PRESS: The Grapeseed Company Showcased in National Craft Beauty News Feature

The Grapeseed Co. was chosen to be featured in a national news clip on Craft Beauty, and the rise of consumer awareness and demand for craft and handmade products. Watch as one of our customers, Dianne Duva, talks about why she chooses to shop at The Grapeseed Company for natural, organic skincare on ABC news...

Free SPF 15 sweet lips lip balm tube with $30 Purchase

SPF 15 sweet lips lip balm tube

Take advantage of this special offer for our valued customers!

SPF 15 Sweet Lips Lip Balm Tube 

($6 Value)

Free with any purchase of $30 or more

  While supplies last, receive a FREE SPF 15 Sweet Lips Lip Balm Tube with your purchase of $30 or more in our Santa Barbara store or at thegrapeseedcompany.com. 

Our best-selling Sweet Lips SPF lip balm is made with a rich blend of organic coconut, olive and hemp oils leaving your lips moisturized and soft. There's also the added bonus of having an SPF 15 to make sure you're lips are protected from the UV rays.

NO COUPON CODE NECESSARY! Just place your online order of $30 or more, and we'll include it for FREE. See details below:

*Every order of $30+ will receive a free lip balm included in their shipment, or purchase in our store until we run out!

* Valid on retail purchase only online or in our store; not valid on wholesale orders. 

 

Friday Funday Savings in December: 25% off all SERUMS this weekend

Cali Harvest Serum

Guess what? We're offering amazing promos every Friday this holiday season to thank our wonderful customers for shopping with us and supporting small businesses this holiday season.

Resroli Serum

Every Friday from now until Christmas, we will announce a fantastic  
Friday Funday offer on some of our top selling products!

Kickoff starts tomorrow, with ALL 3 of our bestselling full size

The Grapeseed Co.

ORGANIC FACIAL SERUMS 

at 25% OFF 

with 

code: FFserum

{Friday-Sunday}

Pick up your favorite organic facial serum: 

Rose & Grape Serum

1. Rose & Grape 
2. Resroli
3. Cali Harvest

...or try all three! Promos will be announced Friday mornings via our newsletter in December. Sign up here so you don't miss out!

DETAILS:
*valid on full size only, not valid on travel size
*valid with code online and mention of newsletter in the store Friday through Sunday each week.
*valid on retail purchases only; not valid on wholesale orders.
*not valid with any other offer or discount.

Cheers & Enjoy!

Your Friends at The Grapeseed Co. 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Earth Day: Flash Sale 22% OFF today only

Happy Earth Day, grapeseed friends! 

Celebrate choosing effective, clean, organic skin care at our 

*flash sale*

Enjoy 22% OFF, TODAY ONLY!

DETAILS:

*valid 10:30-6:30pm today in our #SantaBarbara store at 21 W Ortega St in Downtown SB. Stop in on your way to the Farmer's Market this afternoon!

*valid April 22, 2014 until midnight PST with code online at www.grapeseedco.com

*valid on retail orders only; not valid on wholesale orders.

Cheers!

The Grapeseed Co. wins Fastest Growing Company of the Year Award in New York

Award Winners pictured: (back) Emily Holdridge, Kristin Fraser Cotte, Shasta Nelson, Jessica Herrin, Savor the Success founder Angela Jia Kim, Payson Cooper, Allison Jagtiani, Alison Raffaele, (front) Amy E. Goodman, Michele Howe Clarke, Janice Hoffmann, Nika Stewart

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SANTA BARBARA, CA:  
The 4th annual Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World, hosted by Savor the Success, the premiere business network for women entrepreneurs, took place in New York City in May. The event was sponsored by Whole Foods Markets and American Express OPEN. The Awards Ceremony honored top and emerging women entrepreneurs. Jessica Herrin was honored as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 for Stella & Dot. She spoke to the audience about how women can "think bigger" before leading a private mentoring session with other award winners. The public submitted nominees and a panel of judges chose the winners based on merit, caliber, and growth in the past year.

The 2013 Award Winners are:

Fastest Growing Company of the Year Award 2013

Kristin Fraser Cotte for The Grapeseed Company

Conference of the Year Award 2013

Katherine Gordon for 3% Conference

Breakout Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013

Nika Stewart for GhostTweeting.com

Trailblazer Award 2013

Shasta Nelson for Girlfriend Circles

Website of the Year Award 2013

Alexa Hirschfeld for Paperlesspost.com

Author of the Year Award 2013

Michele Howe Clarke for Face Forward

Product Company of the Year Award 2013

Alison Raffaele for Alison Raffaele Cosmetics

Savor Sister of the Year Award 2013

Payson Cooper of Marketing in the Morning

Mission-Driven Company of the Year Award 2013

Emily Holdridge for Everything Happy

Media Maven of the Year Award 2013

Amy E. Goodman of Wear This, Toss That

Coach of the Year Award 2013

Janice Hoffmann for Success is Sweetest

Food/Beverage Company of the Year Award 2013

Allison Jagtiani for Goji Gourmet 

Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013

Jessica Herrin for Stella & Dot

Kristin Fraser Cotte started The Grapeseed Company out of a tiny Santa Barbara kitchen apartment as a hobby back in 2004 when she was teaching elementary school in Goleta. Today, The Grapeseed Company creates over 80 botanical beauty products from the byproduct of wine. In addition to selling at their two brick and mortar stores in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, Grapeseed Co. products are available through spas and retailers all over the world.      

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized on this level,” says Cotte, 

“I am most thankful and proud of the humble but mighty team we’ve 

built over the past year to accomplish this type of growth!”

In the past year, The Grapeseed Company team has opened their second retail store, participated in celebrity gifting at the Oscars GBK Gift Lounge, released 16 new products, formulated a spa line and signature treatments for the new Spa at El Encanto by Orient Express, and will be launching over 30 products in Whole Foods Markets this June. The Grapeseed Company has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Health, Self, Women’s Health Magazine, and other major media outlets.  

Savor The Success’ Rock the World conference gathers America’s top, female entrepreneurs and executives to inspire and empower women to build a prosperous business and life. Attendees learn how to develop essential leadership skills, increase productivity and recruit top quality staff, all while networking with like-minded women. Notable speakers at the 2013 conference included Gilt.com co-founder Alexis Maybank, swimwear designer Malia Mills, MSNBC’s JJ Ramberg, Yummie Tummie founder Heather Thomson, and the author of Start With Why, Simon Sinek. Rock the World provides conference attendees with the nuts-and-bolts know-how, resources, strategies, and connections needed to succeed. 

### 

Press Inquiries:
The Grapeseed Company
Kristin Fraser Cotte or Rachel Nobles 805-456-3655
pr@thegrapeseedcompany.com  

Savor The Success
Meredith Bichsel, 407-620-5216
Madeleine Fawcett, 561-373-5584

logic, lead, lipstick and legislation

In December 2011, the FDA published an updated report on lead levels in over 400 brands of lipstick and found the average concentration to be 1.11ppm (parts per million), just a mere .04ppm higher than the study conducted in 2009 where the average was reported at 1.07ppm. These results weren't exactly newsworthy, given they are essentially the same. Right before Valentine's Day, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) and Environmental Working Group (EWG) started riling up the media with scary headlines about the danger of lead levels in lipstick. I must give props to the CSC PR team, who resurfaced and twisted the FDA report on a timely date when people may be focusing a bit more on their pucker, but where's the logic here?

who's dodging a bullet?

I'm taking a moment to step away from the science behind what's going on lately in the cosmetics industry and the media to examine the logical side of it. While earning my Master of Science degree, I learned the process of collecting, examining, interpreting data and drawing conclusions in both qualitative and quantitative methods. It was my single best take away from my previous profession because it has endless applications. Logically, I do not understand how the CSC has twisted the new data on lead in lipstick so drastically and the media has jumped right in and turned it into a fear-mongering frenzy.

The data does not show anything new...
Yes, there are trace amounts of lead in lipstick.
And your drinking water.
And the soil we grow food in.
And the air we breathe.

I've been thinking a lot about the multiple previous attempts to pass safe cosmetics legislation and how this ties in to product labeling, and the latest media scare around lead. One of the main provisions the CSC and EWG are pushing for is stricter guidelines around labeling to show trace amounts of substances that make up an ingredient. We do not even have this type of labeling scrutiny in place for the food we eat, which we all know (both scientifically and logically) is entering our bodies by ingestion. Forget skin absorption from cosmetics, folks! Why is our government being tied up with scrutinizing lipstick in the name of "health" and "safety"? Bottom line, life is full of choices, and wearing lipstick is a choice, not a necessity.

Eating, drinking, and breathing on the other hand are not choices. We must fuel and hydrate our bodies and breathe to continue to be alive. Let's gain some logic, perspective and focus as we move forward with what is legally considered safe and healthy in personal care and cosmetics. If there is so much concern about what you are choosing to apply externally to your body, shouldn't we be examining the sources we need to ingest internally to sustain life first?

These folks have covered both the scientific and the rational sides of the "lead in lipstick issue" if you're interested in reading more:
Dene Godfrey, Trever Butterworth, Robert Tisserand, John Hurson, PCPC via Skin Inc and there are more I'm missing so please add your links. As always, I recommend www.PersonalCareTruth.com as a great balanced, science based resource on legislative issues too.

learn about our new wholesale program with free testers!

 Announcing our 2012 Wholesale Program Upgrades: New discounts, 3 simple ways to place your order & earn free product and testers!
Login to your wholesale account here to check it out. Sign in and visit "wholesale terms"
Don't have a wholesale account? You can apply here. Thanks for your feedback, questions and suggestions to help us improve the fabulous new program!

Support Small Innovative Green Cosmetics by Opposing the Safe Cosmetics Act 2011

Please support your favorite small, eco friendly cosmetics businesses and sign the petition to oppose SCA 2011 HR#2359. Do not be fooled by the name of this proposed bill. We all want our cosmetics to be safe, but the unfortunate way this bill was drafted will only make it impossible for the small, eco friendly companies who paved the way and innovated natural and organic personal products to survive under the new proposed regulations.

I invite you to read more at PersonalCareTruth.com from a wide variety of well known experts in the industry about the specific implications of this unnecessary bill.
The Impact of The Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 on Small Businesses by Kayla Fioravanti, formulator, aromatherpaist and owner of Essential Wholesale
Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Support SCA 2011 by Robert Tisserand, world renowned aromatherapist and author of numerous books on aromatherapy
Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 by Cindy Jones, microbiologist, farmer and small cosmetics manufacturer who grows herbs she uses in her formulations
Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011: cover-table-of-contents-and-sec-611-definitions by Kayla Fioravanti

We all want safe cosmetics, but this bill (as worded) is only based on propaganda. Do not make everyone from consumers to innovative natural companies pay for the fear mongering generalizations the highly funded special interest group, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics & the EWG, have backed.

Thanks for your support in keeping your favorite small eco friendly brands around!

eco-friendly refill love program for Santa Barbara!

Introducing our new locals only: refill love program! Purchase a beautiful cobalt glass bottle (with the topper of your choice: pump, flip cap or spray) and we'll fill any of our products in it for 15% off the retail price, every time you refill it! This is a pretty kickin' deal, because you can pick up the 4oz bottle for just $2.50 and the 8oz for $3.50, and you can use them at the scent bar!

We love our Santa Barbara community. We love how eco-conscious, thoughtful and caring you are too! Since we've opened the store, many loyal customers have questioned why we don't package more products in glass, like we do with some of the products in our facial line. We use PET recyclable plastic for our bath & body packaging for many reasons, but here's the main one: large glass bottles  are heavy, and prone to breaking in shipment...($$$) Since we grew to where we are today as a wholesale and online retail business, this does not work for the majority of our customers.

We also don't recommend refilling your plastic bottles for contamination reasons. Glass bottles are perfect to refill because you can easily sanitize them before bringing them in. Run them through your dishwasher or sanitize in a pot of boiling water.

We love ya SB! Oh, and we have a whole table of 15% off Valentine's gift sets at the store too this weekend...

Check us out in the LA Times today!

We're thrilled to be featured in the LA Times today on the front page of the Image section in the article

California, a cornucopia of natural beauty products

Many of our unique products were featured for their locally based antioxidant rich ingredients!

featured: 

custom vinotherapy to-go mask &24 (pictured)

spa'vignon blanc wine bar $7.95

red & white organic soap set $20

surf sea salt foot scrub $10-18

rose & grape serum $30

Thanks to the LA Times for featuring so many of our products! We're thrilled to be rolling out some new wine inspired season savvy new releases this week! Stay tuned...

latest press features

We've had some great press love the past month! 

Check out what Sip & Savor and Noozhawk 

are saying about The Grapeseed Co.

Sip & Savor Magazine | fall 2010

 

The Grapeseed Co. | Aug 28, 2010

Thanks so much for featuring The Grapeseed Co. and our new Santa Barbara store!

 More press love from this month is on it's way, 

we're working to get copies for our website and greenskincareblog.com

stay tuned...

watch me make scrub & get a sneak peek of the new store!

Your California Show filmed a piece on us that aired on CBS (KCOY ch.11 in Santa Barbara) last night and will run on FOX (ch.11 in Santa Barbara) this morning. Some CBS and FOX stations in CA will run the segment and it's already up on our website press page. Check it out and get a sneak peek of the store before the Grand Opening party this Saturday, noon-6PM in downtown Santa Barbara.

~201 W Carrillo St located on the corner of Carrillo & DeLaVina streets~

Grapeseed Co. will be on CBS & FOX tonight & Friday morning!

This past Monday, Randy White from Your California Show came out to film a piece on The Grapeseed Co. that will air tonight at 6PM on CBS (KCOY ch.12) in Santa Barbara and the central coast! FOX (ch.11) will also run the segment Friday morning during their morning news programs, and it will air again on CBS during morning news Friday.

I talked with Randy about The Grapeseed Co.'s humble beginnings in my kitchen 6 years ago, and how I learned to make natural skin care products while sailing for 2 years on a 30ft boat with my boyfriend (now husband) Peter. For the first time, I let cameras into our eco-beauty kitchen (located in the back of the new Grapeseed Co. store) to film production! If you miss the live segment, or live out of the area, you can visit http://YourCaliforniaShow.com to watch the piece after it airs. I'll post the video on our blog and website as well as soon as it's available.

Randy did a fabulous job capturing the essence of what The Grapeseed Co. is all about. Thanks so much to Randy from the entire Grapeseed Co. team! We're holding the grand opening of the store this weekend from noon-6PM. Stop by and say hello if you are in downtown Santa Barbara!

The Grapeseed Company store is located at:
201 West Carrillo St. Santa Barbara (corner of Carrillo and DeLaVina)

Regular business hours start this Sunday 8/29: 
Sunday noon-5PM
Tues-Sat 11-6PM
*we will be open by appointment only on Mondays, just call 805-456-3655, tweet us @grapeseedco, or email orders (at) thegrapeseedcompany.com

Hope to see you Saturday!

cheers,

The Grapeseed Company to Open First Retail Location in Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara, CA, August 24, 2010 – The Grapeseed Company, a Santa Barbara-based manufacturer of eco-friendly bath and body products, is opening the doors to their first retail location at 201 W. Carrillo Street on August 28, 2010. Opening day events will include a custom scent bar to create your own fragrance, mini treatments, do-it-yourself spa recipes to take home and refreshments. Goodie bags will be handed out to the first 50 customers.

“This is an exciting time for The Grapeseed Company, and an important step in expanding our business,” commented Kristin Fraser Cotte, CEO of The Grapeseed Co. “We are excited to open our doors to the local community, engage them in classes, and teach about eco-friendly practices in our products.”

Kristin founded The Grapeseed Co. in 2004 and has studied plant-derived ingredients around the globe for over a decade. Living off the grid for 2 years while sailing the Atlantic and Caribbean, she discovered the benefits of natural oils and plants used by local islanders making cosmetics in small batches. After settling in Santa Barbara, she launched a line of bath and body products centered on a local byproduct, grape seeds. Grape seeds have many health benefits, and are often tossed by winemakers after they crush their grapes. Even the packing for The Grapeseed Company’s products is eco-friendly. The paper label wrapped around the wine soap is embedded with wildflower seeds so customers can plant it and create a beautiful garden. Each formulation is handmade on site with organic and locally grown ingredients, which is important to the owners, as well as the Santa Barbara community. Customers will be able to learn how to make their own natural skin care through classes, parties and special events at the store in addition to the custom scent bar, where you can create your own lotion, body wash or massage oil daily from 11-6pm.

Grapeseed Co. products can be found at specialty retailers across the USA, UK and online at www.grapeseedco.com. The full line, including their pet care, Dirty Dog Organics, will now be available at the store.

The Grapeseed Co.’s bath, body & skincare products are made from the finest natural and organic ingredients. The entire collection contains pure expeller pressed grape seeds, a natural, antioxidant rich byproduct of wine making. The paraben, sulfate and phthalate free line is scented with scrumptious blends of natural plant oils and essences.
Contact pr@thegrapeseedcompany.com for more information or visit online at www.thegrapeseedcompany.com.

The Grapeseed Company Store Grand Opening 8/28

Join us Saturday August 28, 2010
from
12-6 pm
for 

The Grapeseed Company Store 
Grand Opening 

201 West Carrillo St. 

 in downtown Santa Barbara

on the corner of Carrillo and De La Vina Streets

Enjoy refreshments on the patio, product samples,
goodie bags for the first 50 customers, 

mini spa treatments and
DIY eco beauty kitchen recipes to take home!

for more info contact 
pr@thegrapeseedcompany.com 
See you there!

The Safe Cosmetic Act of 2010 is Not the Solution

I'm taking a moment to update you all on new proposed cosmetic legislation that will ultimately impact everyone, from large cosmetic companies, to small, green indie manufacturers (like me), to anyone who sells personal care products and cosmetics, to you, the consumer. 

H.R 5786 the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 was released yesterday. I've had a chance to read through the document multiple times and have huge concerns and questions with the bill as drafted. The entire bill can be downloaded by clicking the link above. In attempt to share my personal experience and not turn this post into a novel, I'm directing you to check out these posts that summarize and highlight just some of the many issues with the Safe Cosmetic Act of 2010 draft. I urge you to read the bill as well.

Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

Comments & Concerns Regarding The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

Interestingly enough, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CFSC) released The Story Of Cosmetics, a “shockumentary” on cosmetic safety on the very same day this proposed new legislation was released...

This was no coincidence.  

It's time to tell my own personal story, something I have been a bit hesitant to do on Green Skincare Blog up until this point. An important note to all those who support CFSC and the new bill, the signers of the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Compact were not notified in any way shape or form as to the lobbying and orchestrated release of the CFSC video with the proposed legislation draft.

I know this first hand because my company is still listed as a Compact Signer... even though I have asked multiple times to be removed due to the detrimental direction the Campaign was heading in squashing small businesses, along with the lack of science behind their agenda. I last attended an annual compact meeting at Expo West in March 2009 where I was threatened if I did not update my products in the Skin Deep system, my company would be removed as a Compact Signer. That was 17 months ago. I have not updated my products in their system, and have not been removed from the Compact. I have chosen to register with the FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) and have always listed our complete ingredient decks on TheGrapeseedCompany.com. I have sent multiple emails asking to be removed from CFSC completely, the latest sent just last week.

I still have not been removed as a Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Compact Signer. 

Lisa Rodgers, my co-founding partner at PersonalCareTruth.com and I have directly tried to work with the CFSC. After the proposed Colorado Cosmetic Bill failed, the co-founder of CFSC left multiple comments right here at Green Skincare Blog. Following our online interaction, Lisa and I had a conference call with Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the CFSC, about our concerns with the Campaign and lobbying for legislation that would hurt the small, innovative, natural companies. Stacy commented during our conversation, and in writing on my blog that her "view on Skin Deep is that it is not a perfect system and never can be, because of what it is trying to do -- analyze an entire industry based on available data, which is very limited due to the historic lack of safety regulations for chemicals."

I am still perplexed by the fact that co-founder of CFSC herself is pointing out flaws with the Skin Deep rating system CFSC Compact Signers are required to register their formulas in! I do not want my business associated with an organization lobbying to put me out of business based on fear mongering and lack of science. I support safe cosmetics based on scientific research. CFSC has not shown the science to back their rating system in Skin Deep.  The way this bill is written would impose huge fees on companies big and small which we will all end up seeing when we purchase our daily essentials, from soap to mascara.

So while CFSC is touting support for this bill from their Compact Signers, I must ask:

• How many other companies are there out there like me who have asked to be removed and the CFSC has not complied? 
• Why haven't they complied? (I think I know the answer to this one... but what do you think?)
•  How many of the companies on their signer list have gone out of business and are still listed as compact signers? 
•  How many are just plain scared to be removed due to the obvious power this “nonprofit” currently has over our government and pending legislation? (if you’re wondering why that’s in quotes, read The Revealing Truth of the Money Trail of EWG)

We all want to make sure the personal care products we use are safe, but do we want our government to create a paperwork nightmare that regulates down to nanoparticles when we don't have the science (ironically from the words of Susan Roll, a founding member of CFSC) to back it? You can listen to Ms. Roll's live statement from the Colorado hearing by clicking the link above. There may be room for improvement in FDA regulations concerning cosmetics, but The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 in it's current form is is not the solution. 

I urge you all to voice your opinion and oppose The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 in it's current draft. If you're interested in learning more about the science behind what's in your skin care products, visit Personal Care Truth.

This bill will not ensure your body is safer. 

It will make the price tag on your personal care and cosmetic products much higher. 

It will squash small businesses paving the way in innovation and green cosmetics right out of the industry.

We need to be vocal, not scared. We need to tell our stories. We need to stand up to the CFSC and make sure they are not using our businesses as "numbers" to show support of this bill. You may feel the impact in your wallets if you don't. No matter how green you consider yourself, we all use personal care products daily. This bill will impact everyone.

Perhaps this post will finally get me removed from the CFSC Compact Signers list?

As I step off my soap box, I have one last thought that has been lingering in the back of my mind for months... why is the government targeting the cosmetic industry? We have a proven track record of safety. What you apply to your body doesn't affect your system in the same way as what you put into your body... if we're concerned about health issues, cancer and safety, shouldn't we be scrutinizing diet, fitness and lifestyle choices... things that are actually scientifically proven to affect health? We have no legislation in place to cover what we eat or our lifestyle choices... why is the target pointed at the cosmetics industry?

Thank You! Personal Care Truth or Scare

I'm thrilled to share the formal release of my new site in collaboration with my co-founder, Lisa Rodgers. We graciously thank you all for the amazing feedback and support and are psyched that PersonalCareTruth.com is making the rounds in cosmetic and beauty industry news! Thank you to all my wonderful readers for confirming the need for truth in the cosmetic industry; for consumers to understand what's in their cosmetics and discuss their questions with industry insiders.

I'd like to thank the following fabulous folks for supporting us and writing about us:
Cosmetic Design: New website offers consumers product information based on scientific research
Inside Cosmeceudicals: PersonalCareTruth.com Launched
Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild: Personal Care Truth or Scare, Information Based on Scientific Facts
Chemists Corner: New Source For Personal Care Science Information
Essential U: Personal Care Truth
Indie Business Blog: Personal Care Truth Launches!

Support Truth based on Scientific Research in Cosmetics. 

Visit Personal Care Truth and grab the badge!

phthalates: are they safe?

Phthalates are a hot topic in personal care and many other industries. 60 Minutes ran a great segment last Sunday on the phthalates. Phthalates are found all around us in food, tap water, the air we breathe, plastics, household goods and many other products. The concern in personal care products centers around fragrance oils. They make fragrances linger longer and are found in many cosmetics and personal care products. It's a common misconception that all synthetic fragrances contain phthalates. In the past few years, many fragrance suppliers have moved to supplying only phthalate free fragrance oils. As the video will show you, the science on the safety of phthalates is still inconclusive. 60 Minutes did a great job reporting on both sides of the story, interviewing doctors, researchers and business. The clip below is definitely worth a watch, or you can check out the full segment and commentary here.



You won't find phthalates in any of our products. The Grapeseed Co. uses only essential oils, which are naturally steam distilled and extracted from fruits, plants and flowers to scent our products. We also have worked with many custom formulation and private label clients who do want to go the fragrance oil route, and we've created some fabulous (synthetic) fragrance oil custom scent blends using phthalate free fragrance oils.

Benefits of Red Wine for the Skin

Dr. Oz has a great article on his blog this morning called "Cheers To Red Wine". While many health professionals and media people like Barbara Walters have done features on the health benefits of red wine, I was particularly pleased to see Dr. Oz mention the great effects red wine and products made from grape seeds can have on the skin!

Dr. Oz says skin benefits come from "Polyphenols (that) protect the skin from UV light and keep it elastic. It also strengthens the cross-linking of collagen, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Studies also show that people who drink red wine have fewer cancerous skin lesions. If you cannot consume alcohol, you can get these same benefits from a grapeseed oil scrub made from the seeds/skins of red wine grapes."

You can checkout the full article on Dr. Oz's blog and read more about the skin benefits here. If you're interested in learning more about the health benefits of red wine and grape seeds, I highly recommend reading The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a Longer and Healthier Life by Dr. Joseph Maroon. We also posted a series of videos about a year ago on health benefits of wine, here are the links to check them out.
Resveratrol: Barbara Walters Investigates
The Science Behind Resveratrol: part 1
Resveratrol: Can You Intervene the Aging Process? (part 2)

I want to give a quick shout out to a twitter friend and customer who sent me this link today; thanks @erinstoupe for thinking of me! I know how I'm planning on unwinding this evening, a nice glass of Santa Barbara syrah and maybe even a custom vinotherapy mask to go along with it.... Have a fabulous Friday!

cheers,

PersonalCareTruth.com is here!

Good Morning,

I  just launched a new website! My latest venture has been a labor of love and ultimately frustration with the crazy misinformation out there about what is safe in cosmetics and personal care products.

My good friend Lisa Rodgers, creator extraordinaire of Cactus and Ivy, and I have been collaborating for months on this massive project. Lisa contacted me one morning with an idea based on a dream. I could not have asked for a more solid partner to cofound the site with! Lisa shares my work ethic, passion, and need to spread the truth, based on scientific research when it comes to beauty products.

I invite you all to spend some time at Personal Care Truth. This site was founded by beauty industry insiders, but meant for YOU ~ everyone and anyone who is concerned about what they are putting on their skin. Personal Care Truth is not about scare tactics, generalizations, fear mongering, or hopping aboard what’s considered trendy at the moment. Personal Care Truth is about education, facts, questions, research, sharing knowledge, and empowering consumers to make the choice that’s right for their families. We believe it is more powerful to provide information to educate and empower YOU as opposed to scaring you with information that has not been backed by science.

Welcome to Personal Care Truth ; come meet and learn from our well researched contributors. World renowned experts share their knowledge and research in the industry.

One more person I must give a shout out to is Jennifer Smith of Eco Office Gals. Thank you so much for helping us build the site and being the wonderful, entertaining person you are. We could not have done this without you.

Have a fabulous Monday, and let us know what you think about PersonalCareTruth.com

cheers,


 BTW, You can also follow @PrsnalCareTruth on twitter.