.), a $50 product only $5, and so on and so forth. This is great for business, but take a second to think about what the low quality ingredients are doing to our bodies...

Instead of following suit, Dr. Alkaitis spends the big bucks on finding and using the absolute best ingredients possible. The company won’t contribute to the continual demise of our country’s health. In fact, Dr. Alkaitis only uses the healthiest EDIBLE ingredients, which our bodies know how to process, rather than complex chemicals, which our DNA just doesn’t understand.

This minimal focus on packaging is obviously a marketing nightmare, yet I suppose it can’t hurt that the most famous supermodels use their products religiously, and—better yet—aren’t ashamed to tell people about doing so.

Broken Rule: Organic Certification

I’ve already mentioned why we can’t trust seals and certifications on skincare.

Again, Dr. Alkaitis refuses to jump on the bandwagon. Proof that the company’s products are natural, organic and wholesome? Even more than it is in their high quality and (truly) organic ingredients, the proof is in their small lab equipment (basically, blenders and a small filling machine), and their small batches of product.

With mass-produced products, ingredients have to pass through such large machines that they can’t retain any nutrients. Then bring in the cleaning agents used on this large equipment…take a guess at how healthy the chemicals in that stuff is… Dr. Alkaitis uses pure grape alcohol to clean their labs. And—get this—even the alcohol is fermented in-house! Genius.

With this process, they only batch about fifty products at a time, and the products are made to order for retailers the company has researched and confirmed they can support (oh yes, they’ve turned down many a large retailer due to the toxic products lining their shelves). Small batches allow for the use of fresh, high quality, and nutritious ingredients. Pretty good, huh?

Upon meeting one another, Trish and I were both in shock. Me—because of Trish’s honesty. If all companies were this transparent, we’d have A LOT less issues, on a much larger level. Trish—because the majority of bloggers from this space are pregnant mothers, new mothers, illness survivors, beauty industry vets, or some combination thereof. I fall into none of these categories.

It was a great meeting, and if you couldn’t tell, I’m seriously inspired by the Alkaitis company. With everything that is wrong these days with our country's health, economy, you name it--you just know, deep down, that the rule breakers are going to be the ones to make things right. If we want to make things better in 2012, we need more rulebreakers!

So, hopefully you can take the information Trish Alkaitis has provided us to inform your skincare purchases from ANY brand or retailer in the future. Remember: every purchase we make is a vote, and in aggregate our votes can and will demand healthier products for us, and the environment!

Blue Print for the Skin?

Despite the fact that I was outside working in the lavender fields for most of my days in France, the month still managed to leave me a bit chubby and sluggish for my return stateside. I’m gonna go ahead and name macarons, croissants, butter, cheese, and wine as the primary culprits for this quick transformation (oh, it was good...). Once I was home, though, the nasty aftermath settled in, so I decided to embark on a Blue Print Cleanse (“BPC," for short). The BPC, which I’ve done a couple times previously, was a perfect tool to help me begin eating properly again; and although I’ve unfortunately snapped back to a few bad habits since cleansing, I can honestly say that it made me feel absolutely wonderful, and even made my skin glow (which I only realized when my boss, a skincare expert, pointed it out)!

This time around, I decided to take full advantage of the cleanse by following each and every piece of advice on the company’s website. I did it all. I’m talking everything from easing my diet in and out; dry brushing my skin; hot yoga and exercise; drinking detox herbal teas; and so on and so forth. All the while, though, I just couldn’t help but thinking that there was one piece of advice missing…skin care for cleansing, of course!

Here I was, only taking in the good stuff, and getting rid of all the bad; so why on Earth would I ever put anything toxic on my (exfoliated and vulnerable) skin—the biggest organ I have?! While I obviously try to steer clear of toxic skincare products, as their ingredients end up in the same places as the food we eat (or, in this case, the juices we drink), this particular cleanse got me thinking…I wonder what products Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss, the genius founders of BPC, use while cleansing, and what skincare lines (if any…) they would recommend to their BPC followers? I can take a few guesses (see below) but I won’t ever really know until I hear it from the Cleanse Queens, themselves. Hopefully (for them) I’m not uncovering the next phase of their expansion plan…because itwould be an excellent one!

1) Homemade

As I've mentioned in the past, the only way to be absolutely certain that you’re not consuming anything toxic through your skincare products is to make them yourself. You’d be surprised how common this is, yet you probably wouldn't be if it ended up that raw foodist Lady of Cleanse Zoe Sakoutis takes this precaution, herself.

2) Dr. Alkaitis

An all-time personal favorite, this line of incredibly wholesome, completely chemical-free products has been formulated as a “raw health food” for the skin, and it seriously works! Many models and celebrities have caught onto this brand (I will discuss it further in a later post) and I could see the Ladies of Cleanse using these products.

3) Tata Harper

Despite never hearing back from requests to speak to Tata (or anyone from her company, even!) I still must say that her line is extremely wholesome and cleanse-friendly. My favorite part: ingredients are grown on her Vermont Farm, Julius Kingdom, where the company’s labs are (apparently…) located.

4) RMS Beauty

For some color, I could see Zoe and Erica using Rose-Marie Swift’s healthy cosmetics line. This is the first line of organic color cosmetics, and while I haven’t tried many of the products, they get rave reviews, to say the least.

Of course, these are only a few educated guesses... Perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to learn about the skincare lines Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss use and support sometime down the line. Until then, though, please remember to pay attention to what you're consuming through your skin. They might not be as imminent as those associated with a food cleanse, but the benefits of refreshing your skincare routine are also countless and extremely important.

La Vie en Lavande

Greetings from the South of France, where I'm living, learning, and WORKING on a small lavender farm.

Have I lost you yet?

This blog has never really been about me, directly (please don’t laugh…) but I thought you might be interested in this mini adventure of mine. I’m learning all about lavender, after all; and lavender is one of the most common (if not THE most common) and oldest (dated back to ancient Egypt) ingredient used in natural skin treatments—medicinal, cosmetic, aromatherapeutic…you name it! Working on the farm, I'm even required to keep a small bottle of lavender oil on my person at all times, in order to treat any bites, stings, or burns. Not only does the oil work to clean a wound, it also soothes it, and smells absolutely lovely!

While I’m not here for the lavender harvest (which doesn’t happen ‘till late summer) this is a rare opportunity for me to learn everything about the plant from a very passionate couple of “artisanal” growers. There’s no better word than artisanal to describe their products, really. No, they're not certified “organic,” “bio,” or “natural"; but they’re better than all the above. The growers put an immense amount of TLC into their lavender; into educating others about the proper growth techniques, uses, and history of lavender; and, last but not least, into each and every one of the lavender products they create and sell.

I've been consuming some absolutely incredible food, wine, and hospitality here at the farm; I’ve also learned to drive a tractor; I've collected and cracked walnuts for pressing; and I've even collected “fresh manure” from the goat farmer down the lane (which was quite fun actually!...but a story for another time); yet my largest and most important duties have involved weeding and caring for the lavender bushes.

When the lavender plants are thrown into the still (where the oils are extracted) during the harvest season, absolutely NOTHING (including, but not limited to weeds) can go in there with them. Rather than spraying their lavender with ANYTHING, these farmers remove the weeds, bugs, etc., by hand. Large-scale, wholesale growers are not so careful; and while it clearly isn’t the end of the world that some fancy lavender soaps, lotions and perfumes contain remnants of other plants and maybe even some chemical sprays, it’s interesting to see the IMMENSE amount of work that goes into growing a truly pure, loved and wholesome ingredient.

The amount of history and knowledge I've picked so far up is incredible, yet above all else, I think my time here is helping me appreciate the amount of thought, time, effort and love that goes into creating a truly pure and healthy personal care product.

Wish me luck!

Scent-Sation

If you like scented candles, this post is for you. A good candle can be powerful, transforming not only the scent, but the overall feel of any room. But before doling out entirely too much money on a candle for you or your loved one, I’d advise you to take a step back and look at the ways in which that candle can powerfully effect your health and environment, as well.

Usually, candle wax is made from paraffin--yet another petroleum by-product. As if I haven’t said it enough, you DO NOT want to ingest petroleum, through application to your skin, inhalation, or otherwise. In addition to the petroleum by-product wax, many candles also have wicks containing lead, which is harmful (some say poisonous) when inhaled. SO, before purchasing your next candle, please remember to review the ingredients and verify that the candle: 1) burns clean; 2) emits as little soot as possible; and 3) contains no lead or paraffin (soy, vegetable wax and beeswax are all good alternatives). Many candles don't have ingredient lists, so its up to YOU to do the research before buying—or at the very least, to ask me first!

Of course there are droves of healthier candle alternatives available these days, and as much as I’d love to, I cannot review them all. I can offer a few suggestions of brands I've tried and loved. Please find a short assortment below.

Cire Trudon: If It Ain't Broke...

You can imagine how thrilled I was when the oldest and most natural candle company in the world (candlemakers for Napoleon!) recently opened a U.S. boutique (they had only been in France until this Fall) in NYC! Beyond being the healthiest option I've found to date (using vegetal wax and cotton wicks) these candles have the most unique scent and design I’ve ever encountered (design is oftentimes lacking in the natural products world—let’s revisit this topic at a later date), even using labels from the oldest champagne maker in France. The store is also an experience in itself—the friendly and knowledgeable staff will explain the brand’s history and introduce you to intoxicating scents like Dada and Ernesto (my two favorites). Clearly this is the best of the bunch—their price tag is a bit offensive, but if candles are your luxury, Cire Trudon is for you. Period. If you can't make it to the NoHo store, the candles can also be found at Hu’s (D.C.), Gorsuch (Colorado), Barney’s, and various other locations. Looks as if their U.S. presence is on the rise, so look out for them in more stores soon. Did I mention they're supported by Greenpeace? So awesome.

Joya: Natural Candle 101

Joya candles have been around New York for a while—they even served as my introduction to the “natural candle.” The wax is made from palm oil and the wick is cotton (hopefully organic cotton—although I'm not certain), so clearly they get the NA seal of approval. The scents are on the warmer, cozier side than many others and the unique pours of wax give the candles a crystal-y look. Joya candles are great to pick up at the last minute, as you’re bound to find one on your walk home—they’re stocked everywhere in NYC—from grocery stores to salons, boutiques, and even hotels. And if you’re already paying for scented candles, Joya’s price point doesn't shock the system quite as much as Cire...

Patch NYC: Go Local

Patch candles are crafted in unison with the Soap & Paper Factory, in New York. Their candles are 100% soy wax, plus, you know how I like supporting local artisans! On top of all that, their (very cool) packaging is made from recycled materials. You can find these candles at all sorts of retailers, including ABC Home and Bird; there are even a few on sale right now at Barneys. I’d love to take a look at the S&P ladies’ factory one day soon. Field trip?

Lisa Hoffman: Award-Winning

Lisa Hoffman makes another great soy candle. The best part about these award-winning candles are their wooden wicks, which are nice to look at, and make a crackling sound when lit.

There are tons of great natural candles out there, but it is incredibly important to do your research before buying any. A great resource for small-batch, artisanal candles is Etsy (where I found the incredibly cool, bottle-shaped beeswax designs by PollenArts seen above). You can also always make your own candles with wax, essential oils, and a lead-free wick popped in the top. If you have the time, this could make for a great handmade gift for friends and family…but again, who really has the time?

Who makes your favorite natural candle?

Best When Fresh

Do You Know Where Your Skincare Has Been?

Walk into the grocery store and what do you find? Apples from Argentina...conventional carrots from California...organic onions from Oslo... I apologize for butchering those examples, but you get my drift. These days many people want to know where their food comes from. Whatever the reason - be it limiting carbon foot print, supporting local economies, or just keeping it FRESH - if you're interested in local food, you should probably begin taking note of local skincare and cosmetics as well.

Although the hunt for local skincare might be difficult at times (see below for some advice on the matter), it might also be worth the trouble. Here's why:

Just Plain Better. Imagine the difference in taste between a piece of fresh, ripe fruit and that of canned fruit thats been sitting on the grocery store shelf for a terrifyingly long time. Now think of your skincare. The more local the skincare, the less need for preservatives and weird chemicals to extend shelf life. Just like that nasty canned fruit, skincare with unknown chemicals will eventually make us look and feel grey. Check out natural skincare labels, and you'll find that many blends are "best when fresh".

Peace of Mind (Removes the Need for Certifications). How many certifications and labels have you seen on skincare products lately? Its insane. They make me crazy. One way to know for certain that your products have been crafted naturally, with high quality ingredients, is to get to know the people who make them. On a recent visit to Boulder, Colorado, I met many owners of local skincare brands. They were happy to tell me about the farms on which their botanics are grown. I even learned about the processes used to make the skincare, and I can guarantee there was no room for synthetic chemicals! This guarantee is much more valuable than any of the current certifications out there today.

Home Team Advantage. What harm is there in supporting local farmers and small businesses? Of course some ingredients need to be sourced from different parts of the world (most small natural lines will only use fair trade sources abroad), but if Wal-Mart can commit to selling produce that is sourced from farms no more than an overnight drive from stores, I certainly think we can begin making similar strides with our skincare. This brings me to my next point...

Sustainability. I'm talking less transportation of the products...less packaging...less marketing. Need I say more? If you're interested in having healthful skincare (or healthful for that matter) for years to come, try and keep the environment intact by small steps like keeping it fresh.

If you've gotten this far, chances are you're wondering how to get your hands on this local skincare in which I'm reveling. Well, you're in luck. Here are a few options.

• Markets. Green Markets, Flea Markets, Flower Markets...you know the ones...
• Whole Foods, etc. Ah yes, the nifty "local" signs can also be found in the Whole Body section of the stores. Its nice to know that the store is doing all that they can to get local brands in their stores.
• Do It Yourself. That's right. Find a skincare cookbook, as they're called, and begin mixing ingredients (oils, aloes, honeys, whatever your heart desires), until you find the best concoctions for you.

Please let me know of your favorite local skincare retailers, markets or brands!

Story of Stuff: Cosmetics Edition

There's little I can add to Ann Leonard's awesome new Story of Stuff video. Please take a few minutes to watch her video, which sums up just about everything I've been writing for the past year. Thank you...thank you...THANK YOU, Ann!

"Making Green from Green"

Jeffrey Hollender is the man. Period. After the audience at the “Making Green From Green: Corporate Environmental Sustainability” panel listened captively to the Chief Sustainability Officers from Pepsico and CA speak about all of the wonderfully sustainable measures their companies have been taking, Mr. Hollender, the “Chief Inspired Protagonist” at Seventh Generation, stood up and confessed that “Seventh Generation doesn’t have a sustainability program”…and then audaciously proclaimed that he’d like to speak, instead, about his company’s various sustainability FAILURES because much to the host committee (Columbia Business School Alumni Club)’s dismay, “business is the biggest sustainability problem.” Wow.

That was a pretty bold entrance, but the real beauty of this discussion was that each of the “expert” sustainability panelists had such different perspectives on the topic itself . This is what makes corporate sustainability so interesting and so...elusive, all at once. At CA, the information technology powerhouse, sustainability is spearheaded by a strategist, who aims to reduce both the cost of the company’s technology and the environmental impact of their operations. At Pepsico, the CSO (an ecologist by training) works to reduce the company’s waste and impact. Both had very impressive statistics in their powerpoint presentations, illustrating their company’s numerous feats in the sustainability realm. But then the final panelist, Jeff Hollender, approached the podium. Hollender, a career entrepreneur, apologized that his CSO wouldn’t be at the evening’s discussion… Why? Well he doesn’t have one, of course! Every SINGLE one of his employees fills that role. Every single employee strives to ideate and create in the most sustainable way possible. So, instead of focusing on Seventh Generation’s many sustainability feats, like the panelists before him, Hollender accounted for all of Seventh Generation’s sustainability failures.Seventh Generation’s “failures” also interest and concern me most. They’re many of the same issues I’ve covered in past posts. For instance, people see the value in non-toxic products for their kids, but still aren’t grasping the immense value for themselves... It’s been difficult to encourage people to see the short and long term health value in becoming an educated consumer. And of course, the current lack of uniform certification and regulation of products in the U.S. doesn’t help things at all. There are probably over a hundred certification labels used in this country, and this causes both confusion among consumers and aggravation among marketers of truly healthy selections. In order to deal with this issue, Seventh Generation has forgone using any labeling certification whatsoever, and has focused time and resources instead on education…education…education. Given the relatively small size of the company, it's already implemented a whole lot of GOOD by doing this.For obvious reasons, people don’t generally trust the "education" they receive from businesses. But Seventh Generation is taking a unique approach - an education on values, not products - and they have had a large (“Seventh Generation Nation” is over 350,000 people) and successful (profits have grown 30% a year for the past ten years) outcome already. Remember the Million Baby Crawl to Washington? That was certainly the most unique consumer education I’ve ever witnessed! The company has also paired with Kaplan, and established the Sustainability Institute, a training program that teaches their specific values to companies. They are instrumental with the American Sustainable Business Council in DC, where they try to help small and medium sized sustainable businesses develop a presence in Washington. Finally, they (well, Hollender and Bill Breen) have even written a book on the next generation of business, called The Responsibility Revolution. Not surprisingly, these are only a few examples of their GOOD! Yet, Seventh Generation’s products are still really only popular among fairly affluent and educated consumers. The real failure is not being able to reach EVERYONE.

As Hollender mentioned, many businesses have the mentality that they “can be bad because they’re good”. This is where a sustainability department might come into play. Think of an uber-conglomerate, for instance, that includes cheap preservatives and chemicals in their products which are PROVEN carcinogens, and have been banned in the European Union and elsewhere. Chances are, this company also gives money to health research....but does that make what they are doing okay? Is it okay to improperly dispose of your company's waste, and then give money to a conservation fund? It just doesn’t make sense.

Regardless, as you could probably already tell, I found this discussion incredibly interesting. If you're intrested too, be sure to check out one of the three seminars left, which are hosted in New York by the Sustainability Committee of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club. The series is called Making Green from Green, and the next event, “Is Investing in Green Truly Profitable?” will be TONIGHT!