It’s the season to be jolly, happy, and pretty, and I decided to introduce my latest addition to Petite Marie Organics range a whole month ahead its official debut. This way, you can make yourself or someone you know a nice skin-clearing gift.

As you perhaps know, I’ve been suffering from adult acne for untold years, and I got rid of this unsightly condition when I switched to organic skincare without any harmful chemicals in it. The same month I ditched benzoyl peroxide, my skin started looking much better. This was four, maybe five years ago, and it’s clear and healthy, no even monthly breakouts.

It would be nice to attribute my acne breakthrough just to healthy diet and stress relief, but it’s not true. I did use a helping hand from nature. It was a homemade aromatherapeutic concoction made with organic plant oils. I have greatly improved the recipe and during these years I’ve heard lots of good news about this cream.

So… Is your acne topical medication ruining your skin, making it dry and flaky? Are you tired to rub toxic chemicals into your inflamed lesions? 

Petite Marie Organics is introducing SKIN SAVER, the certified organic treatment for oily, sensitive skin with blemishes and post-acne marks.

SKIN SAVER is made of certified organic herbal extracts that are scientifically proven to combat acne on multiple levels. For the first time ever, these ingredients were combined in a single treatment.

SKIN SAVER is the first acne treatment to contain zero synthetic chemicals. Unlike conventional acne treatments, SKIN SAVER contains no paraben preservatives, benzoyl peroxide, mineral oil, propylene glycol or any petrochemicals. It contains no ingredients derived from animals, so it’s suitable for vegans. It was never tested on animals. I am against animal tests. Rabbits get all nervous and give wrong results. Seriously, why test an acne medication on rabbits if we have so many willing human volunteers?

In March 2008, 188 happy human volunteers with adult acne tested the formulation (versus placebo in a double-blind study) and reported amazing results:

·         77% reported diminished acne symptoms after 10 days (compared to placebo)

·         89% reported decreased frequency of acne after 30 days of use

·         84% noticed fading and dissolution of stubborn post-acne marks and scars

·         78% noted smooth and moisturized skin appearance

I believe that these phenomenal results are due to the use of highest grade ingredients that have well-documented success rate against acne symptoms.

Organic  Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) a cooling, antiseptic, and astringent herbal extract that is exceptionally well tolerated even by the most fragile skin, as proven by dermatologists of University Hospital Luebeck  in Germany in 2007.

Organic tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) is an antimicrobial agent effective against viruses, fungi, and especially P.acnes bacteria, as shown by dermatologists at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn in 2008.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citrates) is a newly found antioxidant that has strong action against pathogenic bacteria on skin. 

Neem (Azadirachta indica) is extremely effective against bacteria, fungi, and wide range of inflammatory conditions on skin, including eczema and psoriasis.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) strengthens skin’s immunity by stimulating the production of white skin cells, and cloves (Eugenia uniflora) is currently named the single most potent antioxidant and cancer protective plant known to science.

The medicinal usage of chamomile (Matricaria recutita) dates back to antiquity where such notables as Hippocrates, Galen, and Asclepius made written reference to it. Modern medical science found that chamomile is a strong antioxidant with potent anti-inflammatory and antimutagenic action. Thanks to azulene and bisabolol, chamomile also lightens the uneven skin pigmentation, often the case of post-acne marks.

The light and emollient cream is blended in base of soothing, non-comedogenic organic grape seed and castor oils in purified mineral water flowing on a certified organic soil in rural Scotland. The result: a silky smooth creamy balm that is suitable for men and women, young and old, any time of the day, winter and summer. Its feather-light whipped texture and pleasant aroma (no artificial fragrances were used!) make SKIN SAVER a wonderfully effective non-toxic option for problem skin.

SKIN SAVER makes its official debut on January 16^th, 2009. But you can win a three-month supply today! Simply join the Green Beauty Guide community by January 16th, 2009, and send me an email that you’d like to participate in a contest to win a 60 ml jar of SKIN SAVER.

 You can buy SKIN SAVER by Petite Marie Organics for limited time promotional price here.  

I’ve just gotten off the air. This was an amazing interview with The Diva Success Network, based in Georgia, and while I was musing on the benefits of going green when it comes to your beauty, an amazingly simple recipe came to my mind.

My Mom used to do it in the summertime to erase and prevent sun damage, but I feel it can be used in winter time, too, to revive glow and lightly exfoliate a dreary winter skin.

The recipe is simple: an orange juice. That’s right. Plain orange juice. My Mom rubbed half the orange or half the tangerine (or clementine, or even satsuma) all over her face, avoiding the eye area.

And it makes perfect sense: orange juice contains alpha hydroxy acids, and just the right type for your skin. Even the most fragile skins are safe with most fruit juices, apart from lemon and lime. Still, you can use them diluted.

Citrus fruit juices are naturally astringent, so they will dry up your pimples. They will lightly exfoliate thanks to fruit acids. And they are rich in age-reversing antioxidants, bioflavanoids, and vitamin C, the potent collagen rebuilder and skin lightener.

Need any more reasons to use orange juice daily as a face toner than comes full-strength, without any preservatives or fillers?

Then grab that carton of organic or at least “not from concentrate” OJ and start reviving your skin to its prime condition!

Merry Christmas!

Acne has always been my main area of interest in skincare. Being “blessed” with dense, thick, Southern European skin, I have become an unfortunate “expert” in applying acne masks, concealers, and medications since I was sixteen. My acne has never been too bad, I’ve never used retinoids, but it was quite annoying.

After a few years of being blissfully acne-free, I feel confident enough to strike against the major acne myths and toxic, damaging treatments that cause more harm than good. Benzoyl peroxide seems to be a fitting candidate for my first jolt.

As every acne suffer knows, there’s no way around benzoyl peroxide. It’s everywhere. Benzoyl peroxide is used in all popular cleansers, astringents, and moisturizers. The typical concentration for benzoyl peroxide is 2.5% to 10% for both prescription and over the counter use in treatment for acne. Higher concentrations are used for hair bleach and teeth whitening (I’ll get to that in the next posts).

In treatment of acne, benzoyl peroxide works as a peeling agent, increasing skin cell turnover and clearing pores from dead skin cells and stale sebum on which P.acnes bacteria feed, thus reducing the bacterial count. Benzoyl peroxide also kills bacteria on skin surface.

Benzoyl peroxide is usually prepared by reacting sodium peroxide with benzoyl chloride. Chemical science warns that benzoyl peroxide is highly flammable, explosive, toxic, a possible tumor promoter and may act as a mutagen - that is, it may promote cancerous mutations of skin cells.

While benzoyl peroxide may kill the bacteria and relieve the inflammation, it is a strong irritant that may actually trigger acne and make it worse. In a 1977 study, 76% of participants treated with benzoyl peroxide developed a contact dermatitis caused by allergic reaction to benzoyl peroxide. The symptoms included burning, itching, peeling and swelling.

The worst thing about benzoyl peroxide is its ability to increase free radical damage and thus increase the risk of skin cancer. By stripping the skin of its natural protective mantle, benzoyl peroxide makes it more vulnerable to UV radiation and air pollution. Besides, due to its chemical structure, benzoyl peroxide generates free radicals directly on skin surface. Doubled by sun exposure, the oxidative stress from benzoyl peroxide can cause irreversible damage to skin that may eventually lead to skin cancer.

This is not an alarmist conclusion. Benzoyl peroxide has been linked to skin cancer since 1990s. Scientific publications call this chemical a free radical-generating skin tumor promoting agent. FDA studies found that “determined that the studies show that benzoyl peroxide is a skin tumor promoter in more than one strain of mice as well as in hamsters.” In 1990, the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reported about an experiment on mice receiving topical applications of benzoyl peroxide. “Ten days later tumor promotion was begun by twice-weekly topical application of BPO (20 mg/animal),” reported scientists from Department of Dermatology, Skin Disease Research Center, University Hospital of Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1995 the U.S. FDA stated that benzoyl peroxide is no longer safe for use.  It is now classified as Category III (safety is uncertain) ingredient. According to legislation, manufacturers and product marketers must provide this information to skin care professionals so that consumers can be advised of the potential dangers.  Basically, the products containing benzoyl peroxide must carry a label with warnings, similar to those on cigarette packs. So far, nothing happened.

Today, cancer-causing acne chemical benzoyl peroxide is present in the following products:

• Rite Aid Acne Spot Treatment
• ZAPZYT Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Gel
• ZAPZYT Maximum Strength 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Gel
• Clean & Clear Maximum Strength Persa-Gel
• Topix Benzoyl Peroxide Wash (various concentrations)
• CVS Acne Treatment   
• Topix Benzaderm Gel
• Topix Benzaderm Gel, 5% acne treatment 3
• Stiefel PanOxyl Bar 10% Acne Wash Maximum Strength
• Stiefel PanOxyl Stiefel PanOxyl Bar (various concentrations)
• DDF Medicated Skin Cleanser 10% with Tea Tree   
• Stiefel PanOxyl Bar 5% acne treatment  
• DDF Benzoyl Peroxide Gel (various concentrations)
• Oxy Balance Maximum Acne Treatment
• Oxy Emergency Spot Treatment
• MD formulations Benzoyl Peroxide 10
• Peter Thomas Roth BPO Gel (various concentrations)
• Jan Marini Benzoyl Peroxide 5% acne treatment
• Roth Pumice Medicated Acne Scrub BPO 2.5% acne treatment, exfoliant/scrub 4
• Oxy Acne Wash
• Stridex Power Pads
• DDF Pumice Acne Scrub
• DDF Medicated Shave Cream, BP 2.5% & Tea Tree Oil
• Serious Skin Care Continuously Clear Clearz-it Acne Medication Daytime Blemish Preventor
• Peter Thomas Roth BPO Gel 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication acne treatment
• BioElements Breakout Control Emergency Blemish Lotion with BP
• B. Kamins Chemist Bio-Maple medicated acne gel (various concentrations)
• Pevonia Botanica Spot Treatment
• Pevonia Botanica Clarifyl Spot Treatment
• Clearasil Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Cream, Vanishing
• Johnson & Johnson Clean & Clear Daily Cleanser
• Neutrogena On-the-Spot Vanishing Formula Acne Treatment
• Earth Therapeutics First Aid Kit, Acne Treatment
• Dermalogica special clearing booster acne treatment
• N.V. Perricone M.D. Cosmeceuticals Acne Treatment Gel Cream
• Acnefree Oil Free Purifying Cleanser
• Rodan and Fields Unblemish Acne Lotion

If you don’t want to deal with skin cancer in future, avoid using benzoyl peroxide - starting now. Instead, opt for salicylic acid, which is not really green, being a petrochemical, but at least it does not cause severe side effects. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial that works really well to kill the inflammation associated with acne.

Don’t poison yourself. Give benzoyl peroxide a boot. Right now.

I am very excited about my 1-hour long (!!!) interview next Thursday, December 11, 2008, on Diva Success Network Radio at Radio Sandy Springs, Georgia (1620 AM). Make sure to tune in at 1 pm Eastern time - we can chat online about all things green, pretty and plain gorgeous!

For more information, the show schedule, or to listen live check the Radio Sandy Springs website.

I look forward to hearing from all of you!

MICHELLE, 34, GA (USA)

Q: What can we do to prevent lips from getting dry and chapped? Any useful tricks to protect lips in the winter?

Jessica, New York

A: Dry lips can be soothed and moisturized with olive oil mixed with beeswax. This is the purest thing you can apply to your lips. I love castor and coconut oils but I find olive oil more nourishing for winter time.  Here’s a super easy recipe: take a tea cup and combine a small cube of beeswax, approximately half-ounce, and two teaspoons olive oil.

You can also add a small dollop of honey to this blend, if you like, but again, if you make the balm too sweet you will be prompted to lick your lips too often, and that’s not good! That’s why I prefer to make lip balms that are neutral to taste and are not fragranced. Unbleached beeswax always has a faint honeycomb smell, it’s more than enough to disguise the aroma of the oil.

Combine olive oil (or any oil of your choice) and beeswax, cover the cup with a non-PVC kitchen film and microwave for 15 seconds or until the oil and wax melt. I never use microwave for cooking but I guess it’s more or less OK for skincare!

Carefully stir the blend and pour it into any empty tins or tiny pots you have around the home. Empty jars from eye creams or mini size products or samples are excellent! You can add some color with raspberry, beets or even strawberry juice. You can also add some mineral shimmer if you like.

You can buy unbleached beeswax online, it’s a great money saver, and you can use it to make your own face moisturizers, hair balms, feet and hand treatments, virtually anything!

In my vegan line Petite Marie Organics, I use emulsifying wax which is non-animal derived, so you may prefer to use it, it’s very simple to use, and it’s absolutely unscented.

As I browsed through my notes arranging them for a possible book of green beauty recipes I found some green beauty gems that may be helpful to soothe acne zits and pimples.

For some reason, pimples show up more readily just before the holiday. Maybe it’s all that stress; maybe worries about family reunions take their toll; maybe an abundance of greasy, sweet, baked food shows up on our faces. All these things matter. So what to do if you notice a half-carat zit ripening shamelessly a night before the office party?

First of all, don’t reach for that tube of toothpaste. It doesn’t work. If anything, it further irritates your skin thanks to all the peppermint, triclosan and other things you’d better keep away from your face. Safe and natural homemade solutions for acne are all over your home - they hide in the kitchen, in your bathroom, even in your garden or window sill.

Here are ten super-simple ways to keep your skin clear and acne free simply by using what you have available at home - and each recipe costs pennies to make!

1.  Garlic makes a great topical treatment for acne. Simply rub a clove of garlic over a pimple or cut the clove in half, apply over the zit, secure with a Band-Aid and leave overnight.

2. Onions are great for reducing pimples and erasing post-acne scars. Make a puree in a food processor and apply as a mask once a week.

3. Lemon makes a wonderful whitening solution for acne scars and marks.

4. Baking soda mixed with Castile soap is a great antibacterial scrub.

5. Fine sea salt mixed with an egg white works great for delicate, sensitive skin that is plagued by acne. Apply as a mask and gently remove using circular motions.

6. Honey can be applied as a mask and a topical remedy for acne.

7. Vinegar can make a great antiseptic toner for acne, and it can be very mild if blended in equal proportions with water or green tea.

8. Yogurt is a very effective yet gentle acidic facial peel that is safe for acne-prone skin. Apply directly from the pot and leave for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off.

9. Cut a circle of gauze approximately the size of your face, soak it in freshly steeped green tea and apply all over your face. Let dry and carefully remove to see your blemishes diminished in half.

10. Garden herbs such as Echinacea, lemon balm, rosemary, dill, and parsley are great to make into teas and infusions - they purify the skin and strengthen the immune system. 

Clear, healthy skin doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and remember, nature always knows best!

Winter is here, even in Southeastern England. As a homesick Torontonian who used to wrap her skin in insulating layers of beeswax, olive oil, and occasional mineral oil, I instinctively reach for my rich cleanser and moisturizer when the temperature drops below +5 Celsius. At night. Which is the lowest you can get here.

(Boy, do I miss the snow.)

So winter is with us, and it’s to stay for another three or four (or six) months. Let’s not let it ruin our faces, as usual. I am not talking Christmas parties. I am talking skincare here.

It’s time to embrace oils and let them rule every skin product you use. Rose hip, jojoba, grape seed, pomegranate seed oils, to name just a few, have high concentrations of essential fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, C, and E that work in synergy to ward off free radical and photo damage to our skin. Rose hip oil is especially helpful for acne because it contains lots of vitamin A which helps to normalize skin cell turnover. Many oils contain phytonutrients that further enhance antioxidant potential. For example, pomegranate seed oil contains natural polyphenol ellagic acid that is scientifically proven to shield cells from free radicals, relieve inflammation, and prevent mutations that lead to skin cancer. In fact, pomegranate seed oil contains three times more antioxidants than green tea or red wine.

When used regularly, as a part of your skincare routine, plant oils can help prevent acne and premature aging.

Plant oils, especially jojoba oil and shea butter, chemically resemble skin’s own oil, sebum. When we apply lightweight, anti-inflammatory oil blends, skin is adequately moisturized, and it produces less of its own oil. This happens because plant oils actually penetrate into the upper layer of skin while mineral oils simply sit on skin’s surface like cling wrap. Besides, oils help dissolve waxy buildup inside the pores so they may look smaller. Best oils for acne include jojoba, grape seed, pomegranate oils. Coconut butter is excellent for massaging and cleansing dry skin with acne breakouts because it has a cooling, soothing effect.

So welcome to the season of wonderful oils. In my next posts I will introduce some of the most beneficial oils for each skin condition, as well as some recipes to help you make oils an integral part of your beauty routine.

Here’s a cheerful and incredibly to-the-point article by Erin Kobayashi for EcoLogic at Toronto Star.

I am thrilled to be covered by my hometown newspaper. I am so thrilled, I jumped like that vegan bunny.

Thanks Erin!

Pregnancy led blogger to book, skin care line

It took her “about a year to convince my mom that being green was not a religious cult,” says former Toronto resident Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide.

Former magazine beauty editor’s gentle products for mothers and babies are organic – and edible.

Green beauty blogger and former Torontonian Julie Gabriel wasn’t always a green diva.

A former beauty editor for Harper’s Bazaar in Europe, and founder of the website Toronto Fashion Monitor, Gabriel quickly made a jump from conventional to organic beauty products.

Why the sudden switch? The former product junkie discovered she was pregnant with her now 19-month-old daughter, Marie. Gabriel has just launched a skin-care line for mothers and babies called Petite Marie Organics, and released her book, The Green Beauty Guide, published by HCI Books… [READ MORE]

How much time are you willing to devote to your skin in the morning and evening and weekly?

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Which three things would you most like to change about your skin or hair?

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Are you willing to make beauty products at home?

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What is your main inspiration about going green with your beauty routine?

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Why do you want to try green beauty products?

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