This is how one eco-minded pair of friends started a skin care revolution.
These days, there are so many different options for skin care that it's hard to know which way to turn. With brands touting vitamin A, C and E-packed formulas, and promising anti-aging and anti-oxidant properties it's hard , peels and scrubs and toners... oh my! And now with the focus turning to eco-friendly green products, there are yet another level of products to sift through. Allow us to make things easier by introducing you to derma e.
Started in 1984 by company VP Linda Miles and President David Stearn, derma e burst onto the scene after a health boom in the '70s, which saw many natural products enter the marketplace.
"There was this huge push toward the natural," Linda recalls. "At that time many natural skin care products really weren't. So the whole basis for our company was to produce natural products that were affordable, as a lot of the truly natural products were expensive."
While in the beginning the company focused on vitamin E products -- "Primitive by today's standards," Linda laughs -- derma e has since branched out. Today, they work hand in hand with an acupuncturist, a doctor of Oriental medicine and a naturopath to help focus on the science behind the ingredients they offer throughout their various skin care lines. Says Linda, "It's science meets nature."
Which is why derma e makes sure that a skin care fad is worth jumping on the bandwagon for before they start creating tons of product to meet a trend. Linda and her team look at the ingredients of each item to see what they're going to do before they start formulating with them. The result? Many of their products have been lauded by magazines like Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Health, Body + Soul, Ladies' Home Journal and many more.
Simply put, derma e has come a long way from their humble beginnings. The company is currently the second fastest-growing company in natural skin care, offering over 80 therapeutic face and body treatments that include everything from cleansers and lotions to microdermabrasion scrubs and anti-aging serums. The line is carried in 5,000+ fine retail locations in the U.S. alone. 
Of course, Linda still has her favorite products, even as the company continues to create new breakthrough formulas. Among her favorites? "The age-defying line and the microdermabraision scrub," she notes. "It uses a magnesium oxide abrasive material, which wash away age-related spots. Plus, exfoliation slows down the aging process by encouraging you to expose younger, healthier looking skin. It's a product you don't use every day -- maybe once a week, twice a week tops -- but it's huge for keeping skin healthy and young looking."
Speaking of healthy and young looking, Linda has some tips for those of us still making the transition from winter skin to spring skin that transitions into summer skin.
"Winter is very dry and cold, affects the skin because of heaters," Linda notes. "So your easiest transition is into lighter moisturizers. Water-based moisturizers are better for summer skin care. Also, serums are more comfortable and effective. But your biggest switch is to increase your cleansing routine. As we move to summer, we're spending more time outside and exposing ourselves to pollutants. Research says you need an hour of sun a day, but that doesn't mean go out and sunbathe -- wear a hat, use sunscreen ... do common sense things."
As we all gear up for summer by changing our cleansing routines and buying out sunscreen, derma e will be right behind us, making new and better products, the latest of which featuring organic ingredients and antioxidants like pomegranate. The new organic line, called Organic Expressions, features a day and night cream, toner and cleanser blended with orange blossom essential oils.
"Nature has created so many cool ingredients we don't even know about," says Linda. "As our technologies increase, it gives us more opportunity to identify and look at what nature has made, and then incorporate them into great skin care products."
And to that, our skin says, "Thanks."
For more information on derma e, including Where To Buy info, visit www.dermae.net.
