As we become more aware of the dangerous chemicals plaguing many of our favorite skin-care products, we find ourselves looking around for alternatives. Where are the more conscientious companies that use organic ingredients, avoid potential cancer-causing chemicals, give back to charity, think green, and shun animal testing?
In addition to some of the other brands we’ve mentioned in this post (including Burt’s Bees, Jason Natural Products, and Avalon Organics), we’ve come upon a new player in the game with a healthy hand of good sense.
“I’ve always had a bad feeling about putting something on my face that contained synthetic fragrances, lots of alcohols or a compound that there is no explanation for,” says Michael Lamb, co-founder of jeune d’âge organics. “We put this company together so we could offer a better solution to people concerned about chemicals.”
“When I turned 50,” says Michael’s business partner, Daniel DeLave, “I knew I wasn’t going to get any younger, and I started looking for antioxidants in a skin care product. When I found some halfway decent products, they were going to cost me more than I was willing to spend. A guy is not going to spend over $200 a month.”
Finding a gap in the market for affordable, natural skin care that would have real anti-aging effects, Mike and Daniel started researching ingredients. “We wanted antioxidants,” Daniel says, “but we wanted organic and natural ingredients, not these chemicals we couldn’t even pronounce. So we narrowed down our ingredient list and went to a lab and said, ‘This is what we want.’”
“I have suffered from minor skin irritations for years,” says Mike, “I didn’t want alcohols in the formulas, I didn’t want parabens, and I didn’t want artificial fragrances.” When his dad started battling skin cancer, Mike was even more determined that his skin-care line would contain no potentially damaging ingredients.
Launched earlier this year, jeune d’âge (young of age) boasts a complete line of natural/organic skin care (with ingredients transparently listed and explained on their web site), including a cleanser with rooibos tea and jojoba oil; toner with tea tree oil and sea kelp; face and body lotion with shea butter and green tea; and the flagship product, the Anti Aging Serum, which comes in single-dose application packs to protect the delicate ingredients from oxidation. “The antioxidants have to be protected from the light, heat, and air,” Daniel says. “It makes no sense to put these delicate ingredients in a formula, then open the jar and expose them to the elements, oxidizing the very ingredients that are suppose to neutralize the free radicals on your skin.”
“By using individual packets,” Mike says, “we don’t worry about the anti-oxidants oxidizing, and the product remains fresh without synthetic preservatives. We just couldn’t find a reliable airless pump.”
“The best part?” says Gouldylox Reviews, a fan of jeune d’âge. “It comes in stable, single-use packages that are incredibly generous. The product is also vegan-friendly and comes in a nifty box that can be planted to produce wildflowers.”
Daniel and Mike have also reached their goal of producing a natural product that’s affordable. Unlike competitor products that run $100 or more, jeune d’âge’s Anti-Aging Serum is only $39.95, with refills for $10 less. “The market expects a higher price for a better product,” Mike says, “but we’ve taken out the distribution, and we sell through product representatives and directly, online, so we can keep costs down. We’ve received attractive offers to sell out to distributors, but that would defeat the purpose. We want to get natural, organic skin-care products out there to more people who need them.”
Though young, jeune d’âge is already getting involved in charitable organizations, and will be donating to the National Afterschool Association, and to cancer-awareness campaigns. “We didn’t originally intend to team up with cancer-awareness,” Mike says, “but as we built the brand, we realized it was a natural fit.” As Mike’s mom was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer, the issue has become even more important to him. “Lately, we’ve been sending products to organizations for free, and they’ve used them to raise money for pancreatic, ovarian, and breast cancer,” Mike says. “In some small way, we want to help out.”
If you want to try jeune d’âge Organics, please see their website at www.tobetterskin.com.
