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Jerome Petit, talks to Pecha Kucha about his intrigue for the power of plant ingredients and his passion to understand their formidable healing and hypo-allergenic properties, which has led to the creation of Natura products and the Three Skin Concept. It is always said in my family that I was a miracle and I shouldn’t be here. My Mum lost my twin during pregnancy and to keep me she was given many injections and hormones. I eventually safely arrived but was greeted by the compulsory French armada of vaccines. Within a few days of administration I developed red rashes; allergy reactions to the ‘cocktail’ of drugs which was treated with steroids injections. Only a few months old, my rather small liver was completely exhausted trying to process all these chemicals. I subsequently developed eczema and suffered allergies to almost everything for my entire childhood. Almost every single remedy from conventional medicine to spiritual healers, curative spa waters and even more injections were tried with some success but the condition always returned. It was around my fifteenth year that I found true consistent relief with the discovery of chemical-free natural products when my dad painted my room with a natural paint. It made such vast difference to my skin condition and provided real relief. Chemical paints, even when dry still give off volatile fumes for several years and this was instrumental in causing my condition to flare. I then discovered a lotion that was made of completely natural ingredients I could apply to my skin and meant I could stop using a prescribed petro-chemical based steroid cream. I became intrigued by the power of the plant ingredients used and this developed into a passion to understand their formidable healing and hypo-allergenic properties which in turn led to the development of the three skin concept and natura organics 2 years ago.
We don’t use animal ingredients such as lanolin and beeswax. There is no need for such ingredients nowadays. We also do not use any parabens which are common in most high-street products. You might have heard that without parabens you would have to keep products such as ours in the fridge. This kind of nonsense is propaganda and untrue. We are also more than just ‘organic’. We are also certified by the ethical company organisation (eco) and were one of the first beauty companies to carry their logo. A certified organic product by a recognised authority means the word organic is not just being used as a marketing tool but a product with at least 99 % of the ingredients being natural and any certifiable organic ingredients are derived from a certified organic farm. This is what a real organic product is! Many products nowadays seem to have the buzz words ‘natural’ and/or ‘organic’ associated with them, but there is no real distinction for consumers. There is a great need to provide information so that consumers understand exactly what they are buying, in the same way consumers are learning about food, how it is grown and the additives and preserves used in the making of it. A natural care product such as a shampoo which claims to be ‘natural’ by law has to be comprised of only 1% natural ingredients. Some brands are also now trying to jump on the organic bandwagon by claiming their product is made with certified organic ingredients. Certified by whom? Typically products with this claim have 1 to 3% organic ingredients of all ingredients on the label. Putting some organic pepper on your typical ready-packed meal does not make it organic! We are currently certified organic by ‘nature et progres’ which means ‘living in harmony with nature while making progress.’ It was the first association to set a beauty organic standard back in 1984 when we didn’t even understand organic food. In future we will move to EcoCert as a certifier as they are renown internationally and really want to educate the manufacturer and consumer, helping both parties in understanding better what is allowed and what is not by supplying info on raw materials, formulations etc. Being ‘certified organic' is one thing but what is crucial is to create a product that works as good if not better than conventional products. Some Certification bodies simply have no understanding of what a cosmetic product actually needs to do, prioritising their organisations principles over function. For example, there is a shampoo which is ‘certified organic’ by a highly reputable association whose roots were founded with food. The problem is it doesn’t really work. If I was a consumer and bought a shampoo particularly a certified organic one that didn’t wash my hair - I would be pretty upset. Wouldn’t you be especially if it cost up to five times as much? This is potentially damaging to the whole certified organic movement and maybe why some companies simply make a product that works rather than a certified organic one. Oh, and ours do work For me, creating a range of facial and body care products is more than being part of the industry and creating another, ‘Me too’ offering. It is an uncompromising preference for the best ingredients to make the purest organic product possible, in order to be true to our motto: Pure, Organic and Ethical. Click here to view the Natura 'Face' Collection >> Click here to view the Natura 'Body' Collection >> Click here to view the Natura 'Salon' Collection >> |
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