Sponsored by: deZengoDESIGNS, Humanity Healing, OM Times Magazine, Uncommon Stock Photography, Authentic Self DESIGNS, SACREDspace Studio

Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project BCABPP

It has come to our attention that Facebook is now censoring images being posted for this project. I have used social media long enough to know that they censor who and want they want. I see pornographic material on there daily. I see women, men, children using their bodies to elicit business in their avatar usage. What I want to know is HOW can they censor a project that uses the human canvas and creates ART - when they allow nude paintings and other photos to be shown? I am positive that our children see more T & A while surfing through Facebook (and other online venues), as well as just turning on the television, opening a magazine or going to a beach!

Michael D. Colanero (photographer)

About the project ....

Magazine preview:
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/257729
https://www.facebook.com/SurvivorsMag
https://www.facebook.com/BCABPP

Resident Fuddy Duddy:

I am the resident fuddy duddy. I do not support using a woman's body to illicit sexual response from the viewing end, I find that distasteful and part of the problem with "dehumanizing women" in the world view. If you look at Playboy or other magazines ... they are called ===> "bunnies?" I don't want to be soft fluffy bunny for your viewing pleasure! I want to be a survivor who stands up for what I believe in and support!

The BCABPP project selected women from around the globe. Different sizes, shapes and stories and provided them an outlet to feel beautiful again and use their voice to raise awareness & gain support for PREVENTION of this disease.

This is from the creator of the project, who speaks out for the women who do not have a voice!
Today - 10.20.11ATTENTION TROOPS! Please Read / Sign & Pass this Information ON!
We NEED YOU RIGHT NOW.... FACEBOOK HAS AGAIN CENSORED AND DELETED FIVE SURVIVOR IMAGES - During Breast Cancer Awareness Month no less. Does anyone have press or news contacts? This CENSORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE. They deleted images of women with no nipples and the latest image where her breasts are entirely covered!!! PLEASE HELP AND ALSO SIGN OUR PETITION!!!
I believe these survivor images are all in good taste and I have created them with the idea of them being shown in public spaces - spaces even where children would see them. Unfortunately, in our increasingly PC and corporate safe, sometimes ultra-conservative world we are running into issues with these selfless inspiring survivor images being either outright CENSORED and removed or Blocked in some other manner making it unnecessarily difficult for them to be seen.

They have been safe enough for magazine covers and primetime TV broadcast (so far by a PBS program, CNN en Español, Univision and Telemundo just to name a few.

This is not just nudity for a cause - it's bodies covered in paint. It is no more revealing then a silk blouse on a cold day. Is just the bump of a nipple enough to cause such a stir???
Some of the women have no nipple reconstruction at all.

These women deserve to be supported and applauded for coming forth to participate in such a vulnerable way - NOT to be made to feel that they did something that they should need to hide or conceal or be ashamed of. SHAME ON YOU FACEBOOK AND FLICKR.

If you support this project and are offended by it's CENSORSHIP and not by it's natural human beauty please sign and comment below. :-)

thank you for your support...
Michael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More about the project:
An all Breast Cancer Survivor project for awareness, fundraising, inspiration and healing worldwide.
Description ::

Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project:
A Fine Art & Photography Essay of Survivors.

The collection of images is also currently on display at:

UNCOMMON Gallery
2713 East Commercial Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54903765930

So far 25 brave and incredible women have selflessly stepped forward and been painted for the project.

I may be the creator but these SURVIVORS are the project. Everything is a true collaboration of the women the body painter(s) and my work as well. All of it then shared and appreciated by the people it touches. Every link in the chain is important :-)

"When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece."
~John Ruskin

"Nudity is the garment of the soul"
~unknown

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."
~ Amelia Earhart

*** This page and project is deemed "Child Safe" ***
Website
www.cafepress.com/BCABPP
www.twitter.com/BCABPP
www.youtube.com/BCABPP

To sponsor Our Trip : http://www.gofundme.com/9a18g

OM Times November 2011 - Health & Wellness Editorial : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dezengo/6269075325/in/photostream

Breast cancer survivor's photo of her painted breasts called pornography by Facebook and taken down
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-facebook-breasts-banned-20111027,0,5759227.story

Photos: Breast awareness group paints breasts for cause

By Brittany Wallman, Sun Sentinel

10:46 a.m. EDT, October 28, 2011

Ellen Gondola had breast cancer. One day, years later, the Cooper City mom stood topless in an artist's studio and allowed her chest to be covered in paint, her cancer scars blanketed with bamboo and butterflies. She'd never felt so beautiful.

But Facebook called it pornography, inappropriate nudity, a violation of the terms of use. The social networking giant took her photo down, and the encouraging comments beneath it.

Facebook rule No. 7: You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.

Gondola had joined a cause, the Fort Lauderdale-based Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project, which has a group page on Facebook. Now she's part of a second cause, the Facebook "No-Censor Petition.''

Twenty-four other breast cancer survivors have posed topless like she did. Most of their images have been taken down, too, creator and photographer Michael Colanero said, citing "puritanical'' resistance from Facebook users who flagged the images as inappropriate.

Colanero said he hasn't been able to reach anyone at Facebook to appeal, though he said he and 10 others have tried.

"It's no more than you'd see at the beach or a chilly mall with a woman with a silk blouse on,'' said Colanero, owner of a local art gallery.

Gondola said she was sickened over it; her photo was taken down twice.

"There's men on the same site that can be topless,'' she complained. " … Those men with what we call 'moobs,' or male boobs, those big tattoos across their chest, why is that OK?''

Facebook officials couldn't be reached, despite an email and phone call to the network's media relations office. The social media giant previously has taken down photographs of women breast-feeding their children.

A 47-year-old, Gondola got breast cancer when she was in her 20s and wanted young women to know it can strike when you're that young.

While some of the other women who modeled no longer have nipples, or have had disfiguring surgeries, Gondola said she has minimal scarring.

"But it still affects your body image,'' she said. "It does something to a woman. That's all I can say.''

Through the Facebook page, she said she's met women whose husbands left them after they underwent mastectomies, telling their wives, "I can't handle this. You look like a freak.' "

Beneath the images, some of which Colanero has reposted, women who've had cancer said the photographs made them feel better about their bodies.

"This project has helped me HEAL in ways that words can not express,'' one woman wrote, describing herself as a recent cancer survivor.

"I watched this project help my friend reclaim her power,'' another woman wrote.

One of the participant models wrote that the project "restored my life, my femininity & my courage to go on.''

"Don't silence us,'' wrote another one of the women who posed. "Don't censor us.''

After her painting session, Gondola remembers the exhilaration.

"I wore it home, and I ripped off my shirt and I paraded in front of my daughter,'' she recounted. "She was so proud of me. That was an amazing feeling.''

The project has gotten some television and local magazine coverage. Colanero says ultimately, he hopes to raise money selling the images, so he can contribute to a breast cancer charity.

The project already has paid off, though, Gondola says, bringing hundreds of survivors together online.

"We're showing women going through the hardest time of their life that there's beauty at the other end,'' she said.

bwallman @ tribune.com or 954-356-4541.

BCABPP Breast Cancer Survivors Clash with Facebook Censors
http://www.anneofcarversville.com/body-politics/2011/10/23/bcabpp-breast-cancer-survivors-clash-with-facebook-censors.html

Stardust - Survivor Melanie Joy SinghWe hate learning about great projects at the expense of women who have suffered enough in life, won their battle with the big-C cancer, only to take on a new deadly opponent. This was the exact sequence of events that brought us to the Facebook page of the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project over the weekend.

For the cancer survivors who are part of The Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project: A Fine Art & Photography Essay of Survivors, their artistic journey is a self-affirmation dream come true.

For the citizen censors who are trying to take down these empowering BCABPP images of the women on Facebook and Flickr, the women’s artist reflections are … what? Threatening? Corrupting of the moral fabric of the country? Pornographic?

“Yes”, say the members of America’s morality police! These women represent Corruptresses! After beating their cancer and rediscovering their own beauty, the women and the entire BCABPP creative team are now facing a new opponent: America’s censors.

Meet Melanie Joy Singh (above), who tells her story of being a breast cancer survivor, after losing her breast at age 35. Today Melanie is also a ‘Painted Survivor’, proud of her artistic rendering “Stardust” by photographer Michael Colanero and artists Keegan Hitchcock, who has painted 21 of the 25 painted so far, and Luci Ungerbuehler, a new member of the creative team.

Breast cancer survivors from all around America have been driving and flying into Fort Lauderdale to participate in BCABPP, often a self-described emotional, psychological and transcendental journey to self love.

Proudly posting their images on the group’s BCABPP Facebook page, these empowered women and fantastic artists Colanero, Hitchcock came to our attention via the Daily Mail UK, who reported that BCABPP had run into the Facebook censors and strict rules about nudity.

FB rules are: “You will not post content that is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.” Note that typically, someone must complain about the images to FB and that typically is one of the many social conservatives who spend their time trolling the Internet, reporting infractions.

‘African Sun’ (l) and ‘Tribute’ - Survivor: Dawn Verpaele (r)

Mr Colanero was furious because the creative team has deliberately made the images child-safe. “I want them to be in oncology clinics and children’s hospitals. I’ve gone out of my way to make them non-sexual,” says the artist and photographer.

Colanero, who displays the images in his South Florida Uncommon Gallery (see FB page,) continues: “People come into the gallery and put their hands on the pictures, crying. They can empathize and just learn and be more aware.”

Anne signed a petition against FB, along with other supporters of BCABPP, who feel this is just one more example of the social conservatives porn police going too far in protecting American citizens from naughty images on FB.

‘Life’s a Beach’ (l) and ‘Growth & Contrast’ (r)

In the familiar double-standard for women on almost every issue involving our bodies in America, breast cancer survivor Ellen Gondola, told the Orlando Sentinel that she was thrilled to arrive home still painted, ripping off her shirt and parading around in front of her daughter in a state of positive exhiliaration.

And then her image came down on Facebook — twice. She asks: “There’s men on the same site that can be topless … Those men with what we call “moobs,” or male boobs, those big tattoos across their chest … why is that OK?”

Welcome to the world of women, Ellen.

Fighting the Breast Cancer Beast Up Front and Personal

The images created as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Project impact all of us. Not only the survivor models relate to the beauty and triumph expressed in in the project’s artistic goals. The images unconsciouslessly help the millions of women, our friends and family members who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the future — today and tomorrow.

In sharing their project publicly, these courageous women remind us in advance, that breast cancer needn’t mean the end of beauty and a positive self image. Women are far more than the size, shape and ‘flawless perfection” of our breasts. (As an offshoot of reading about these fantastic women, Anne is launching a campaign to eliminate the word ‘flawless’ from our fashion/beauty industry vocabulary. The word does incredible damage to women’s psyches, even before we deal with breast cancer.)

Melanie ‘Stardust’ picks up her story:

This experience was transcendental for me… it gave me a newfound strength; it transformed me in a way that is difficult to express into words. When I was going through breast cancer, I felt like the disease was stealing bits of me every day. As Keegan painted this amazing cosmic landscape onto me, I began to watch my scarred body turn into a thing of beauty. And as Michael was shooting the photos I began to realize that cancer didn’t steal my beauty, and that it could never tarnish my soul. I will be forever grateful to Keegan and Michael for allowing me to participate in this amazing project.

Most of the images have between 40 to 90 hours of work in them, with a few over 300 hours of work in them. Michael has a target of 50 survivors in mind, according to Round Magazine

Seeking to raise funds, the survivors are helping to sell not only the original prints but a host of related products on Cafe Press. Stickers, cards, pillows and even a ceramic travel mug carry the images. This Cafe Press page shows all the women painted so far in the BCABPP project. 100% of all profits are being donated to a variety of breast-cancer related initiatives.

Michael Colanero’s fine art prints, with and without frames donate 15% of the profits. The group hopes to publish a coffee table book with 50 survivors and their stories. When the BCABPP group dreams big — and why shouldn’t they — a national gallery tour is a primary goal, and then a world tour.

Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Profect | ArtStreet

Supporting the BCABPP project are Facebook are comments from the women.

“This project has helped me HEAL in ways that words can not express,” one woman wrote, describing herself as a recent cancer survivor.

“I watched this project help my friend reclaim her power,” another woman wrote.

One of the participant models wrote that the project “restored my life, my femininity & my courage to go on.”

“Don’t silence us,” wrote another one of the women who posed. “Don’t censor us.”

The Year That Was - Survivor: Sylvie

Women whose husbands have left them after they underwent mastectomies meet on this Facebook page. The women say that many men tell their wives, “I can’t handle this. You look like a freak.”

The women do not exaggerate. In 2009, Seattle researchers confirmed that female gender was the strongest predictor of separation or divorce when one of the parties had cancer. The rate when the woman was the patient was 20.8 percent compared to 2.9 percent when the man was the patient.

Phoenix Rising - Suvivor: Gillian BrillWe end this powerful story with a promise to watch the BCABPP Facebook page situation. AOC had its own infraction on FB with an innocuous anti-Facebook censorship by the Ukranian feminist group FEMEN. In this excellent article about BCABPP, we find the exhiliaring vision on which to end this story … for now.

Gillian’s image, “Phoenix Rising” is for her the epitome of cancer survival. Like the Phoenix, Gillian encompasses a fiery spirit and a colorful way of being. Her cancer was like that of the Phoenix’s lifespan which lasts a long time, but once it ceases to exist, her survival is like that of the new Phoenix rising - powerful and majestic.

‘Phoenix Rising’ is also the key theme of Anne of Carversville. We will use Gillian’s image throughout our pages to support BCABPP and underscore our commitment to women’s journeys around the globe.

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/11/18/green-tips-shared-by-stars-at-cancer-charity-gala

Green Tips Shared by Stars at Cancer Charity Gala

— lindastcyr

November 18^th 2011

A release party for ¡ÈThe Beauty Book¡É by Darren Tieste had hundreds of stars gathering to support the photographer whose coffee table book will raise money and awareness for brain cancer.

Tieste, with the help of Sarah Uphoff, photographed more than a hundred of Hollywood¡Çs most beautiful stars. Both Tieste and Uphoff have lost people they loved to brain cancer. Tieste lost his best friend and Uphoff lost her mother earlier this summer. The stars who gathered at the release party shared green tips amongst one another.

Carmen Electra, who lost her mother to brain cancer 8 years ago, said that the cause was very important to her. She said of her green ways, ¡ÈI¡Çve always had the habit of turning the lights off, and I love to vintage shop.¡É Electra also claims to be making an effort to eat less meat after watching, ¡Èso many of these [food] documentaries,¡É according to Mother Nature Network.

Nicole Scherzinger, mentor for the ¡ÈOver 30¡í singers on ¡ÈThe X Factor,¡É said it was important to be at ¡ÈThe Beauty Book¡É release party.

¡ÈA friend of mine has just been diagnosed with brain cancer and I have many family members who have had cancer,¡É says Scheringer.

She said that growing up in an eco-conscious home rubbed off on her. She claims it is why she drives a hybrid car today. She also stated that she is, ¡Èthe craziest person when it comes to recycling. People will be throwing something in the garbage and I¡Çll be like, ¡ÆI told you to recycle that!¡Ç¡É

According to MNN, Hilary Duff, who¡Çs expecting her first child, is in the midst of an eco-friendly home remodel. Duff is using low-VOC paint, eco-friendly bedding for her nursery, and a wallpaper for the nursery that comes with magnetic animal characters that can be moved around the wall.

TV host Samantha Harris shared the green tips she is instilling in her daughters. Harris has been teaching her eldest daughter, Hillary, 10, ¡Èto turn the water off when she is washing her hands and brushing her teeth, and recycling, she knows that we have separate garbage cans for the recycling.¡É

Many others stars came out to support Tieste coffee table book, ¡ÈThe Beauty Book,¡É including Stacy Kiebler, Josh Duhamel, Gilles Marini, Mehcad Brooks, Rick Fox and girlfriend Eliza Dushku, David Annable and many others. Tieste and Uphoff¡Çs ¡ÈThe Beauty Book¡É sells for $39.99 with all proceeds going to two brain cancer charities.

via MNN

December 6, 2011

'About Face' to Premiere at Sundance Film Festival
By Sharon Edelson
WWD Issue 12/06/2011
http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/catwalk-chronicles-5414237

CATWALK CHRONICLES: By now, most people know that modeling as a glamorous career is more of a myth than reality. “About Face,” a documentary, portrays a group of Seventies- and Eighties-era models as survivors, blessed with beauty, yet condemned by society’s less-than-tolerant view of aging and its relentless celebration of youth. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, who first photographed the models for a group portrait for Vanity Fair, wanted to delve deeper into their stories. Carol Alt, Marisa Berenson, Karen Bjornson, Christie Brinkley, Pat Cleveland, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Jerry Hall, Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, China Machado, Paulina Porizkova, Isabella Rossellini and Lisa Taylor shared with Greenfield-Sanders their career highs and lows and personal disappointments. Kim Alexis, Nancy Donahue, Esmé Marshall, Eileen Ford, Dayle Haddon, Cheryl Tiegs, Christy Turlington and Calvin Klein also appear in the film. Sundance Film Festival on Monday revealed that “About Face” will have its premiere at the festival, which will be held Jan. 19 to 29. “About Face” will air on HBO in the summer.

In the film, Rossellini says modeling taught her it was “essential not to depend on fathers and husbands.” Porizkova got a twisted take on praise. “What people called sexual harassment, we called compliments,” she said in the film. “When a 16-year-old girl is flattered by a man pulling out his penis, that’s noteworthy.”

NIP + FAB Launches $15.95 Bust Fix, Available Exclusively at Target

http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/NIP+%2B+FAB+Launches+%2415.95+Bust+Fix%2C+Available+Exclusively+at+Target/6933257.html

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As A-list celebrities continue to fuel speculation that their boosted bust appearance is due to Mother Nature, a wonder cream costing $15.95 is being dubbed a 'boob lift in a tube.'

Renowned for running 'real life' trials, the company behind the best selling NIP + FAB Bust Fix has proved this no-nonsense bust booster can help to lift, boost and tone the bust area in as little as 28 days.

So as celebrities continue to deny having a boob lift, hundreds of women are now clambering to buy this multi-tasking bust booster. NIP + FAB has been selling over 1,000 products a minute this week alone.

Target customers have been racing to stock up on Bust Fix before the expected sellout. NIP + FAB is going into emergency production to keep up with the demand in the US.

Carol Davies comments, "I cannot get enough of this product. It's boosted my bust by almost a size. Who wants to spend thousands on cosmetic surgery when you can spend $15.95 and get results."

Lizzy Phillips comments, "I jumped at the chance to try this product. After 28 days of the trial my bust was boosted and toned."

Fiona Douglas comments, "I'm so happy with the results on my boobs. I've recommended this treatment to all of my friends."

NIP + FAB BUST FIX – 100ml

This high performance bust serum is formulated to visibly plump, smooth and firm the skin around the bust and decollete, adding a volume increase of 7% in just 28 days! Containing CellActive®- FORM, a plant-based complex of active ingredients which supports the natural process of lipid deposition, lending fullness to the bust, it will reshape the contours of the cleavage area and optimally accentuate the feminine features.

Key benefits - scientifically substantiated claims:

1.  Activation of lipid accumulation (in vitro) - Lipogenesis (formation of fat) in human adipocytes (fat cells)

2.  Volume-Effect - Added breast volume, lends fullness to the cleavage area

3.  Firming-Effect - Improved skin elasticity + firms skin in the cleavage area

Apply on clean skin in circular movements around the bust + decollete. For the best results, use twice daily.

Available at select Target stores nationwide and from www.target.com.

SOURCE NIP + FAB

media contact info:

Amanda Keller, Kravetz & Company Public Relations

+1-213-488-0000

amanda @ kravetzpr.com

From: http://www.madara-usa.com/en/where-to-buy

OLEHENRIKSEN alter-eco challenge

By Jennifer Karasik on Tuesday, April 20, 2010  

http://www.olehenriksen.com/blog/index.php/olehenriksen-alter-eco-challenge 

Earth Day is just a few short days away! Here at OLEHENRIKSEN, we believe in being celebratory of life and maintaining a continued commitment to health and wellness – and that includes the health and wellness of our planet!

One of the ways we do this is with our product boxes—they’re 100% recyclable and manufactured locally. We also recently began using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paper board for all of our product boxes. This certification system provides an internationally recognized standard for responsible production and consumption of forest products.

As far as the day-to-day, we make sure to do our part at the corporate office and distribution center by doing things like turning off lights in rooms that aren’t being used and using real dishes when we eat food or go to get water out of the water cooler.

As a way to celebrate Earth Month and continue our commitment to a healthy planet, we wanted to kick recycling up a notch. So, we came up with the OLEHENRIKSEN Alter-Eco Online Challenge. We’re challenging you to come up with the most creative way to repurpose your OLEHENRIKSEN product containers. Get as imaginative and inventive as you can – whether it’s finding a new use for your jars and bottles or turning them into a sculpture, all ideas are welcome! There is no limit to the number of containers you can use to build your creation. To view the official contest description and to participate, click here. We of course, encourage you to recycle all of your OLEHENRIKSEN packaging, but isn’t it fun to get creative and figure out a new, useful way to repurpose it?!

As Ole says, “Let your inner voice govern your creativity!” We’re very excited to see what everyone comes up with!

Adivasi Body: Delicious on Skin, Nose and Globe

Jess Root

December 17, 2011
http://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/adivasi-body-delicious-skin-nose-and-globe.html

© Adivasi Body LLC

I've been using Adivasi Body for years now, that I'm embarrassed I haven't shared the goodness with my 'Huggers yet. The bath and body product hails from my hometown in Connecticut, handmade in small batches making it a pretty local treat for anyone in the NYC metro-area.

What's more, they nourish our largest organ, the skin, while also promoting relaxation and a state of homeostasis in the body through aromatherapy. Every scent holds lavender as its base. The little purple flower is powerful one. Recent studies found that lavender left participants more calm, positive, and less anxious. Similarly, its shown to help those struggling with insomnia experience deeper sleep, and it even has the ability to increase libido.

Each product is 100% vegetarian and free of the long list of health nasties our bodies -- and planet -- appreciate us ignoring:
-parabens
-phtalates
-petrochemicals
-gluten
-synthetic detergents, dyes and fragrances

The hand and body lotion and body serum is my go-to post-shower skin hydration in winter while the room and body mist makes a perfect mid-day pick-me-up. In my quest to kick caffeine, a spritz or two of the awakening, citrus-y Sat Nam Sunshine makes a decent substitute. The notes of lavender, valencia orange and lemon lift me up on a gray, cold day. Choose from other yummy flavors like the sleep-inducing Lavender Love or Sat Nam Clarity that has a twist of clean and refreshing Eucalyptus. Or, other products like vegan soaps, insect repellent, body polish, aromatherapy roll ons, lip balm, cuticle cream and more.

I'm a lucky lady, stocking Adivasi Body into my yoga studio's eco-retail nook. You can get lucky too, ordering from Adivasi Body, supporting a small local business if you're in nearby CT area. Prices range from $4-$15.

Mozambique’s ‘Super’ Breast Cancer Awareness Ads

0 Comments

by China DeSpain Freeman December 15, 2011

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/12/15/mozambiques-super-breast-cancer-awareness-ads

A nonprofit organization in Mozambique is putting a “super” spin on breast cancer awareness.

The Associação da Luta Contra o Cancer (ALCC) worked with an ad agency to create four posters depicting superhero women from classic comics performing breast self-exams. The art skirts the issue of copyright by showing the characters from the chin down, letting the costume tell us who each woman is.

For the record, they’re Wonder Woman, Cat Woman, She Hulk and Storm, and they each have their hands placed differently, showing the various aspects of a self-exam.

Each poster also contains a breast cancer awareness message. “Nobody’s immune to breast cancer. When we talk about breast cancer, there’s no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against the enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor.”

While certainly eye-catching, I’m not sure this is the most informative awareness method. Not only are the heroines obviously clothed (a no-no for self-exams, although a necessity for advertising), there’s no information on the posters explaining proper exam technique. It’s a nice idea, but does it work?

And as io9 points out, Cat Woman is depicted with her claws out (definitely an uncomfortable choice on her part), while She Hulk is shown exploding through a wall, prompting the thought, “She-Hulk has just burst through a wall — presumably to stop some crooks — only to promptly begin her monthly exam. Is this psychological warfare? Who can really say?”

What are your thoughts? Is this a cool, entertaining way to bring attention to the importance of self-exams? Or is it just a kooky advertising gimmick?

Photo: Associação da Luta Contra o Cancer/DDB

About China DeSpain Freeman

China DeSpain Freeman is an Atlanta and San Antonio based writer and blogger. She loves pop culture, animal rights, health and fitness, international travel, books and wigs. You can find more of her work at themodernista.com and writefork.com.

Artisanal Luxury Skin Treats Crafted by Hand from Earth's Purest Ingredients.


After what seems like lifetimes of anticipation, it is with genuine excitement that I introduce to you the first four products of the May Lindstrom Skin Collection.

The Good Stuff Radiance Oil.
The Problem Solver Correcting Masque.
The Clean Dirt Cleansing Clay.
The Youth Dew Hydrating Serum.


I want to personally invite you to visit our just-launched website where you can bring home the ritual for the first time ever...just in time for the holidays!

Crafting this line has been a journey of pure love. I have poured my heart and soul into delivering a beautiful experience - a line of products so pure you could eat them, so wonderfully decadent you'll be inspired to take a deserved time-out, so results-oriented you'll fall in love with your healthy and radiant skin all over again.

I encourage you to claim your space, to seek out pleasure and to find that treat that makes you feel simply delicious.


With Love,
May

www.maylindstromskin.com

Sneak peek into the May Lindstrom Skin 2011 shoot, more soon!

February 1, 1995
Drug & Cosmetic Industry

Green Cosmetics: The Definition Undergoes Broadening but Consumer Interest Remains High

by Donald A. Davis
http://www.jonentine.com/articles/drug_cosmetic_ind.htm

Green as distinct from "natural," has come a considerable distance since it first achieved recognition in Western Europe in the late 1960s, and in the United States in the 1980s. In what was then West Germany, the expression assume political significance and even became the name of a recognized, and at least briefly powerful, political party. Four years ago, during the negotiations to finalize the European Community, "Green" activists exerted enough influence on ecological concerns to bring changes to the EC's Cosmetic Directives. Green forces under whatever label are credited with what amounts to a forthcoming ban on animal testing that last year became part of the EC's Fourth Cosmetic Directive. That ban may be regarded with favor by at least one element of the cosmetic industry (those who market "natural" cosmetics, whose fate seems somehow inexorably linked with lack of animal testing), but it hasn't drawn raves from suppliers who feel compelled to test their ingredients for teratogenicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity -- none of which can be detected by using alternative in vitro cosmetic test methods.

Based on the Green Party in Germany and elsewhere, one could logically make the assumption that concerns over the environment, pollutants, clean air and water, safe (sufficiently tested) products and foods, and protection against birth defects all are prime considerations. The motivating force in Green's growth of influence in Germany, says Jacqueline Ottman in "Green Marketing: Challenges & Opportunities for the New Marketing Age" (published by NTC Business Books, Lincolnwood, Ill.) was a series of disasters during the 1980s: decimation of the Black Forest by acid rain, accidental release of toxic chemicals into the Rhine River, spread of a nuclear cloud from Chernobyl, etc. In the U.S. there were environmental disasters, the worst being the Exxon oil spill in Alaska, but these were not enough to give birth to a new political party -- or even to shape the agenda of the two major parties during the 1992 Presidential campaign or the 1994 Congressional races. In fact, the outcome of the latter can be construed as a defeat for the environmental protectionist forces, since the winners have promised to trim the powers, staff, and budgets for regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, OSHA, and even the Food & Drug Administration.

There is, however, an undeniably active movement to market Green products, with some companies (especially in the cosmetic business) having established what amounts to a complete "Green philosophy" that covers the entire range Of ingredients, formulations, packaging, advertising, and general image. For some smaller competitors, the stance clearly was adopted to give distinction to their companies against those of their giant competitors -- as happened with musk oil in the 1970s and aloe-based cosmetics in the early 1980s. Green became first a marketing tactic, then with time it evolved into something approximating a religion, with nearly every public act of the company closely geared to saving, nurturing or restoring the environment. Sponsorship of programs to plant trees, clean up streams, restore to pristine beauty parks or highway borders all were taken on by cosmetic companies, Where materials of natural origin seemed to be in short supply, marketer companies ventured into procuring new oils or whatever from Amazon natives or by organizing expeditions to Africa or Indonesia. Though on a small scale, there was about some of these efforts the inevitable echo of the missionary or colonist, broadened by the "religious" fervor of management.

Of course, Green as a concept in cosmetic product formulation is neither new nor startling. Caswell-Massey had been almost single-handedly carrying the message for decades, selling cucumber-based soaps and pineapple hair rinses from the shelves of its Lexington Avenue apothecary shop" to a special clientele. These at first were more curiosities than market groundbreakers, more "natural" or botantically, based formulas than products embracing the Green image. As is pointed out in a preface to the Ottman book, "the 'green revolution' is about more than simply marketing products as green. It's about ensuring that those products genuinely are green; ensuring that the entire company is green. This process doesn't begin in the marketing department, it ends there." But what justification can there have been for so profound a change in corporate awareness of the environment as a marketing strategy? Ottman opines that the Three Mile nuclear power plant disaster, the Exxon oil spill, the depletion of the ozone layer and other indications of threats to the global climate all combined in the late 1980s and early 1990s to create an environmentally wary consumer, one especially responsive to products and market concepts that seemed to be responding to those concerns.

Quickest to catch up to this change in attitude were marketers of environmentally sensitive products (chemicals, petroleum or household chemicals), in the main because they felt the ripples in the marketplace. S.C. Johnson is a case in point, its aerosol business having suffered serious erosion in the early 1980s because of consumer reaction to the ozone depletion scare. Of course, that company suffered undue punishment, since ozone depletion was blamed on chlorofluorocarbon propellants, years after S.C. Johnson had switched entirely to propane/butane propellants. This example of guilt by association (and what should be done to avoid it) later served to shape the policies of other companies, such as Procter Gamble's moves early in this decade to use recycled plastic detergent bottles and to down. size by selling concentrated formulas in smaller bottles (and which converted to the Air Spray dispensing mechanism for two of its hair products in the early 1990s).

Some segments of the cosmetic industry already had a head start on the Green Game, since the business had experienced at least two waves of natural products: botanicals and fruit-based formulas in the early and mid 1970s, and a second similar but stronger phenomenon that began in the mid-1980s and has carried through to today. In both waves some of the stimulation came from Europe, where plant-based ingredients in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, marine-derived ingredients (including phytoplankton and algae derivatives from companies such as SECMA and Alban Muller) in France, led to the creation of many interesting new concepts.

Also providing strong motivation to copying during the second wave from Europe was The Body Shop, which used the Caswell-Massey concept (in spades!) to develop a wide range of products in simple packaging for sale in stores devoted to the concept of "natural" or "environmentally friendly" cosmetics, bath products, and fragrances. Stripped-down bottles, sparse secondary packaging, and the stripped down approach that seemed to suggest minimalist waste of resources were part of the picture, as was the carefully nurtured image of a company philosophy that would encourage harvesting of wild crops by native peoples. That pristine, environmentally friendly image worked to build worldwide sales beyond $700 million, until the gap between what the company seemed to be and what crusading journalists discovered beneath the well polished veneer suffered some significant erosion last year, topped off by publication of a wide ranging indictment in Business Ethics by writer Jon Entine.

Others have taken up the Body Shop challenge, the most successful having been Bath Body Works, which in two years succeeded in passing The Body Shop's U.S. sales (and even its number of shops). There were at least ten other imitators, all keying their product lines to botanically- derived formulas, stripped down packaging, images of blue sky and green forests. And that was just in the Body Shop genre of mall or street front shops selling directly to consumers.

On other fronts Green triumphs were to be found in Aveda Corp., Minneapolis, a marketer of products to salons, and Tom's of Maine, Kennebunk, Me., whose toothpastes, deodorants and mouthwashes were aimed first at health food stores, later at chain drugs. The management of both companies is heavily committed to using natural ingredients, encouraging recycling, and spending to encourage ecology. In fact, Tom's of Maine may be unique among all cosmetic companies in its dedication of a tenth of its pre-tax profits to charitable causes (75 percent to conservation and recycling). A couple of years ago, the company helped its town of Kennebunk initiate its first recycling program. Aveda also makes major money pledges to environmental programs, but also has broken ground in another way, developing the technology to produce "natural" permanent waves and botanically-augmented clay masks for the skin. Among name brand prestige cosmetic companies, Lauder's Origins (with about $40 million in wholesale volume) appears to be the standard- setter, at least in terms of disgorging a steady stream of new products with the Green took. Origins president William Lauder told an interviewer recently that his company has introduced at least one product a month for two and a half years, and it plans eleven in the first six months of 1995. A mint shampoo, a kohl eyeliner, and a relaunched color cosmetics line have been recent additions.

If Origins, Aveda, Tom's of Maine and the Body Shop crowd typify the Green Movement, there are other manifestations that may go un-noticed by a casual observer. In the early fall, Wella Corp. seemed to create a stir in the hair color business with Living Colors, described as "the world's first all-natural haircolor granules." The 11-shade line depends on organically-grown herbs ("there are no chemicals or added ingredients") that work into the hair shaft by being absorbed to produce a staining effect that lasts six to 12 weeks. A Wella competitor, Clairol, reintroduced its Herbal Essences line with all sorts of natural augmentation: marigold, angelica, rosemary, sage, jasmine, chamomile, wheat germ oil, vitamins, sunflower extract, rose hips, and more. Continuing with the theme, Clairol introduced the Natural Instincts conditioning hair coloring, yet another try toward recapturing the environmentally friendly consumer. And Avon Products, no slacker in the industry's consecutive waves" of natural formulations, unveiled Avon Naturals, a line of personal care products featuring such exotic fragrant ingredients as yarrow, rosehips, linden blossom, bilberry and mimosa (as well as more common constituents like lemon, eucalyptus, spearmint and clover).

There were also pace-setters among retailers. For a time in late 1994, J.C. Penney seemed to go out of its way to cater to Green Movement marketers like Smith & Vandiver (Watsonville, Calif.). The retailer and marketer tested a program called Refillables in 50 Penney stores. This line includes botanically-based glycerine soaps, hand and body lotions and bath and shower gets in PET containers the consumer is urged to either recycle with empty soda bottles or return to the Penney stores for refills. Penney was also the first to play host to earth preserv (all lower case), a Houston-based company that may have been the first marketer conceived as a Green image cosmetic corporation, its principal selling "hook" seeming to not any special product or line, but recyclable packaging components, plants-derived formulations, and flowery/woodsy scents. In fact, to emphasize how Green the company actually was, its inaugural press conference was held at a riverfront restaurant outside of which was moored a New York City garbage barge!

There was an element of excess in earth preserv's efforts to maintain distance from the rest of the industry. For instance, its ceo Keith Waldron boasted that the company's formulas contain no regular preservatives (instead using substitutes "naturally derived from milk and benzoin tree gum"), no animal byproducts or synthetic surfactants in the soaps, nothing but titanium dioxide in the sunscreens, no surfactants (such as as disodium laureth sulfosuccinate) in the shampoos, and no synthetic humectants (such as diethanolamine and dimethicone copolyol or petrolatum) in its moisturizers. This drew from the newsletter Cosmetic Insider' s Report the observation that it all seemed the company was playing "oneupmanship on all the company's competition in that segment of the business" especially in packaging so many products in tall aluminum aerosol cans with screw-on metal caps, "the notion being that they can be recycled with beverage cans. " That flies against the fact that in most metropolitan areas, aluminum cans, pie plates, and foil are diverted to landfills, since they are incompatible with the highly publicized beverage can recycling operations.

Preservatives pose a particular problem for Green Wave cosmetic marketers, not the least because plant-derived components often go through an extraction process that adds to bacterial load. That "natural" formulations boasting of no preservatives (and with the oft-included claim about not having been tested on animals) present a "significant biological hazard" is suggested in the newsletter Microbiological Update (published by Microbiological Applications, Islamorada, Fl. FAX 305-664-8597). That publication's january 1995 issue notes that there are two alternatives to synthetic preservatives: (1) formulation with minimum available water by upping salt content or going to a water-in-oil formulation, both enhanced by adding alcohol, fragrances and essential oils; or (2) using natural compounds as preservatives, especially a new Boots Microcheck compound called Myavert C, which combines lactoperoxidase, glucose oxidase, and glucose.

There are other equally expensive alter, natives, including asceptic filling and use of antioxidants, ascorbic acid, and those few essential oils that have given evidence of biocidal or biostatic activity; but in point of fact preservatives have been a major stumbling block to true Green Wave products. Off odors, emulsion breakdown, erosion of actives such as sunscreens, and discoloration of product are just a few penalties that have been suffered by marketers who underestimate the role of preservatives in this class of products. Obviously, there are many more companies who prefer to orient themselves over onto the Green side of the marketing aisle, and they cover a broad gamut of market segments: direct sale, mass and prestige retailers, discounters, health food stores, beauty and skin care salons. Way back into the 1970s, health food stores played host to marketers of hair and skin products based on jojoba, aloe vera, and fruit and vegetable extracts. That mix has evolved into a more sophisticated list in the ensuing 20 years, to a point where even alpha hydroxy acid-based skin items have assumed the mantle of Green products. These materials are called "fruit acids" to conceal the fact that they are chemically derived from "natural" feedstocks such as sugar cane, citrus fruits, and milk. In fact, anything that can be loosely attributed to nature or conserving natural resources or avoiding waste or not adding to the ecological problem of waste disposal contributes to the Green image.

A case in point here is salvage of other marketers miscalculations, which is strongly evidenced in this context by The Clearing House (based in Reno, Nev., with a large warehouse in Chicago). When a major marketer restages the packaging for a complete line or a profitable product, or pulls the rug on a slow-mover and begins selling it as discontinued stock in odd-lot discounters, the marketer is left with what amounts to thousands (or even tens of thousands) of immediately obsolete containers, pumps, caps, compacts, and other packaging components. The Clearing House buys up these components and where necessary, puts them through a de-lithographing process to give them a pristine or virginal look. These are then sold at considerable savings to other marketers, some of them small Green marketers. The problem for both the seller and the buyer of these "second life" units, of course, is that there is little chance for "bragging rights" about saving landfill space or recycling of yet another sort.

Of course, there are ways the yet-to-be-Green portion of the cosmetic industry is being "blind-sided" into complying with ecological demands formulated by eager regulatory agencies and state government. California' s air quality regulations, with strict percentage levels for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and its attempts to mandate percentages of recycled or recyclable plastics used in cosmetic containers are two cases in point. Laws in that and other states relating to discharge of pollutants into the water or air, national legislation such as the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System work to punish or at very least hamper marketers of non-Green products. These and myriad other concerns relating to the environment have prompted the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association to publish "The CTFA Environmental Manual: A Guide to Laws Affecting Consumer Product Companies." That a 280-page volume would be needed by an industry making relatively safe, surely innocuous products would seem to suggest that Green works in two directions, and that legislators and regulatory agencies have responded to Green concerns in rather profound ways.

In some rare instances, components that seem to fit the parameters of Green fail to hit the finish mark as truly ecologically friendly. The liquefied propellants (mainly propane and butane) that since the late 1970s have replaced chlorofluorocarbons as aerosol propellants would appear to fit the Green definition, in that they are vented directly from the ground in oil drilling operations. But they are classified as VOCs in that they contribute to smog and the formation of ground level ozone (and thus bad air quality in highly populated areas). Some essential oils, balsam and some varieties of pine oil, are sensitizers or allergens -- again providing proof that "natural" doesn't mean "safe." So-called fruit acids are said by the FDA to be acceptably innocuous at less than 10 percent, but less than predictable (and therefore better administered by professionals) at higher percentages.

The Green Movement has put unexpected pressure on suppliers to come up with new components. One major supplier of fragrance compounds, faced with countless requests for "natural" (non-synthetic) fragrance materials, has adopted a policy of refusing to enter submissions of that description. The explanation (i.e. excuse) runs along these lines: "natural" blends represent serious problems relating to price projections, assured availability, and consistency of feedstocks, thus making it unlikely that a compound a few months or years down the road will be reminiscent of what is supplied today. Similarly, suppliers of rare botanicals like yarrow find themselves hard-pressed to come up with a steady supply. This has paved the way for the springing up of a myriad of new suppliers and the branching out of the lines of existing suppliers into new botanical sources, including those overseas in developing countries.

SOME OF THE PLAYERS

As with the aloe vera phenomenon in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there are literally dozens of marketers espousing the Green message in cosmetics. In the salon business, besides the aforementioned Aveda, there is Sebastian International, Redken (now part of L'Oreal), Matrix and Nexxus -- all of which have either all or a good portion of their products in "natural" garb. Especially big in direct sale is Garden Botanika (Redmond, Washington), whose extensive product line, is all packaged in relatively plain cosmetic jars and bottles. The catalog wobbles somewhat on its description of the "natural" sources of lipsticks and makeup, saying they are "blended with botanicals" and "inspired by nature's softest shades and richest hues." Borlind of Germany Inc. (New London, NH), U.S. branch of a German company headed by Annemarie Borlind, boasts of awards from the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the Humane Society, and ecological groups for its non-animal testing, for its 80 percent recycled paper packaging, for its containers made of SAN, said to be a biodegradable plastic. Ingredients cover a wide range: jojoba, macademia nut oil, babassu oil, olive-oil-based squalane, chamomile, aloe vera, cucumber, rosemary, horsetail, caffeine, camphor, butcherbroom plus a new marine plant derived derivative called superphycodismutase (SPD), which comes from a special seaweed that grows around the islands near Brittany. The company, incidentally, claims its ingredients are 100 percent free of toxins, pesticides, allergenic substances, radiation and other pollutants, that they are biologically degradable and are based on Black Forest spring water. Talk about friendly!

Pevonia Botanical Skincare, sold at exclusive spas and resorts, also uses seaweed (though not of the same origin) and ingredients like "natural black mud," amino acids, ginkgo, mucopolysacharides, shea butter, soapwort, mandarin oil, corn flower, hops, petitgrain, tangerine, cyprus, and grape seed and hazel nut oils. Laboratory CA Botana (San Diego) adds to its Ambrosia foot care line an herbal moisturizer, a peeling cream enriched with jojoba, almond, vitamins and herbal extracts, and a second moisturizer with camphor, thyme, euchalyptus, and menthol. The previously mentioned Emerald Forest adopts the name Rainforest Skin Care for a line that uses an Amazon constituent called copaiba (with vitamin E), and andiroba oil (another from the forest). Freeman Professional, salon line from Freeman Cosmetics (Beverly Hills) vies with the other Green salon lines with Aromaesentials, a line that includes a Kiwi and Bilberry Alpha-Hydroxy Facial Soap, a toner, and lotion. Lily of Colorado (Denver) markets 14 botanically-based products, the latest being a moisture mist and a botanical enzyme exfoliant mask.

Following the lead of a New England rival, Autumn Harp (Bristol, Vt.) adds Un-Petroleum Lip Jelly to its Un-Petroleum lip care line, again leaning to "100 percent all-natural fruit flavors" in formulas that use vegetable oils and beeswax. Substitute for petrolatum is a combination of olive, wheat germ, peanut and coconut oils. Pastels International Inc. (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) introduces Skinergy, an AHA line that combines those materials with "infused botanicals" and AloeBare, a depilatory that uses natural resins instead of traditional adhesive strips, as well as AHAs (making it the first depilatory with those materials). Even companies that didn't start out Green have evolved over time in that direction. A case in point is Key West Fragrance & Cosmetic Factory (Key West, Fla.), which now can boast of a majority of its products with a "natural" theme, either with aloe, vanilla, or another botanical.

WHITHER NOW, GREEN?

Despite the bandwagon enthusiasm for Green among so many cosmetic executives, skeptical market watchers and cosmetic scientists aren' t quite ready to wholeheartedly and fervently embrace Green as the wave of the future. Many appear to have reservations about preservative efficacy, about consistency and assured supply of plant constituents from overseas, about the tendency by small marketers to puffery and exaggeration about either what ingredients are included (in meaningful amounts) and precisely what they may be reasonably expected to deliver in the way of benefits to skin or hair. It is probably significant that so much of the market activity is being generated among small- to-mid-sized companies, a large number based in California and therefore with what amounts to a regional tendency toward adopting selling principles that are slightly out of the mainstream. Lots of name brand cosmetic giants have Green or "natural" ingredients in their formulations, but none DCI can name has made the phenomenon almost a religion as has been done by Aveda.

Those caveats notwithstanding, what sort of future can be seen for Green marketed cosmetics? Based on public opinion polls quoted in the Ottman book ("Green Marketing" the consumer seems eager and willing to (a) pay more for "natural" and/or ecologically helpful products, and (b) continue to become more confident about using them. Though credibility of some of the claims made is not probed, it is clear that a series of Green catchwords and phrases connote benefit or visions of safety and efficacy even beyond those foreseen when the Green Wave commenced to build. And it is fortuitous for those companies oriented toward Green that what they advertise and sell dovetails so neatly with ecological concerns about acid rain, warming of the earth's atmosphere, holes in the ozone layer, pollution of water and soil, closing of landfills and alternative garbage disposal, and so forth.

As with the bandwagon for alpha hydroxy acids, the Green Wave seems to be gathering momentum without the necessary technological underpinnings needed to prove what individual products or ingredients can actually do. It is true that the Aloe Research Council has at last come forth with findings about what constituents may be expected in aloe extracts. French suppliers like SECMA have narrowed down the benefits of marine plant extracts from specific areas, assaying them to determine maximum levels of beneficial constituents. DCI has just learned that Mary Kay Cosmetics is embarked on a project with PhytoLife Sciences Inc. (Dublin, Ohio) to use PhytoLife's electromembrane fractionation separation technology to isolate biologically active constituents of terrestial and aquatic plants. The process, according to PhytoLife's Dan Dawson, works at ambient temperatures without the use of chemicals that can break down or dilute the constituents. This will permit the isolation of components from several plants and their blending into a single cosmetic formula, a far cry from current approaches with most botanical constituents.

But these are examples are rare indeed (the PhytoLife project came to light just last month, the SECMA work and the new Boots "natural" preservative late last year). Without more solid technological advances of this type, Green could founder for lack of meaningful new skin and hair products.

Green personal care market set to experience ‘rapid growth’, Mintel

By Katie Nichol, 29-Mar-2010

http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Market-Trends/Green-personal-care-market-set-to-experience-rapid-growth-Mintel

The market for green personal care products has remained relatively buoyant despite the economic downturn, and is expected to outperform the market for conventional personal care products in terms of sales growth during 2010, according to Mintel.

In the market research company’s recent report, ‘Are American’s willing to pay more green to get more green’, it was predicted that rapid growth would continue in this sector as the economy recovers.

As one of the most mature markets for green products, personal care product sales increased 18 per cent between 2006-2008.

Although this fell to 1.2 per cent for 2009, the segment recorded positive growth in a time where other market segments experienced declines, according to Mintel.

Room for growth in natural and organic market

For the purpose of the report, green products were defined as goods that minimize environmental impact in one or a number of ways including the use of recycled materials and less-energy intensive manufacturing processes.

Consumers who used natural and organic personal care products at least once a week continued to do so during the recession, with over half increasing their product use during 2008, the report revealed.

However, one-third of all consumers had not tried natural and organic personal care products, indicating large growth potential. Additionally, Mintel claimed that as younger consumers continue to dominate market spending, the longer-term prospects for this sector are ‘very good’.

Growth driven by niche products

According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), products boasting an organic or natural claim accounted for nearly 10 per cent of all beauty and personal care product launches through 2008 and 2009, compared to 5 per cent in 2006.

In 2008, niche brands were a key growth driver in the natural and organic personal care market, noted Mintel, with retailers such as Ulta and CVS Beauty 360 providing an opportunity for such brands to find shelf-space.

According to Mintel Senior Analyst Chris Haack, this trend, seen through the launch of brands such as Ec-Ooh-Chic, is expected to continue.

“We expect to see a growing trend toward upscale green personal care products targeted to spas, salons and other high-end retail outlets in the coming years,” said Haack.

Natural and Organic standards still confusing

Mintel’s report also revealed that despite several natural and organic standards against which personal care products can be certified, consumer uncertainty prevails, with 37 per cent claiming to be confused or skeptical about such product claims.

According to Mintel, the lack of consistent standards ‘can only undermine the appeal of the segment as a whole’. If a clear definition of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ existed for personal care, the market research company argues, this would help to ensure the long term future of the industry.

Garden Is a Seedbed for Green Cosmetics

Rolf Oeser for The New York Times

Joscha Huter, 40, cultivates the plants and flowers used to make the popular line of German natural cosmetics, Dr. Hauschka.

June 28, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/business/worldbusiness/28organic.html

ECKWÄLDEN, Germany — You know you are not in an ordinary garden when a man in dirt-covered trousers, tending witch-hazel plants, describes his work in words that could come from Nietzsche.

Rolf Oeser for The New York Times

Dr. Hauschka products are made by WALA Heilmittel at its headquarters and have sales of nearly $150 million.

“It demands a higher level of consciousness and a force of will to garden at this level,” said Joscha Huter, 40, who cultivates the plants and flowers used to make the popular, expensive line of German natural cosmetics, Dr. Hauschka. “There’s a point where gardening becomes an art.”

There’s also a point where it becomes a crackerjack business: this rarefied garden in a southern German valley is the seedbed for an environmental marketing phenomenon that has captivated Hollywood.

Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Richard Gere and Robert Downey Jr. are among the celebrities who have publicly extolled Dr. Hauschka’s skin care products. While the stars may not express themselves like 19th-century German philosophers, their devotion has helped to win Dr. Hauschka a cultlike following from Beverly Hills to the Upper East Side.

Sales of WALA Heilmittel, the maker of Dr. Hauschka, have more than doubled in the last five years, to nearly $150 million, about 8 percent of that from the United States, where it also sells herbal remedies. The 73-year-old company, which labored for decades in obscurity, now finds itself in the sweet spot of a booming market for green cosmetics. Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, and other giants are pushing all-natural brands.

“Dr. Hauschka is shining because they’ve been doing this for a long time, and now everybody wants to do it,” said Joe Smillie, the senior vice president of Quality Assurance International, a San Diego firm that certifies the organic content of food, fabric and other goods.

WALA is one of dozens of German companies — from windmill manufacturers to organic beverage producers — that are benefiting from a growing global appetite for environmentally friendly products. Germany’s recent economic renaissance has had an unmistakably green hue.

Even in this Birkenstock land, WALA is uncommonly chaste. Visitors to the garden are asked to switch off their cellphones, for security reasons and to avoid disturbing the harmony of nature.

The fact that WALA’s green label comes with a dash of Hollywood glitter makes its German managers squeamish, given that they run the company almost as a collective, with all the profits either plowed back into operations or handed out to the 700 workers.

“If celebrities like Dr. Hauschka, we’re happy, of course,” said Philip Lettmann, WALA’s chief financial officer. “But we’re even happier if an ordinary person with a skin problem finds help by using our products. Our philosophy was here long before the green trend began.”

Indeed, the company’s roots are in herbal medicine. WALA was founded in 1935 by Rudolf Hauschka, a Viennese chemist who sought to develop remedies using only natural ingredients. In 1967, it added the skin care line, named after the founder, who died two years later.

The company’s name — an acronym that stands for Warmth and Ashes, Light and Ashes — suggests a crystals-and-karma sensibility more suited to Northern California than southern Germany.

But WALA is based on a school of early 20th-century European philosophy known as anthroposophy. Developed by the Austrian theorist Rudolf Steiner, the philosophy is predicated on the existence of a spiritual world that can be accessed by the human intellect.

Mr. Steiner’s thinking was also influential in more down-to-earth matters. He championed biodynamic agriculture, a rigorous form of organic farming that shuns pesticides and uses no fertilizers that were not already present in the garden.

An acolyte of Mr. Steiner, Rudolf Hauschka planted a biodynamic garden in this town, 28 miles west of Stuttgart, in 1955. There, a team of eight gardeners cultivates more than 150 plants, flowers and trees, ranging from Echinacea to monk’s hood. They are harvested by hand, then crushed and dried. Extracts are taken with water, never alcohol.

For the company’s rose cream, one of its signature products, it buys large amounts of rose oil from suppliers in Turkey, Bulgaria, Iran and Afghanistan. The trade allows WALA to engage in more planetary good works. In Afghanistan, it is encouraging farmers to plant roses in place of opium poppies, said Antal Adam, the chief spokesman.

A public relations executive who used to work in Cologne, Mr. Adam took a pay cut to join WALA. Like so many of the employees, he seems to have drunk the organic Kool-Aid — only in this case, it is bitter elixir, a foul-tasting herbal remedy that he cheerfully swigs after lunch to aid digestion.

The same fervor, Mr. Adam said, applies to WALA’s celebrities, who get free samples but no money for their endorsements. “We could always buy a face,” he said. “Our celebrities do this because they are convinced of the product.”

Dr. Hauschka’s success in the United States owes much to Susan West Kurz, a beauty expert and author who transformed a tiny import business into a franchise. The key was introducing Hollywood makeup artists to the products, which she did with the help of her first husband, the character actor J. T. Walsh.

“Right up until the end, he was talking about it,” Ms. West Kurz said of Mr. Walsh, who died in 1998 after a career playing memorable villains in films, including “Pleasantville.” “There was a mystique around it.”

Even today, Dr. Hauschka clings to its image by shunning department or convenience stores. It is available in natural product stores, pharmacies and from licensed skin care specialists.

In 2007, it left the Sephora chain of cosmetic stores, which is known for thoroughly training its saleswomen, because it says Sephora balked at training them adequately to sell Dr. Hauschka.

The company has also refused to sign on to industry certifications in the United States for organic or natural products, because it says its methods are more rigorous than competitors that claim to be organic or all-natural. “Over the last 30 years, every major brand has usurped some of our language,” Ms. West Kurz said.

While Dr. Hauschka’s image is powerful, it is not bulletproof. Sales in the United States have sputtered in recent weeks, after a strong first quarter. Executives chalk it up to the soaring price of gasoline, which they say has discouraged shopping for cosmetics.

Perhaps the fullest expression of WALA’s philosophy is its unorthodox ownership structure. The original owners gave up their stakes in 1986, creating a foundation that is legally owned by the German public, and hence cannot be sold. A similar legal arrangement in the United States makes it impossible to sell the American distribution rights.

Many suitors have tried. In 1997, Estée Lauder paid $300 million for Aveda, a maker of natural beauty products, while L’Oréal paid $1.1 billion for the Body Shop in 2006.

“I get called by private equity firms every day,” said Mirran Rephaely, the chief executive of Dr. Hauschka in the United States.

In Eckwälden, Mr. Lettmann also gets calls. Before joining WALA, he worked for a private equity firm in Munich. Now he keeps a bottle of bitter elixir next to his desk, and sounds less like a finance whiz than a soul mate of Mr. Huter, the philosophical gardener.

“WALA exists in the economic world, but we don’t work for profits,” he said. “Our primary impulse, from the beginning, is healing.”

Green Trend Drives Personal Care Ingredients Market
By Anna Ibbotson, Kline & Company
Anna.Ibbotson @ kline-europe.com
Phone: +44-1865-481-430
At Kline, she currently oversees the Biocides and Synthetic Latex Polymers report series.

Indeed, they now face a tremendous opportunity to innovate and develop key raw ingredients that not only meet formulators’ and consumers’ demand for naturalness, but also offer the performance required to be on par with their synthetic counterparts.

On a global scale, the natural personal care market is approaching $300 billion at the retail level, with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and Argentina expanding their share at a rapid rate. In Europe, still the largest region, the natural personal care segment posted nearly 14% growth in 2009, compared to the overall market at just 4%. In the United States, the segment peaked at 8%--still quite robust considering the overall performance in the industry as a whole.

Green is Growing

A number of key drivers have converged to spur growth in the natural personal care market from the consumer, retailer and brand marketer perspective. These forces make the naturals market quite attractive to ingredients suppliers:

Growing environmental awareness among consumers has lead to a global shift in their desire, behavior, and attitude toward natural products. Going green is no longer considered an eccentric behavior of a small, but highly committed segment of the population. Now, the average consumer has become more aware of his or her impact on the planet and has begun taking steps to reduce that impact wherever possible.

Innovative product development in the naturals category has made green products more widely available, fueling consumers’ demand for more environmentally friendly products. As green products become more accessible and affordable, it becomes much easier for consumers to adopt them as a viable alternative to traditional synthetic formulations.

Mainstream acceptance of organics and “locavore” eating habits, whereby consumers source food products from their local region, has also prompted greater interest in natural personal care products. As consumers strive to avoid pesticides and other synthetic growth supplements in their food, they’ve also begun reducing the incidence of other synthetic chemicals with which they come into contact.

Media hype and marketing have also played a significant role in the growing green trend. The powerful combination of brand marketing tactics, retail promotions, celebrity endorsements and widespread media coverage have reinforced consumers’ awareness of and desire for more sustainable products and practices. In Europe , where regulation under the REACH act makes available the certification seal for products that meet certain requirements, this adds to the marketing appeal of natural products.

As a result of these factors, major global marketers have stepped up efforts to meet consumer demand and capitalize on the market opportunity, as evidenced by key acquisitions that have brought some niche naturals brands mainstream. Estée Lauder’s string of acquisitions that began with Aveda in 1997 has made the company a naturals powerhouse in the personal care market. L’Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive, and Clorox have also recognized the potential, throwing the power of their mega-marketing machines behind previously unknown, small brands like Tom’s of Maine and Burt’s Bees.

The Problem of Performance

Amid all of this attention, suppliers are working overtime to develop the natural ingredients to meet the demand. While great strides have been made in some ingredient categories to deliver the natural positioning and the performance required, some categories remain a challenge.

Specialty Surfactants

Of the $600+ million specialty surfactants market, only about 10% of the raw ingredients available in this category are naturally derived. Natural alternatives for these products, which reduce skin and eye irritation of commodity surfactants and boost foaming properties in hair and skin care rinse-off products, are gaining traction particularly in the mass market product categories. Growth in the naturally-derived segment is expected to reach nearly 4% CAGR through 2013. The leading product in this segment is alkyl polyglucoside (APG), supplied by Cognis (the market leader), Clariant, and Croda. APGs are manufactured from plant-derived materials such as vegetable oils and starch.

Specialty Emollients

Among the most widely used ingredients in personal care, emollients are effective in facial creams and cleansers, wipes and other skin-care products for their moisturizing, softening and anti-aging properties. Here, naturally derived products have a stronger share at just over 50% of the market, which totals in excess of $400 million, and this market is expected to grow by more than 3.5% CAGR through 2013. By their very nature, these ingredients are more readily available, accessible and affordable to derive from natural sources, such as mineral and vegetable oils, and there is a general movement in the industry away from synthetics and animal-based ingredients (such as lanolin).

Conditioning Proteins

Similarly in conditioners, there is a strong shift away from animal-based to plant-derived proteins for the likes of skin and hair products. Now more than 60% of the conditioning market consists of plant-derived products, supplied in large part by Croda and Cognis, the clear market leaders. Despite their broader acceptance, botanical proteins remain less economical to produce leading many manufacturers to consider fish-based proteins as possible alternatives, as well as milk- and silk-based proteins, which have also shown some potential.

Hair Fixative Polymers

Even more than surfactants, fixative ingredients used in hair sprays and other hair styling products prove to be a significant challenge when it comes to developing an effective, viable natural alternative. Synthetics, like vinyl, acrylic and polyeurethane polymers, make up 99% of the active ingredients on the market. It seems that, with the possible exception of corn starch-based formulas, devising the fixative properties from natural ingredients to meet the hairstyling demands of consumers is a formidable challenge.

Substantiated Specialty Actives

This unique class of ingredients backed by scientific testing are 100% naturally derived and used by formulators specifically to make performance claims in the skin care product category. Driven largely by the demand for anti-aging properties, this category is expected to post a healthy CAGR of 7% over the next three years as the enormous baby boomer population turns to these products to stave off the signs of aging. These ingredients, including peptides, bio-tech actives and enzymes, and their associated claims are key to formulators in the luxury, high-end mass market, professional and specialty trade classes as they cater to this mature population, which typically enjoys a higher level of disposable income.

Innovation is the Key to Growth

The growth in the naturals market presents a unique opportunity for raw ingredients suppliers to carve out a strong position as a leader in this industry. To do so would likely require a blockbuster R&D breakthrough to discover and develop a viable natural alternative to one of the more vexing performance issues, such as surfactants or fixatives. While just about every player in the supplier market has built a “green” portfolio, much work remains to be done to solve the problems of performance, availability and pricing that make the naturals proposition a significant barrier, especially in the hair care and cleansing product lines.

With the naturals trend well-entrenched around the globe, ingredients suppliers are eyeing the burgeoning opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region. Some, Cognis included, have already established production facilities, particularly in China, to leverage the anticipated growth here and compete directly with local, domestic suppliers.

As suppliers and formulators strive to reduce the amount of “science” in their products to achieve a more natural slant, there is an overall movement toward a more collaborative, interactive relationship. Working together to develop multi-functional ingredients that solve multiple performance challenges not only helps reduce the number of ingredients in the product, which imparts a more natural position, but also works to reduce the overall cost of production—which benefits both parties, as well as, ultimately, the consumer.

Anna Ibbotson will be presenting on Naturals & Global and Asian Ingredients Trends at the show's Marketing Trends

Three New Fun and Inspirational Green Cosmetics Companies

Posted on Monday, July 25, 2011 By Maryruth Belsey Priebe

http://www.greenmarketing.tv/2011/07/25/fun-inspirational-green-cosmetics-businesses

It seems that almost every other day there’s a great new green business specializing in natural and eco-friendly cosmetics and personal care products. Here are three that should get you thinking about how you might become a green entrepreneur in the cosmetics field, too.

Symbolic Soaps that are Eco-Friendly and Good for the Environment, Too

Developed to raise money for the Gulf Restoration Network and the International Bird Rescue, the BirdProject makes glycerin soaps that are a pleasure to use and to look at. As you wash up, you wear away the exterior to reveal the ceramic bird keepsake inside. Developed by Sweet Olive Soap Works, these soaps are formulated using biodiesel glycerin, fair trade olive oil, aloe, and natural cypress scent.

Using Wine Byproducts to Make Green Cosmetics

In a beautiful synergy, winemaker Group Matarromera has developed a new natural skincare line based on the same grapes they use to make their award-winning wines. Esdor, the new cosmetics company, specializes in products that are antioxidant-rich based on powerful polyphenol formulations that are derived from grape skins. Their cosmetics are all 85% natural including ingredients like jojoba oil, musk oil, wheat germ oil, and more. Plus, they’re all free of parabens, mineral oils, and artificial colors.

Herborist Green Skincare from China

The Herborist is a new natural personal care products company with beautiful formulations coming out of China. Based on the premise that you shine from the inside out, their skincare line, special treatments products, and aromatherapies are infused with the essence of herbs to help make your skin and hair look radiant. The company prides itself on integrating classic Chinese cosmetology principles, peculiar herbal essences, and the latest in modern biotechnical achievements. They also carry a variety of food therapies that further enhance your beauty by providing nutrients from the inside out, such as rose, lavender, or chamomile tea.

WELCOME TO THE

NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT AMERICA 2012

http://www.naturalbeautysummit.com

The next edition will take place in New York, on May 14th & 15th at the Sheraton Hotel.

The aim of the Summit is to bring together key players of the industry and give them a specific time to debate on the current issues. Lead by high level keynote speakers and with the testimonials of cosmetic brands, those two days are dedicated to excellence.

At the next NBSA, experts of the industry will debate on :

-What is Natural ?
- The perception of Naturals by consumers: entering the era Responsibility ?
- Current Issues on Beauty Regulations: Europe /US
- Social Media: Are you in ?
-What distribution channels for natural cosmetics
-The natural technologies
-Innovative and provocative trends in sustainability

"The Natural Beauty Summit provided great information and was a great experience. I would like to congratulate the organizer for the quality of the speakers and of the themes."
Frederique Pilz, ESTEE LAUDER COMPAGNIES EUROPE - participant to the Natural Beauty Summit Europe, November 2009

-- 12 Reasons to attend the NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT AMERICA 2012 --

1/ Identify the opportunities in the natural & organic cosmetics market
2/ Gain an in-depth understanding of natural & organic cosmetic standards
3/ Overcome the technical issues when formulating natural cosmetics
4/ Gain an understanding of ethical sourcing & ingredient issues
5/ Learn about the major challenges when developing and marketing natural & organic products
6/ Understand the regulatory environment affecting natural & organic products
7/ Learn about sustainable best-practices in the cosmetics industry
8/ Gain a better understanding of corporate social responsibility and ethical business practices
9/ Get practical experiences from marketing, R&D and retailing success stories
10/ Discuss the social media impact
11/ Discover the innovative and provocative trends in sustainability
12/ Update your knowledge in natural technologies

"Isn't it the future of natural brands to serve as role models or motors to conventional brands? It is this fundamental debate that we will speak about during two days."
Michel Gutsatz

They attended the previous NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMITS:
ALCAN PACKAGING/BERACA/BOOTS THE CHEMISTS1/BURTS BEES, INC./CFEB SISLEY/CHANEL/CLARINS/COGNIS/COSMEBIO/HEILMITTEL/ECOCERT/ESTEE LAUDER/HENKEL FR & SCHWARZKOPF/HERMES PARFUMS/JOHNSON & JOHNSON/L'OCCITANE/L'OREAL/LA MAISON NATURA BRASIL/LABORATOIRE SANOFLORE SA/LABORATOIRES EXPANSCIENCE/LABORATOIRES KLORANE (PIERRE FABRE)/LABORATOIRES NUXE/LABORATOIRES OENOBIOL/LABORATOIRES PIERRE FABRE /LABORATOIRES WELEDA/MADEMOISELLE BIO/NUNAVIK BIOSCIENCES/PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS/SEPHORA/STELLA MC CARTNEY/UNILEVER/VICTORIA'S SECRET BEAUTY/WHOLE FOODS MARKETS/YSL BEAUTE/YVES ROCHER and many others...!

More information about the NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT AMERICA on
blogbeyondbeauty.com

Ec-Oooh-Chic: Greener bath and body pamper products

Posted by Siel (Friday December 11, 2009)
http://greenlagirl.com/ec-oooh-chic-greener-bath-and-body-pamper-products

If you’re a fan of the Ooohlala of Beverly Hills bath and body line by Tracy Worthington — but want to make the switch to safer, greener pamper products — you’re in luck. Tracy now has a greener personal care line dubbed Ec-Oooh-Chic!

Ec-Oooh-Chic’s actually made up of three different lines of products — natural, all-natural, and organic — which makes you wonder what unnatural ingredients the “natural” line has that the “all-natural” line doesn’t. For green LA girl readers though, I stuck to testing out just the organic line, whose products boast at least 70 percent organic content and don’t contain parabens.

Both the Bohemian Blue Organic Body Wash and the Bohemian Blue Organic Body Lotion do their pampering job well, soothing with organic blue bohemian chamomile and moisturizing with shea butter. Lightly scented with certified organic essential oils, the body wash has a yummy sugary fragrance and the lotion a lemony, buttery one — that are pleasant but not overpowering.

While most of the ingredients are organic and plant-based, Ec-Oooh-Chic’s organic products do contain some “moderate hazard” ingredients according to Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database. Those are phenoxyethanol, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmiate, magnesium aluminum silicate, and citric acid. All other ingredients fall safely in the “low hazard” range.

All in all, Ec-Oooh-Chic’s organic line makes for nice, basic bath and body products that are greener than most, with cute girly packaging that may help attract Ooohlala fans seeking out healthier bath and body routines. The 8-oz bottles of body wash and lotion cost $18.50 and $19.75, respectively, at Ec-Oooh-Chic’s online store.

Earlier:
>> Botanics Organic: Eco-friendly organic skin care at Target prices
>> Blissoma solutions: Real herbal essences for your eco-skincare routine

The Natural and organic cosmetics market and the marketing / communication strategies of green brands

Posted on June 16, 2011
http://www.blogbeyondbeauty.com/en/index.php/2011/06/16/the-natural-and-organic-cosmetics-market-and-the-marketing-communication-strategies-of-green-brands

Is this still a niche market? What are the preferred distribution channels for organic cosmetics and their evolutions? Which segments benefit from the consumers’ enthusiasm?

What is the breakdown of the European global sales by country? What are the different marketing strategies and branding codes? What are the prospects of the organic and natural market in 2015?

THE NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT EUROPE answers each of these questions on Tuesday, September 12^th. A morning led by Sandie Jaidane with:

For the French and European market :

Nicolas BOULANGER – Consultant – Eurostaf / Les Echos, who will present an exclusive study of “Facts & Figures” on the French market and consumers: what are the segments that benefit from the enthusiasm of consumers? What are the different marketing strategies & codes registered? What future for this market?

Françoise BONNAL – Sociologist, author, and expert on brands who will present the first study on consumers and responsible products, by the Observatory of consumers’ purchasing behavior. What is the distribution? Can we rely on the distribution? What is the french position ?

Luckshie HARAN – Consultant – DATAMONITOR European Study on consumers of natural cosmetics

Carrie MELLAGE (Consumer Product Director) / Vera SANDAROVA (Marketing Communication) – KLINE

Market research on natural cosmetics (facts & figures)

Marketing and communication

Alice AUDUIN – Sustainable Development Manager – Havas Media FRANCE / Novethique.fr

What communication to adopt for green brands?

Cécile LOCHARD – Author of “CITIZEN LUXURY”, Luxury and Sustainable Development: “Sustainable Development” stratégies of cosmetics companies and marketing stratégies of green brands

INTERTEK – Official sponsor

BASF – Official Sponsor

NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT EUROPE

MASTERCLASS 1

Morning of 12 Sept. 2011 – Beyond Beauty Paris – Hall 5 – Porte de Versailles – Paris

The Natural Beauty Summit badge provides admission to the Beyond Beauty Paris

NATURAL BEAUTY SUMMIT 2011

www.naturalbeautysummit.com du 12 au 15 septembre 2011 – Paris – Porte de Versailles

LVMH and the environment

http://www.lvmh.com/the-group/lvmh-and-the-environment

The relationship between LVMH and environmental protection is a long-standing one, both natural and sustainable. As in any human activity, we use the air, water and land around us. These are universal assets, but they are not unlimited. They form a capital that we are borrowing from future generations. For individuals and for businesses, this commitment implies certain duties. Protection, prudence, care are the principles that must be applied if we are to reconcile economic development with the overall well-being of humanity.

For LVMH, an environmentally sound approach is closely linked to our values and our businesses. Indeed, the style of life that we strive to uphold and the humanity in each of us that we strive to enhance, are forged in the name of these very traditions. Our worldwide presence, from Rio to Kyoto, certainly makes it easier for us to appreciate the fragility of our planet, the expectations, hopes, and dangers felt by six billion men and women.

Rare essences of fragrances, grapes from the sun-drenched Cognac vineyards, precious leathers that become fine leather goods, and the fabrics woven with gestures repeated across the ages. Such traditions instill a profound respect for nature which translates into efforts to preserve beautiful landscapes, protect biodiversity and ensure consumer health, harmless production methods, and the impeccable quality of proven products.

Faced with these constant changes, rekindling dreams and pleasure does not absolve us of our responsibility, of our duty to think clearly. Indeed, the luxury industry, which is more synonymous with beauty than any other, must aim to be an example. We assume this responsibility.

First of all, we need to provide a framework for this goal. On behalf of the 56,000 LVMH employees, we have drawn up a global charter that defines environmental protection criteria and goals. As part of LVMH core management organization, an Environmental Affairs Department works every day to spread the special culture of the environmental impact assessment, coordinates actions and encourages all of our subsidiaries to adopt the "best ecological practices" at all levels of production.

In fact, environmental protection is not merely an issue of generosity or philanthropy. It is critical to our future. For companies, it is a factor of progress and competitiveness while for society it represents a tangible proof of freedom and a new way of thinking. LVMH has already met this triple challenge. Tradition cannot be separated from innovation, nor nature from creation.

Bernard Arnault

LVMH Group
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
22, avenue Montaigne
75008 PARIS
FRANCE
Tél. : 33 (0)1 44 13 22 22
Fax : 33 (0)1 44 13 22 23

Implementing more efficient environmentally-friendly practices requires modern management and advanced technologies, but more importantly, the awareness and mobilization of all employees. By organizing its structures and stimulating initiatives, LVMH group wants to link local initiatives and safety.

The Group companies must write their own environmental policy according to their activity, their impacts on the environment, and define their own objectives. They can choose whether or not to orient towards a certification of their environmental management system by a third part. As an example Jas Hennessy and Co was in 1998 the first company in the world to receive the ISO 14001 certification in the wines and spirits sector.

ISO 14001 certification was also received by a Louis Vuitton Malletier workshop in December 2003 and by all the sites of champagne companies Krug and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin in February 2004

A networked organization

LVMH's stated desire to implement a global environmental policy translated into the creation of the Group environmental department in the early 1990's, which reports to the Chief Financial Officer who is a member of the executive committee. The environment is a priority and a performance criterion just like the more traditional social and economic indicators.
All group companies, which have local environmental responsibilities, have an environment officer who is part of the action and information network coordinated and led by the Group environmental department. A network, the Environment Commission, provides a forum for these officers to exchange ideas and experiences, to set targets and action plans through regular meetings.

â–ºSee Examples

Diversified resources

An Environment Intranet which every employee can access offers a broad range of tools:
- monitoring of international regulations and environmental technologies,
- common environmental indicators,
- tools developed by the Environment Commission: training modules by theme (wastes / water / regulations / awareness) for all levels of the organization, "Packaging and the Environment" guide, "Environment in administrative sites" guide, "Suppliers" tool…

Continued efforts to raise awareness, educate and train

Environmental protection is not a slogan, but a learning process. Paying attention to the environment in each daily gesture assumes a mobilized, motivated and competent work force. That is why LVMH Group companies conduct numerous programs to raise awareness, educate and train their 56,000 employees.

â–ºSee Examples

Recognition by ethical investment indexes

The quality of the Group's environmental policy and actions has been recognised by its inclusion in three primary American, British and European ethical investment indices: Dow Jones Sustainability Index, FTSE4GOOD, Arese Sustainable Performance Index. LVMH is one of rare French companies to be so distinguished

he Group believes that our own development must integrate the search for a better quality of life for our customers, employees, shareholders, and the regions and various communities affected by our production and distribution operations throughout the world.

The Group's commitment towards environmental protection materialized in 2001 by the the "Environmental Charter" was reinforced in 2003 by joining the United Nations' Global Compact. That initiative, which was launched by Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN, requires its signatories to apply and promote nine principles in the field of human rights, labor and the environment.

Thus LVMH implements the concept of sustainable development.

Aim for a high level of environmental performance

In developing its businesses internationally, LVMH works to align its practices with those that offer the best level of environmental protection around the world.

Foster a collective commitment

The environment is the responsibility of every individual and LVMH believes that the awareness, education and training of its employees are top priorities. To ensure a continued high level of environmental performance, the Group believes it is vital for each company to set precise environmental objectives and implement a management system dedicated to this process.

Control environmental hazards

In addition to the most stringent compliance with environmental regulations, which is an absolute duty, the Group intends to focus on risk prevention. As a result, it allocates human and material resources to this goal.

Design luxury products by integrating environmental innovation and creativity

Guided by its overriding concern for high quality, LVMH is working to improve control and better anticipate the environmental aspects related to the life cycle of its products. LVMH encourages all processes that result in environmental innovations and accepts its duty to exercise prudence and take precautions to ensure total safety for the consumer.

Make commitments outside the company

LVMH intends to contribute to the protection of the environment above and beyond just the aspects directly related to its own businesses. Because it considers that promoting respect for the environment is essential, LVMH is developing an active partnership with groups of businesses, local communities and the associations which contribute to this objective.

proactive corporate policy requires constant adaptation to real situations. It must anticipate crises and include a plan to mobilize partners.

Develop environmental audits

Since 1995, environnemental audits, have been conducted by external private firms on the production sites of Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Celine, Louis Vuitton Malletier, Tag Heuer subsidiaries...

In 2003 20 environmental audits were thus conducted at the sites internally or by outside parties (insurance companies, ISO 14001 auditors, etc.).

In addition to these audits, at their sites the companies can periodically conduct numerous compliance checkings on a specific point of environmental regulation (e.g. checking of waste sorting). In addition to those verifications, since 2003 there has been a review of environmental regulatory compliance by insurance companies, which included an environmental component when fire engineering inspections were conducted at Group company sites. About 30 inspections were conducted in 2003.

This action will be reinforced in 2004 by forming a team of about 12 environmental internal auditors, who are to conduct environmental management and/or compliance audits.

Anticipate crises

To be prepared for any and all situations, the Group conducts an active environmental risk management policy. Crisis management teams at all our manufacturing sites develop Safety Procedures (organization, simulation, review and update) using a common method that includes:
- identification and analysis of the risk categories in each sector,
- development of a suitable organization and structures,
- implementation of an effective communication network and information tools.

Participating in the community debate on the environment

Since 2003 LVMH has chaired the OREE association which it has been a member of for 10 years. OREE brings together companies, local governments and associations to brainstorm together and create tools to improve environmental awareness.

The Group is also part of the environment committees of many national professional associations (Institut de Liaison des Entreprises de la Consommation [ILEC], Organisation pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises [ORSE], Association pour le Management des Risques et des Assurances de l'Entreprise [AMRAE], Association Française des Entreprises Privées [AFEP]), and European associations (Association des Industries de Marques [AIM]). Moët Hennessy also sits on the Board of Directors of the Adelphe organization, and LVMH is a shareholder of ECOPAR (Eco-Emballages), two entities that help local governments to sort and recycle household packaging waste.

The Group's environment department has regular relationships with consumer and environmental protection associations, either directly through formal or informal one-time meetings, or through the organizations listed above in which the Group is active.

â–ºSee Examples

Environment at the heart of the staff management system

At Hennessy, annual environmental protection goals are incorporated into the management performance evaluation system. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has included an environmental indicator (based on water consumption and heating-related energy consumption) in calculating the profit-sharing that gives employees a stake in the company's performance. .

Environment in the offices

In order to raise offices employees' environmental awareness, members of the Environmental Commission designed a brochure personalised for each company which recalls the simple "green actions", key figures to limit one's impact on the environment: conserving energy, sorting waste, limiting use of forms of transportation that pollute (aircraft and automobile), reducing noise… So far, all Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and the corporate staff received this brochure.

The Wines & Spirits Sector in nature school

Due to their ISO 14001 certification, Jas Hennessy and co, Krug and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin companies trained all their staff to environmental awareness. Some of them received specific training due to their activity: Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin vineyard staff thus received training sessions to water management, pressing effluents management, integrated grape production and safety.

Moët & Chandon organized environmental consciousness-raising sessions for 563 people, all functions and all departments combined (Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, Administration, etc.). Totaling more than 1,700 hours in 2003, they were part of an operation to sensitize all Moët & Chandon employees that was conducted from 2002 to early 2004.

Responsibility commitment by Watches & Jewelry Sector

The LVMH group has been an active member of the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2005. This international non-profit organization created in 2005 includes 130 companies in the diamond and gold supply chain. It aims to promote responsible ethical, social and environmental practices and human rights throughout the industry, from mine to retail.

The Council's certification process provides an assurance of conformity for the entire industry. It constitutes a label of confidence for consumers with sound credibility thanks to the use of independent third party auditors. In 2010, the five LVMH companies in the Watches & Jewelry Sector initiated this certification process.

Designing packaging that prevents the waste of raw materials and generates smaller waste volumes is a principle of both good management and respect for the environment. This can only be done if we thoroughly understand the effects of the product on the biosphere, from manufacture to disposal. This is the role of Life Cycle Analysis, a method applied by the LVMH group since 1993, in its initial study on the path followed by a standard Hennessy product. The implementation of actions to reduce the products impacts throughout their life cycle implies to work closely with the suppliers and subcontractors.

Getting suppliers and subcontractors to meet environmental requirements is the subject of the "Suppliers tool" that the Environmental Commission developed for all Group companies in 2002. That tool lists the environmental requirements that they must meet and presents the environmental issues that are to be taken into consideration in supplier audits or in contracts and specifications.

To ensure effective environmental control, the companies of the Group are conducting an awareness program with their suppliers and subcontractors. For example, Kenzo Mode, through systematic environmental requirements, induces its fabric suppliers to comply with regulations governing nitrogen dyes and the use of nickel. Louis Vuitton Malletier demands recyclable materials, printed with inks that do not contain heavy metals, from the suppliers of the bags that hold its boutique products.

Our planet is unique, and its riches are not infinite. Human activity must now be guided by the concern to leave to future generations the vital resources, water, and energy that they will need.

Using our water resources sparingly

Each activity must manage water as a precious resource. It is a question of survival and solidarity that is being seriously addressed by the companies of the Wines & Spirits division of the LVMH group. Indeed, to obtain optimum quality for champagne or cognac, the presses and vats must be regularly cleaned thoroughly. A perfect product must be pure. However, to limit the use of water required for the cleaning, the companies are developing simple measures, such as training their employees in water conservation and the use of shut-off nozzles on hoses, or more technical solutions such as closed circuit air conditioners and bottle washers, automated rinsing sequences and many more.

â–ºSee Examples

Controlling energy

Energy use is at the heart of environmental problems and sustainable development. Burning fossil fuels in boilers, engines, for heating, light or transport entails extracting resources that are becoming rarer, causes local pollution, and emits greenhouse gases that threaten the climate balance of the planet. Saving energy and using it efficiently are global challenges. LVMH group has integrated these challenges into a total program to streamline energy use on its production sites. It provides financial assistance to its companies to conduct prior energy diagnoses in order to identify ways of optimizing their energy use.

â–ºSee Examples

For further information regarding LVMH and the environment

â–º2010 Environmental data (PDF-4,91 Mo)
â–º2009 Environmental data (PDF-2,55 Mo)
â–º2008 Environmental data (PDF-3,08 Mo)
â–º2007 Environmental data (PDF-5,25 Mo)
â–º2006 Environmental data (PDF-0,7 Mo)
â–º2005 Environmental data (PDF-4,9 Mo)
â–º2004 Environmental data (PDF-1,55 Mo)
â–º2003 Environmental data (PDF-222 Ko)
â–º2002 Environmental data (PDF-138 Ko)
â–ºLVMH Environmental report 2000-2001 (PDF-138 Ko)

please contact :

LVMH – Direction de l’environnement
65, avenue Edouard Vaillant
92517 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex
Tél. : 33 (0)1 44 13 22 22
E-mail : environnement @ lvmh.fr

A world leader in luxury, LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton possesses a unique portfolio of over 60 prestigious brands. The Group is active in five different sectors:

â–ºWines & Spirits
â–ºFashion & Leather Goods
â–ºPerfumes & Cosmetics
â–ºWatches & Jewelry
â–ºSelective retailing

Thanks to its brand development strategy, and the expansion of its international retail network (more than 2,500 stores worldwide), LVMH has had a strong growth dynamic since its creation in 1987.

Today, more than 80,000 employees, 77% of whom are based outside France, share the Group's values. Besides its community action for human development - for example LVMH House and the LVMH-ESSEC Chair - LVMH carries out a number of initiatives through its commitment to protecting the environment. Faithful to its vocation as a patron, the Group is also involved in culture and heritage, humanitarian action, education and supporting young artists and designers.

Marketing green cosmetics: The fairy tale continues…?

http://www.eco-business.com/press-releases/marketing-green-cosmetics-the-fairy-tale-continues%E2%80%A6

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who is the greenest of them all? This is the question many natural & organic cosmetic brands are asking themselves, with many believing they are deserved of the ‘green crown’.

Organic Monitor (www.organicmonitor.com) research finds the reality is very different from perception. In its Natural Cosmetics Brand Assessment report, a chartered chemist analysed the ingredient composition of cosmetic products of over 50 brands that make natural and / or organic claims.

The brands were given naturalness ratings according to their ingredient composition. Certified organic brands scored highest (9-10), followed by pure natural cosmetics (4-7), semi-natural cosmetics (3), naturally inspired cosmetics (2) to conventional cosmetics (1).

Not surprisingly, many brands making natural / organic claims had ratings at the low end of the spectrum. Some were brandishing their skin care products as organic just because the formulations contained organic essential oils. Others were putting organic certification logos on product packaging because one major ingredient was certified. Most were making natural claims just because some ingredients were natural.

Consumers are becoming lost in a maze of marketing claims and false labels. One way to clear up consumer confusion is certification. By adopting natural & organic cosmetic standards, formulators have a clear list of permitted / prohibited ingredients and processes. Certification also builds consumer trust, giving a guarantee to consumers that products conform to some recognised standards. However, Organic Monitor believes certification is only part of the answer; marketing and distribution also play an important role in reducing greenwashing.

Pure natural & organic brands have realised that overstating natural / organic ingredients and making unsubstantiated marketing claims only adds to consumer distrust. A growing number of brands are moving away from such claims and marketing their products as ‘authentic’ and ‘sustainable’. Others are focusing on their brands long history and origins, implying they have not just jumped on the ‘natural bandwagon’.

With consumer trust vital to success in the naturals arena, concept stores are becoming fashionable. Leading brands – including Melvita, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Weleda – are investing in concept stores. Apart from the benefits of interfacing direct with customers, the stores provide an ideal forum to educate consumers on their brand ethos, origins and product range.

Many years ago, The Body Shop set the standard in using concept stores as a platform for social activism. By focusing on marketing and distribution, Organic Monitor states the pioneering brands should now take the lead. Taking the right steps and clearing up the consumer confusion, only then can the natural & organic cosmetics story have a fairy tale ending.

Marketing and distribution innovations are covered in the upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com). As well as giving key findings of the Natural Cosmetics Brand Assessment study, the summit looks at major marketing & distribution developments. Topics include targeting the Chinese consumer, merging organic, health & wellness, the potential of the spa channel, retailers’ perspectives and green consumer insights.

Sustainable Cosmetics Summit: Organised by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together key stake-holders and debate major sustainability issues in a high-level forum. The Asia-Pacific edition of the summit takes place in Hong Kong on 7-8th November 2011. More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/Asia/

About Organic Monitor: Organic Monitor is a specialist research, consulting & training company that focuses on the global organic & related product industries. In 2011, we are celebrating 10 years of encouraging sustainable development. Since 2001, we have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries. Our services include market research publications, business & technical consulting, summits, seminars & workshops. Visit us at www.organicmonitor.com

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Marie-Theres Wimmer
PR & Marketing Executive, Organic Monitor
Tel: (44) 20 8567 0788
Fax: (44) 20 8567 7164
Email: mwimmer@...

Jessica Alba Creating Safer Baby Products

1 Comment

by China DeSpain Freeman January 17, 2012
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/01/17/jessica-alba-creating-safer-baby-products

Hot mama Jessica Alba knows that being a parent can be challenging — especially when it comes to selecting safe, healthy products for babies.

Frustrated with the harmful ingredients found in many children’s products, the actress and mother of two decided to take matters into her own hands. The result is Honest.com, a brand new website that provides parents with safe, non-toxic diapers, cleansers, creams and more.

Alba cofounded the company with Christopher Gavigan, former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, and the author of the book by the same name. According to Gavigan, ”Parents get a lot of advice about what to feed their children and how to baby-proof their home, but many are still completely unaware of the toxic risks posed by everyday basics, like diapers, home cleaners, body washes, and laundry soaps. Yet, there’s growing consensus that some chemicals used in these products are linked to chronic diseases like asthma, ADHD, and even cancer. I’m thrilled to launch a brand that offers some of the most thoughtfully designed, innovative, and safest products available.”

Alba concurs. “When I became a mom, I finally became the person I am, that I always should have been. It’s the most satisfying job in the world,” she says. “But, it can also be overwhelming and confusing. I created The Honest Company to help moms and to give all children a better, safer start.”

Honest.com’s mission is to provide parents with safe, sustainable, beautiful products delivered right to the front door. Parents simply create a profile, which the site then uses to customize an “honest nursery.” Then parents can select the items they need, and those selections will be delivered monthly.

There’s also a charitable aspect to the company. Alba and Gavigan recognize that not everyone can afford a personalized subscription service, so Honest.com has partnered with Baby2Baby to help provide for families in need. For every product purchased, Honest.com donates time, money and products to the organization, and hopes to eventually include even more charities to their list of beneficiaries.

In a video on the site, Alba sums up her thoughts about the company, saying, “We created the Honest company because we had to. We had to make it easier for parents to by safe products for their families.” For more on her reasoning, check out the video.

Amy Westervelt, Contributor

Innovation at the intersection of health and the environment
http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2011/11/01/as-report-reveals-toxic-ingredients-in-baby-shampoo-johnson-johnson-goes-public-with-plans-to-clean-up-products

Green Tech

11/01/2011
As Report Reveals Toxic Ingredients in Baby Shampoo, Johnson & Johnson Goes Public with Plans to Clean Up Products

**See below for a recent update.** Less than a month after Johnson & Johnson ranked as the most trusted brand in America in Forbes‘ survey comes a report that could give consumers pause, calling the company out for removing chemicals of concern in its iconic baby shampoo in some countries, but not others. The product currently on shelves in the United States, Canada, and China still contains known carcinogens. In recent years, J&J baby shampoo has become the poster child for the need for chemical reform in the United States; nothing says we need tighter chemical regulation than toxic baby shampoo.

New and Improved Safe Cosmetics Act Could Boost Green Chemistry
Amy Westervelt Contributor

Lindsey Hoshaw Contributor

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics came out with the news two years ago that Johnson & Johnson’s iconic baby shampoo contained the formaldehyde-releasing preservative quaternium-15, as well as the chemical byproduct 1,4-dioxane. Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that “the presence of 1,4-dioxane, even as a trace contaminant, is cause for concern,” and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added formaldehyde to its list of known human carcinogens in June 2011.

In 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, along with 40 other organizations (including American Nurses Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners) sent a letter to J&J outlining their concerns with the company’s products, particularly its baby shampoo. The American Nurses Association and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have since met several times with Johnson & Johnson executives to discuss the matter. The content of those discussions is confidential, but it seems as though if progress were being made, the organization would not have been sending around its latest report, under embargo, yesterday.

That report states that while J&J has removed the formaldehyde-releasing preservative from its baby shampoo in several countries, in the United States if you want carcinogen-free baby shampoo you need to pay double the price for the company’s “Natural” brand of baby shampoo.

We heard from allies across the globe that the formulations in their countries were different than those in the United States, and these are countries like Sweden, South Africa and Japan where the chemical is also not regulated,” says Lisa Archer, national coordinator for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at Breast Cancer Fund. “That’s a double standard.”

When Johnson & Johnson caught wind of the report, they contacted the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and got to work on a statement, indicating that they are in the process of phasing the formaldehyde-releasing preservative out of their baby products, worldwide.

The preservative technologies we use are safe and approved by authorities in the European Union and in the United States, as well as in China and India, and we have not seen any evidence of allergy in hundreds of millions of real life uses of these products,” the statement reads. “However, we know that some consumers are concerned about formaldehyde, which is why we offer many products without formaldehyde releasing preservatives, and are phasing out these types of preservatives in our baby products worldwide. We are no longer introducing new baby products that contain these types of preservatives. Over the past few years or so, we already have reduced the number of formulations globally with formaldehyde releaser preservatives by 33% and in the U.S. by over 60%.”

The statement also includes information about the company’s move to rid its products of 1,4-dioxane. “We have reformulated approximately 70% of our baby products with new cleansing formulations that keep trace levels of 1,4 dioxane at below reliably detectable levels,” it says.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics revised the release of their report, indicating Johnson & Johnson’s progress on the matter. Archer says the company’s statement is great news, particularly because J&J has been hesitant to publicly share anything it’s doing about toxics. “There are still questions to be answered, though,” she says. “What’s the timeline for phasing 1,4-dioxane and quaternium-15?”

There are also other, non-baby products in the company’s lines that are of concern, Archer notes, and additional chemicals of concern, beyond formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, in the company’s baby products (such as fragrance, which is protected by trade secret laws and could contain any number of potentially dangerous chemicals).

This is great news, and different from what we expected based on past interactions,” Archer says. “But it’s not over. We have to see how quickly they’re willing to make this shift and where.”

Update: On November 16th, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would remove quaternium-15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives from all of its baby products worldwide within two years, and reduce 1,4 dioxane in all of its baby products to less than 4 parts per million (ppm). Long term, the company indicated it will replace the chemical process, called ethoxylation, that results in 1,4 dioxane contamination. Johnson & Johnson also announced that it has removed phthalates from all of its baby products worldwide. The announcement does not cover the company’s non-baby products (e.g. products in the Neutrogena and Aveeno lines).

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2011/11/30/a-natural-beauty-pop-up-shop-opens-in-the-west-village

A natural beauty pop-up shop opens in the West Village

You'll read the labels with joy at this beauty shop. All-natural botanicals, and chemical-free (Photo: Realbeauty.com)

This Thursday, a pop-up shop featuring many of New York’s favorite indie natural beauty brands will open its doors on Bleecker Street.

The Organic Beauty Bar is the brick-and-mortar version of Sephora Goes Natural that we’ve been waiting for. Goodbye caustic fragrance fumes, hello organic product selection.

The shop is a project of Buddha Nose founder (and natural beauty formulator) Amy Galper, and Finds Sample Sale founder Ike Rodriguez. (Rodriguez, you may recall, is also the Reiki-practitioner captain of The Spirit Seeker wellness boat.)

“The Organic Beauty Bar concept grew out of the desire to share a ‘hands-on’ organic beauty and wellness experience,” said Galper in a press release.

It’ll feature products from Buddha Nose, Priti NYC, Revolution Organics, Soapwalla, One Love Organics, Tsi-La Perfumes, and Vapour Organic Beauty (many of which are featured in our Healthy Holiday Gift Guide!). Plus, discounted designer fashion.

On Thursday nights, the store will host parties with perks like manicures and facials, healthy snacks, and presentations from wellness pros. The first one, celebrating the launch of the pop-up, is this Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Being the natural beauty junkies we are, we’re thrilled to have all of these amazing beauty brands so readily accessible, especially around the holidays. If only the store could become a permanent fixture.

The Organic Beauty Bar, 350 Bleecker St., at W. 10th St. Open daily noon–7:00p.m. in December only

October 2007
http://www.beautynewsnyc.com/fragrance/a-fragrance-editor-in-wonderland-memoire-liquide-at-henri-bendel%E2%80%99snycan-exclusive-bn-interview-with-robin-coe-hutsching

A Fragrance Editor in Wonderland: Memoire Liquide at Henri Bendel’sNYC
An Exclusive BN Interview with Robin Coe-Hutshing

By Michelyn Camen

As much as I adore so many of the fragrances I review, I have always dreamt of a bespoke scent as bewitching, as unique and as quirky as…well, me! Friends and colleagues would stop and inquire “You smell amazing. It doesn’t smell familiar, what is it?” I would nonchalantly answer, “Oh, just a little fragrance I had whipped up FOR ME AND NO ONE ELSE, SO FORGET ABOUT TRYING TO BUY IT”. Of course, this dream perfume would cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Here’s the scoop, at the Memoire Liquide Boutique at Henri Bendel’s, a custom blended fragrance JUST FOR YOU can be yours, for as little as $30.00!

Memoire Liquide is the brainchild of Robin Coe-Hutshing and her sister Jennifer; Robin is the award winning Founder and Creative Director of STUDIO at Fred Segal, as well as the nose for quite a few fragrance brands. Coe-Hutshing has her own line of home and lifestyle fragrances called Burn.

BN: What was the inspiration to create Memoire Liquide?
RCH: Since I was a child, I have been aware of the powerful connection between scent and memory. After years of developing fragrances for our customers at Fred Segal as well as running my own business in fragrance development it was a full circle culmination of my sister Jennifer and I realizing that this creative vision we had, truly resonated with customers on a very visceral level.

BN: Please speak to how your concept addresses the desire for a customer to own a signature scent at an affordable price point.
RCH: We made a conscious decision to offer ML at what we consider a very democratic price. We are able to this for one reason: we use no marketing, no advertising, no supermodels or celebrity endorsements…Our packaging is simple, but elegant. We have used our resources to source the best quality fragrance materials- from the finest fragrance houses in the world, and that -the fragrance itself, is what our customer is responding to.

BN: How does the process for a customer begin?
RCH: Our trained specialists ask questions about what our customers have liked in the past, what they are looking for, if they are looking for a radical departure. Sometimes we just take a wild instinctual guess and sometimes we are way off -sometimes we are spot on! The thing that is so wonderful- is the relationship that forms in this part of the process between the Perfumer and the customer. Generally, there is some sharing that takes place. They’ll start up with a confession of sorts- I’m buying this perfume because… my boyfriend left me, I am getting married, I have a hot date, I want to recreate the scent of my grandmothers attic. We hear it all…People cry, laugh, bring in the boyfriends after the scents have worked their magic and bring in the children after the weddings…

BN: Should you tell the specialist fragrances you like or wear?
RCH: Yes, absolutely, just as you’d tell a clothing sales person you were looking for a simple black dress- why let them scamper around bringing you blue, yellow and purple polka dots?

BN: How many individual oils or blends are stocked, how they are grouped?
RCH: Currently there are 160 base scents, each of which can be worn singly, or mixed in infinite combinations. They are grouped in ten categories for example: Le Fleurist, Mélange Gourmandise, Les Ences, Bois et Espices, Les Tropiques, and Les Senteurs Musc.

BN: Is there a limit to how many blends you should use to create your own fragrance?
RCH: The beauty of this is that there is no answer to that- no right- no wrong. For one person the magic number is purely one. For the next, it is an intricate harmony of twenty elements. Each person is equally happy. Our job is to listen, and not superimpose our own tastes and ideas- just try to get the customer exactly what he or she is looking for-it is always magic when it happens and there are no maybes. It is definitive!

BN: If I want my bespoke scent in bath oil or body cream, can you custom blend them as well?
RCH: Yes, that is a very important part of the concept. We offer your new fragrance in a variety of forms such as eau de perfume, body care products and home fragrance diffusers

BN: What’s next for Memoire Liquide?
RCH: We are looking into opening new boutiques. But, right now we are focusing on the launch of Memoire Liquide Reserve Collection Spring 2008, and a ready- to- wear collection of Eau de Parfums.

Memoire Liquide Boutiques are located at Henri Bendel’s in NYC and at Studio at Fred Segal , Santa Monica.

Johnson & Johnson Recalls Baby Lotion

Mon, 01/30/2012 - 8:21am
http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2012/01/johnson-%26-johnson-recalls-baby-lotion

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) -- Johnson & Johnson is recalling baby lotion that may have excess bacteria from stores in nine states.

The precautionary recall covers one lot of Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion, with lot number 0161LK. It went to stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

The company says Food and Drug Administration testing of a product sample showed the lot exceeded specifications for bacteria, but extensive testing by an independent laboratory afterward did not show that.

Consumers are not affected, but may call J&J's consumer call center at 1-877-298-2525 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST with questions. J&J says injuries are unlikely. None have been reported.

J&J has had about 30 recalls since 2009.

From:
Marie-Theres Wimmer
mwimmer @ organicmonitor.com

1. News & Analysis

A Look at Green Chemistry's Efforts to Reinvent How We Make Products

By Lisa Lillelund

2010-11-23
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/11/18/look-at-green-chemistrys-efforts-reinvent-make-products

Nowadays, just about everything we put on us, or in us or is around us has been touched by advanced chemistry applications in some way. Just 60 years ago, the clothes we wore, medicine we took, cosmetics we put on our face, food we ate and products we used did not rely so heavily on man-made chemicals and petroleum-based materials.

Advances in engineering and the manufacturing of plastics, medicines, and textiles have given us many products that were inconceivable a few decades ago. Mobile phones, high performance athletic gear, antibiotics, new cancer treatments, and jumbo airplanes are just a few examples of the uses of these new materials.

Unfortunately, along with the convenience and benefits of these new chemicals, there are some potentially very harmful effects on human health. According to Elisabeth Grossman in her enlightening book, Chasing Molecules:

"95 percent of Americans tested by the Centers for Disease Control had chemicals used to make common plastics and cosmetics in their blood. Among these effects are reproductive, metabolic, immune systems and neurological disorders, effects that can lead to such chronic conditions as diabetes, obesity and learning difficulties. Many of these chemicals have been identified as endocrine disruptors for their ability to interfere with the workings of the hormones that regulate and maintain a number of the body's reproductive, metabolic, and other vital systems. Overall, these compounds are so pervasive that nearly all babies in the U.S. are now born with synthetic chemicals already in their bloodstream."

It turns out that many of these new molecules are traveling around the world, many are not biodegradable and in some cases they can even detach themselves from their products. These molecules are showing up in the wind, groundwater, seas, water, soil, plants, animals, and dust. This would help explain why sea turtles can be found with chemicals for polyester flame retardants inside them. When the chemicals get into our bloodstream, some of these synthetic chemicals can disrupt the healthy functions of many of our normal biological mechanisms.

This is concerning news. But to be honest, I never really thought much about chemistry and how it affects our lives until mid August 2010, when I attended a Green Chemistry lecture by Dr. John Warner at the Clean Tech InnoVenture Center in Lynn, Mass.

Most of us involved with the center are familiar with the topics of renewable energy, waste reduction and energy efficiency, but green chemistry was a new one for us. In order to learn more about green chemistry and its promise for a more sustainable future, I went to visit Warner at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry (WBI) and Amy Cannon at the Beyond Benign Foundation located next door. Cannon is devoted to promoting awareness and understanding about green chemistry among young students, communities and the workforce. She and her team work to inspire young people to enter the field of chemistry and science where they may be able to have a positive impact on a more sustainable future.

To help get a better understanding of the prevalence of synthetic chemicals in our lives, Warner pointed out to me: "Walk into a Home Depot store today and you will be surrounded by thousands of man-made molecules making up product materials that might not have existed fifty years ago. At any given time you may have nearly 100 synthetic chemicals in your body. Over 75,000 compounds are in commerce today and only around 600 have been tested for toxicity.";

Something is truly wrong with this picture when less than 1 percent of synthetic made molecules have been tested for hazards. Scientists can go and create any molecule they want to and no one is testing these for safety? Chemists can get a PhD in chemistry and are not required to take even one course in toxicity or environmental science? What could help us get out of this dangerous situation and reduce chemical pollution?

One solution is Green Chemistry. Warner is on a mission to transform the way products are made into a new way that is more benign, less wasteful and less polluting. According to the WBI website, "Green Chemistry is a revolutionary approach to the way that products are made: It is a science that aims to reduce or eliminate the use and/or generation of hazardous substances in the design phase of materials development. Green Chemistry follows the principle that it is better to consider waste prevention options during the design and development phase than to dispose or treat waste after a process or material has been developed."

The Warner-Babcock Institute combines academic research capabilities with the urgency and agility of successful start-ups. In the three years since its, WBI is already cash-positive and filed 130 patents for itself and its clients, along with creating five products ready to go to market.

Warner-Babcock uses green chemistry to create products for companies that accomplish three very important things for their clients:

1) It must be more environmentally benign than existing alternatives.
2) It must be more economically viable than existing alternatives.
3) It must be functionally equivalent to or outperform existing alternatives.

According to Warner, only 10 percent of current technologies are environmentally benign and 35 percent could be made benign relatively easy. The remaining 65 percent will need to be reinvented in more environmentally benign ways.

In addition to the health and environmental safety of these greener chemicals, green chemistry brings a competitive advantage to companies:

• Less risk of product recalls and potential damage to company reputation;
• Cost savings gained when hazardous materials are removed to reduce the costs associated with handling, transportation, disposal and compliance of hazardous materials;
• Improved chances of greater stakeholder engagement from customers, employees, managers, and investors are achieved when a company demonstrates initiatives to reduce their negative impact on the environment;
• Cost savings from greater efficiencies in manufacturing process.

The federal government is also taking steps to encourage the growth of green chemistry. President Obama appointed green chemistry leader Paul Anastas to head up the EPA Office of Research and Development.

And each year since 1996, the EPA has given recognition to corporations, small businesses, and universities employing green chemistry by honoring them with the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards. A sample of the award winners for various projects includes Dow Chemical, Proctor and Gamble, Merck, Virent Energy Systems, BASF, University of Massachusetts, Michigan State University, Clarke, and Cook Composites and Polymers.

Incorporating green chemistry into traditional manufacturing processes is not an easy job. But Warner and Anastas developed The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry to serve as guideposts along the way. The principles and framework for design listed on the WBI website include concepts such as using benign substances instead of toxic ones, using fewer materials and natural resources whenever possible, using renewable feedstocks, designing for energy efficiency and planning for end of product life by using recyclable or biodegradable materials.

Green chemistry concepts offer an exciting and beneficial new way of designing products. For the benefit of our planet, let's hope that someday green chemistry becomes the standard for chemistry.