The company prided itself on producing the best products from “science and Nature." They talked a lot about their good ingredients, but didn't say much about the bad ones. In fact, they denied the products had any bad ingredients at all, even though many had names I couldn’t pronounce. But because the company claimed they were all from natural sources like coconut and palm, I just assumed they were healthy and safe. But you can make vodka from potatoes, so just because something is “derived from plants” doesn’t make it good for your skin.
One day soon after I’d begun selling this "natural" skin care range to friends and family, a cosmetic ingredient dictionary jumped out at me in a health food store I was browsing. It told about all the dangerous properties of the ingredients I was using and introducing others to. Yuck! Disillusioned and really quite annoyed, I felt I’d been deceived. And that was how I began my search for truly natural products.
At that point, my mother-in-law (God bless her) gave me some books on aromatherapy, herbal remedies and how to make your own skin care products out of natural ingredients. But surprisingly, even these books recommended the use of toxic preservatives. Which I wasn't going to touch! So I started experimenting with some skin creams, giving them away as gifts. While researching how to prevent my natural concoctions from growing mould, I remembered a little bottle I’d taken on a trip to Thailand a few years before to kill bugs in the water. I tried this with some natural extracts I’d been experimenting with and it seemed to do the trick!
As I continued to research, I was captivated by Mother Nature’s many wonderful offerings and grew more concerned about the toxic, synthetic ingredients most cosmetics contained. Inspired to let people know about the toxins in skin care products and feeling I could offer a real alternative, I began to write on this. When some of my articles were published in well-respected natural health magazines, I discovered what a demand there was for information on toxic ingredients and truly natural products. Apparently, I was onto a winner! My handmade products turned out to be quite popular and my hobby grew into a home-based business, “Intelligence Cosmetics.” It was great. I’d just given birth to baby # 3 and this was something I could do at home on my own time.
Eighteen months later, Alf Orpen approached me after a natural products expo I’d had a stall at, challenging me to create certified organic products. I’d been eating organic food ever since my first pregnancy in 1994, believed wholeheartedly in the organic philosophy and decided I was up for the challenge. But even my "Intelligence" range had ingredients I wasn’t entirely happy with. So after another 18 months of research and development, Alf and I joined forces and our Miessence Certified Organic product range was born.
But that was just the beginning. Our intention is to create a whole range of certified organic lifestyle products, from cosmetics, to garden products, household cleaners, pet products, as well as a range of healthy food supplements to increase our wellness and vitality. Let there be no doubt that we will revolutionize the health and beauty industry! Stay tuned to this company!
One of my personal goals is to help level the playing field between multinational corporations—with their huge marketing budgets—and consumers. I believe education is the key to empowering consumers to see through the “greenwash” of slick marketing and recognize products for what they really are. Clever advertising so often masks the use of potentially toxic ingredients, which undermine the integrity of the “organic” claim. But if we know how to read labels, we can choose to avoid toxins. As consumers, we’re incredibly powerful. We just need to own it. The cosmetics industry alone is worth something like US$20 billion a year. Most of that turnover supports the use of toxic chemicals. By refusing to buy those products, we tell the big multinationals we’ll no longer put up with the toxic waste they’re pumping into our bodies and into the environment and they’ll have no choice but to make the changes we want.
As Gandhi said, "Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty." There are so many candy-coated evils promoted by tabloids, women's magazines and TV. We need to look beyond the hype of big-business propaganda and not believe everything we’re told. If we commit to educating ourselves and acting on our newfound knowledge, there’s no limit to what we can do.
Be a beacon of light in the sea of ignorance and apathy. Stand up and be counted! Act to improve your health and wellbeing daily. Support companies that stand for the ethical use of
Earth’s resources. Educate your friends and family about toxins in their food and in the environment. And pray for the enlightenment of our planet's powerbrokers, both political and industrial. God knows they need it!
| Wishing you health, happiness and lots
of love! |
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