Lisa Phipps, founder of fair-trade, organic skincare line, REMEDICa

16 December, 2009. Brand: REMEDICa

Ikigai is in the business of skin (as opposed to the business of show!). We like to think we're a little more scrupulous than most when it comes to making sure our products aren't packed with nasty chemicals. We pride ourselves on uncovering the best of the best in organic skincare. But every now and then, a range comes along that really, REALLY (no, really!) knocks us off our feet. REMEDICa is just such a range... meet Lisa Phipps, founder of this fair-trade, super-ethical and all-round awesome company.

How did REMEDICa come into being – what inspired you?

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: I was inspired by a passion - or even an obsession - with how efficiently and effectively the molecular structure of essential oils allowed skin absorption, and how dramatically essential oils act on the skin at a cellular level.

Drawing on this science, and long before this was a widely-accepted idea in Australia, I started to create oil-based facial skin care for specific skin conditions, from normal to dry, mature and even acne and oily skin types. This was the beginning of REMEDICa.

I was further inspired by the skincare secrets of different ethnic groups from all around the world. Why not make use of the hundreds - or even thousands - of years worth of botanical skincare knowledge that already exists in tribes and communities worldwide? The Richesse de l’Afrique line, which is fair-traded with African communities, is my tribute to those carefully-guarded ethno-botanical skincare secrets!

What has been your proudest moment so far during the growth of REMEDICa?

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: My proudest moment was definitely when I produced a world first. Allez.Allez! is the only certified organic, citronella-free, Neem-based personal insect repellent in the world! When we finalized our scientific trials I was thrilled with the result.

Also (and even more importantly), a beam of pride shoots down at me every time a customer makes a special trip to our store just to say “thank you” or “your product saved my skin”. You can’t beat that feeling. I have a great sense of pride and honour when we talk to thrilled customers. Our customers are our brand really!

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

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: My priority would be to totally eradicate the industrial need for coal.

What eco-friendly things do you do in daily life?

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: Recycle, Recycle, Recycle. I am a recycling nut. I am known as the recycle Nazi in my apartment building. I can't stand waste and thoughtlessness in discarding of waste. I also tend to butt in and lecture people when I see them littering in parks or on beaches. That's really my biggest hate. That said, no one is perfect. As far as plastic bags go, I am one of those people that have hoards of non-woven shopping bags in my car but always forget to take them to the supermarket when shopping!

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

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: If you have a garden – get a compost bin and use bore water. If you are in an apartment building that has some greenery around, then talk to the management about a communal compost set-up.

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

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: My biggest problem with marketers of skincare products is misleading labelling. Just because a product says “preservative free” does not mean there are no preservatives nor even does it mean that it is paraben free!

A common (and I mean VERY common) practice is for manufacturers to use raw materials that are already preserved, sometimes quite heavily, so when they add these raw materials to the product, no additional preservatives are needed, so legally they are allowed to say “preservative free”.

A perfect and common example is products based on aloe vera, a nutrient that microbes absolutely love. So, if you see a product with aloe vera that claims to be preservative-free, then either the product is potentially laden with bugs, or the the label is misleading and the aloe material in liquid or gel form has already had preservatives added to it.

Personally, I don't advocate “no preservatives”. I have seen enough scientific data and peer-reviewed literature, as well as microbial challenge testing results, to know how important it is to protect your product (and customers) from potential pathogens in cosmetic formulations.

My choice wherever possible is the use of food-grade preservatives such as potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate (which by the way, used topically has not the bad press that ingesting it has), and even phenoxyethanol, which is the most globally accepted and lowest on the potential toxicity score card of all non food-grade preservatives.

Do you have a skincare tip to share with readers?

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: Oh, I have many...but here's just one!

Oil does not make the skin oily. Honestly! Sometimes starving the skin of natural oils can actually create an overly oily complexion.

If you have acne or congestion, please don't try to dry the skin out! Don't apply pimple zappers like tea tree oil, and definitely don't use abrasive scrubs. These will all make your skin far more likely to scar. Instead, hydrate the skin using humectants (water binders) and use a gentle daily enzymatic exfoliator, instead of a scrub. Enzymatic exfoliants work through natural acids found in fruit (alpha-hydroxy-acids or AHAs), which munch up dead skin cells on the surface.

If you have dry or mature skin, using oil - not peanut oil from the pantry, but the right combination of natural oils - can dramatically improve the ability of skin to maintain moisture and reduce epidermal dehydration.

What’s next for REMEDICa?

Lisa Phipps, REMEDICa: I am very excited about launching our first haircare products based on Monoi de Tahiti and coconut milk, in the first quarter of 2010.

We are also at the end of our market trial on a triple-effect “recovery serum”. This is a gel-based formula that offers short, medium and long-term effects to improve tightening of skin, smoothing and hydrating, and decreasing the depth of wrinkles and sun-induced pigmentation such as sunspots.

A big thank you to Lisa for answering our questions - and look out for those new REMEDICa products, coming to Ikigai as soon as they are available.

Products from REMEDICa »