Michelle Garcia, founder of Pure&True Organic Beauty

21 April, 2009. Brand: Pure True Organic Beauty

Michelle Garcia, creator of the awesomely effective natural skin care range, Pure&True Organic Beauty, tells us about her son's favourite thing (composting worms) and offers us her top tips for eco-friendly beauty.

How did Pure&True come into being - what inspired you?

The birth of Pure&True coincided with the birth of my son, Ethan. During my work as a Green Building Consultant I became aware of the toxic chemicals that are commonly found in our household. While pregnant with my son, Ethan, I combined my knowledge for living an environmentally-friendly lifestyle with my desire to keep her body as pure as possible, to create Pure&True - a results-driven, luxurious, organic skincare collection, made with the finest natural ingredients, infused with my passion for nature, health and beauty.

What has been your proudest moment so far during the growth of Pure&True?

My proudest moment would have to be the day someone stopped me on the street and asked me what skincare I used. This was one year into testing the products and the visible results of the product on my skin were validated. To this day, I think that that woman was a gift from the universe telling me that I was on the right path. Right after that, we went into production. Today, it feels fantastic every time people tell me how much their skin has improved, and share stories about how their friends notice the difference!

If you could wave a magic eco-wand and fix just one environmental problem, what would it be?

What if….I could wave my magic eco-wand and make everyone on the planet more aware of our environmental impact? It’s amazing to think that if everyone on this planet lived the way we do in developed nations, our ecological footprints would require four Earths. And today, we are already living beyond our planet’s means, consuming 1.4 times the resources that our planet can generate in one year. This is definitely not sustainable. We could all be more aware of the footprint we leave behind and how easy it is to reduce it!

What eco-friendly things do you and your family do in daily life?

We are very conscious of the companies we choose to support through our daily purchases. We do our best to shop for organic, renewable and recyclable products. I drive a hybrid, we recycle as much as possible and look for other ways to cut down on energy/resource consumption. Growing my own herbs makes me happy. Of course, my son Ethan’s favorite eco-friendly activity is adding to our composting worm bin – he’s definitely a boy!

If you could recommend just one change to our readers looking to make their life a little greener, what would you suggest?

Things as simple as turning off lights when you’re not at home and turning off the water when you’re brushing your teeth are just two examples of very easy ways to cut back and become more eco-friendly.

Unplug anything that requires a remote control or has a clock on it, as it continues to suck energy even though it’s off. That’s why they’re called energy vampires (TIP: buy a power strip for these electronics and turn the power strip off).

Turn off your computer instead of putting it to sleep. Recycle any product you can. Change your light bulbs to energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Once you realize how easy it is and how good you feel for doing it, it will blossom into an eco-friendly way of life.

When it comes to choosing a healthier natural skin care product what are the most important pitfalls to avoid?

The most important pitfall is to be aware of is marketing claims. Just because a product claims to be natural or organic, does not mean that is necessarily is. There could be a very small percentage of organic or natural material in it. There could be ingredients that are terrible for your skin. Many consumers have no idea that the products they are trying to use to clean their skin are actually harming them.

Do you have a skincare tip to share with readers?

Read the labels!!! Educate yourself. Understand why parabens are controversial, and why phthalates and petroleum-derived ingredients aren’t great for you. Make sure you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin as well as in your body. Also, know that there are products available that are good for your skin, your body, and the Earth – like Pure&True!

What is your own favourite Pure&True natural skin care product?

If I was stuck on a desert island I would choose to have my serums and scrubs – they’re what keeps my skin nourished and feeling alive!

What’s next for Pure&True?

It’s hard to know where to begin. We’ve got several projects we’re working on at the moment. For example, we’re in the process of developing body products and treatments that will be integrated in to our SPA experience.

Thanks Michelle for such enlightening and inspiring answers to our little grilling... the Ikigai team are thinking a visit to Hawaii might be a good idea, just in the interests of research, y'know!