Natural Bath and Shower

Innovative and Natural

AHAVA has just launched its Mineral Botanic Skin Friendly Velvet Cream Wash, which consists of seven scented shower creams created from natural organic plant and fruit extracts. The paraben-free line features new technology based on microspheres that encapsulate very high concentrations of oils and minerals from the Dead Sea. Each product supports the needs of specific skin types, featuring natural moisturizing oils like Macadamia and Sunflower. The line, which is hypoallergenic, is available in Grape & Avocado, as well as Orange & Frangipani, for normal to dry skin. The combination of orange, which contains Vitamin C, acts as an antibacterial and helps form collagen in connective tissue, and blended with frangipani, it soothes, tones and purifies the skin.

There is also a Micro-peeling Cream Wash, with Water Lily & Guarana, designed for normal to dry skin. The water lily infuses the skin with a tranquil scent, while Guarana stimulates and awakens skin's metabolism. Olive and apricot seed powder provide a gentle peeling effect.

For very dry skin, AHAVA launched Hibiscus & Fig. Hibiscus milk provides antibacterial properties, while soothing and moisturizing the skin, and the fig milk leaves skin soft and nourished. Pansy & Bamboo combines the natural astringent bamboo, to smooth and calm the skin, with pansy extract, to soften and energize the skin with essential moisture. For sensitive skin, AHAVA created Lotus Flower & Chestnut. The lotus flower milk acts as an antioxidant, and blends with chestnut milk to nourish and moisturize. Also for sensitive skin, Honeysuckle & Lavender imparts the relaxing scent of honeysuckle, blended with natural antiseptic lavender to renew tired skin, restore luster and shine. AHAVA Mineral Botanic Velvet Cream Washes come in 500 ml bottles, and retail for $19.50.

www.ahavaus.com.

Apothecary Offerings

Beauty guru Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK, has launched her own range of beauty essentials, free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and silicone, to keep things simple for bath and body care. Among her collection is a Life NK Soul Soothing Body Lotion, $25 for 6.8 fl oz, and Ultimate Unwind Bath & Shower Gel, $22 for 11.9 fl oz; in addition, Kinnaird offers a Tomato Rhubarb Muscle Relief Bath Soak, blending rosemary and juniper to ease overworked muscles, which retails for $30, for 17 fl oz.

The Space NK emporiums display a wide range of bath and body solutions from all corners of the world in addition to the shop's proprietary range of products. New this year at the shop is REN Clean Bio Active Skincare, which features Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish to scrub away rough, dry skin and unveil a silky finish with the aromatic scent of Moroccan Rose Otto Oil, sourced from the Rose Damascena Flower. Additional bio active ingredients include cane sugar, from Paraguay Sugar Cane, to exfoliate dead skin cells and encourage cell turnover; as well as Kola Nut, Paraguay Tea and Almond Oil, to invigorate the skin and leave a radiant, nourished finish. It retails for $60 for 11.2 ounces, and is available at Space NK. The range of body products contains no petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, silicones, or synthetic fragrances or dyes.

Also featured is REN's Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Nourishing Body Oil, which blends the healing properties of Moroccan Rose Otto Oil with REN's Bio Active Complex of ceramides, phospholipids, and omega oils to lock in moisture, and Carthame Oil, a deeply penetrating, hydrating oil from Safflower. The product retails for $65 for 3.3 oz,Space NK shops, Sephora, Barneys, Fred Segal, and Blue Mercury.

www.renskincare.com
www.space.nk.apothecary.com,

A Feel Good Philosophy

Launched in time for the holiday, Philosophy® conjures the freshness of First Snow with a set of body care products that includes Snow Body Lotion, 2 oz size, Snow Shower Exfoliating Gel, 4 oz, and Snow Kiss Lip Shine, .5 oz. The set, packaged in a snowflake covered, octagon-shaped box, features a scent reminiscent of angel cake, macadamia and newly fallen snow, and retails for $25.

Also from Philosophy, the Gingerbread Man™, a hot salt scrub for tub and shower, contains sea salt and algae extract, and is deliciously scented with the essence of ginger and caramel. The product retails for $25, for 23 ounces.

www.philosophy.com.

Olio Benessere Means Wellness Oil

Aetó Botanica Olio Benessere, meaning Wellness Oil in Italian, is a light, botanical body oil with the aromatherapeutic properties of Monoi de Tiaré, which is extracted from the Tamanu tree. When massaged into the skin, the oil encourages blood circulation, expels toxins, and allows oxygen and nutrients to enter the skin. As a treatment for dry skin, it repairs and relieves skin irritations, abrasions, sunburn, and helps to improve skin's elasticity. According to the company, when the product reaches 75° or higher, the oil changes from a solid to a liquid. Solidifying and warming of the oil does not affect the quality or diminish the fragrance of the oil, and the combination of Tamanu oil, Coconut oil, and Monoi de Tiaré allows for continuous hydration and lingering fragrance for more than eight hours after application. Suggested retail price is $28.

Also from Aetó is a new Body Shampoo, which gently cleanses the skin and stimulates the senses. Featuring botanical ingredients, including Cranberry to strengthen the skin, Passion Flower to moisturize and condition, Bamboo extract, to help rejuvenate skin, and Myrrh, the product is designed to revitalize the body and calm the mind. Suggested retail price is $26.

www.OloffBeauty.com.

Ecocert Certified Bath Line

Suzanne aux Bains is a complete range of nourishing and relaxing body and face care products formulated with Nutri-Détenté® plant complex. The Complex contains Apricot kernel oil, with Vitamin A and essential fatty acids, Smoothing Lime Blossom extracts and Lime Blossom water, and Mallow Flower extract. In addition, all the products in the range are certified by Ecocert and labeled Cosmebio.

Before bathing products include Interieur Plume, Gentle Body Scrub (200 ml, $27), Eloge de la Paresse, Bath Foam Bliss ($27, 200ml), and Détenté Verticale, Calming Body Wash ($23, 200 ml). After bathing products include Tactile Emotion, Nourishing Body Milk ($32, 200ml), Duo des Dens, Relaxing Massage Oil ($47, 100ml), and Epreinte Digitale, Nourishing Hand Cream ($23, 50ml). Suzanne aux Bains products do not use animal ingredients or animal testing. They contain no parabens, no mineral oil, no colorants or silicone and contain no synthetic fragrances.

www.suzanne.auxbains.com
www.beautyhabit.com
www.trueaffinity.co.uk.

Innovative Bar Soaps

Organic products continue to attract a growing audience, as health conscious consumers select ingredients and benefits that fit their lifestyles. JK Soul Salts Organic Soap and Scrub Combo sets are providing handcrafted quality, skin-loving blends of organic shea butter, Dead Sea salt, and fragrant herbs, with organic essential oils, and hand made paper packaging. The company has also launched a new initiative and partnered with US Doctors for Africa, donating 10% of the proceeds of sales from its new Organic Soap and Scrub Combo set to the organization.

Frieda Toroman, creator of JK Soul Salts, said, "We are very excited about our partnership with US Doctors for Africa and are confident our donation will be put to good use there." The organization provides volunteer medical teams to assist local staff with childbirths, as well as provide expertise and medication to reduce transmission of the HIV virus. JK Soul Salts new product combo, which retails for $12, is available in Lavender, Orange Blossom, Sweet Grapefruit, Rosemary and Tahitian Vanilla and is paired with an eco-chic body exfoliation glove, to leave skin silky smooth.

All JK Soul Salts products are handmade in small batches to ensure the freshest, most enriching products possible. The company's goal is to offer 100 percent natural, organic bath and body treatments, and an unwavering commitment to purity, quality and social responsibility. The complete collection includes six signature scents found in body scrubs, bath salts, dryer sachets, Shea melts, shaving oils, tub teas, bath oils, bath crystals, body butters, herbal soaps and massage bars. Each product is finished with a mantra or positive affirmation displayed on the outside of the packaging.

www.jksoulsalts.com.

Beauty From the Garden

Dr. Dobbs' Tomato Complexion Soap is a fresh pick to cleanse and neutralize oily skin. The company, which was founded by Joan Matera, a registered dietitian, features a line of natural skincare products that incorporate the formulas of Matera's great grandfather, Dr. David H. Dobbs, a doctor and Baptist minister from Edna, Texas, whose home remedies were sold in the local drugstore the family still owns today. Dr. James Cole Dobbs, son of Dr. David Dobbs, and Joan's grandfather, carried the tradition of natural healing in the family legacy when he returned to practice medicine in Cuero, Texas, after serving as a doctor in the US Army in World War I.

Joan Matera created the Dr. Dobbs line as a tribute to the family legacy, ensuring high quality, natural ingredients, and expertly blended formulations. She partnered with natural products industry veteran Mel Stevens, to create formulas that include Mediterranean olive oil, Vitamin E, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter and wheat germ oil, in a collection that includes Dr. Dobbs' Perk O' Lips™ Coffee Flavored Lip Balm, Ultra Moisturizing Peppermint Tingle Lip Balm, Dr. Dobbs' Happy Camper Soap, a healing, ourdoorsy, anti-itch remedy featuring properties of the jewelweed plant, Dr. Dobbs' Ultra Relief Bath Therapy, with rosemary and eucalyptus, to relieve aching joints and muscles, Enriched Apricot Bath Oil Treatment, with wheat germ, apricot kernel oil, Vitamin E and orange oil, and the new cleansing bar, Dr. Dobbs' Facial Glow Tomato Complexion Soap. The Tomato Complexion Soap offers a refreshing, natural and healthy way to cleanse. It is hand-milled and contains lycopenes and alpha hydroxy acids from the tomato, to soothe and refine enlarged pores. The company notes that it is 96.5% natural, and a 3 oz bar retails for $6.99.

www.drdobbsskincare.com.

Yves Rocher Les Plasir Nature Soap Bar

Yves Rocher, the Creator of Natural Beauty, has picked fruits and plants to create its new Les Plasir Nature collections. Featuring Extra Virgin Olive Oil, labeled AOC Provence, organically grown Bourbon Vanilla, Malaysian Coconut, Wild Blackberry, Yellow Peach and Organic Raspberry and Oats, the company has created soap bars, shower gels, hand gels and body lotions, that provide body benefit and soothe the senses.

The Plasir Nature line offers a high concentration of botanical extracts, softening organic aloe vera, organic shea butter, nourishing sweet almond oil, and soothing organic witch hazel water, among other ingredients, in formulations that are biodegradable, have minimum impact on the environment, and offer seven aromatic scents from which to choose. The Olive Oil line features Silky Body Cream, 200 ml jar, $16; Hand Cream, 200 ml pump bottle, $9; Soap Bar, which contains AOC Provence Olive Oil, shea butter, vegetable glycerine, and a botanical soap base, available in 300 gram, $8; Body Exfoliant, 200 ml jar, $16; Liqu$9 and $2.

Other ranges include Organic Oats, with a similar range of products, and Organic Raspberry, which features an Eau de Toilette as well as a Fizzy Bath Sugar Cube. In addition, the collection features Organic Vanilla, Wild Blackberry, Malaysian Coconut, and Yellow Peach, with a soft, mellow fragrance, reminiscent of summer delights. Yves Rocher is a French Company that continues to base its philosophy on the five principles of botanical beauty, namely, the behavior of the plant world, where every single product contains botanical actives, and where possible, they are organic. In addition, the company uses the plant world as their only source of inspiration, and has been creating their products in this manner since 1959. Understanding the plant world is the third aspect of their philosophy, and testing all ingredients and formulas ensures they are safe and effective. The fourth principle is protecting the plant world, and each year through the Yves Rocher Foundation, women around the world are rewarded for their work protecting the environment and humankind. The fifth principle is that the plant world is for all women. Staying true to Mr. Yves Rocher's vision, the company offers women the best in botanical beauty at a fair price. Yves Rocher is unique because it is a grower of its own plants in La Gacilly, Grance, and manufacturer and distributor through its own sales channels of more than 1600 stores and spas, and its catalogue, the Green Book of Beauty is distributed in 90 countries. In addition, there are numerous online sales sites for international access.

www.YvesRocherUSA.com.

RéVive Cellulite Eraser

RéVive® Skin Care has launched two new products which feature cutting edge technology as a response to consumer demand. The first, RéVive® Cellulite Erasure, was created specifically to reduce the appearance of cellulite-affected areas, and merge scientific and natural components to help restore smooth, even texture. The formula contains a Nobel-prize winning power molecule called Cyclic AMP, known to improve the appearance of cellulite-affected skin. It also features Carnitine, derived from amino acids, to energize the skin, and caffeine, a naturally occurring substance found in the leaves, seeds or fruits of more than 60 plants. Combined, these ingredients work synergistically to aid in the restoration of more youthful, slimmer-looking body contours.

According to the company, the product, which is designed to be massaged twice daily into the affected areas, will aid in diminishing dimpled areas, and will firm and invigorate the skin. The product retails for $210. For 6.7 fl oz, and is available at company's site.

The newest innovation from RéVive® is a reformulation of the company's original Moisturizing Renewal Cream, called RéVive® Moisturizing Renewal Body Lotion. The product contains a body-specific concentration of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), plus a touch of glycolic acid, that work in unison to help retexture the body's skin. EGF is said to be the key to the magic of the formulation, as it increases skin cell renewal and improves firmness and elasticity. Other ingredients include forming agents, organic compounds that help maintain the skin's natural elasticity, plus Vtamin E, an antioxidant to help fight free radicals and reduce the appearance of aging skin. In addition, shea butter, an intensive moisturizer, helps soften dry, rough skin. The product is formulated for all body types and should be applied nightly, following cleansing. It retails for $185, for 6.7 fl. oz.

www.reviveskincare.com.

Cool Fix Shave Works

The creative team from Anthony Logistics for Men now offers a Cool Fix, with the launch of its newest brand, Cool Fix™, from Shaveworks™. The latest product is an anll-in-one gel lotion that fights ingrown hairs, razor burn irritation, redness and everyday common hair removal woes. The multi-purpose, paraben-free shaving and waxing irritation solution marks the first introduction from the new Shaveworks™ unisex line.

The gel lotion was created for use by men, as a quick fix, and for women, who know that shaving and waxing take a toll on the body, be it legs, underarms, bikini line, neck, face or any body area subjected to the wear and tear of shaving or waxing rituals. The product contains a potent moisturizer, Mediacalm Complex, to soothe the skin and reduce redness, which can be applied immediately after shaving without burning or stinging. In addition, time-released ingredients fight irritation and ingrown hairs; and an effective combination of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and phytic acid, exfoliate dead skin cells, kill existing bacteria, and dissolve dead skin so any hairs trapped beneath the skin can be freed. The product retails for $25, and is available at Sephora stores nationwide and online at company's Website, as a 2009 exclusive.

www.Sephora.com/Shaveworks.

Scar Healing Therapy

Whether the result of a surgical procedure, burn, or accident, improving the appearance of scars and reducing their color, roughness and discomfort, is the aim of Kinerase® Scar Healing Therapy. The product is a concentrated, non-greasy silicone gel that forms an invisible protective barrier to soften, flatten and smooth scars and reduce the appearance of skin discoloration associated with scarring. Kinerase Scar Healing Therapy is also designed to normalize collagen deposition by restoring barrier function to the skin.

Key ingredients include Cyclopentasiloxane, a skin conditioning agent and emollient that leaves the skin soft and silky; Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone Polysilicone-1, and Polymethylsilsesquioxane, to form an occlusive barrier on the skin, while adding an elegant texture. In addition, the product contains BV-OSC/Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, a stable lipophilic form of Vitamin C that may promote collagen synthesis, prevent lipid peroxidation and environmental induced cell damage, and also may inhibit tyrosinase activity along with melanogenesis, combine to aid in healing.

The patent pending complex is sheer enough to be used under makeup, dries quickly, leaves no sticky residue, and is recommended for red or raised scars on the body or face. The retail price of Kinerase® Scar Healing Therapy is $48, and the product, which is distributed through dermatologists and plastic surgeons.

www.Sephora.com
www.Ulta.com
www.Nordstrom.com
www.kinerase.com
www.valeant.com.

Clean Logic

A new product line from Clean Logic Body Care features the deep healing and anti-inflammatory ingredient, Nopal. Derived from the Nopal cactus, which grows in profusion in Mexico and Central America, the ingredient figures strongly in the assortment of Clean Logic products, which include Body Wash and Body Lotion, Body Scrubbers, and Soap Sponges, which combine soaps with exfoliators, and are available in Cucumber Melon, Lavender, Peach Berry and Warm Vanilla scents; as well as the Nopal Cactus-infused washes and lotions, available in a range of scents, including Relax Orange, Refresh Spearmint, and Enjoy Sugar and Rice.

With clean packaging, modern design, and an extensive brand portfolio, Clean Logic Bath and Body Care offers a variety of price points, from $6.99 for the Soap Sponges, to $12.99 for the Body Washes and Body Lotions.

www.cleanlogicbodycare.com.

Sleep Therapy

Essence of Vali, a niche brand with an aromatherapeutic positioning, has launched a topical solution to enhance and induce sleep, as well as relax the body and the mind.

Introduced by Valerie Bennis, founder of Essence of Vali, a certified aromatherapist and experience blender, the products use aromatherapy, or the alchemy of plant essences and essential oils to create healing formulations for women, men and children.

Bennis has created a line of products designed to help people experiencing such common conditions as sleep difficulties, stress, headaches and low energy levels. The formulas she created treat these conditions with blends of natural botanicals, in such products as massage and bath oils, her EOV Botanical Eau de Parfum, mists, and a variety of aromatherapy diffusions. Essence of Vali Massage and Bath oils are synergistic blends of plant essences and 100% pesticide-free pure golden jojoba. Bennis says, "Unlike other carrier oils jojoba does not get rancid, and it also absorbs easily into the skin because it contains an organic ingredient similar to our skin's restorative fluid."

Each formula addresses a specific condition and provides a naturally revitalizing experience. The products are 100% natural, with each ingredient coming from a different part of the plant. They are designed for use on the body, in a massage, or as a natural moisturizer or bath oil. Two of the distinctive products in the line are Balance, which is designed to provide relief for women of all ages who are experiencing hormonal fluctuations. The product contains essences of lavender flowers, grapefruit peel, clary sage and geranium leaves, in 100% pesticide-free, pure golden jojoba. The Sleep formula was created to help individuals drift into a relaxing sleep, with essences made from lavender flowers, marjoram leaves, cedar wood and ylang ylang petals. Additional massage oils in the line include Fortify, Calm and Detox, and each retails for $16 per 4 oz bottle.

Whether brimming with high tech ingredients, innovative delivery, novel materials, or plant-based botanicals, customers today are finding bath and body treatments that fit their new paradigms and shopping philosophies. Beauty and a healthy body remain high priorities for consumers and need, novelty, and nature are the reigning determinants in the marketplace. Clearly, potential activity is likely to focus on product development along the lines of natural ingredients, like honey, shea, jojoba, aloe vera, and aromatherapy, and promotional activity and education will continue to boost product awareness and sales, so consumers will ultimately remain toned, exfoliated, sweet smelling and sustainably centered in the bath and body market.

www.essenceofvali.com.