Episode 8

What Clean Beauty Really Means and How to Avoid Greenwashing with Kari Gran

Today my guest is the fabulous Kari Gran, Co-Founder Kari Gran Skincare. Kari Gran is a prominent voice within the all-natural skincare market and brings a wealth of knowledge regarding the skincare needs of women in midlife. 

For over 10 years, Kari has been thriving on her own terms in the world of clean skincare with her effective, luxurious, and beautifully packaged products.

The former self-confessed “beauty product junkie” has built a company, along with her business partner Lisa Strain, centered around a small line of oil-based skincare products that she personally researched, developed, and tested. Each product is carefully crafted to restore and rejuvenate the skin and is made with organic, naturally derived, and non-GMO ingredients.

“When it comes to natural skincare, less is more”, says Kari.  “It only takes a few simple steps each day to care for our body’s largest organ: the skin.” 

In this episode we talk about what the term “clean beauty” really means and how to choose truly non-toxic products that are good for both you and the planet. Kari also talks greenwashing in the beauty industry and how you can avoid it.

Where to find Kari:

https://karigran.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karigranskin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karigranskincare

YouTube

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/karigranskin/

Mentioned in the episode:

Pact Collective

Plastic Bank

Interested in working with Jeannie? Schedule a 30-minute Coffee Talk here.

Connect with me on Instagram @joliverwellness and check out the options for my more affordable self-study programs here: https://www.joliverwellness.com/diy-programs

Music credit: Funk’d Up by Reaktor Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Transcript
CleanBeautyWKariGran:

Hey, Carrie.

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So welcome.

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Thank you for joining me today.

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I'm so excited to have you here.

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Thanks, Jeannie.

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It's really fun to be here.

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Yeah, I've been thinking about this

for a while and I know that you

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and I could talk about the whole

subject of skin for hours on end.

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So we may have to do a follow

up or future, future podcast

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episodes , on skincare.

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Cause there's a lot there to unpack.

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There is.

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And I'm in anytime.

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Awesome.

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Yay.

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Good.

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So why don't we just kick it off?

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Tell us a little bit about you and how

you got into starting Carrie Graham skin.

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Well, it's an interesting story how I

got started because it doesn't follow the

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typical trajectory of starting a business.

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It's something that I truly fell into it.

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It was kind of a hobby.

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Let's put it that way.

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I was an over consumer of Skin

care products, beauty products,

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anything related to personal care.

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Up until I realized there was a point

in time that ingredients do matter.

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What you're putting on and in your body

and really it all started with food

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So I'm sure that you can completely

relate to that, but I didn't understand

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how important What I ate was to how I

felt especially when you deal with a

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chronic illness so I was diagnosed with

Hashimoto's and Graves disease which are

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both autoimmune forms of thyroid disease

when I was 29 after years and years and

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years and years of years of not being

able to figure out what was wrong with me.

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And so that's what ultimately led

me to the path of where I am now.

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But I am going to be 55 this year.

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And so do the math.

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It's not a short path.

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It took me here.

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Um, so going back to food,

I started in about:

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Learning more about food through

Michael Pollan and his books.

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And then I took that into the world

of looking at ingredient labels

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of what I was putting on my body.

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And so there are a myriad of ingredients

that are in many personal care products

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that can contribute to endocrine

disruption or hormone disruption.

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And I had a lot of stuff going on

with my hormones, and so I thought,

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hmm, maybe I'll just start here.

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And by doing that, In about 2008, nine,

it was really hard to find products

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that didn't have a bunch of stuff in

it that I didn't want specifically for

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me, what I started with was synthetic

fragrance and parabens because otherwise

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the list gets so long that you can get

paralyzed and then you don't write, you

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don't know, you don't know what to do.

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So it was, it was a hobby thing for me and

although I had been making and creating

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lip products for friends and family for

about 20 years, I hadn't delved into the

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world of skincare, but I left a career

that I had had for close to 20 years

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in 2010 and took a year to kind of, you

know, I don't know if you want to call it

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a midlife crisis or just to find myself.

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Uh, and I don't know.

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if either one of those

was fully fleshed out.

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But in that time period, I did

create the core skincare line, which

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is the line that we still have in

place 10 plus years later today.

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So it was a health crisis of sorts.

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I believe that brought me to the place

where I am, but I think that overall

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it's such a big picture that I don't

want to say that only changing my

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personal care usage routine contributed

to the overall health and wellness

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path that I wanted to be on.

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It was really taking a strong

look at every area of my life.

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And I had a career that was pretty, um,

all encompassing and I worked a lot and

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I just didn't have any real balance.

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And I think that balance is another

tricky word because ultimately...

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Do we ever really achieve that?

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But it was, it was pretty upside down

in the career that I had before I left.

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So that's how it started.

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And I made something for myself.

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I shared it with a good friend who now

is my business partner, and it was her

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big idea to turn this into a company.

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So that's in a big nutshell I love it.

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And can you share what industry

you were working in before

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you started this?

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Yeah, I was a real estate agent and So

I specialized I had a very small niche

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market and I sold downtown Seattle

condominium high rise buildings And so

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I didn't sell any houses, I didn't go

outside of the city, I could walk my

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entire marketplace that I worked in.

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Um, but it was a, it was a very,

very small segment of the market

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that was all encompassing and um,

very high dollar value, so lots

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of high emotions for can imagine.

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For sure.

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Any home buying experiences.

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So, yeah.

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I can,

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I can imagine that being

It's stressful, right?

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Because people don't do it all the time.

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And so, it's a pretty intense 30 days

within a contract of somebody's life

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and, and then the time leading up to

it finding something that they want.

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It can be pretty intense as well,

and it depends on the person.

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But I met a lot of really great people,

and I had a really good time, until I

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didn't, and that's when I had to leave.

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Yeah.

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And I think that that's one

of the exciting parts of

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life is reinventing oneself

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when we need

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to.

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Right?

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Mm hmm.

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Mm Very cool.

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So if you would, will you define,

share with us your definition

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of what clean beauty means?

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Because I think that there's a lot

of, you know, greenwashing out there,

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which if we have time we'll dive into,

but I don't think that a lot of people

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are clear on what that actually means.

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Like what is clean beauty?

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term to define.

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And that is my most honest answer.

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And the reason that I say that is I liken

it a little bit to a computer platform.

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And by that I mean there are PCs and there

are Macintoshes and different things, but

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they all ultimately do the same thing,

but none of them speak the same language,

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if you will, from platform to platform.

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And so what has happened was

when we started in this space,

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it was called green beauty.

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And what that was, was just a branch

of beauty that was not conventional.

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So again, going back to the food metaphor,

you've got, you go to Whole Foods and

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you have a conventional strawberry.

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And you have an organic strawberry, right?

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So, so the organic strawberry would

be the clean or green side of things.

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The conventional would be more

over the way it's always been done.

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So that was a pretty easy way to

understand things in about:

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And as the industry became bigger, then

things started changing and shifting

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because as you said, the greenwashing

conversation came into play because if.

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If, for instance, you said it, it's

formulated without this and they'd name

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an ingredient that people felt wasn't

great, they were sometimes replacing it

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with something else was equally as bad.

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Yeah.

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So a little bit like the BPA in cans.

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And so, you know, instead of, and then

people got this false sense of security.

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So with clean now, what has happened is

for us, it's an overarching umbrella that

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covers, um, how we exist as a company.

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You know, how we source our ingredients,

how we source our packaging, is it

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recyclable in the packaging goes all

the way through the shipping channel.

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So are we putting anything

in the boxes that.

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It doesn't fit within our guidelines.

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Are we working with, uh, vendors

who want us to do something that

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doesn't fit within our sustainability?

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model.

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Do we have any corporate

responsibility involved?

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Do we have a giving back program?

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So I think it's really more than just

the actual what is inside the product

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itself, which definitely meets that

criteria, but it has to be more than that

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Yeah.

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And that's one thing I love so much

about your product and your brand

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is that it really is this holistic

picture of it's clean for your

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skin and your body, but also for

the environment, for the producer.

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for the world.

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Right.

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And we're in Seattle.

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And so you understand this.

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We're in a bit of a bubble in

terms of we've been recycling and

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composting and repurposing and reduce.

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We've been doing this for so long.

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And then when I, you know, pre pandemic,

I was doing a lot of traveling.

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And even when I'd go to California,

I was shocked at the fact that

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I couldn't recycle something.

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Or there wasn't a compost, you know,

it was just, my trash can is so small

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because so much of what we use and

consume in our own household goes

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into recycling or compost and the

same thing happens here at the office.

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We have RIDWELL, which is a service

that takes things that you can't

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traditionally compost or recycle.

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We're also working with an organization

called PACT, which is driven by

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people within the beauty industry

itself, understanding that we are

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creating a lot of waste that can't be

recycled through traditional channels.

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So much like TerraCycle,

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Yeah, you can get these boxes and

people can drop off or there's,

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we even have a mail back program.

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And, and then, you know, the

cherry on top of it for us, which

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we're really proud of, since the

beginning, we have not done sampling.

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Mmm, yeah.

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You does produce a

profound amount of waste.

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profound when I would go to events

or when I would go to trade shows, it

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was shocking the sackfuls of things

that would just ultimately be trash.

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Because whether or not you wanted

to use them, you could give them

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away to somebody, these single use

packets are just so, so, so wasteful.

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So, that's been, you know, uh, for

us, it's been our line in the sand,

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but it has also come at a cost for

our business because some retail

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accounts want us to have sampling.

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Oh, interesting.

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So, so that...

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, that's kind of a big answer to what clean

means, but I think we do have to look

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at it from more than just the standpoint

of what's inside of the package itself.

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Yeah.

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Absolutely.

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No, , that's really enlightening because

I think that again, smart marketing is, it

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can pull the wool of our eyes so easily,

you know, and, , we're seeing that now

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on television commercials like crazy

with, you know, Oh, it's free and clear.

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And it's like, okay, well there may

not be fragrance or colors in there,

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but there's a million other toxic

ingredients and there's so much plastic

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involved, et cetera, et cetera, So.

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Wow.

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Mm Well, and anytime you see free

and clear, and this is something

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I learned a really long time ago

before I was even involved in this

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industry, is everything has a scent.

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And so if you want it to be free

and clear, you've got to put

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something in it to wipe that out.

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Interesting.

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Interesting.

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Which I'm guessing are of

dubious nature on their own.

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Could be.

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Yeah.

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Oh, there's so much to cover there.

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We'll do that.

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I want to do a sustainability series next

season and maybe we'll dive deep on Yeah.

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Yeah.

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There's so much to get into.

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Yes.

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so I would love to hear from you.

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About, um, sunscreen.

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So sunscreen is kind of a big thing.

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And I know that sunscreen contains

a lot of funny ingredients and you

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really educated me a way back on the

difference between physical sunscreens

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and chemical sunscreens and, you know,

not just how they behave differently or

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protect us differently from UV rays, but.

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You know, the, the chemicals there,

what that's putting into our bodies,

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how we're absorbing that, how that's

affecting things like coral reefs.

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So if you give us just a little brief

one on one on sunscreen, because I know

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you use strictly mineral sunscreens.

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Is that right?

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We utilize zinc oxide as our UV filter.

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So, um, it might be a little easier to

understand if you talk in terms of, um,

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physical filters and chemical filters

because they are all Sunscreens, if

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you will, and so zinc oxide is the one

ingredient that is recognized for both

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UVA, UV aging, and UVB, UV burning.

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So it's broad spectrum coverage.

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It's the one and only singular

ingredient that does that, the only

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filter, and it is also physical.

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So that means it sits on top of your skin.

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Titanium dioxide is another

physical filter, but it is

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UVB, or UV burning protective.

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In order to be broad spectrum, you

have to combine it with another filter.

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So for mineral, most commonly,

it's combined with zinc oxide.

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For Other, you'll see it a lot

combined with other chemical

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filters and that is just to provide

that broad spectrum coverage.

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So they both sit on the

surface of your skin.

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A chemical UV filter is one that the body

has to absorb into the skin so that it

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can absorb and deflect the heat or the UV.

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And so it all depends.

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We're each so individual and it

all depends on are we in the sun?

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Are we out of the sun?

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, is it hot?

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Is it not hot?

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Are we sweating?

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Are we not?

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You know what's happening?

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Are we in and out of the water as

to how long that filter is actually

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active, which is where the reapplication

every two hours comes in, especially

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back in the day.

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Thank you.

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Pre 2011, we used to have sunscreen

and Yeah, I remember that.

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And sunblock was always generally

in reference to titanium and zinc

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because it was a block of physical

filter that sat on top of the skin.

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Whereas sunscreen was something that

you had the chemical filters, you

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know, you 15 minutes before you go

out, you wanna make sure it's active.

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Soaked in and then you can

it's going to do its job

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people were getting a little too loose

and liberal with things like hmm.

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Yeah, I remember seeing

you know, and Remember that

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and so there was a false sense of security

by the consumer rightfully So, I mean if

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I put on something that's at a hundred

I would think I would be protected for a

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really long time But again, you have to

factor in all of the different situations

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that you could be In that UB light or

exposed to UB and so they changed the

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ruling and then the monograph or the

drug box panel, then the directions have

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always further said apply 15 minutes

before going outside and reapply every

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two hours and during the hours of 10

to two use additional measures such as

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a hat, protective clothing, et cetera.

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But the reason that we have stayed with

zinc is, number one, because it's a

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singular ingredient that provides both.

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UVA and UVB coverage.

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And, , , in most instances, people

don't have a reaction to it.

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Although in some cases, even though

zinc has been used forever in like

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diaper creams and things, it can

be drying on some people's skin.

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Yeah.

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Interesting.

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but I think, you know, the, the thing

that most people don't understand

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when it comes to a sunscreen,

everybody gets like, I need to wear

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it when I'm in the sun because I'm

going to get a sunburn if I don't.

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That's always been me.

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Admittedly.

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right, but then they think the rest

of the time you don't need to wear it.

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And I think for women in particular who

are concerned with things like photoaging,

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which is premature aging from UV light

that results in fine lines, wrinkles, and

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skin discoloration or hyperpigmentation.

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Why don't you focus on protection?

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prevention over repair.

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So we're all chasing like, oh I

need this product to repair this or

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fix this when I liken sunscreen in

your facial routine to toothpaste

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when you take care of your teeth.

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You use it every day.

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You brush your teeth with it

because you're preventing something

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versus trying to repair something.

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And so just think UV aging.

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It's, there's good science,

you know, it's legit.

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And, and I think that more

people are on board with it.

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It's really increased in popularity

and even where we live in the Pacific

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Northwest, where it's not sunny.

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It's easy to forget.

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round we need to be wearing it

the the rule of thumb is if it's

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light enough to read a book You

need to be wearing sunscreen

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Wow.

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UV light is present UV

a light UV aging light.

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Remember that's not the one

that's burning you It's just out

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when it's when there's light.

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It's out at almost equal intensity

It penetrates clouds, it penetrates

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glass, whereas UVB does not.

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And those are the rays that are

longer UV ultraviolet rays that are

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penetrating your dermal layer where

your collagen and elastin live.

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You know, it's sneaky.

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They're kind of secret sneaky little

things, whereas UVB is so easy to

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understand when you've been exposed

to too much because your skin burns.

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exactly, and it's so, it's such a cruel

irony because here in the Northwest,

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the sun's at such an angle for much

of the year that we have no vitamin

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D that we're getting, we're just

getting that UVA that's aging us, it's

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not So it's a, it's a, simple, easy

step and really it's ultimately about

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finding what's right for you, what you

like, the feel of what you like, the

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smell of what you like, the texture.

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There are so many things and that is

one product that I have found that

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people have a real love hate with.

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For sure, it's taken me a long time.

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I love your, um, your sunscreen and

I, I use it mostly on my neck and

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then I have a makeup that's got it.

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in it.

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Um, but you know, also going back to your

mention of different endocrine disrupting

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compounds, a lot of those chemical

sunscreens are endocrine disruptors.

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So the zinc is a much Yeah.

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and there have been call outs and you

know that there's so much information

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now out there about what is good for you.

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What is not good for you, but

really you have to be your own

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advocate and decide what you want

or what you have a tolerance for.

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because we don't live in a bubble.

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Like there are just so many things that.

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Just by existing in the world aren't

good for you by going outside.

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Maybe even aren't good for you.

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I just hate to be Such an

extremist or come at it from

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a scare tactic point of view.

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I don't think anybody Likes to

be treated that way and really

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learns anything that way,

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I totally agree.

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And I think that we can very easily

get into a place where we're so,

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you know, paranoid, for lack of

a better word, or fearful about

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anything that's possibly bad for us.

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That the stress that we're inducing,

being so fearful about all that,

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is probably more harmful than the

imperfect food or item, exactly, right?

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Yeah, that's a

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really good point Yeah.

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So going back really quick, I'd love

for you to tell us a little more

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about the criteria that you have for

your ingredients and your products.

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I like to do is, you know,, I like to lead

with things that are certified organic

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because that's a nice benchmark for

everything else to fall underneath it.

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That kind of fits within who we are.

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And if it's not available that

way, then I want to go non GMO.

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And if something is certified

organic, it is by nature non GMO.

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So you don't have to cross that bridge.

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Things that are naturally derived Tell

us what that means really quickly.

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Naturally derived.

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Because that word natural is another

kind of tricky one that's, that's

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not it is not regulated at all.

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But for, I think one of the best examples

of naturally derived is glycerin,

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vegetable glycerin, because there is

no vegetable glycerin plant per se.

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It is It is derived from something.

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And for us, we utilize a glycerin

that is derived from the flax seed.

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Okay.

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vegetable glycerin is basically,

um, it's the, when a backbone of a

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molecule has been broken, like, for

instance, from corn, soy, coconut, palm.

367

:

That's when you get the glycerin molecule

and it's a heavy, thick, kind of viscous.

368

:

I don't know if you've ever seen it.

369

:

It's, it almost has the texture

of like clear corn syrup,

370

:

Right.

371

:

but so you don't just get it.

372

:

So it's been.

373

:

to be processed.

374

:

It's, been synthesized, and so it's

technically, by definition, a synthetic

375

:

ingredient, but it comes from, like,

our source is flax, and the reason

376

:

we chose flax was because a lot of

people don't want a soy product or

377

:

a corn product, um, there's a lot of

conversation around palm, because the

378

:

deforestation, although there are some

places that are doing the right thing.

379

:

But the other thing to recognize is that.

380

:

In the process of getting glycerin, all

of the proteins have been removed as well.

381

:

Mm So, there's a lot to it.

382

:

There's a lot more than

just, oh, it's from this.

383

:

But most glycerins are a blend of

different product, vegetable based,

384

:

if it's a vegetable glycerin.

385

:

So that's what naturally derived in...

386

:

In my mind is the best way to explain it

is that it's not like even avocado oil.

387

:

I mean, I guess you could say because

it's not, you don't pick avocado oil.

388

:

It comes from the processing

of the avocado plant.

389

:

So there is some level

of processing involved.

390

:

And again, it's kind of what

you want to do for yourself.

391

:

And how you, you get to that point

and, and what sort of criteria you

392

:

have for what you will tolerate.

393

:

And so for me, those are the primary

guidelines and then safe synthetics.

394

:

Because I am not anti synthetic, I would

be a hypocrite because I use glycerin.

395

:

You know, like you, you can't do that.

396

:

You can also oxides from

pigments like iron oxides.

397

:

They're generally not safe if you dig

them up out of the ground and grind them

398

:

down the heavy metal contents too high.

399

:

So they have to be lab produced, Right.

400

:

So, It's really, really not true

and hard to be like completely

401

:

like, Oh, it's raw and it's cold.

402

:

You know,

403

:

I am very practical and we

are very transparent with

404

:

what we have in our product.

405

:

And so it's easy to look at our

ingredients label and go, okay,

406

:

this, you know, we put it in the

Latin word because that is what's

407

:

called an inky or an international

nomenclature of the ingredients.

408

:

So that.

409

:

Anybody worldwide would be able to

know what it is, but then we also add

410

:

the common name Yeah, that's cool.

411

:

I like that.

412

:

So don't be scared by a Latin word

that you don't know what it is.

413

:

Right.

414

:

Because I've heard many

times, , if you can't pronounce

415

:

it, you shouldn't be using Yeah.

416

:

Yeah.

417

:

And let's be honest.

418

:

Like, Americans don't always have

419

:

the best, most broad grasp of language.

420

:

There's a lot of stuff we don't Right.

421

:

Myself included.

422

:

So.

423

:

Yeah.

424

:

Yeah.

425

:

So, um, I know that you use

426

:

oils.

427

:

Yes, we are oil

428

:

forward for sure.

429

:

And they're incredible and

everything smells amazing.

430

:

Tell us how you chose that.

431

:

Like, I know that you sort of generally

cater to women over 40, is that correct?

432

:

Yes, I do.

433

:

Mm hmm.

434

:

, and much older than that, actually,

you know, I, we kind of cater

435

:

to ourselves if that's a little

self absorbed, but it's true.

436

:

I'm in my mid fifties, Lisa, my

business partners in her mid sixties.

437

:

We started this about 10 years

ago and, having thyroid issues.

438

:

I know you're familiar with that.

439

:

Yes, unfortunately can lead you down

the path of having really dry skin.

440

:

And that was me.

441

:

Like forever.

442

:

I think forever.

443

:

I've had really dry skin, but as I

got older, especially as I approached

444

:

perimenopause, and then I went through

a relatively early menopause due to

445

:

my autoimmune stuff, the reduction

of estrogen And the ability to retain

446

:

moisture became even more apparent.

447

:

And so I couldn't figure out why

my creams and lotions were only

448

:

lasting about five to 10 minutes

where my skin felt pretty nice for

449

:

that period of time, but then I felt.

450

:

dry and tight again.

451

:

And so for me, it was really through

yoga and the practice, you know, of

452

:

learning a little bit, not a lot.

453

:

I'm not an expert in Ayurveda, but the

use of oils worldwide has been going on.

454

:

For centuries.

455

:

This is not new information, right?

456

:

I didn't make this up.

457

:

So I cannot say, oh, I found

this oil and it's amazing.

458

:

But as Americans, and especially at

the age that I am, I was raised in

459

:

a very oil phobic, fat phobic world.

460

:

My coming of age years, can relate.

461

:

know, from food, you

know, fat free everything.

462

:

We are the snack well awful.

463

:

God help us.

464

:

Yes.

465

:

And, um, And, then, you know, all the,

all the skin care, all the makeup,

466

:

everything was oil free, oil free,

because we thought that oil would

467

:

make us break out when in fact Most

of that oil that they were talking

468

:

about was petroleum, you know, that's

a big molecule going into the science.

469

:

And so it, it kind of suffocates your

skin and it doesn't let your barrier

470

:

do its job of excreting and absorbing.

471

:

It wraps it in, in saran wrap.

472

:

I remember when baby

oil gel became a thing.

473

:

I used to put that all over my body

and lie on a reflective silver floaty

474

:

in the pool to get did the same thing.

475

:

We probably had that,

we had that same floaty.

476

:

Well, you know, what's more

horrifying is, is at least you

477

:

have a nice olive skin tone.

478

:

Look at, I mean, I'm like,

I just burned, I just burned

479

:

repeatedly over and over again.

480

:

And, you know, finally got to what kind

of looked like a tan, but not really.

481

:

Oh, it was awful.

482

:

But the baby oil gel, you know, so

it was a dermatologist I had that

483

:

actually clued me in early on that that

was not doing my dry skin any favors.

484

:

It might have let it feel a little bit

softer for a while, but ultimately what

485

:

it was doing was suffocating my barrier

and then compromising my barrier.

486

:

So we really like to talk about

Skin barrier and barrier function.

487

:

It's not super Instagrammable.

488

:

It's not sexy.

489

:

It's not, you know, woo before and after,

but when you have a healthy barrier, it's

490

:

like having a healthy house foundation.

491

:

Everything works better.

492

:

Makeup goes on better.

493

:

Yeah.

494

:

It's like exactly.

495

:

And so, um, what I learned for myself

and when I started using, when I Started

496

:

using oils in about 2008 and nine, I

would wake up in the morning and I'd

497

:

still feel hydrated and moisturized.

498

:

And that was a new thing for me.

499

:

And so then what led me to creating

something for myself was I had found a

500

:

line I really liked and it wasn't too

hippy dippy and patchouli smelling.

501

:

And it looked, you know,

it was in pretty packaging.

502

:

I felt like.

503

:

Which does make such a

difference, doesn't it?

504

:

Like, I care about that.

505

:

I don't want something hippy dippy.

506

:

I want It to It does make a difference.

507

:

I know.

508

:

And when I first started looking for

things, it was very hard to find.

509

:

I am so grateful that people

have so much choice now.

510

:

I mean, it looks, it all looks

very conventional and mainstream,

511

:

which I think is wonderful.

512

:

And, you know, I feel a little bit shallow

saying that the packaging mattered.

513

:

But it did matter to me because

I was conditioned and raised that

514

:

way from shopping at a conventional

beauty counter from the time I was

515

:

like 15 years old at Nordstrom's.

516

:

That's, that's what I wanted.

517

:

And when I had to go to the health

food store, which I love, don't get me

518

:

wrong, I love a good health food store.

519

:

But there was kind of weird stuff on the

bottom shelf that nobody really bought

520

:

and you didn't know how long it had been

sitting there and it smelled kind of weird

521

:

and so, so, for oils going back, sorry,

I took a very long detour to get there.

522

:

What I wanted to do was, first

and foremost, play with them.

523

:

How did I like the way

they felt on my skin?

524

:

I used to formulate in a tank top

because I would have all these

525

:

different patch tests going all over.

526

:

You know, how did they feel?

527

:

How did they smell?

528

:

How long did they take

to absorb or dry down?

529

:

Um, you know, you've probably

heard the term dry oil.

530

:

Okay.

531

:

and all that means is that it's got a

really small molecular structure and it

532

:

absorbs really quickly into the skin.

533

:

Whereas, um, heavier oils like castor

in particular, they will sit on top

534

:

of the skin for a long time and that's

why we use it in our cleansing oil.

535

:

It's not going to absorb.

536

:

It's meant to help clean the skin

without stripping it and not to

537

:

be used as a leave on product.

538

:

Right.

539

:

And it draws Mm hmm.

540

:

Yeah.

541

:

Like the old school castor

poultices that our grandmothers

542

:

used with the muslin cloths.

543

:

So for me, it was just, what did I

like the look of the smell of the

544

:

properties of, because just like

a, something you eat, these oils

545

:

all have different properties and

then synergistically they do work

546

:

together and they create a fragrance.

547

:

Because I, as I said, everything

naturally has a fragrance.

548

:

So to say fragrance free on something

that has a whole bunch of ingredients

549

:

in it, there has to be something in

there to make the fragrance go away.

550

:

So for the most part within our core

line, like with our serum and our

551

:

tonics and our balm and our cleansing

oil, we utilize essential oils.

552

:

That's another slippery slope because

things have gotten weird with a lot

553

:

of multi level marketing and people

ingesting oils or just, I mean, the

554

:

fact that you can go to the grocery

store and buy them off the shelf is a

555

:

little bit scary because if you haven't

studied them, they are very concentrated.

556

:

There are safe.

557

:

Usages and you really need to know those

things because , it's not the case of

558

:

the little is good, a lot is better,

559

:

Right.

560

:

Oh, God, no.

561

:

I mean, there are certain lethal essential

oils out there from different plants.

562

:

I mean, it's been used as medicine

for thousands of years because of the

563

:

strength and the well, should Right.

564

:

So, , that is where we utilize, that

is where I utilize some scent plus

565

:

the beneficial properties of the oils

themselves to create the sensorial

566

:

experience that we have within our line.

567

:

But we also have some things that don't

have any essential oils added to them.

568

:

And then you are just smelling

the plant oils themselves.

569

:

Which sometimes are great and

sometimes we call it, you know,

570

:

they need to be masked because they

don't smell so good like Castor oil

571

:

on its own does not smell so good.

572

:

Yeah, I don't mind it.

573

:

I don't think doesn't it's

funky neither here nor there.

574

:

Yeah.

575

:

of a funky smell to it.

576

:

Yeah, so just to be clear too, there's

a drastic difference between synthetic

577

:

fragrances, those fragrances that

we've talked about that have, you know,

578

:

phthalates and those endocrine disrupting

compounds in them and scent that's coming

579

:

from a pure organic Yeah, or a plant.

580

:

So, and the true telltale sign , of a

plant based or an essential oil is that

581

:

you will smell it, it will start to

dissipate, and it will generally fade out

582

:

within five to ten minutes, probably max.

583

:

Whereas a synthetic

fragrance will not go away.

584

:

right?

585

:

And sometimes you get tricked into these

things that are like organic fragrance.

586

:

Well, that's another whole

conversation, but it goes on the

587

:

skin and then you cannot get it off.

588

:

And I hate that.

589

:

I hate it.

590

:

So that's the tell.

591

:

if an hour later, two hours

later, you can still smell it,

592

:

then it is a synthetic fragrance.

593

:

So we recently did a little limited

edition fragrance roller ball.

594

:

yes, I bought it and I'm obsessed.

595

:

welcome.

596

:

because I love everything you

either love it or you don't.

597

:

And so if you love it,

you'll probably like it.

598

:

But the reason we put it in a roller

ball is because it is not going to

599

:

stay for the duration of the day.

600

:

It is going to fade.

601

:

And that's, that's its purpose.

602

:

Um, and, and I created it

so it's your fragrance.

603

:

It's not everybody else's fragrance.

604

:

You know, you've gotten into an

elevator or you've gone into a room

605

:

or you've gotten on an airplane and

somebody's fragrance knocks you over.

606

:

Oh my god.

607

:

It's such a pet peeve of mine.

608

:

I hate it And you know what?

609

:

I really hate is this whole

610

:

trend of hotels pumping

fragrance into their lobbies.

611

:

I literally break out in hives

walking into many hotels now because

612

:

of that and A girlfriend recently.

613

:

Oh, it's horrible.

614

:

And a girlfriend recently gave me, um,

she was moving and she gave me a piece of

615

:

clothing and I didn't realize it till I

got home, but it had obviously had been,

616

:

you know, washed with a fabric softener.

617

:

I washed that thing like four times.

618

:

The smell will not come out.

619

:

So I'm just having to give it away

because it's so intense for washings.

620

:

I know.

621

:

I know.

622

:

So that, that's the tell.

623

:

I think that's the easy tell for anybody.

624

:

Okay.

625

:

Yeah, that's a good tip.

626

:

That's a good tip and look like.

627

:

Newsflash everybody.

628

:

Nobody wants to be

overwhelmed by your perfume.

629

:

It's that, what I call the old

lady nose blindness, right?

630

:

Where I can't smell it so I'm going

to spray more and more and more.

631

:

And then it's like you walk around with

this cloud surrounding you that Yeah, dear

632

:

god, you know, it could knock us over.

633

:

It's so but I was that person

for a long time, , I was, , I

634

:

loved fragrance, honestly.

635

:

And, you know, I'm a product of the

eighties and it was, you know, pretty

636

:

Giorgio poison, and they were all so

potent, but, , I was buying the body wash.

637

:

I was buying the body lotion.

638

:

I was buying the sparkly body powder.

639

:

I was then spraying myself with

the, like loading it up, spring

640

:

it on my clothes and I had big

hair, spring it in my hair.

641

:

So, so that is, yeah, sorry.

642

:

That is you and I know each

643

:

other a little too well,

so I get off topic.

644

:

Sorry.

645

:

No, it's fun.

646

:

It's good.

647

:

And I think a lot of

people can relate to this.

648

:

You know, it's so common.

649

:

It's so ubiquitous everywhere.

650

:

And I know a lot of people, they want

constant fragrance in their homes.

651

:

I was at a friend's place recently

and there were scented candles going.

652

:

I had to leave early because my eyes were

itching and I, my skin was all itchy.

653

:

It was.

654

:

It's awful.

655

:

And I think of course it's exacerbated

by the fact that I know how toxic

656

:

that is and that it is, you know,

obesogenic, like I just wrote a blog

657

:

post about obesogens and what those are.

658

:

It's a whole other category of those

endocrine disrupting chemicals and

659

:

this stuff is really bad for us.

660

:

And they've got like little

sticks and the and and all.

661

:

the plugins, it's everywhere.

662

:

and I understand wanting, you know,

your house to smell nice, but thankfully

663

:

there are beautifully essential oil.

664

:

You know, scented candles and different

things that we can use now that are Right.

665

:

No, they're not going to last

as long, but it's They're not.

666

:

And even, you know, a little bit of

vinegar with water in a spray bottle, it

667

:

might not smell great initially, but it

does a nice job of cleaning the air up.

668

:

Yeah.

669

:

And cleaning in general.

670

:

it's a it's a real back to basics.

671

:

I love me some vinegar.

672

:

Use know.

673

:

everything.

674

:

Um, I wanted to ask you about your,

your packaging because we talked a

675

:

little bit about the sustainability, the

recyclability, but how about UV exposure

676

:

of the Right, so we chose the glass that

we have and it is it looks black, but

677

:

it's actually violet and What it does

is it protects the product from UV light

678

:

with the exception of violet light that

can penetrate and it's not damaging So

679

:

air and light are the enemies of oil.

680

:

They oxidize it You don't, Just like

a cooking oil, you don't keep it

681

:

generally, it's not in clear glass and

you don't want to keep it in a sunny

682

:

spot in your house because it will just

accelerate the rancidity of that oil.

683

:

So by keeping it in the cool dark place,

which we have the, it's called Myron,

684

:

M I R O N glass, which I've used since

the beginning, it's expensive, but

685

:

it does, you know, I think it looks

nice and it does a job of protecting

686

:

the product that's inside of it.

687

:

Because we don't use any, um,

forever preservatives like a paraben.

688

:

Which, you know, the upside of a paraben

is that it protects the ingredients

689

:

for a really, really, really long time.

690

:

I like to call it like

you get the shelf life

691

:

of a Twinkie.

692

:

Oh, So that's the trade off.

693

:

Right.

694

:

So that is we, and so we

utilize glass whenever possible.

695

:

And then if not, we, we try

to do the best that we can.

696

:

So for instance, with our makeup,

they are housed in jars that are

697

:

made of PETG because That is what

is available with a sifter on it.

698

:

You need a sifter for mineral makeup and

you can't get a glass jar because the

699

:

necks all have a different tolerance which

means that they can be different sized.

700

:

So that little piece won't

fit in and seat properly.

701

:

And I've worked on this for

years and years and years.

702

:

So our solution to that was we sell

refill packets that are in fully

703

:

compostable, industrial compostable,

which in Seattle, every, you know, we

704

:

can compost, but I recognize that in

other parts of the nation, it isn't

705

:

necessarily that way, but they are

available so that, because there's

706

:

really, once the makeup's out of the jar,

you don't need to throw the jar away.

707

:

The jar is fine.

708

:

You can just refill it.

709

:

That was the best that we can do.

710

:

So , we do the best with what we have.

711

:

And as a company who isn't a

national conglomerate, I'm not buying

712

:

packaging in 500, 000 unit pieces.

713

:

So, you know, I have a little

bit different playing field

714

:

than the big people out there.

715

:

So again, with anything, I think you

just show up and you do your best.

716

:

And, , and that's what we have done.

717

:

So when we have the option

available, we choose it.

718

:

Yeah.

719

:

I love that.

720

:

And it's been fun to watch just the

evolution and shifts that you've Made over

721

:

the years and adding the refillable Yeah.

722

:

So that's what we've done.

723

:

And then we recognize also that in

some parts of the country, people

724

:

can't even recycle their glass.

725

:

It is nuts, but it is more, I

mean, we are in a bubble and

726

:

let's just acknowledge that.

727

:

We really are.

728

:

We are.

729

:

pretty That's why we have partnered

with organizations like PACT, so that

730

:

we can help be part of the solution.

731

:

We've also partnered with an

organization called Plastic Bank.

732

:

So we pay into that each year so that

we are 100 percent plastic neutral.

733

:

So whatever plastic we do put out

into the world, we offset that

734

:

with a financial contribution.

735

:

Again, do what we can right?

736

:

and, and that's all you can do.

737

:

It's like small steps.

738

:

Add up to big things and some

people are just like, well, since

739

:

I can't do everything, I'm not,

I'm not going to do anything right.

740

:

Why bother?

741

:

So it's, it's hard to stay on task

sometimes because you think, well, I

742

:

really want to do that, but you know,

we're just not big enough or, or we

743

:

don't have access to that resource.

744

:

You just, it's, it's, about being

745

:

perfectly imperfect.

746

:

Yeah, You always say, what is it?

747

:

the enemy perfect is the enemy of good.

748

:

perfect is The enemy of good.

749

:

Yep.

750

:

Yep.

751

:

Absolutely, and I think that

that goes for any area in our

752

:

lives that we want to improve.

753

:

So you'd mentioned before that food

was kind of your first foray into

754

:

improving your health , and your medical

conditions when it comes to feeding our

755

:

bodies and feeding our skin or eating

for healthier, more radiant skin.

756

:

You know, what are your top tips there?

757

:

Well, I'm going to steal a few things

from you that I've learned over the

758

:

years, one of which is vegetables taste

a whole lot better when cooked with fat.

759

:

And you also

760

:

absorb the actual nutrients in

the vegetables, the fat soluble

761

:

ones in particular, right?

762

:

A, D, E, and K.

763

:

And so that was like the best tip.

764

:

So step away from the steamed broccoli,

And the steamed bland cauliflower,

765

:

The right?

766

:

And, And, really add

some fat to those things.

767

:

I like to refer to it as moisturizing

your body from the inside out.

768

:

And I took a course at Bastyr years

ago, and there was a discussion about

769

:

food that you eat and really what you're

doing is feeding and nourishing your

770

:

cells because the top layer of your

skin, they are not living skin cells

771

:

anymore, the top layer of your epidermis.

772

:

So ultimately what you want to do

is get the cells that are coming

773

:

from the inside out to be the.

774

:

baddest, juiciest, healthiest,

happiest cells possible.

775

:

You don't want them to be withered

and sad and, you know, not plump.

776

:

And so I think it really does matter.

777

:

Avocados.

778

:

Great source of healthy fats, tastes

really good and very satisfying.

779

:

And obviously salmon.

780

:

I mean, we live in the Pacific

Northwest again, and I'm lucky in that.

781

:

My husband goes fishing a lot

and he's actually leaving for

782

:

Alaska shortly on a little trip.

783

:

And we eat mostly fish that he catches.

784

:

And so I am very lucky in that respect.

785

:

And he also smokes the fish and then we

don't put all that sugar and salt on it.

786

:

You know, we cold Right, right.

787

:

that option.

788

:

so I am, I am more of, you know, my

goal is to be nothing's off limits

789

:

unless it's really detrimental.

790

:

So in my case, and again, going back to

you and having a meeting years ago and

791

:

you asked me, because I, with having

celiac markers and having the Hashimoto's,

792

:

gluten proteins are problematic for me.

793

:

And so you asked me if I was eating

it and I said, you know, maybe.

794

:

Not often, maybe just like

20 percent of the time.

795

:

and you were like, why are you doing that?

796

:

It's like a bunch of little golf balls.

797

:

We'll never forget that.

798

:

And so for me, that is a, that does create

a real inflammatory response in my body.

799

:

And so I think the key is,

is limiting inflammation.

800

:

And A true sign of inflammation that's

going internally is when you get redness,

801

:

breakouts, scaliness, anything that's

happening on your skin is generally

802

:

a bit of a canary in the coal mine.

803

:

So for some, it's like,

804

:

see what works for you.

805

:

Try it out.

806

:

You know, and if You know, I've recently

reincorporated Greek yogurt into my

807

:

life, and I had kind of been a non

dairy eater, but I had a whole bunch

808

:

of sinus problems that were mechanical.

809

:

I had a deviated septum

and little sinus passages.

810

:

So now that I've had that corrected, I

can consume that without any problems.

811

:

Whereas, you know, being a bit

type A, I am all or nothing.

812

:

So I, I don't like...

813

:

To be that way as much as I get older,

but really, it's ultimately about

814

:

knowing yourself and for me, my goals

right now are healthy fats, adequate

815

:

fruit and vegetable intake and protein.

816

:

Protein is a big one for the

817

:

skin and I think we've all, I was honestly

a little turned off by like all the keto

818

:

stuff and I mean, I never know what to do.

819

:

It's, I'm always confused

and because I have.

820

:

A history of disordered eating, you know,

it's easy to fall into a trap like that.

821

:

So for me, now I just focus on

really like what is truly anti

822

:

inflammatory for me, because if I can

limit that inflammation, everything

823

:

just works better and looks better.

824

:

Yeah, absolutely.

825

:

It's so true.

826

:

And you and I have talked about this

before, but I definitely see it in my

827

:

skin first when something is off with me.

828

:

Now, I know a lot of people have,

you know, hormonal issues that can

829

:

cause skin issues and it doesn't

necessarily mean that you have, you

830

:

know, a terrible gut or what have

you, but you know, hormone issues can

831

:

be inflammatory within themselves.

832

:

But for me, I, My skin has

cleared up a lot, but I had

833

:

terrible acne as a young person.

834

:

I have incredibly oily

skin, which now Right.

835

:

I'm thankful for.

836

:

Absolutely.

837

:

Um, but I can always tell if my liver

needs some support because my skin is

838

:

more, irritable, sensitive and , given

I, because I had such bad acne as

839

:

a kid, , the rounds and rounds of

antibiotics and then all the really harsh

840

:

topical chemical products that I was

prescribed and the benzoyl peroxide and

841

:

salicylic acids and all of those things.

842

:

It did so much damage to my

barrier, my skin barrier, that

843

:

I feel like I'm still trying to

recover from that to some degree.

844

:

Um, And, you know, it's just a constant,

I think, maintenance project for me, but

845

:

if you saw my skin now and you saw my

skin in my thirties, it's much better.

846

:

Sure, I may have some more fine

lines, um, I'm going to be 50 soon.

847

:

I welcome that because , it's living,

it's not aging and every year is a gift,

848

:

but definitely it's, you know, that,

like you said, canary in a coal mine,

849

:

it really shows up for me that way.

850

:

and you know, I'm incredibly dairy

intolerant if I have even a little

851

:

bit of it, that's how I know.

852

:

Cause the next day I've got pimples,

like I have full on like teenage acne.

853

:

Right.

854

:

And so, And I had given up

dairy for so long that I

855

:

thought I'd never have it again.

856

:

But I just, you know, I, I don't

have anything outside of the Greek

857

:

yogurt and why I moved back to

that was purely from a protein.

858

:

point of view.

859

:

And it's, you know, it was a test.

860

:

I tested it for myself

and how did it work?

861

:

And it, it,

862

:

and it worked, way to do it.

863

:

the past it.

864

:

didn't work.

865

:

So, but I do think that we cannot

like I, I self skincare, I get it.

866

:

Good skincare is really important.

867

:

However, good nutrition is It could

be even more important because , it's

868

:

what's going to happen and be pushed

out to the surface of your skin.

869

:

And I think we all know that when

we eat well and we drink water,

870

:

we just, we look and feel better.

871

:

And it's not necessarily all

about looks, but when your skin

872

:

feels good, it just looks happy.

873

:

You know, don't underestimate the

power of healthy, happy, hydrated

874

:

skin, and a healthy barrier.

875

:

So, you know, clean diet, sleeping.

876

:

Right, sleep, water, stress management,

and moving your body a bit, I think, Yeah.

877

:

and if any one of those things is not

done, you know, it, it might not all

878

:

show up right away, but eventually it

will make its way to the surface.

879

:

And let's not discount For women

of a certain age, the perimenopause

880

:

to menopause transition, because

perimenopause is basically your

881

:

second puberty, if you will, your

hormones just get a little bit

882

:

nutty for some worse than others.

883

:

And like you said, Yeah.

884

:

oftentimes that there's not a whole lot

you can do about that in the moment.

885

:

I never had acne.

886

:

I was really, really lucky until I

was in my mid forties and then I did.

887

:

Oh my gosh

888

:

Yeah, I was like, what is happening here?

889

:

I hadn't changed my diet.

890

:

I hadn't changed what I was

putting on my skin, but it was

891

:

just the peaks and valleys of my

hormones kind of sputtering out

892

:

.

And then once it, once I got through that, you know, everything normalized again.

893

:

But so just, you know, have patience.

894

:

It's hard.

895

:

But you'll get through it Yeah,

and there's so much information

896

:

now out there and so much help.

897

:

Yeah, it's so much better

Oh my gosh, ten years ago.

898

:

I feel like It's more mainstream.

899

:

And you're right that it differs.

900

:

It is more mainstream and there are

some really good doctors and we have

901

:

some decent science out there now,

which we just never have in the past.

902

:

And I think that, yeah, it's, it's

totally different for everybody moving

903

:

through that transition, but the same

ways that you're talking about supporting

904

:

your skin with nutrition and sleep

and movement and all of these things.

905

:

That can help us have a easier transition

to, is it going to fix everything?

906

:

Probably not, especially for some

people, but it can make it usually

907

:

much smoother or easier.

908

:

Yeah.

909

:

so in wrapping up Carrie, In addition,

because we talked about sunscreen,

910

:

we know the importance of that.

911

:

What other advice do you have, both for

younger women who want to take preventive

912

:

measures, and for those of us gals who

are, you know, definitely 40 plus, and

913

:

want to just take better, better care of

our skin, um, and still practice Right.

914

:

I would say focus on the basics.

915

:

Cleanse, hydrate and moisturize.

916

:

and protect your skin.

917

:

So with a cleanser, especially as we get

a little bit older and people with dry

918

:

skin and people with oily skin can benefit

from an oil based cleanser because it will

919

:

help tell oily skin stop producing so much

oil and it will not strip your dry skin.

920

:

That for me has been a real game changer.

921

:

In terms of moisturization, what

you need to focus on is something

922

:

that has some emollient protection

like an oil is an emollient.

923

:

Whereas something that's a

waterborne or like a hydrosol, plant

924

:

hydrosol, that's your hydration.

925

:

So together, that's what forms

that the oil basically locks

926

:

the moisture into your skin.

927

:

And then for protection, it's sunscreen,

sunscreen, sunscreen, and more sunscreen.

928

:

And that is like, if I could tell my.

929

:

Silver floaty, baby oil,

tanning, tanning bed.

930

:

ha.

931

:

I recently had to go have a little skin

cancer check right on the middle of my

932

:

chest because that's just been, I call it

the triangle of sadness, like the movie,

933

:

because I never wore sunscreen on it and

it just has, I have like a big permanent

934

:

brown freckle and luckily I didn't have

skin cancer, but now I have a big scar

935

:

right in the middle of my chest and it's.

936

:

It's just like protection.

937

:

Like, it's just not

anything I thought about.

938

:

And.

939

:

Just do it.

940

:

Just, just add it to your routine

so you don't even think about it.

941

:

But then you also have like the benefit

if you want to go into the more the

942

:

treatment mode, you know, instead of

the prevention over repair, vitamin C.

943

:

Vitamin C serums are really great

because they are an antioxidant boost.

944

:

So they're the perfect base layer

for your sunscreen and I've brought

945

:

that back into my life as of

late and I'm really enjoying it.

946

:

And so that's a good thing

you can do from any age, but.

947

:

for women who have had

significant sun damage.

948

:

You know, it depends on the level of it.

949

:

You might have to go get a laser treatment

to really, let's just be totally honest.

950

:

Topicals can't solve every issue,

but they can be super helpful.

951

:

And then for some, I am not an exfoliator.

952

:

Mm hmm.

953

:

my skin just can't take it, especially,

anything that's too aggressive

954

:

or, you know, like chemically.

955

:

So for me, what I have found is

because you have to remove the

956

:

cleansing oil with a wash cloth,

you cannot get it off any other way.

957

:

That wipe with the washcloth every

single day is Kind of the perfect

958

:

amount of exfoliation for me.

959

:

If your skin can take it, just don't take

it too far because people get that hit,

960

:

you know, and then they want to do

it more and it's really easy to go

961

:

too far and disrupt your barrier.

962

:

Yeah, I've done that before, and I'm so

sensitive, and you really have changed

963

:

the game for me with the washcloth

thing, I, I, thought washcloths are dumb.

964

:

I used to, it's like what's

the purpose of a washcloth?

965

:

Because I was using a foaming cleanser.

966

:

So, you know, there really wasn't a

need for it, but now there is a need.

967

:

And the other thing that I have come

up against is people are using the

968

:

same washcloth a few nights in a row.

969

:

Yeah, and that is because they'll

just hang it up and dry it out, but

970

:

because there's no surfactant or

foaming agent in like a cleansing oil,

971

:

a traditional cleansing oil, you Yeah.

972

:

you need to wash it.

973

:

You need to run it

through the wash machine.

974

:

Right.

975

:

It's gonna have all So, it's...

976

:

So, I don't want to

977

:

make the assumption that

people understand that either.

978

:

So, if you are utilizing a cleansing

oil of any sort, please use a

979

:

fresh, clean washcloth each and

every time that you remove it.

980

:

Yeah, now that I do this routine, I, I

like it because I just kind of press it on

981

:

the first time and let the smells hit me.

982

:

And then the second time I really give

it a nice wipe and that is a nice.

983

:

level of exfoliation for me.

984

:

So again, Lisa, my business partner loves

exfoliating, loves, loves, loves it.

985

:

And she's all of complected.

986

:

She tans beautifully and

her skin can tolerate it.

987

:

And so by all means do it, find

something that works for you.

988

:

You can do it.

989

:

Just don't go crazy because

you can't chase that first hit.

990

:

of, you know, getting the dead skin

off and then being like, Oh my God,

991

:

I'm going to do this all the time.

992

:

And, you know, people

will say, Oh, I like it.

993

:

It makes my skin tingle.

994

:

Your skin should not be tingling.

995

:

That's not a good sign,

996

:

Yeah.

997

:

I can't tolerate those.

998

:

more, you know, chemical, um,

exfoliators, either, even the really

999

:

natural, more gentle ones that are

supposed to be so soothing and gentle.

:

00:57:49,330 --> 00:57:53,010

I will be so red and irritated

and my skin will burn.

:

00:57:53,550 --> 00:57:56,980

Um, I found the only thing that

I can do that's kind of, you

:

00:57:56,980 --> 00:58:00,120

know, I guess more of a physical

exfoliator besides the washcloth is.

:

00:58:00,430 --> 00:58:03,780

It's a really, um, like slightly

crystallized manuka honey.

:

00:58:04,350 --> 00:58:07,020

I can let it sit on my skin

for a minute until it starts

:

00:58:07,020 --> 00:58:08,570

to kind of melt a little bit.

:

00:58:08,570 --> 00:58:12,350

And then I can kind of massage it

in and take it out with a washcloth.

:

00:58:12,380 --> 00:58:14,420

But that's the only thing

that's, that's gentle enough.

:

00:58:14,490 --> 00:58:17,900

Um, other than just your

cleansing oil and the washcloth.

:

00:58:17,940 --> 00:58:19,290

And you mentioned the vitamin C.

:

00:58:19,310 --> 00:58:22,050

I want to say something about that really

quick because vitamin C is something that

:

00:58:22,060 --> 00:58:24,990

in the past has irritated me really badly.

:

00:58:25,260 --> 00:58:29,115

Yours does not The difference

is the actual form of C.

:

00:58:29,965 --> 00:58:34,365

So there's L ascorbic acid

and scorbol palmitate.

:

00:58:34,645 --> 00:58:37,325

Those are both water soluble forms.

:

00:58:37,990 --> 00:58:38,590

of C.

:

00:58:38,970 --> 00:58:40,960

They're also pretty unstable.

:

00:58:41,580 --> 00:58:47,930

And so I have seen where some companies

have like crisp powder and that you

:

00:58:47,930 --> 00:58:52,070

activate, you know, way back in the day,

philosophy had one and that I used it,

:

00:58:52,630 --> 00:58:58,070

but it's, it can irritate your skin pretty

quickly if you're not careful, if you're,

:

00:58:58,070 --> 00:58:59,540

if you're going over the top with it.

:

00:59:00,350 --> 00:59:04,990

So the form of C that we are

using, the, the shorthand is T H

:

00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:08,050

D, D as in dog, tetrahexadescorbit

:

00:59:08,135 --> 00:59:08,525

Okay.

:

00:59:09,320 --> 00:59:10,150

is what it's called.

:

00:59:10,160 --> 00:59:16,400

And it is an oil soluble,

and it's stable, and it's...

:

00:59:17,340 --> 00:59:22,440

So it doesn't have the same

irritation and, and with the other

:

00:59:22,450 --> 00:59:26,880

Cs, you'll see a lot of times

people have it in formulations up

:

00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:29,593

to like 15, 20 percent I've seen.

:

00:59:29,593 --> 00:59:34,445

And we're in at 10%, so that's

kind of where we feel comfortable.

:

00:59:35,488 --> 00:59:39,268

Again, it's all about knowing

yourself, but I never used C

:

00:59:39,278 --> 00:59:41,308

because it always irritated my skin.

:

00:59:41,318 --> 00:59:43,808

And I was like, I'm not doing

it, not doing it, not doing it.

:

00:59:44,238 --> 00:59:47,998

And Lisa had been using one

that had this form of C in it.

:

00:59:49,058 --> 00:59:50,898

And so I tried it and I thought, Oh,

:

00:59:51,161 --> 00:59:52,301

yeah, let me look at this.

:

00:59:52,311 --> 00:59:58,371

And then when we paired it with the

plant oils that are in it and the,

:

00:59:58,451 --> 01:00:03,741

the Swedish algae that's in it,

it's also really moisturizing and

:

01:00:03,741 --> 01:00:05,761

it acts a bit like hyaluronic acid.

:

01:00:05,771 --> 01:00:10,211

They've got some clinicals on it and

hyaluronic is another ingredient that's

:

01:00:10,211 --> 01:00:11,901

nice, but you have to put it in water.

:

01:00:12,431 --> 01:00:16,651

And I personally don't care for

the, the sensory experience.

:

01:00:16,651 --> 01:00:17,501

It can be a little bit.

:

01:00:17,881 --> 01:00:21,041

tacky and, and sticky.

:

01:00:21,641 --> 01:00:27,351

And then you get that pilling

effect where it rolls off your face.

:

01:00:27,801 --> 01:00:31,841

So again, it's it's like, I'm not

saying don't use it, do use it.

:

01:00:31,851 --> 01:00:33,931

It's here's my experience with it.

:

01:00:34,621 --> 01:00:38,981

So with this vitamin C serum, I,

I feel like I tried to combine the

:

01:00:38,981 --> 01:00:45,128

best of all worlds with the plant

oils as the emollients, the, Swedish

:

01:00:45,128 --> 01:00:51,618

algae as, you know, a, a humectant

or that hyaluronic type feel.

:

01:00:52,088 --> 01:00:56,908

And then the, the vitamin C

that is not only stable, but

:

01:00:57,018 --> 01:00:58,958

not irritating to my skin.

:

01:00:59,561 --> 01:01:00,051

Yeah.

:

01:01:00,101 --> 01:01:04,781

Was really hesitant at first to try it,

you know, but now I'm using it Yeah.

:

01:01:04,781 --> 01:01:06,641

And you don't often and

I'm kind of obsessed.

:

01:01:06,821 --> 01:01:10,345

to it again, see what your skin will

tolerate, but use it during the day.

:

01:01:10,775 --> 01:01:11,505

Good to know.

:

01:01:11,510 --> 01:01:11,600

the

:

01:01:11,600 --> 01:01:12,290

base layer.

:

01:01:12,905 --> 01:01:13,265

Okay.

:

01:01:14,361 --> 01:01:14,911

Yeah.

:

01:01:15,181 --> 01:01:15,901

Nice.

:

01:01:16,001 --> 01:01:16,701

Awesome.

:

01:01:17,201 --> 01:01:18,651

Well, this has been so fascinating.

:

01:01:18,651 --> 01:01:22,176

Is there anything that we didn't

touch on or a Oh my gosh, I think

:

01:01:22,176 --> 01:01:27,256

you and I, the problem we have is

we could go on and on and on and on.

:

01:01:27,806 --> 01:01:31,446

And . I think we hit the things

that are good jumping off

:

01:01:31,446 --> 01:01:33,396

points for people to start with.

:

01:01:33,826 --> 01:01:37,666

There's always more you can dive

into, but don't overwhelm yourself.

:

01:01:38,168 --> 01:01:40,798

Just, you know, take little bites.

:

01:01:41,133 --> 01:01:41,663

agreed.

:

01:01:42,533 --> 01:01:45,593

Don't get too, don't stuff

yourself like at Thanksgiving.

:

01:01:45,873 --> 01:01:45,963

Just.

:

01:01:48,917 --> 01:01:49,197

Right.

:

01:01:49,647 --> 01:01:49,897

Okay.

:

01:01:49,897 --> 01:01:55,087

Carrie, so tell us where people

can find you and your Oh, so

:

01:01:55,097 --> 01:02:00,002

we are available online at www.

:

01:02:00,002 --> 01:02:02,467

kerrygran.

:

01:02:02,467 --> 01:02:07,927

com and we ship from our Seattle

facility and we're really fast and

:

01:02:07,977 --> 01:02:09,597

everybody gets a handwritten note.

:

01:02:09,787 --> 01:02:14,407

We just want to make people enjoy

the experience of shopping online

:

01:02:14,997 --> 01:02:18,421

because, , Especially during the

pandemic, , people weren't going out and

:

01:02:18,421 --> 01:02:24,161

buying things in retail settings, which

we have some amazing retail accounts.

:

01:02:24,191 --> 01:02:28,211

And I'm glad that people are

back, but it's a real hybrid of

:

01:02:28,211 --> 01:02:30,771

how people are shopping anymore.

:

01:02:30,781 --> 01:02:35,651

And I hate nothing more than ordering

something and not getting a notice

:

01:02:35,651 --> 01:02:37,871

that it's shipped for like two weeks.

:

01:02:38,871 --> 01:02:39,231

Yeah.

:

01:02:40,021 --> 01:02:42,071

You guys are great about

It drives me crazy.

:

01:02:42,771 --> 01:02:47,031

And, um, we do have a list of

retail accounts on our website too.

:

01:02:47,051 --> 01:02:49,031

So if you want to see if you can Okay.

:

01:02:49,301 --> 01:02:51,901

locally, that is great in your area.

:

01:02:52,124 --> 01:02:52,744

Awesome.

:

01:02:52,854 --> 01:02:53,434

I love it.

:

01:02:53,464 --> 01:02:54,024

Well, cool.

:

01:02:54,024 --> 01:02:56,684

And everybody I'll share in the

show notes, Carrie's websites.

:

01:02:57,064 --> 01:03:02,064

You guys are pretty active on Instagram,

so I'll share all her socials and all

:

01:03:02,064 --> 01:03:05,204

the details where you can find her, but

thank you so much for joining us today.

:

01:03:05,204 --> 01:03:07,444

This has been Thank you for You

:

01:03:07,444 --> 01:03:07,994

has been fun.

:

01:03:07,994 --> 01:03:10,604

It's always fun to see you,

even if it's virtually.

:

01:03:10,924 --> 01:03:11,604

too.

:

01:03:12,934 --> 01:03:13,514

Absolutely.

:

01:03:13,514 --> 01:03:14,384

We'll do it again.

:

01:03:15,184 --> 01:03:15,484

All right.

:

01:03:15,484 --> 01:03:16,234

Thanks, Carrie.

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About the Podcast

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The Nutrition Edit

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About your host

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Jeannie Oliver

Jeannie is a Certified Nutrition Coach, NASM Personal Trainer and classically trained chef. She helps high performing women improve their overall health, optimize their energy and performance, and discover what it's like to feel good in their own skin - all while enjoying delicious food and creating sustainably healthy lifestyles.