Beauty

Natural Beauty

The best organic cosmetics for your skin

BY C.M. VILLAZON

While beauty may be skin deep, we know that the products we put on our skin can be anything but. So just how is a gal to decipher all the organic mumbo jumbo on those labels? For starters, be sure your products are truly organic. Certified organic cosmetics contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients as specified by the FDA. Look for the seal on your favorite products’ packaging.

What’s more, truly green companies are taking their eco-efforts a step further by streamlining their development process via eco-packaging. Pangea organics for example uses plantable packaging with their bar soaps. Simply soak the container and plant for a beautiful budding Aramanth.

Here are just a few of our favorites on the organic beauty scene.

Image Organics
Newly introduced skincare line, Image Organics, will change the way you look at your skin. Made from the purest, certified organic ingredients, the line contains no chemical preservatives and is paraben free. The lightweight Solar Defense Organic is a daily moisturizer that protects from UV rays as well as environmental pollutants. It’s your first line of defense against the Florida sun. For more information visit imageskincare.com.

Mambino Organics
Youth Glow Omega Face Complex by Mambino Organics is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin C to repair skin and smooth lines. It also calms irritated skin and curbs rosacea for a youthful glow. Featuring rosa mosqueta, hazelnut oil, sea buckthorn fruit oil and primrose this soft-scented certified organic product and winner of the parenting Media Award, contains no parabens, petrochemicals, alcohol or synthetic
ingredients of any kind.

It’s even made of 100 percent eco-friendly, recycled stock for packaging. Find Mambino at Mimi Maternity, Wellington and Aventura. $26.

Revolutions Organics
Pucker up with Revolution Organics’ USDA Certified Organic Lip Balm. This softly scented, ultra rich and hydrating USDA food grade, certified organic balm moisturizes lips with its nourishing butters, oils and plant extract, sans the greasy feel. Egyptian Fennel with Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Balm doubles as eye gel and cuticle gel!

Now that’s organic. Find it at beauty.com or revolutionorganics.com. $24.

Ilike Organic Skincare
We nourish our bodies with carrots everyday—when we eat them. But carrots, the core ingredient in this Rich Carrot Masque, actually nourish your skin with their many healing properties.

Through the release of phytoestrogens,this luscious masque treats wrinkles, sunburn and dry skin, while regenerating skin cells and showering your face with moisture. Best of all, this product is gentle enough to use on even the most sensitive areas, like the eyes and neck. Find it at Skinact.com. $40

Suki
The active ingredients in this 100 percent natural AHA rejuvenator purify and smooth skin while gently exfoliating and removing excess oils. Featuring organic rice powder, natural sugar, lemongrass extract and pure saponified olive oil, this fresh scented exfoliant will wake up your skin. Find this vegan product at Whole Foods stores statewide and Delle Donne Naturals, Tampa. $29.99.

Baborganics
This newest holistic skincare line from the ultra luxe European line, Babor,features six body products and eight face products completely free of scents, parabens, dyes and animal proteins. This 100 percent organic line featuring the Pure Age Preventing Cream protects the skin,
prevents aging and restructures the skin from the inside out. Find it at Four Seasons Spa, Palm Beach and Miami. $80.

The Bottled Earth Company
Naples-based The Bottled Earth Company promises pure products with therapeutic-grade essential oils. Their Vanilla Ice/Organic Stress Relief Cream uplifts and calms with the sweet scents of peppermint, vanilla and lavender. Perfect for tension relief of headaches, neck pain, sore shoulders and tired feet, this rich cream is chock full of organic Shea nut butter, green tea and calendula and completely chemical-free. Find it at shop.bottledearth.com. $16.

Tammy Fender
West Palm Beach-based beauty guru,Tammy Fender, provides the über chic,eco-beauty set with fabulous holistic skin care that is not only 100 percent organic, but custom blended with the purest ingredients from around the world. Tammy Fender Purifying Cleansing Gel is invigorating, refreshing and leaves skin radiant. Infused with Moroccan Rosemary and Tangerine essential oils, this penetrating cleanser removes impurities and refreshes tired skin. Find it at Tammy Fender, West Palm Beach or TammyFender.com. $55.

Pangea Organics
Achieve a new clean with Pangea Organics bar soap.Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom is super soothing to the body and uplifting to the mind. With antiseptic and cleansing ingredients, you’re sure to be awakened. And we know you’ll love the unexpected, rich lather and soft scent. Find it at Macy’s stores statewide. $6.99.

Organic Spa

Taking a trip to a luxurious, eco-friendly spa will leave you with a personal sense of well-being and will leave only a small footprint on the environment. Luckily for the eco-chic gal, many regular spas are also offering up a wide range of green spa treatments to their clients. In fact, six prominent North American spas have vowed to use green practices. Green spa treatments offer a more balanced experience and are actually more effective in the long run. While synthetic products can provide a quick fix, they actually end up degrading the quality of the skin. Get in harmony with nature at these serene sanctuaries and you’ll quickly realize why green is great.

Verde Spa, Naples
Verde Spa, nestled inside the quaint Bellasera Hotel in Naples, offers guests a true eco-spa experience. Offering an array of organic treatments including their signature Mojito Massage and the renowned Bamboosage, Verde Spa takes its organic status very seriously. From vegan nail polish by Anice to product lines like Bottled Earth and Eminence, as well as the use of organic cotton robes and recycling efforts, the spa makes sure to lower its carbon footprint. Relax away your worries with the Bamboosage, which combines Swedish massage with deep tissue pressure via warm bamboo and rattan. Visit verdespanaples.com for more information.

Sandpearl Spa, Clearwater
The Sandpearl Spa at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater hosts organic-based and environmentally friendly therapies for the eco-chic spa goer. Using 70 percent seaweed based, spa technologies of the face and body, guests are treated to pampering services that are good for the skin. Pearl Irisdescence, their signature facial, extracts powdered pearl extracts and aromatic botanicals with lymphatic massage and aromatic botanicals for radiant and refined skin. Visit Sandpearl.com for more information.

Casbah Spa, Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale’s Casbah Spa provides nature gals an escape with their extensive list of organic, natural spa treatments including The Mango Madness Experience. While you indulge in an 80-minute mango body butter body wrap and exfoliation, you will also enjoy a Kerestase spa hair treatment, 30-minute facial and reflexology treatment with Eminence organics. Once you’re addicted, go back for a Milk and Rose Petal Soak or Romanian Mud Body Wrap. For more info call 954.630.0633 or visit casbahspa.com.

Elevenspa, Delray Beach
This chic and modern Elevenspa has always been on the forefront of what’s hot in the industry so it’s no wonder they’ve been offering their discerning guests organic facials for sometime now. The Organic Luxe Facial is a customized treatment using organic French products to maintain a fresh and youthful look. Indulge in their über luxurious skincare line, Eleven Skin, for results-oriented treatments and services using the 90 percent active ingredients in their signature products that protect your skin from the harsh effects of the environment. Get more information at elevenspa.com or call 561.278.1100.

The Ritz-Carlton, Spa South Beach
The award-winning spa at the renowned South Beach locale offers Ritz Carlton guests an organic escape with their Organic Foot Ritual. This luxurious treatment hydrates tired feet and nurtures them back to life with an organic scrub, soothing mask and ultra luxe hot oil massage. After a pedi and polish, this pampering service ends with a touch of whimsy via an exclusive color-reading of your nail color selection. To set your appointment call 786.276.4090.

Garden of Eden, Miami
The Spa of Eden (opening early 2009) at the legendary Eden Rock in Miami Beach boasts green pampering via their luxe ambiance—which includes 18 treatment suites and three levels of oceanfront space—products (including Red Flower and Decléor) and even more luxurious treatments. For an organic experience with your partner, try the romantic red Flower Couples Massage or go it solo with The Flowers-Hold-Life Ritual for balanced and hydrated skin. To book your escape, call 305.674.5585.

Gilded Spa, Palm Beach Gardens
Induge in a 50 or 75-minute organic facial at Gilded Spa in Palm Beach Gardens. Customized to your specific skincare needs, the skilled aestheticians evaluate your skin and design a facial using organic Eminence products for optimal results. Relax and enjoy a refreshing and pampering treatment knowing that all products placed on your skin are healthy and naturally organic. For more information, call Gilded Spa at 561.630.5656.

The Spa at The Four Seasons, Palm Beach
The recently opened 11,000 square foot Spa at Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach is the area’s only spa to incorporate Baborganics into their array of luxurious spa treatments. The ultra luxe line from European based Babor cosmetics, is a centerpiece of the new spa menu which offers guests a natural alternative for skin and body care. The Spa will offer a facial, body treatment and a massage using the new product line and will also adapt the products into current offerings such as the Specialty Body Glows and the Custom European facials. Book your next appointment by calling 561.533.3715.