Jurlique: Brand to love!

Remember when I told you how I loved Jurlique's hand lotion so much that I decided to slather my whole body in it and marinade in the ensuing physical joy which results from soaking in organic, earth-friendly herbs and flowers? Well today, upon learning about their new Biodynamic Beauty Range, my brief but passionate physical tryst with Jurlique turned into a mature, adult (but still passionate) love affair.

During an informational webinar Jurlique CEO Eli Halliwell, explained their newest product line.

As a brief side note/holla to my midwestern friends... biodynamic farming is kind of old news to me because I went to college in the hedonistic hippy heaven other wise known as Madison, Wisconsin. I'd venture to say everyone there either is or has worked on an organic/biodynamic farm or knows someone who is currently doing so. It is also old news to Jurlique as they have been using biodynamic farming methods to produce their produtcs for 20 years. According to Eli and Google, however, the desire for biodynamic food and beauty products is exploding far far beyond the reaches of various Midwestern college-town utopias. I learned a lot from Mr. Halliwell today and here are some tidbits worth sharing.

1) Jurlique is the number one skin care line in Australia. Hands down, in Oz, big bad "chem" companies take a back seat. As demand for their organic, biodynamic product is growing so is their world-wide presence. They now have 15 stand alone stores in Japan and 11 in the United States. (I personally play with their products at Whole Foods.)

2) Biodynamic means organic and then some. Jurlique ingredients are grown on their own hand tended, hand-harvested farms. They are self-sustaining, harvested and irrigated according to the cycles of the moon, employ companion planting methods, and ancient crop rotation practices. If your skin care is made with this much TLC and earth-lovin' it seems impossible that your skin could do anything but glow with youthful radiance.

3) Jurlique's new Biodynamic Beauty Range has been tested and proven to get equal or better results as it's chem-packed competitors. Unlike most of the other products though, you will not find any Parabens, Mineral Oils, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Synthetic Emulsifiers, Artificial Colors or Fragrances in any Jurlique product. The new line includes a serum (if you only get one product get this one because it has the most bang for the buck), Eye Cream (I'm currently testing this one), Night Lotion, and Refining treatment. If you are a dedicated beauty junkie check out their ingredient glossary. So amazing!

And lastly I'll just say to hear a successful, intelligent, accomplished CEO talk about the importance of earth friendly products and his disdain for the words anti-aging when really we are just trying to enhance our natural beauty and that of the earth....well it was just reassuring that such men (and such a product line for that matter) actually exist.

Jurlique Citrus Hand Lotion

Recently a friend gave me Jurlique's Citrus Hand Cream. I have tried it a few times on my hands and thought it was an excellent moisturizer and that the citrus smell complimented the thick creamy lotion nicely. But I didn't fall in love with it until this morning when I found myself inexplicably out of body lotion. By "out" I mean there are two full containers of lotion under the sink but they are my "break glass in case of emergency" back-ups. These back-up supplies still exist in plentiful amounts only because I do not use them unless I am absolutely desperate. They are full of chemicals and laurel sulfates that make me cringe when I have to put them on my skin. Call me a skincare snob but generally I like my products as chemical free as possible and this morning of all mornings, I need some extra lovin'. I have had the stomach virus from hell since Friday and after what my body has been through there is no way I'm applying white chemical paste under the guise of "reasonably priced drug store lotion" to my already defeated body. So I dug through the beauty-product grab bag otherwise known as my purse and came up with Jurlique's Citrus Hand Cream. "Perfect!" I thought. When my friend gave it to me she mentioned that all the ingredients are grown on a bio-dynamic farm in Australia. I knew this was exactly when my body needed. So I massaged it in from my collar bone to my ankles and it made me incredibly happy. I smell like the freshly cut oranges I used to eat on time-outs during lacrosse games in high school and my skin feels completely pampered and nurtured. Since this hand lotion did such incredible things to my skin this morning I decided to do some research on Jurlique. The back of the hand lotion tube says "A rich protective hand cream in the living energy of tangerine, mandarin, and lemon to deeply moisturise and restore smoothness, leaving hands (and in my case the entire epidermis) feeling soft and supple." The "in the living energy" phrase caught my attention to so I went to their website to see what this company is all about. I discovered that Jurlique shares my beauty philosophy almost exactly and the husband and wife team behind the label have been working since 1985 to bring everything from essential oils, to face wash, baby care, and hair care to others who want effective beauty-enhancing products that avoid the use of harsh chemicals. Jurlique ingredients come from two company owned farms encompassing 165 acres in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. This is where the roses, lavenders, and bio-dynamically sustainable products that eventually become my morning lotion grow and you can order their products online.