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Interior Designer: Peatra Jariya
Designers: Eric Pratt and Jami Spittler
Editor: Nana K. Twumasi
Production Editor: Erum Khan
Photography Sharlotta/iStock, .
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ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-359-2 | eBook 978-1-64152-360-8
I have been inspired
and privileged to know and love so many young women. My two daughters, two goddaughters, and the many wonderful friends of my children and staff members have filled my heart with love and joy. It is in watching these young women find their voice, make conscious choices and contributions, question, learn, listen, and make their way through life that moves me. These amazing women are filled with insight and the desire to grow, learn, and change. I dedicate this book to all these beautiful women, who define what beauty truly means.
CONTENTS
Although I started my career
working as a model in front of the camera, I decided to go to cosmetology school to learn what the hair and makeup artists were doing that made me look so fantastic. Instead, I fell deeply and passionately in love with skin.
Skin is not only our largest organ; it is also literally the barrier between us and the world. It helps ward off illness and can even be a diagnosis tool for many ailments that first affect the skin. At first, I did not realize how deeply affected people are when struggling with issues such as severe acne, redness, or eczema, for example, but I have learned that the health of ones skin can also be a factor in ones mental health. When I was first able to transform a young womans skin with my own acne-fighting products, her emotions were so profound I realized that working with skin is much more than skin-deep. This young woman, who had been embarrassed to be seen in public, who made herself into a social outcast, became more confident. She started going to school daily, and her depression lifted. Shed been so distraught about her appearance, and to see her change only solidified my passion for working with skin. It made me understand that working with peoples skin makes it possible for them to see beyond their reflection in the mirror. Early on in my career, I discovered I couldnt get the results I wanted from the products available on the market, so in 1997 I formulated Sumbody, one of the very first all-natural skin care brands. This was long before the onslaught of independent beauty and the popularity of being all natural. I am a trained aesthetician and the cosmetic formulator behind Sumbody, for which I source each and every ingredient and manage the manufacturing of all our skin care products.
Weve seen the momentum for eating healthy catapult to significant levelshealth food grocery stores have become big chains, when before they used to be tucked-away treasures. Culturally, we are more aware of the hazards of eating fast foods, processed foods, and white sugar, and we are replacing them with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans. But what you may not know is that we absorb more toxins through our skin. If youre eating an organic apple but soaking in a tub of chemical soup, youd be better off eating a conventionally grown apple and soaking in nontoxic ingredients. If you need evidence of how simple it is to absorb substances through our skin, consider nicotine patches, pain relief patches, and even birth control patches. Transdermal penetration is a fantastic vehicle for many things. Substances can penetrate on their own, but in the cosmetic industry we use penetration enhancers such as propylene glycol to help all the ingredients in a product get into your skin deeper than it might on its own.
My goal is to make it simple for everyone to understand the options and decide whats best for their skin.
Some years ago, I was the keynote speaker at the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. The topic was What Is Natural? Before I spoke, a group of chemists had debated this very topic, so when I gave my speech,
I said, I couldnt have planned this debate any better to illustrate my point. If we as a group of cosmetic chemists cannot agree on what natural means, how can we expect the public to understand and make choices in line with their personal beliefs? If we as an industry do not have better laws regarding what we can say on a labelsuch as all natural, hypoallergenic, and eco-friendlyhow can we expect the consumer to interpret a label? You shouldnt need to go back to chemistry class to understand what is in a product. With this book, my goal is to make it simple for everyone to understand the options and decide whats best for their skin. I want to begin by making an important distinction: Not all things that are natural are good for you, and not everything thats synthetic is inherently toxic. Natural substances, like cyanide, for example, can be extremely harmful. Some synthetic substances, such as hyaluronic acid, are actually derived from natural sources. I believe it is necessary to change the conversation from natural versus synthetic to healthy versus harmful.
