Interview With Honoré des Prés Founder Christian David

By Paige Donner

Interview with Christian David, founder of Honoré des Prés natural perfumes from France and Greening Beauty Editor, Paige Donner.

GB: 1. What was your background before launching your natural perfume line?

I worked 9 years ago for DIOR in the cosmetics creation department.  At that time I worked with Hedi Slimane to launch Dior Homme Dermo System. Just before launching Honoré des Prés, I worked with Mr. and Mme. d’ Ornano for Sisley and while there discovered their natural and luxury beauty.

GB: 2. Please describe the tradition – metier – of perfume making in France. Is it something you are born into?

Yes, I remember all the launches 25 years ago … like Angel,  J’adore Dior … at this time we had to wait many years for a real novelty from the most beautiful houses of perfumes and it was always an event … We have had a lot of opportunity to preserve all the tradition and the metier of Perfume in France especially in Grasse. I work with Robertet , one of the most beautiful Perfume House in Grasse with such exceptional and natural ingredients … the transformation of all these beautiful and exquisite flowers is a real dream and secret ..

GB: 3. What inspired you to launch a natural perfume line?

To put this secret in the bottle, to explain to the whole world that it’s at this time possible to smell a real flower in your perfume and not just a compilation of chemicals ….

And of course, more than an inspiration but the unique possibility to launch such a special line of perfumes was the day when I met Olivia Giacobetti … one of the world’s top Noses.  For me definitely the best and the first, … without her, this magical story would never begin…

GB: 4. Describe the moment when you conceived of packaging your perfumes in a coffee cup?

You know, sometimes the story is written … this day, in New York after a Coffee  & Cupcake at Magnolia bakery in the West Village, the artistic Director of Honoré des Prés, Ms. Dominique,  looked over at me …. and showed me my Coffee Cup in my hand and, like a song in the street, smiled and said, “It will be the packaging for the NY Collection.”

I promise you that this night, when I took my flight from JFK to paris with this Paper Cup in my hand, I was so happy and excited because I knew now that this paper cup would be a part of the future. Six months later, we launched the collection at colette paris with a big Carrots Party !!!!

GB: 5. how do you see the state of the natural beauty market in France? the U.S.?

Definitely the Future, the Trend …. and the only solution to have new perfumes that don’t look to the others …. We know that so many houses are working on it ….

GB: 6. What does perfume represent to a woman, in your view?

For me , there are two possibilities …. the sensuality  or the intimacy ….the perfume has to be very feminine and sensual to increase the personality of women but it can be very light and intimate to propose a new way of pureness and philosophy …. these 2 opposites are for Honoré des Prés House the sensual Vamp à NY and the purity of Nu Green from the first collection. That is one of my favorites!

GB: 7. It’s courageous to launch a company – of any kind – in this economy. What gave you the motivation?

It’s like a dream. I absolutely don’t have the feeling  like I launched a company. I just know that we write the story of Honoré des Prés and everything that happens is like a new page of the book.  The perfume world is so magical !!! and the natural one will be emotional !

For more INFO or to purchase these natural perfumes, please click HERE.

 

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

Greening Beauty

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Incredible Edible Eco-Beauty

by: Rachel Sarnoff

EcoStiletto

Good enough to eat. We say it about dessert—and that gorgeous guy on the second floor who hoses off his mud-covered mountain bike in the courtyard on Saturdays.

Yummy.

But what about beauty? If you consider that 60% of what goes on our skin goes in our bodies, wouldn’t it make sense to use products that are safe enough to eat in the first place?

When we put our favorites to the test, we found that many of them are—technically—edible. That’s because they eschew parabens, phthalates, synthetic perfumes and other petro-chemicals in favor of truly natural, organic-whenever-possible ingredients.

Note the use of the word “technical.” Please don’t call us with a bellyache after you decide to make your face mask your meal: These products are formulated without taste in mind, no matter how safe they might be to ingest.

The Environmental Working Group shook up the beauty industry last year when it found that 60% of lipsticks contain lead, a known neurotoxin. Add to that the fact that the average woman eats about nine pounds of lipstick over the course of her lifetime—just from licking her lips. Ick.

That’s why we love Primitive lipsticks. Made with natural waxes, shea butter, vanilla extract and vitamin E, the rainbow of gorgeous colors in the Primitive line up is created exclusively from elements like iron oxides and carmine. Lip smackin’.

Cosmetic chefs David Parker and Margaret Skarin are organic beauty veterans—he as a NorCal spa owner and she of Blue Lotus Organic Skincare fame—but when the two joined forces in 2002 to create The Body Deli their goal was to take it a step further with products so clean you could eat them. Hence the refrigerators in their flagship Palm Desert, CA store—and the allegiance of local farmers in the California Central Valley. With a truly unique range of products for women and men—our favorite, hands down, is the ever-so-masculine, sandalwood-heavy, Spanish Fly line of scrub, wash, lotion and soap—The Body Deli truly serves it up. Take a number.

It’s seriously hard not to eat Bodykor’s Chocolate Macadamia Mask—it smells that good. Made with organic almond oil, antioxidant-rich chocolate, organic shea butter, macadamia nut oil and honey, among other natural ingredients, the hydrating mask penetrates without any greasy feeling, leaving skin soft and supple. Go ahead, take a lick!

Sweet Beauty takes the concept a step further, with an entire line of Theo Organic Chocolate spa treatments like something out of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” only guilt-free. We’ve been addicted to their lip balms for years, but our new faves are Sweet Beauty’s Pot de Crème body creams made with shea butter and grape seed oils, which present a chocolate flavor base accented by rose, coconut, coffee or a double shot of cacao. Mouth-watering.

A pinch of salt highlights the sweet, and nowhere do we find this to be truer than in Golden Path Alchemy’s Kiwi Coconut Exfoliating Mask, crafted with brightening kiwi enzymes, antioxidant-rich coconut milk and acerola cherry fruit acids, complemented by Himalayan sea salt. Hand-made in small batches from USDA Certified Organic food-grade ingredients—many of them sourced from the company’s own organic farm in Montecito, CA—the entire GPA line is edible and based on the five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Tata Harper wants you to feed your head. Or your face, rather, with her eponymous and uniformly edible line of unique custom skincare products, made with love on her organic farm in Vermont. The Rebuilding Moisturizer is a perfect example: Minus the superficial silicones that leave skin with an oily finish, Tata Harper Rebuilding Moisturizer includes naturally-fermented sodium hyaluronate and organic raw honey to protect from sun damage. Amazingly, Tata’s Moisturizer leaves the skin matte, yet hydrated.  Dig in.

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

Greening Beauty

Greening Hollywood  * The Green Blog Network

Greening Vancouver

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Skin Cancer, Sun Exposure And Jane Iredale Cosmetics

NPR’s Your Health reported yesterday that, “Young women are the biggest users of tanning salons, and many cite peer pressure as a reason. And, researchers have found that many women who visit tanning salons show symptoms of addiction.”

Listen to the complete interview HERE.

“About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to UV rays, so we are thrilled to receive The Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation in an effort to help spread awareness on preventable measures against this deadly disease,” says Jane Iredale, President and Founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics.  “We are not only committed to developing quality products to enhance color, but also the overall health of the skin – including skin cancer prevention.”

The Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation has set the criteria for effective UV protection for more than 30 years.  Products were evaluated by the Foundation’s Photobiology Committee, composed of leading U.S. dermatologists who are experts on how the sun interacts with the skin.   Secondly, each product underwent testing for safety and efficacy standards, including an SPF of 15 or greater, validation of the SPF number by testing on 20 people, acceptable test results for phototoxic reactions and contact irritation, and substantiation for any claims that a sunscreen is water- or sweat-resistant.

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, products that contain sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or more should be applied daily for prevention against harmful UV rays.  jane iredale’s Amazing Base, PurePressed Base, Dream Tint, LipDrink and Powder-Me SPF in Tanned and Translucent range from an SPF of 15 to 30.

Made with the highest grade of micronized minerals, PurePressed Base is a pressed mineral foundation that provides superior yet weightless coverage with unsurpassed skin care benefits.  Amazing Base is a loose mineral foundation that provides a natural barrier to the sun’s harmful rays, with a very water resistant SPF of 20.  It’s your skin, only better!

• Contains no talc, oil, FD&C dyes, parabens, synthetic preservatives or fragrance.
• Non-comedogenic.
• Minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are naturally anti-inflammatory, helping to calm inflammation.
• Extracts of sea minerals soothe and nourish the skin and also aid in hydration.
• Micronized minerals provide very water resistant, broad spectrum, chemical-free sun protection of SPF 20.
• Minerals naturally diffuse light to create a luminous, smooth appearance.

Dream Tint SPF 15 is an award-winning, oil-free tinted moisturizer.

• Sea lipids help to improve skin’s elasticity and prevent trans-epidermal water loss.
• Titanium dioxide calms and soothes inflammation and provides instant broad spectrum sun protection of SPF 15.
• Boron nitride creates a soft-focus effect to minimize the appearance of fine lines and enlarged pores.

LipDrink is a colorless, moisturizing, protective lip balm in a base of macadamia nut oil.

• Edible zinc oxide provides an SPF 15 and broad spectrum sunscreen.
• Combines a variety of waxes and oils – some with small molecules in order to penetrate, moisturize and condition the delicate lip membranes, and some with larger molecules to provide a protective shield by lying on the surface.
• Contains the antioxidants green tea extract, and vitamins E and C.
• The flavor is a mixture of lemon and orange oils.
• Feels more moist on the lips than a traditional lip balm.

Powder-Me SPF in Tanned and Translucent is an all-over face and body powder that helps protect against both UVB and UVA rays with an SPF 30 and a very water-resistant rating.

• Physical, not chemical, sun protection that works instantly so you can brush on and head straight for the sun
• Powder-Me SPF is packaged in an innovative dispenser for quick and even coverage
• Applicator has a mirror for easy, fault-proof application
• Formulated with active ingredients like titanium dioxide and a unique clay that contains minerals to nourish and calm the skin
• Completely free of contaminants and atmospheric pollutants
• The all natural ingredients are safe to use on children
• Translucent – no appearance on the skin
• Tanned – a golden bronze

For more information about The Skin Cancer Foundation please visit www.SkinCancer.org/Seal.

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Greening Beauty

Greening Hollywood

Green Blog Network *  Greening Vancouver

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!

Posted via web from Greening Beauty

My Daughter Went to A Birthday Party and All She Got Was A Bottle of Poison

By Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff

Rachel is Founder of  mommygreenest.com

My eight-year-old daughter went to a birthday party recently and came home with a bag full of goodies inspired by the  “spa day” theme. Now, most moms might see a little bag full of lipgloss and bubble bath and thank their lucky stars their daughters grew out of the Webkins phase. To me, finding a bag full of tween beauty products in my daughter’s overnight bag is like discovering she’d brought home a stash of poison.

Because that’s what they are, these beauty products designed to capture a tweenager’s heart by convincing her that using them is a first step towards womanhood. 

Poison.

Don’t just take my word for it. Take a look at a recent study by the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. They analyzed 17 of the market’s most popular perfumes—from Chanel’s Coco to Bath & Body Works’ Japanese Cherry Blossom—and found that they contain, on average, 14 hazardous chemicals that aren’t listed on their labels. According to the EWG, these chemicals can cause allergic reactions, reproductive damage and hormone disruption.

Believe you me, hormones are not something you want to disrupt in a teenage girl.

For Mommy Greenest’s solutions to the poison perfume dilemma–including a DIY eco-fragrance recipe you’ll want to wear yourself–please visit www.MommyGreenest.com and sign up for the newsletter for weekly free eco-parenting giveaways!

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Greening Beauty

Greening Hollywood

Green Blog Network *  Greening Vancouver

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via web from Greening Beauty

Matcha: Queen of Green Tea

by: Pangea

Green tea has earned critical acclaim as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that feeds the skin a rich array of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and amino acids. Matcha, the queen of all green teas, offers these amazing features times ten! Why is Matcha so much better than your average green tea?

Because it is made of whole ground tea leaves as opposed to an aqueous infusion (i.e. watered down version) of green tea. Matcha’s tannins help build and strengthen collagen, thus firming and toning the skin and significantly improving its elasticity. Matcha’s antioxidant components consist of a special group of polyphenols called catechins, which are extraordinarily potent and plentiful. The health benefits of catechins have been studied extensively and have demonstrated far greater antioxidant protection than both vitamins C and E, possibly because of their ability to penetrate cells so effectively. They help protect the skin from UV damage, prevent collagen breakdown, increase immunity, and boost detoxifying enzymes to promote skin clarity and improve its overall health and well-being. Matcha’s anti-inflammatory components are found in its caffeine which combines with its polyphenols to deliver bionic beautifying benefits! These anti-inflammatories aid in healing acne, rosacea and eczema; they help reduce redness, puffiness and swelling, and can even help prevent the permanent destruction of tissue, helping to reverse the hands of time. There’s a good chance Matcha was Wonder Woman’s choice tea. It’s ours.

From Vanity Fair’s Beauty Blog:
“During the month of May, [Vanity Fair] Beauty brings you our favorite green picks that will keep you pampered from head to toe. […]Once a week, we detoxify, cleanse, and exfoliate our skin with Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask.

Synergy of Land and Sea. This multi-award-winning mask embodies the essence of our approach to Ecocentric Skincare. Skillfully blended to incorporate a holistic approach to beautiful skin, our mask includes a diversity of sustainable elements. Forest, mountain, desert, and sea-derived botanicals in their bioactive forms provide essential nutrients – all in one fell swoop! Using this mask just once will noticeably improve the quality, tone, and texture of your skin – you’ll be amazed at how soft, glowing, and radiant your skin will be.

Pangea’s multi-purpose mask relies on nothing but nature to provide you with the best in beauty. Green and white clays work together to help restore, balance, cleanse, and detoxify; four sea vegetables re-mineralize, hydrate, and oxygenate cells; sugarcane serves to exfoliate, unclog pores, and stimulate the production of elastin and collagen; acai and goji berry extracts lend their extraordinary super-powers as antioxidants, functioning as regenerative “food” for the skin; jojoba and sunflower seed oils nourish and moisturize; three teas are employed in both whole leaf and extract forms to ensure maximum potency for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and energizing effects; and a harmonious blend of extremely concentrated herbal extracts and essential oils further nurture the skin and senses.

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Greening Beauty

Greening Hollywood

Green Blog Network *  Greening Vancouver

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via web from Greening Beauty