Lavie Organique in STUFF Boston Magazine!

Natural Beauties

by Cheryl Fenton
October 04, 2010

You are what you eat, so they say. But you've that got covered, right? From your daily 64 ounces of water (sipped from a BPA-free bottle, of course) to the organic fruits and veggies you stock as snacks, you're a walking poster child for healthy living.

But what about your largest organ, your skin? Is it really covered - with the right products, that is?

Though skin is an effective barrier in many ways, some substances can penetrate it, and many can irritate it (as sensitive types know all too well). And people are increasingly thinking not just about what they put in their bodies, but what they put on them - leading some to shun skincare products filled with chemicals whose names have five syllables, "fragrances" whose component ingredients are a total mystery, and substances grown with potentially environmentally hazardous pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. "If you're choosing to eat the best natural and organic foods available, then you should also be choosing the best natural and organic skincare products to put on your body," says Noah Solomon of Whole Body, Whole Foods' division devoted to personal-care products. That way, continues Solomon, "You're not putting chemicals, harsh preservatives, artificial colors, or fragrances into your body that it needs to process."

Photo: Michael Diskin

His point of view is catching on. According to Mintel's Global New Products Database, organic and natural products accounted for nearly 10 percent of all beauty and personal-care product launches through 2008 and 2009, compared to 5 percent in 2006.

Right in our own backyard (for you Foursquare folks, that's Brookline) are two fantastic natural skincare lines; both are the creations of Eastern European women with heritages steeped in skincare savvy.

The recently launched LaVie Organique is a line born from time-tested secrets from founder Lavinia Borcau's native Romania, a region long renowned for its spas and treatments. Through her namesake day spa, Lavinia Borcau Skin Care (29 Harvard Street, Brookline, 617.734.5523), Borcau created these formulas using certified-organic and plant-derived ingredients and vitamins - not to mention her own 20 years of skincare expertise and a little of her grandma's know-how about Mother Nature's gifts.

"I chose every ingredient in my formulas, including the natural preservatives and fragrances, not only for safety, but also health benefits," she says. The ingredients read more like a tasty recipe - think apples, chili peppers, and grapefruit - than the unpronounceable stuff of a science experiment.

Cheryl Fenton is a freelance writer in Boston who also blogs at EasyPeasyBlog.com. Read more about Natural Beauties at http://stuffboston.com/.