The JOON Blog

I don’t want to keep our JOON Girls waiting, so I’ve been working on a few interesting JOON items for our girls to discover online!  I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag until I’ve worked out all the details.  Stay tuned!  (there will be some cool finds this holiday season!)

As I was slathering my baby in sunscreen before our afternoon walk, I was reminded of being a young girl and the ridicule that I endured when I would put on sunscreen at the beach with my friends.  My mom was a stickler not so much for sunscreen, but for staying out of the sun – period.  So, when I did venture out to the beach, which was inevitable given I grew up in South Florida, I was forced to wear a sunscreen by Clinique which had either zinc or titanium dioxide in it.  I didn’t read labels back then (most people didn’t), but I do recall that it turned my skin a horrible  ghostly shade of white with a weird hint of purple.  My friends all slathered on their Coopertone or whatever brand they used and never turned the color that I did, but I was afraid of the wrath of my mom, so I begrudgingly put on my sun block that turned my skin alien.

In trying to develop a good sunscreen for our line, I was adamant about our sunscreen being cosmetically appealing.  In order to do so, I realized that our product would have to include toxic chemical ingredients.  I learned that only one chemical sunscreen (Avobenzone) is legal in Europe.  All the others have been banned.  Why? Because chemical sunscreens generate free radicals that can damage cells; contain hormone-altering chemicals; and contain synthetic chemicals that can be toxic.

At the end of the day, we had to do what’s best for our JOON Girls.  And, what’s best isn’t always pretty.  Our Happy Face Moisturizer SPF 15 contains both Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide for the best broad spectrum coverage.  When one of our girls tried the product she said, “It turned me purple.”  I can relate.  But I’d rather be a little purple and protected than at risk for skin cancer down the road.  Girls don’t look that far into the future (why would they when the present moment is so fulfilling?), so it’s our job to make sure that they leave the house armed with the knowledge and the right products to protect their skin.

Admittedly, I don’t say thanks to my mom a whole lot, though I should.  To this day, I don’t leave home without some sort of protection on my skin – even when the sun isn’t shining.   Thanks, Mom.

Our plan is to launch the JOON brand with the original scents of Apricot Mint and Vanilla Floral in April and then give the girls something new to experiment with around holiday season.  So, I’m wondering what summer smells like when you’re dreaming of it.  In most parts of the country, it gets pretty chilly during the holidays. Some are lucky enough to enjoy a white Christmas.  (We don’t get those down here in South Florida!) I love snow sports, but after about a week of cold and snow, I have to admit that I long to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. When it’s cold outside and you were wishing you were somewhere warm and sunny, maybe taking a dip in the ocean, what smells connect you to that time and place?  I’ve got some ideas in mind and I need to write a brief for our fragrance house pretty soon, but I just wanted to pose the questions to those of you reading this to get your thoughts.

So, I’m back from the HBA Expo and I have to say that JOON absolutely had the best booth!  Even people who weren’t interested in body and skin care for young girls stopped by because they loved the JOON packaging (!), wanted to find out what we were all about (!) and, of course, wanted to try some amazing Apricot Mint and Vanilla lemonade.  (By the way, I have to thank the adorable JOON Girls who served lemonade.  You were awesome!)

Now on to the topic of building a successful naturals brand.  Even though we haven’t launched, I believe that we’re definitely doing everything right to build a brand because brand building begins from the start, not just once you hit the market.  (notice I said “brand” NOT “naturals brand”!) What will make our brand successful is how people, specifically girls, their moms and the industry react to JOON and what we have to offer.  As we enter a market that is wide open – there are only a handful of brands that market natural health/beauty products to young girls and most have just recently launched  -  I keep my eye on all to track their goings on and their successes.  Interestingly, I’ve seen that some just aren’t gaining traction.  I believe there is definitely room for more than one brand in this space – competition is good and keeps us all on our toes, but what’s going on?

Seeing what others are doing (or not) makes us work harder.  It also makes us realize that what we are creating truly is different.  One of the speakers at the show, Jasper Van Brakel, CEO Weleda North America opened his speech with images of Apple and Mini, iconic consumer brands.  That is our goal:  to be an iconic brand for young girls everywhere.  Not an easy feat, but a doable one, in my opinion.  I suppose for girls, the standard would be Barbie instead of Mini.  Watch out, Barbie!

Welcome to JOON!  All this hard work has finally paid off!  Our web site has launched and I’m about to head up to New York to introduce the world to JOON!  Check out our new site and let me know what you think.  Of course, I’m a bit biased so I happen to think it’s awesome!

And, about the HBA show…if you haven’t heard of it, it just so happens to be the largest beauty industry trade show in the United States and it’s held only once a year!

If you happen to be in NYC September 15 – 17 and you want to check out our booth, see our products and have a tasty surprise treat, just click here and you can get a free pass to the expo! Just be sure to use PRIORITY CODE EXH350146 when you register. We’re going to be at booth #1336.  You can’t miss us…just look for the lemonade stand!

I’ll make sure to post photos of the show.  You can also follow us on twitter for updates on what we’re doing and seeing at the show!

Did you know that our main brand color – that cool pink that is technically called “rubine red” – has sparked a debate about the environment?   Who knew?

So, the story is that “rubine red” is a 5-color process that requires additional energy, labor, and resources to print.  A printer pointed out that we could minimize our environmental footprint if we switched our color to “magenta” which is a 4-color process, requiring fewer resources.  We happen to like our color and so do lots of girls who were instrumental in helping us choose not only the color, but the logo!

Being someone who considers herself a middle-of-the-road green consumer, I’m not quite sure how much of an impact we would make if we switched.  So many things to consider.

This is only one example of how complex not only this green movement is to navigate, but how it’s not enough to just say you’re a “green” company without understanding the full implications of that word.  I’m meeting with the printer so that I can become more informed and make the best decision for our company, our JOON girls and the environment.  Stay tuned…

You’re supposed to write what’s really on your mind on your blog, right?  Well just because this blog so happens to be my company blog, I still want to write what’s on my mind and sometimes those thoughts may be inconsequential!

So, I was wondering what to wear to this trade show?  Business casual?  On brand – i.e.  a rubine red dress?  Or Professional – skirt/jacket?  To be honest, I rarely wear anything other than long dresses and flip flops or tank tops and jeans whether I’m at work or at home.  I honestly don’t own a suit!  So, I’m thinking sun dresses and maybe skip the flip flops (or wear them)?  I really should to be true to myself.

If you’re interested, and I’m sure there are those of you who seriously may not be, check back for photos!  (or come down to the Javits Center and see for yourself…I’ll be at booth #1336!)