We warmly welcome you into our Spotlight, Narelle.  Please give us some insight into your introduction to natural beauty care.

     While completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Management in 1992, a friend introduced me to a new natural skin care range on the market. The company prided itself on producing the best products from "science and nature.”  They talked a lot about the good ingredients, but didn’t say much about the bad ones; in fact they denied having any bad ingredients at all!  Even though the products contained ingredients I could not pronounce, because they claimed to be from natural ingredients like coconut and palm, I just presumed they were natural and safe.
     One day, soon after I began selling this “natural” skin care range to my friends and family, a cosmetic ingredient dictionary “jumped” out at me while I was browsing through a health food store.  The dictionary told me of the dangerous properties of the ingredients in the products I was using.  YUCK! I was disillusioned, and quite annoyed!  I felt that I had been deceived.  Hence began my search for TRULY natural products.
My mother-in-law (God bless her) gave me some books on aromatherapy, herbal remedies, and how to make your own skin care out of natural ingredients.  Surprisingly, even these books recommended the use of toxic preservatives, (which I wasn’t going to touch!)  So I started experimenting with some skin creams and giving them away as gifts.
     As my research continued, I was captivated with the many wonderful offerings of Mother Nature, and grew more concerned about the toxic synthetic ingredients that most cosmetics seemed to contain.  I was inspired to let people know about the toxins in skin care, and felt I could offer a real alternative.  Some of my articles were published in some well-respected natural health magazines, and I realised there was a demand for knowledge about toxic ingredients and truly natural products.  Apparently, I was on a winner!
     My hand-made products turned out to be quite popular and my hobby grew into a home-based business - Intelligence Cosmetics.  It was great; I had just given birth to baby number 3, and this was something I could do in my own time at home.

How did your current product line develop?  What other areas do you see your company getting into?
     Eighteen months later, Alf Orpen approached me after I had a stall at a natural products expo and challenged me to create certified organic products.  I had been eating organic food since my first pregnancy in 1994, and I believed wholeheartedly in the organic philosophy.  I was up for the challenge!  Even within my “Intelligence” range, I used ingredients that I was not entirely happy with.  After another eighteen months of research and development, the Miessence Certified Organic product range was born!
However, it does not stop there!  Our intention is to create a whole range of certified organic lifestyle products, from cosmetics, to garden products, household cleaners, pet products, as well as a range of healthy food supplements to increase our wellness and vitality!  Let there be no doubt that we will revolutionise the health and beauty industry!  Stay tuned to this company!

What advice would you give to the consumer for using their own power to turn the larger companies around?
     One of my personal objectives is to help level the playing field between multi-national companies, with big marketing budgets, and the consumer.  Education is the key here.  If we know how to read labels, we can choose to avoid toxins. 
     We, as consumers, are incredibly powerful; we just need to own it!  The cosmetics industry alone is worth something like US$20 billion a year.  Most of this turnover supports the use of toxic chemicals.  If we tell the big multi-nationals, we will no longer put up with the toxic waste they put into our bodies and the environment through their products (by refusing to buy them) they will have no choice but to make the changes we wish to see!
     As Ghandi said, “Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty.”  There are so many candy-coated evils promoted to us by tabloids, women’s magazines, and television.  We need to look beyond the hype of big-business propaganda, and not believe everything we hear!  If we commit to educating ourselves and acting responsibly upon that new knowledge, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
     Be a beacon of light in the sea of ignorance and apathy - stand up and be counted!
     Act to improve your health and wellbeing, daily!
     Support companies that support the ethical use of the earth’s resources!
     Educate your colleagues and families about toxins in their environment and food!
     Pray for the enlightenment of our planet’s leaders and power brokers. God knows they need it!


Did you always have an interest in a more natural way of living
(diet, health)? Please tell us more about your earlier influences in
life.

     I grew up on fruit loops, milo and meat with three veg for dinner.
Pretty 'normal' diet.  I was diagnosed with cervical dyplasia at age
21, which was a pretty big scare for me.  That was the turning point
at which I decided that 'health' was the path I wanted to take.  I
bought books and read about detoxifying the body and starting eating
only organic food.  Fairly soon after, I was pregnant with my first
child.  We now have 3 beautiful children, who have been brought up in
an 'organic' lifestyle.  They've never been vaccinated, never have
anti-biotics, don't go to the doctors, don't have asthma, ADHD or any
of the usual childhood illnesses.  They are fantastically healthy with
beautiful muscular bodies.  They sometimes ask why they can't have
'normal' lunches, like their friends.  I've always told them just to wait and watch... they'll be strong and healthy, and their schoolmates will slowly get fatter and become sicker... which, unfortunately, has been the case.

 

When you began formulating all-natural beauty products, which books (and/or classes) did you find helpful?

     Anything I could find!  Books, the internet, courses... by far the most helpful to me was refusing to believe that formulating truly organic products couldn't be done.  Even the books on 'natural skincare' I read recommended the use of dangerous synthetic preservatives and synthetic emulsifiers.

 

What do you feel are some of the misconceptions about so-called 'natural' beauty care?

     That they ARE natural is a big misconception!  WRONG!  For example,
to create one of the 10,000 chemicals found in cosmetics that are claimed to be 'natural', cocoamide DEA, from coconut oil requires the use of a known carcinogen: diethanolamine.  Now, I may be old fashioned, but to me, adding a carcinogen to a natural substance renders it no longer natural!  Or safe for that matter!  In most cases, natural is nothing more than marketing hype.

 

What changes have you seen in the public's awareness of toxic
chemicals in beauty products since you started your business?

     There has been a huge increase in awareness in toxins in beauty
products in the last decade.  We now have very informative websites
such as Skin Deep (http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/).  Skin Deep
is a personal care product safety guide with in-depth information on
14,228 products - 988 brands of lotion, lip balm, deodorant,
sunscreen and other popular products - and the 6,923 ingredients that
form them.  With its core of 37 toxicity and regulatory databases, Skin Deep provides safety ratings and brand-by-brand comparisons that
can help consumers choose safer products.

 

Please tell us about your product lines and how they are sold.

     Miessence™ is currently the only skin care product on the planet that has submitted to, and complies with, the rigorous processing and labeling requirements for certified organic food products.  There are two levels of certification for organic food products that Miessence skin care products comply with:

1.  Products branded "Miessence certified organics" are certified
organic:
These products contain (excluding water and salt) at least 95% organically produced agricultural ingredients.  The remaining ingredients (up to 5%) can be non-agricultural substances or non-organically produced agricultural ingredients, with strict processing criteria (eg. absolutely no GMOs or synthetics chemicals).  These products bear the Australian Certified Organic logo.

2.  Products branded "Miessence organics" are either "made with
organic ingredients" or are "mineral-based" products:
a) Made with organic ingredients products contain (excluding water
and salt) at least 70% organically produced agricultural ingredients.
Any remaining can be non-agricultural substances (eg, clay, bicarb
soda, minerals) or non-organically produced agricultural ingredients,
with strict processing criteria (eg. absolutely no GMOs or synthetics
chemicals).
b) Mineral-based products contain non-agricultural substances (eg,
clay, bicarb soda, minerals), with strict processing criteria (eg.
absolutely no GMOs or synthetics chemicals).
These products bear the BFA Registered Product logo.

     They are sold through a unique multi-channel-enterprise system which
incorporates home shopping, health and beauty professionals,
fundraising for non-profit organisations, word-of-mouth marketing and
retailing.

What standards does your company adhere to, when manufacturing
your all-natural beauty products?

     We are certified to organic food standards and have all the Quality
Checks and traceability required in the production of organic
foods.  Organic certification is your guarantee of product integrity.

We've all learned some lessons the hard way.  Would you like to
share any lessons that you've learned along the way of creating your products and starting your company?  What tips or advice do you have for someone just starting off in this business?

     Never give up!  Believe in yourself, even when you think no one else
does.  Have a good product that people want, that you are proud to
stand behind.  Trust people, but don't give your power away.  Follow
your instinct.  Know your competition.  Hire slowly, fire quickly! 
Respect your staff and involve them in your vision.  Don't try to do
everything.  If you want to grow, let go.  Communicate!

 

What is your idea of the perfect spa treatment. What would the
environment be like, and what products would be used (and they don't have to be just your own products ;-)?

     A deliciously scented Coconut salt scrub, mud body pack, total body
massage (by 4 people!) under the shade of palms on a beach of a
deserted tropical island with lots of organic fruit and Coconut
cocktails afterwards!