Word travels fast these days so you may have already heard our exciting news, but even so, we just wanted to say how delighted we are to be partnering with Sam’s Club in their unprecedented move into the natural skin care market. It has always been our dream to make Sophyto organic skin care products accessible to all women and, now, thanks to Sam’s Club, we can.

Starting next month we will be launching into 150 branches of Sam’s Club and the retailer has a whole host of exciting plans to help members understand the beauty of natural and organic skin care, including the presence of in-store demonstrators twice a week for the first three months who’ll be on hand to extol the virtues of the products and their natural ingredients.

Sophyto is hugely proud to have been chosen to take this incredible journey with Sam’s Club into the retail sector and we all look forward to sharing our love of great, uncompromising skin care to women all across the US.

During the past 6 months I have received several enquiries from our celiac customers asking if Sophyo formulas are gluten-free. I am a celiac myself but, I had never considered that gluten containing cosmetics would “pose a threat” to celiac disease sufferers. However, to make sure I had all the information at hand, I decided to investigate further.

But first things first - what is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease, also called cœliac disease, c(o)eliac sprue, non-tropical sprue, endemic sprue, gluten enteropathy or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and gluten intolerance is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine characterized by an inability to metabolise gluten and occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages.

Gluten is a mixture of proteins, like gliadins and glutelins, present in several grains including wheat and wheat subspecies such as spelt, semolina and durum, rye, barley, triticale, kamut and oats.

Gluten affects the intestinal villi of celiac sufferers; villi are responsible for the absorption of nutrients.

Celiac disease symptoms:

If gluten ingestion is not discontinued, it can result in:

• Distended abdomen
• Foul-smelling diarrhoea
• Emaciation
• Fatigue
• Malnutrition
• Lactose intolerance
• Muscle wasting
• Steatorrhoea (pale, loose and greasy stool)
• Failure to thrive (in children)
• Bacteria overgrowth of the small intestine
• Growth failure/pubertal delay
• Dermatitis Hepertiformis (Duhring’s Disease)
• Increased risk of adenocarcinoma (small intestine cancer) and lymphoma of the small bowel.
• Celiac Disease has also been linked to diabetes mellitus type 1, schizophrenia, peripheral neuropathy, microscopic colitis, and autism.

Treatment:

Individuals with celiac disease should strictly adhere to a gluten-free diet and follow a supplementation program aimed at restoring the normal function of the intestinal villi.

Cereals allowed on a gluten-free diet:

• Maize (corn)
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Amaranth
• Rice
• Buckwheat
• Sorghum
• Teff

A word of caution about gluten in skincare:

If a gluten-containing product is applied directly on the mouth, it can actually end up in your small intestine leading to symptoms. Therefore, it is advisable that Celiac sufferers avoid using gluten-containing cosmetics on hands, face and hair as they can easily be transferred to your mouth.

A certain percentage of people with Celiac Disease can not use products containing gluten on their skin. If symptoms persist despite a gluten-free diet, discontinue all gluten containing cosmetics.

Gluten will absorb directly into your body through cracked skin, cuts, rashes or from shaven areas.

It is not necessary to ingest gluten for symptoms to occur; topical application of gluten has been linked to itching, dryness, rashes and other skin/scalp problems.

Whether you suffer from Celiac Disease or not, we recommend that you avoid gluten containing products if it causes uncomfortable symptoms.

Our gluten-free stance:

Every single organic Sophyto skin care product is gluten-free; we have vowed not to resort to gluten-containing ingredients to achieve great results.

We use Vitamin E derived from soy beans of Brazilian origin and the grain alcohol is purified to such an extent that all gluten is removed in the process.

I would like to thank our friends at Dakota Free (gluten-free bath and body care) for the amazing gluten-free information they kindly provided.

Ishtar Magally Mobarak

Our bioestheticians have been inundated with insightful questions about organic skin care and all sorts. So, we thought it might be helpful to share some of them with you. We’ll put some of the more succinct Q&As on Facebook and/or Twitter but some people have been asking a series of detailed questions so it seems sensible to convey them as such…

Q: I’m investigating skin care for my 47-year-old husband and 12-year-old son. 
My husband has sensitive skin with some dry patches. He is currently using Sophyto Deep Pore Cleanser, the Purify & Energise Super Bioactive and Mega Omegas Day Face Moisturiser. I am wondering if he should be using anything else? Also I am confused about the way the cleanser should be applied. He has been putting the cleanser on a wet facial pad rather than using his finger tips. Does it matter?

A: Your husband is using the right cleanser and Super Bioactive (toner) but he also needs a serum. Ideally, he should use both serums but considering he is a man (and men usually do not like to use too many products!) I would suggest a nightly application of the Multivitamin Skin Drops prior to applying the moisturiser. Massage the cleanser with the finger tips and then use a cotton pad soaked with either Super Bioactive or purified water to wipe the skin clean.

Q: Should my husband be using an exfoliant? When does the exfoliant get used?

A: Yes, it is advisable to use the exfoliant - Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment - 2-3 times per week to remove all cellular debris/dryness and prep the skin for better absorption of treatment-based products. Apply the exfoliant to cleansed skin, massage for approx. 1 minute, leave it on for 5 minutes then wipe the skin clean and finish with serum and moisturiser.

Q: When does he use the Super Bioctive?

A: Use Super Bioactive to rinse the cleanser. You can either soak a cotton pad with the Super Bioactive and then wipe the skin clean OR soak the cotton pad with purified water to wipe the skin clean and then apply a few drops of Super Bioactive directly on to the face.

Q: So, if I understand correctly, this would be done before applying the exfoliant. What do you use to remove the exfoliant?

A: Yes, you use the Super Bioactive to remove the cleanser and prepare the skin for the application of the exfoliant. Then you remove the exfoliant with another cotton pad soaked with either the Super Bioactive or purified water.

Q: Do you only have one exfoliant?

A: Yes, but all the products micro-exfoliate the skin due to their mildly acidic pH. The Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser is also a mild exfoliant as it contains raw sugar cane extract (natural glycolic acid).

Q: My son is 12. He doesn’t have any signs of acne but does sometimes have dry patches in the cheek area and jaw line. He uses the Sophyto Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser, Super Bioactive and the Normalising Day Face Moisturiser. Should he be using something else? Can he use an exfoliant?

A: For your son I would recommend the Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser (but there’s no need to switch until you have used up the Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser). I would add the Polyphenol Skin Drops, which he can blend into the moisturiser. He can definitely use the exfoliant, but only once a week as he is very young and doesn’t have any impurities. If we saturate a skin with cosmetic formulas when it is young then it is possible that later in life it will not respond to topical treatment.

Q: When should he use the skin drops, morning, night or both?

A: Start with a morning application and if the dryness persists add a nightly application. The serum will also help boost his skin’s protection against UV radiation.

If you have a question or two about the range or your particular skin needs, don’t forget you can chat live to one of our bioestheticians 11am-3pm GMT and EST.

“Sham poo products” - hands down the best phrase I’ve heard to describe what the US Organic Consumers Association (OCA) calls “Organic Cheater Brands” - ie brands that claim to be organic when they clearly aren’t. Genius huh? Anyway, at this year’s Expo West Natural Products Expo in CA last month the OCA initiated a protest against such companies as part of its Coming Clean Campaign, which aims to expose dishonesty in the skin care industry. And according to the editor of NaturalNews.com - Mike Adams - it’s already working because Whole Foods has agreed to review the products it sells that claim to be organic… Power to the people, eh?

The OCA has published a list of products it considers to be hazardous to the skin and why so you might want to take a look at that and check you’re not using any of them. It’s pretty surprising - not mentioning any names, but if you have a look you’ll know who I mean!

Isn’t it horrible to feel cheated by skin care brands who look so trustworthy? But, nice to hear that people are willing to take a stand against such blatant dishonesty…

ps. Apologies for the radio silence folks - we’ve been rather busy with exciting projects and have little time to sleep let alone construct comprehensive sentences. Hopefully, you will enjoy the fruits of our labours though… More on that later…

If you haven’t yet heard of this curiously named phenomenon, Turbo Beauty, fret not because you undoubtedly will sooner or later. Or so say Jody Villecco, quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market and Taya Tomasello, director of beauty innovation for the Mintel International Group. Villecco and Tomasello have just submitted their top beauty predictions for 2010 to HealingLifestyles.com and of course organic skin care is gaining credence in leaps and bounds.

But, just calling something ‘organic’ isn’t enough of a pull for savvy consumers these day, it seems. Which is where this Turbo Beauty idea comes in. “Turbo beauty is all about skin products, such as serums, that come fully loaded with what Tomasello calls “natural actives”—phytochemicals, anthocyanins, and fermented ingredients.” Of course, this is exactly what Sophyto Organics skin care is all about - which is why Villecco and Tomasello cite Sophyto as being “ahead of the curve” in delivering toxin-free, high-end skin care.

This is very gratifying indeed. As we’ve always said, why lather your skin with anything that doesn’t actually benefit it in some way? Contrary to the beliefs of many of the most popular beauty brands, skin care doesn’t need ‘fillers’ to look good or sell. Quality skin care should deliver functionality above all… and long may this trend continue.

The rest of the predictions are interesting too - the increasing importance for consumers of buying ‘green’ from ingredients to packaging; their desire for authenticity in the use of the term organic and the regard for sustainability as well. This is all very good news for us because these are all things we care about deeply and want to share with the world.

Mimi R! Congrats and a very Merry Christmas to her Thanks to all those who entered and helped spread the good SOPHYTO Organics word to your nearest and dearest. (Just occasionally) we have some useful flashes of info to share, so it’s very gratifying to know you want to hear them!

If you weren’t lucky enough to win this time (ie. your name isn’t Mimi!) fret not because we will be up and running with more exciting organic skin care offers in the new year, so watch this space….

That’s right, we’ve finally joined the 21st Century and we’d love to you climb on board with us!

Click on the links below to join our happy flock… and hear about future organic skin care launches and other green stuff… not to mention competitions, before everyone else. Go on. You know you want to…

Now, you may have thought the whole idea of ebay was pretty ‘green’ in itself - ie. buying and selling things you or somebody else no longer wants. However, the ebay people have created a new sister site, dedicated to promoting truly green ebay-ing.

That is to say, for those looking to buy, ebay Green Team encourages us to concentrate our purchases on goods that are either ‘pre-owned’, ’sustainable’ or ‘resource-saving’ (or, presumably all of the above!). Meanwhile, for those in the business of selling these items, there are tips on how to do so in as green a fashion as possible - such as reducing waste at the point of distribution (work/home), using recycled goods to package purchased items etc…

The Green Team has also joined forces with thedailygreen site (which we’ve already become fans of) to provide general tips on how to green up your lives. After all, it’s all very well to use green, organic skin care (like SOPHYTO!), try and weed out the chemicals in your life, and turn off all lights when you leave the room but being truly green clearly requires a good deal more thought.

If you join ebay Green Team now, or spread the word about it, the Team will donate $1 to The Uniform Project, and you’ll be entered to win $5,000 in the eBay re+purpose sweepstakes (only if you’re in the US, though, I’m afraid).

The Uniform Project is one girl’s bid to wear the same dress every day for a year, but make it look supremely different by accessorizing it with all sorts of (largely vintage) bits and pieces. And why is she doing this? Well, aside from the fun of it, she is raising money for schools in India. At the moment, on ebay Green Team you can customise your own outfit using the same dress and they will donate a $1 for that as well.

So, this, here to the right, is my effort. What do you think? Go on, have a go yourself. If nothing else, it’s a good distraction from a dull afternoon!

Continuing our discussion of the dreaded menopause, this time SOPHYTO’s bioesthetician Ishtar Magally explains the hormonal causes behind the hairy symptoms.

Hormones - while some go down others go up

A hormone (from the Greek ὁρμή - ‘impetus’) is a chemical messenger, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue that is transported through the bloodstream and produces a stimulatory effect on the activity of another tissue. A hormone can also be a synthetic substance that acts like a hormone released by living cells.

Hormones that go down during menopause:  

• (O)estrogens: a group of steroid compounds produced by developing follicles in the ovaries, the corpus luteum and the placenta. They are present at significantly higher levels in women of reproductive age than in men. Estrogens promote the development of female secondary sex characteristics, induce thickening of the endometrium (uterine wall) and regulate the menstrual cycle. Normal estrogen levels also accelerate metabolism (burn fat), decrease fat accumulation, diminish muscle mass, help to retain water and sodium, increase pheomelanin (a type of melanin which imparts a pink to red hue) levels and decrease eumelanin (a type of melanin which imparts a brown and black hue) levels, reduce sebum secretion, increase cortisol levels, maintain healthy vessels, enhance skin elasticity and promote skin renewal.

• Progesterone: known as ‘the pregnancy hormone’, it is a steroid hormone secreted by the ovaries (specifically after ovulation in the corpus luteum), the placenta and the adrenal glands. Progesterone levels are low during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (starts with menstruation, when the egg - or follicle - is developing) but they rise significantly during the luteal phase (after ovulation when the uterine lining thickens, preparing for pregnancy). Some PMS symptoms, such as bloatedness, depression, insomnia, breast tenderness, etc, are believed to be related to high progesterone levels. However, low levels of progesterone, in relation to estrogen levels, can also promote certain symptoms associated with PMS - which has led to the increasing popularity of natural progesterone supplements. The levels of progesterone in adult males are similar to those in women during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.} Progesterone helps to prepare a woman’s body for conception, supports gestation, embryogenesis of humans and other species and regulates the montly cycle. Progesterone also inhibits lactation during pregnancy, raises the epidermal growth factor (a factor which induces cell growth, proliferation and differentiation), acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, reduces sebum excretion, regulates the immune system and also plays a role in sexual desire.

Hormones that go up during menopause:

• Androgens: also called androgenic hormones or testoids, are natural or synthetic steroid hormones secreted by the testes in men or the adrenal glands in women that stimulate and regulate the activity of male sex organs as well as the development of male secondary sex characteristics such as the deepening of the voice; increased muscle mass, stature and strength; growth of facial and body hair; heavier bone structure; a prominent Adam’s apple; increased oil and sweat secretion, etc. The most potent androgen hormone is dihydrotestosterone. Androgens are also the precursor of all estrogens - the female sex hormones.

The decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone experienced, coupled with increased levels of androgens, from the perimenopause to postmenopause stage can significantly impact the health of a woman’s skin. There are things we can do to promote the continued good health of our skin (without reaching for the HRT) with organic and natural skin care products.

In Ishtar’s next menopause post, she will be sharing with us some tips to keeping our skin healthy as we age, so check back with us soon.

It’s always great to see someone trying to take control of their health and make steps to green up their lives in the process.

Girly Girl Goes Green is an inspiring account of one woman - Dana Arcuri’s - journey from a typical western diet (complete with preservatives, yeast and sugar) and lethargy towards natural, organic foods and vibrant energy plus weight loss. I know from experience that it’s not easy giving up the comfort foods we love but know to contain substances our body considers veritable poisons. So, to see Dana stick to it and not only lose nearly a stone but feel so much better is truly encouraging.

Dana describes her frustration with the medical care she received but goes on to prove that we don’t necessarily need to rely on medics to help the healing process and that we can in fact often do a lot for ourselves. Dr. Frank Lipman would be so proud

Dana is actually a trained professional in several fields of the beauty industry so I am very interested to read what she has to say about organic skin care greening up her beauty regime too.

Best of luck to Dana and here’s hoping she manages to persuade a few more people on her green crusade as well!