By Paige Donner
Beauty Secrets from France's "Biotiful" People...
“Silky-young to the touch”
Far and away one of the most delightful and dedicated organic skin-care lines to come out of France is Iroisie. Founders Anne Bontour and Jean-Francois Cabos have just launched their product line in the U.S. Lucky US!
Creator Anne Bontour was inspired to create a beauty care line from the natural potions and beauty remedies she remembers both her grandmothers habitually dreaming up when Anne would spend summers with them at the Mer d'Iroisie in France's northern Brittany. She infused one grandmother's passion for ingredients from the Sea with the other's passion for ingredients from the “campagne” and voila', Iroisie was born. “As 'homemade' beauty preparations were my childhood universe, I came up naturally with the idea of developing a real skincare line using both of these two treasures, treasure from the sea and treasure from the earth,” reminisces Bontour, a former model.
- Iroisie Creator Anne Bontour
There was never a doubt in her mind that the line would be entirely organic, as organic has long been her life philosophy. Bontour also maintains that all her products had to smell good, to be inviting to use everyday not just for their efficacy but for the pleasure of texture and scent.
The French seem more fond of using nourishing and hydrating oils for both skin and hair. When the oils are 100% organic and natural-based, the absorption into the hair and skin follicles is efficient and leave no trace of oil residue - just silky soft skin and hair!
HUILE ANTI-ÂGE À L’ABRICOT
BODY ANTI-AGING OIL WITH APRICOT EXTRACT
- Iroisie Anti-Aging Apricot Body Oil
We are a big fan of Iroisie's Apricot Body Anti-Aging Oil. The scent is ravishingly delicate – sun-kissed and clean with that hint of “Provence” that reminds you of warm summer days and langorous home-from-the-beach afternoons.
Its precious ingredients are Apricot, Ylang-ylang, Avocado, Cranberry, and Seaweed Extract. The oil is naturally concentrated in A, B and E vitamins and in essential fatty acids.
Iroisie Slimming Oils and Serums
French women are also known for their sleek and slim bodies. Iroisie can help you achieve this beautiful silhouette with several of their products designed to reduce cellulite and help the body rid itself of toxins.
L’HUILE MINCEUR: SLIMMING OIL: reshapes the body
Results of clinical studies : 95% more beautiful skin; 95% more toned skin. Precious ingredients : Slimming spices bio-complex
LE CONCENTRÉ MINCEUR: SLIMMING SERUM This fresh and non greasy serum is specially designed for fast and efficient slimming.
Results of clinical studies : 98% smoother skin; 78% reduction in “orange peel” skin.
Precious ingredients: Guarana – Sandalwood - Slimming seaweed bio complex
Nourished, Protected, Respected
Iroisie skincare sources its precious ingredients from the rarest of the oceans, obtaining its raw marine materials from protected natural places classified by UNESCO. The UNESCO's Man & Biosphere program has given Iroisie express permission to harvest the seaweed from the Iroisie Sea, a protected UNESCO site, on condition they do so with total respect for and in harmony with the ecosystem. Thus, they “harvest seaweeds from May to October and only by hand to keep the roots alive.”
These precious ingredients yield extraordinary properties. For example, these marine sourced active ingredients have a concentration 20 times higher for natural anti-oxidants, 80 times higher for calcium and 35 times higher for iron than the active botanical agents commonly used. Iroisie's active plant ingredients are harvested only from the best organically farmed plants and also in a sustainable way. Their ingredients are culled from crops yielding the highest concentrations in essential nutrients such as vitamins, restorative minerals, trace elements, amino acids, omegas 3, 6 and 9 and powerful anti-oxidants chosen specifically for their optimal performance with skin cell metabolism.
PATE D’ALGUES AMINCISSANTE (transl.) = SLIMMING SEAWEED MUD
Exceptional concentration of active marine ingredients allows rapid actions of draining and slimming. Precious ingredients : Rose - Peppermint - Bitter orange – Seaweed extracts
Iroisie's full line of skincare luxury items include facial firming care for face and neck, Botanical Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Care, Instant Beauty Fresh Mask, Gentle Facial and Eye Cleanser Gel...in other words, you will find a perfect solution for all your skin needs, face and body, with Iroisie. Their white and gold packaging is elegant and understated...and ever so chic!
Organic – EcoCert – Certified
Each Iroisie product is certified organic by Ecocert, Europe's Top organic certification body which maintains the strictest of standards. All Iroisie products are formulated without parabens, silicones, chemical preservatives, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances/colorants animal extracts, phenoxyethanol or GM ingredients. Iroisie is pleased to gurantee the origins of all their skincare ingredients.
For product and information:
www.iroisie.com 346 rue Saint-Honor
é75001 Paris
Relatively new on the Eco Beauty scene is
ekia, the French beauty care line by Carine Mudry, a veteran of l'Or
éal, who launched her new regime based on two primary principles: 1. exquisite care for mature skin 2. All organic to the highest standards.
So far? Success! Since only April 2009 have the ekia products been on the market in France and already they are carried in major natural beauty care retail outlets throughout Paris and the Provence. Two new products that ekia introduced just this summer are both targeted towards the fragile skin surrounding the eyes: Le Gel Lift Paupi
ères and Le Baume Regard.
Le Baume Regard is formulated to revitalize the eye area and can be used to stall the signs of aging in the skin that can surface around the eye area from many factors - not just age – such as stress, fatigue, free radicals, smoking, sun over-exposure and other damaging environmental conditions for the skin. Le Gel Lift Paupieres is a serum formulated to firm and lift the eye area. It works immediately upon application, its concentrated formula giving the eye area a brightening effect that seems to magically remove signs of fatigue. These two products can be used individually and have also been designed to work together. First apply the Gel Lift serum to the eyelids, wait one minute to allow for penetration, and then finish the application to the surrounding eye area with Le Baume Regard. Using the products like this allows for perfect synergy in the ingredients.
Dragon's Blood
What is ekia's “magic ingredient”? It is nothing less than the mythical-sounding “dragon's blood” or “Sang du Dragon”(in French) which comes from the sap of a tree in the Amazon. This ingredient has been proven to boost cellular regeneration by 40%. The sap is particularly interesting for the skin around the eye area because it is anti-inflammatory and it is rich in polyphenols and anti-oxidants.
- Click Here for 15% off your next purchase of ekia skincare products. Must mention Greening Beauty, Greening Hollywood or Green Blog Network.
In fact, most of the ekia skincare line has at the heart of its ingredient recipe, this Dragon's Blood, derived from the
Croton Lechleri tree in South America. The sap from this tree has been used for thousands of years by the local population to treat all kinds of external and internal ailments, including ulcers.
Organic Skincare That Works
Ekia is one of those rare natural-based, organic skincare lines that has proven its efficacy with clinical tests. The line went so far as to test each line of its products on 150 women, all of whom were 50+ years old over a period of three months. They documented the product's results using an independent dermatologist and close-up photography that used no lighting effects or photoshop retouching. The positive results on the women's skin are clearly visible.
Ekia Skincare comes in three main lines: Crème Initial – stimulating; Crème Intense – Restorative; and Crème Extreme – Revitalizing. In Paris and throughout France you can find the line in all the top organic beauty retail outlets. You can also find it at:
www.ekia-cosmetiques.com.
Around since the early 90's, “Nature at Heart,” Melvita is France's organic beauty brand that has been doing beauty naturally long before green was seen as glam! Walking into a Melvita Natural Beauty boutique in Paris or anywhere in “provence” and you instantly fee like you're on safe ground.
There is also no lack of choice for products. Whatever beauty care need you might have at the moment, Melvita has a solution for you. Dry skin?Try any of their range of face and body skin care products. A couple of our favorites are the aromatic, smelling-of-provence-herbs Melvita Naturalift® crème anti-age certified cosmetique-bio; also their Huile d'Onagre which is wonderful as a decollete' treatment. Determined to use only a natural-based deoderant for health and beauty reasons? Melvita has a range of affordable, effective and good-smelling deoderants. Shampoo? What a selection! Conditioner without parabens? How many types and scents are you willing to try in one go?
- Melvita Store in Newport Beach, California's Fashion Island now open. Also find the Melvita shop in San Francisco!
Melvita is the affordable and truly organic line of beauty and personal care products that you would expect to find at your neighborhood Whole Foods store or the Organic section of your local market. Its fresh, white and green packaging is easy to spot and also made from recycled materials.
- Melvita's Argan Oil is one of France's best sellers and an Eco Beauty Secret French women adore!
So how did Melvita craft such a loyal brand following ages before “paraben” became a dirty word in the beauty industry? Simple: Dedication to organically sourced products and clean, fresh ingredients. When you use a product stamped with the Melvita brand, you can be sure that:
- A Minimum of 95% of the total ingredients are natural.
- A Minimum of 95% of the plant-based ingredients are organic
- A Minimum of 10% of the total formula is organic
“We adhere to these standards with passion and conviction,” commented a Melvita spokesperson when Greening Hollywood spoke to him about the EcoCert certification processes and standards. Melvita carries the EcoCert label, one of the strictest organic certification labels anywhere, not just in Europe. EcoCert demands the above minimum requirements be met for any beauty and personal care products it certifies. They also oversee and monitor the application of the label CosmeBio so that it is only applied to those products that meet the strictest ecological production and organic formulation.
“An article came out on June 21
st in Inside Cosmeceuticals that outlines how Whole Foods' U.S. Stores will require all personal care products and cosmetics making “organic” claims to be third-party certified by June 1
st 2011. This points to the fact that there is a wide range of products out there making all sorts of 'organic'claims in the U.S. With Melvita, we list the percentage of the 'total ingredients from natural origin,' and the 'total ingredients from organic farming,' on each of our products. There is no grey area for us.'
EcoCert doesn't play around – according to our research, it audits all products, production sites, production processes and waste management systems on-site twice a year. Once during the year it arrives announced and the second time their auditors arrive unannounced. The USDA and its National Organic Program (NOP) has approved EcoCert certification.
In keeping with Melvita's philosophy never to use any ingredients that might be harmful to the body or the Earth, it does not use any of the following Big No No Ingredients: Silicons, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, EDTA, phthalates, Formol Generators, Parabens, Phenoxyethanol, Troclosan, Mineral Oil or Chemical Sunscreens. Nada. Not in Melvita!
Melvita is now widely available in the U.S. Check the website for retail outlets:
www.usa.melvita.com
□ Tuesday, Oct 5th "Policy Meets Doing." How fast and how far can political leadership and new policy direction move? How does a city lay out an integrated program for green economy, green systems and green communities? How does a city build durable partnerships with industry and other constituents to advance the green agenda and economy?
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