valentine_01A Marriage of Health and Beauty

by Sharon L. Shervington

As much of the world moves toward a greener standard, more beauty companies are shifting to a model that promotes healthy skin over makeup, along with developing product formulations that contain fewer irritants and toxic fillers. There is an effort to be more environmentally friendly and health-focused, including in bath and body lines, our focus here.

Some of these lines have medical-office distribution and blend high-grade botanicals, luxurious textures, and, sometimes, developments in anti-aging science. Companies are increasingly offering products that are often free of paraben, FD&C dye, phthalates, and sulfate, and some are even vegan. What better time than Valentine’s Day to explore this expanding range of health-and-wellness-focused goodies, some available in Asheville, others online.

“A perfect balance between healthy and decadent,” describes mybody, sold in dermatologists’ offices and online. Though the key products in the line are for facial care specializing in acne, sensitive and aging skin, the company has added four body products that are perfect for Valentine’s Day. A Probiotic Body Lotion and Bath and Shower Gel are available in Rose Chamomile and Bergamot Lime, and they layer really well. They are highly moisturizing and calming to the skin.

Also available in doctors’ offices and some online beauty sites is Vivite, another line that offers just a couple of products for the body. This line is built around glycolic acid, and the body lotion has a wonderful gel texture that melts right into thirsty skin. There is also Vibrance Decollete Therapy which also makes a great hand cream. Glycolic acid is used in many skin-care products for its non-granular exfoliation that smoothes and brightens skin. For those who use them, sunscreen is a must. For more sensitive skin the line’s Replenish Hydrating Cream is exceptional.

Other lines create an environment. One of the best, kai, has many A-list celebrity devotees, a diverse group that includes Usher; Pink; Nicole Kidman, and many others. It comes in a gorgeous woven-bamboo box with everything from room fragrance to body polish and body butter.

This tranquil line has built a steady and devoted following and is sold online at various websites and at exclusive spas and boutiques on four continents. Its elegant white and green signature packaging reflects the line’s gardenia top note wrapped in white exotics and its peaceful message – “breath, life, flow.”  To try several of these Oprah-favorite products with just a little splurge, go for the new travel set: five bath treats in a small, airline-friendly case.

Lush-The popular and inexpensive Pacifica is available at Whole Foods and EarthFare in many fruity, floral, and spicy scents. Each one comes in a body wash, lotion, solid perfume, and room diffuser. Try Hawaiian Ruby Guava for a relaxing and guilt-free treat.

Lush is a company that has experienced both explosive and steady growth over the last several years, with boutiques all over the U.S. and with online availability as well. For Valentine’s Day try the Be Mine Box, which contains several rose-themed bath treats in a gift box.

Really unique is the addictive Rose Argan, a body conditioner that has the texture of a hair conditioner and smells like rose jam. You slather it on in the bath or shower, then rinse. You can apply moisturizer – or not. Many of Lush’s creams and lotions come in black pots that are recyclable. For every five clean empty pots you return you get a free pot of one of their freshly mixed face masks.

With the exception of Vivite, on which I do not have confirmation at press time, none of these companies uses animal testing.

This article started as a simple Valentine’s Day gift story, but as I did the reporting it morphed into something else and I found myself running out of space with a lot left to write about. So this story will become an occasional series. In forthcoming articles we’ll explore facial-care lines from the companies here as well as artisanal beauty companies like Red Flower, Eminence, and other extraordinary beauty-experience lines that mesh well with Asheville sensibilities. We’ll also look at some department-store lines like La Mer – which was originally created to heal burn scarring, and we’ll look at English and French lines like Elemis and Vichy.

Santé, and Happy Valentine’s Day.