The JOON Blog

The final days of summer are upon us, so we’re trying our best to cram in as much as we possibly can before the start of school.  I have to say that I have a heavy heart that the school year is starting. As busy as my days are, I love having my kids at home during the summer and taking chunks of time out of my day to explore with them, watch them grow and learn,  and have little family outdoor adventures.

This summer we spent time in the Bahamas (one of our all-time favorite places), went snorkeling in the Florida Keys, swam in the pool (almost every evening), went on scavenger hunts at the beach (some great finds; some not worth mentioning!), and just enjoyed being together as a family.  My husband has his “alone time” salmon fishing in Alaska and, to re-charge my soul (which I highly recommend for all moms) I went on a solo vacation to Puerto Rico.  (that’s a blog post in and of itself!)

One of our final summer adventures was a trip down to the Redlands to visit the Fruit and Spice Park.  If you’re not familiar with Florida, the Redlands is an agricultural community in South Florida located about 20 miles southwest of Miami.  Many tropical fruit crops are grown in the Redland that cannot be grown commercially elsewhere in the US except South Florida, such as mango, avocado, guava, passion fruit, lychee nut, jack fruit, to name a few.  All of these can be seen and sampled for free at the Fruit and Spice Park, a local attraction.

While touring the park, we were allowed to taste some of the ripe fruit that had fallen to the ground. AMAZING!  Of course, thoughts of JOON ran through my mind.  Some of the fruits were so fragrant and the colors so vibrant that I couldn’t help but take a few notes on incorporating some of these fragrances into our products and learning about the potential health benefits of the fruits.  Inspiration comes from many places and there’s lots of it right in my proverbial back yard.

I have to say that my son didn’t necessarily enjoy the tour around the park as much as my husband and I did.  He seemed a bit bored sitting on the  tram listening to the guide.  He’s only 5, so I can’t blame him.  ”Mom, this is for grown ups,” I heard repeatedly.  Well, maybe so, but no reason why he can’t be exposed to such things, right?

The following weekend, I had an itch to visit Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables.  I used to live in Miami and would often visit Fairchild.  Forty acres of beautiful gardens to meander through for hours.  And, when you’re tired of walking around, just have a seat on a bench by a lake and take in all of the natural beauty.  What could be more beautiful than being so closely connected to nature?  I was very aware of Andros’s experience at the Fruit and Spice Park, so I was initially a bit reluctant taking him to Fairchild, but, still, we loaded the entire family (baby included on this trip) into the car and headed down south.  This time, we skipped the guided tram tour and just walked.  To my surprise, my son LOVED it.  He picked up a map and decided to guide us through the gardens.  First on his list, the arboretum (which he called the ‘abortoreum’).  It poured on us while we were there, but we didn’t mind.  Just more puddles for Andros to splash through!  We all had a blast.

As we were leaving, I wondered why it had taken me so long to come up with the idea of visiting the Fruit and Spice Park and Fairchild.  Such rare and beautiful oases nestled so close to the urbanity of our daily lives. I suppose that oftentimes, we (as in all of you and myself included) either tend to think of activities (rather than experiences) that are very close to home, as in within 10 – 20 minute driving distance because we simply have too much on our to do list to waste any more time in the car than necessary.  And, I believe that we also tend to think of experiences as vacations – trips to far away places, getting on planes, going on long car trips, overnighting in hotels.  I am guilty of that.  With just a little forethought and planning, we could have visited both of these places many times during the summer and taken away something unique and different from each experience.  Rather, it was much easier for me to go for a bike ride or across the street to the beach or pull out my membership card to the Discovery Center (which, over the past 2 years, have visited probably 100 times!).  We definitely had amazing times together at all of the places that we visited this summer, but next time I’ll remember that it’s not that hard to put in just a little more effort to have enriching experiences, both for me and my children.  Vacation will always be vacation – I’ll never forsake our trips to the Bahamas or anywhere else for that matter (Italy is next on the list!).  But now, I am going to do a better job of discovering all that is around me – for the sake of learning, exploring, experiencing and connecting.  It’s important for me to continue to grow and even more important for my children to continue to expand their world and their place in it.

Better yet…how do you pronounce it? Well, according to the dictionary (just in case someone does ask you), it’s pronounced with the “ph” silent – as in “thalate”.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s talk about what a phthalate actually is and why we don’t want them in our health and beauty care products.  First, let’s remember that our skin is our largest organ and it has the ability to absorb what we put on it…for instance, body creams, washes, perfume, moisturizer.  Studies show that your skin can absorb up to 90% of a given chemical that is topically applied.  In laymen’s terms, it’s a GIANT SPONGE.

If you’ve shopped for baby bottles, kids sippy cups or toys lately, you’ve probably noticed “Phthalate Free” stamped across the package of many of these items.  Why?  Because phthalates are used in plastics.  Phthalates are chemicals that are used in plastics that make them flexible.  Sounds good, right?  Well, think again.  The problem is that phthalates are highly toxic and small doses migrate from the plastic toy or bottle  to anything that touches it – whether that be food, drink, shampoo or a baby’s mouth.  Phthalates are also found in nail polish, body lotions, soaps, shampoos, and other skin care products.

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors. They mimic estrogen. Because phthalates resemble estrogen, they can mimic or block estrogenic effects in the body. Endocrine disruptors are associated with a number of health problems that are on the rise on the U.S. and worldwide, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility and heart disease.

When it comes to the health of our young girls, the mere fact that phthalates are endocrine disruptors should alone be enough to change our habits or, at the very least, give us pause in our purchasing decisions.  A recent study has shown that girls are entering puberty at a much earlier age than they were 20 years ago.  Childhood obesity and exposure to endocrine disruptors are suspected to be the culprit.

A team of researchers from across the country report that girls — particularly white girls — are more likely today to begin developing breasts at age 7 or 8 than they were in the 1990s.

Specifically, the study (which involved 1,200 girls) found that 10.4 percent of 7-year-old white girls had begun to develop breasts. This compares to 5 percent in a similar 1997 study.

The current study also found that 23.4 percent of black girls had begun to develop breasts at age 7 — but that percentage hadn’t shifted significantly (statistically speaking) from 1997.

These findings have significant physical and psychological health ramifications for girls. Other research has found that earlier maturation is associated with lower self-esteem, increased risk of eating problems, depression and suicide attempts. Girls who experience a “precocious puberty” (as it’s called in the medical world) are also more likely to start having sex at a younger age than their peers.

Furthermore, early puberty – particularly an early menarche (first menstrual period) – is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood and with breast cancer.

So, now you know why brands feel compelled to place “NO PHTHALATES” on their packaging.  And, now you know how to actually pronounce the word.  And, most important, now you can make decisions based on real knowledge.  (For more information, check out this report http://www.safecosmetics.org/downloads/NotTooPretty_report.pdf)

I recall reading a blog post from one of the many industry blogs that I follow about marketing natural health and beauty products.  (If only I could recall the blog, I would quote it directly.  My memory will have to suffice for now.) The author, a self-proclaimed marketing expert, stated that companies should stop talking about what’s not in their products and, instead, talk more about all of the great natural ingredients in the products.  To paraphrase, the word no has become hackneyed; it focus on the negative and consumers want to hear what’s good and positive about a product. In a nutshell, we manufactures and marketers have spent far to long focusing on the no’s:  no phthalates, no sodium lauryl sulfates, no parabens, etc etc.

On the surface, this sounds like a perfectly reasonable and sound argument.  Who wants to hear no all the time, after all?  But, if you dig just a little bit beneath the surface and place yourself in the shoes of the person actually buying the product, the argument seems to lose traction.  I liken it to trying to teach a child to read without first teaching him phonics.  As marketers, it’s our job to spend 8 or 10 or even 16 hours a day thinking about all of this.  We have an excellent foundation about natural products  and product formulation – what’s bad and toxic, what’s good and healthy.  But, the average person doesn’t spend every waking moment pondering these things.  They walk into a Target or Walgreens and make a decision in less than a minute about what body wash they’re going to buy.

I have really really really smart friends who don’t make the best purchasing decisions when it comes to healthy skincare products.  One of my best friends is a smart, successful lawyer.  She has a 2 year old son and, from day one, has fed him nothing buy organic, homemade food.  (Makes me chuckle a bit because growing up, we used to exist on Mac Donald’s – 2 cheeseburger meal with super-sized fries –  and Spaghetti Os.  Look at us now, right!)  She then told me that the only bath product that she used on his skin was Aveeno.  So, let me get this straight – organic food, but toxic bath wash?  But, she didn’t know what shouldn’t be in the Aveeno.  She only knew that it was recommended by pediatricians and dermatologists and contained oats – what could be more wholesome and natural, right?  How can you read a label properly without the right foundation of knowledge?

I believe the NOs should be repeated loudly and clearly – akin to making a child repeat the sounds of his letters until it’s second nature.  But I don’t think that we should stop there.  The next step is not simply removing this information from labels, web sites, etc.  The next step is education our customers on what these no-no ingredients are.  Let them know why they are harmful and why we shouldn’t be putting them on our bodies.  We need to be stewards in educating our consumers and empowering them to progress the category of natural products by making more educated decisions and purchases.

For now, we’re leaving the NOs on our labels and placing them wherever we can.  We’re also using this blog, Facebook, newsletters, and promotions to explain what a phthalate is to our consumer – from the six year old to her mother.

We’ve been developing JOON for two years and it definitely hasn’t been easy.  Fun, but not easy!  It’s tricky navigating the natural category because the standards seem to always be changing and consumers (all you people out there looking for natural products) are simply confused.  What really is natural?  If the ingredients don’t read like a list of plants and flowers and herbs, does that render the product unnatural?

Here’s my take and here’s what I’ve learned over the past two years.  First, I believe that there is a place for companies whose ingredients list looks like a menu at a florist.  But, I don’t think – scratch, I KNOW – that there aren’t enough people out there who are (a) able to afford many of these products; (b) willing to do without traditional beauty products.  Let’s be real…we’ve all gotten quite used to how the way creams feel on our bodies and the way that soap lathers up all nice and sudsy on our loofah.  Unfortunately, some of the ingredients that make the products that we love so much so creamy and sudsy aren’t so good for us.

In order to make an affordable line of products that has the efficacy that people expect and won’t break the bank, we believe that there is a place  for natural and naturally derived ingredients in natural brands.  We have followed the standards set forth by the Natural Products Association to ensure that our products meet the current standards.  (in addition, our ingredients meet the high standards of a specific retailer (!) in which JOON will be launching in August!) It angers me when I see companies that promote “natural” on their label, but there is nothing natural or naturally derived about most, if any, ingredients in the product.  We set out to do something very specific – to create a line of healthy products for young girls that is affordable and accessible, not exotic and expensive.  What mom wants to spend $18 on a bottle of bath or face wash for her daughter, seriously???

I urge you to educate yourselves about natural products.  Check out the Natural Products Association’s web site (www.naturalproductsassoc.org) and read about what’s going on.  As industry standards change, so will ours.   And, as we grow, we will take advantage of our economies of scale and provide you (and the earth) with greener packaging.  As of now, our bottles are 100% recyclable and we don’t use secondary packaging – that means putting our bottles in cute little boxes that will be thrown away.  Who needs and extra box?  In the end, not only do we pay for it, but so do you and our precious earth.  We realize that using natural and naturally derived ingredients alone does not make us a green company – it’s all of the other things that we do as a company to lessen our impact on the environment.  (that will be shared in another post!)

*Image Courtesy of Flickr – Cuba Gallery (www.cubagallery.co.nz)

Last weekend, I came to the realization that I’m obsessed with the printed word.  Not a word appearing in a blog post or anywhere on the vast inter-web, but words actually printed on paper, in magazines, catalogs, books.  I literally crave moments when I can pick up a book or flip through a magazine.  My night stand is testament to this tactile disorder that I possess.  I say “disorder” because I’m living in an age where digital is where everything is headed.  Magazines are dropping like flies, newspapers are downsizing or going out of business and trying to figure out a new model of disseminating the news, and the NOOK, Kindle and iPad are the hottest new gadgets.  I mean, who on earth reads catalogs anymore?  I admit, unabashedly, that I do.  I’m clinging on to a bit of what I believe makes us human – using all of our senses to engage with the world around us.  Though I do love the internet and all things digital (my iPhone, DVR, mac book, blogs, Facebook) for their convenience and, in general, amazing abilities to connect me with people and information, I need moments where I can connect through touch, smell, feel, sight (other than looking at a screen!).

As I think about my connection to the tactile world, I better understand why I’ve always felt so strongly about  creating a brand, the JOON brand, to be about connecting with nature – getting outside and going for a swim, feeling the hot summer breeze on your face, picking strawberries or flowers.  It’s what’s missing from kids’ lives these days.  Why go outside and use your body when there’s Wii Fit or bowling or tennis?  Why meet up with friends when you can sit in your room and text or FB them?

JOON products are by nature for natural girls – girls who have an connection to the vast world outside.  I’m on a mission to make kids, once again, fall in love with nature.  I don’t think it’ll be that hard.  It won’t take long for them to see just how much fun it is and how much there is to explore.

For me, Summer never really ends, so I never quite know when it officially

begins!  Fortunately, I have the Internet and news to remind me.  So, let’s

all raise a glass (of lemonade, of course!) to summer.

As a mom and the owner of JOON, I’m pretty busy year round, but during the

summer months (which are super busy this summer given our imminent August

launch!) I take time every day and live out summer like a kid!  Today, a

long bike ride followed by a swim in the pool with the kids.  I get as much

done during the week as I possibly can so that I can spend time taking short

weekend getaways with my family.  Last weekend it was a trip down to the

Keys.  This weekend, who knows.maybe an airboat ride through the Everglades.

No matter how busy you get, remember what summers were like as a kid.  Well,

don’t just remember them, re-enact them in some small way.  You’ll be

surprised how much happier and healthier you’ll feel.

Around two-thirds of consumers care about the environment but their purchases are primarily determined by price*

(*source:  LOHAS Consumer Trends Database Study)

I’m wondering who these people are who aren’t concerned about price.  Some people will pay more for something because of its perceived value; because they think of a particular something or another as a status symbol or badge; or maybe, simply because they have more money than they know what to do with and why not spend it!  I, as most of you readers out there, for sure don’t fall in that last category.  (If you do, that’s ok!)  The second category, I think we may all be a little guilty of – falling into a trap because what we buy conveys a message about who we are.  That’s just human nature.  We care what others think about us.  But when it comes to green, it never enters my mind what others think of the choices I make.  BUT, I certainly don’t have money to throw around and I’m constantly seeking out green products that keep some green in my pockets.

In a perfect world, I don’t think that we should be forced to make choices that could negatively effect our health or the environment because of price.  But we live in an imperfect world.  We’ve spent decades making strides in technology and science creating chemicals that make the products that we use better, more efficient, etc.  But, we didn’t have the foresight or stewardship to actually test these chemicals before pumping them into products, our foods, our bodies, our earth.  Now, we’re at a crossroads.  We want to make better choices and we don’t want to spend too much, but because of some not so good choices we made in the past, it’s not so easy to move forward.  Yes, there are environmental impacts, but there are also economic ones.  We can’t just rip the bad products off the shelves – imagine what that would do to big businesses, jobs, etc if retailers simply told the “not so good brands” (a euphemism at its best!) they’re no longer welcome on the shelves of our favorite stores.  On the other hand, we need to make a shift in a healthier, more positive direction.

My suggestion, health and beauty care companies, food companies, household product brand – BRING OUT ONE NEW PRODUCT A YEAR THAT IS HEALTHIER, NON TOXIC, MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.  Slowly, but surely, phase out the bad and bring in the new.

Clearly, we need to do a better job of stewardship – making sure that chemicals are actually tested before we put them into our every day products.

And, I also challenge you.  Go through your bathroom cabinet, shower, pantry, refrigerator – pick one place to start – and each week look at the ingredients of the products that you use every day.  Use the internet (www.ewg.org or simply goolge) to research ingredients.  Educate yourself.  Replace the bad with products that are better for you, your family and the environment.  I’m not saying they’re going to be cheaper, but you can find inexpensive alternatives.  You don’t have to run out and buy organic – perhaps a trip to a local farmer’s market may suffice.  Or pick up an issue of Whole Living magazine and look for recipes, beauty tips, etc on living a more natural and balanced life.  Unfortunately, green is still a niche.  It’s top of mind and on the tips of our tongues, but it’s still sort of marginalized in our every day shopping experiences.  This won’t be the case five years from now, but don’t wait 5 years to start making changes.

I came across this while looking at one of my favorite blogs “Pieces of Me” on the Yumi Kim site.  (What can I say, I love fashion and I love literally seeing her design inspiration from the images on her site – her life is full of vibrant color, fun, diversity…as are her designs.)  I’m a tremendous fan of Dr. Seuss – always have been, always will be.  The lessons above are a wonderful guide and a beacon when things get a little stressful.  I try to live every day with passion and approach all things that I do – work, motherhood with passion, creativity, thoughtfulness, love and patience. Happy Wednesday!

In 2008, I attended the Natural Beauty Summit held in New York.  Attendees included Burt’s Bees, Aveda, Origins and many large and small cosmetics companies – some natural, some not.  We all were there wanting to learn about this new “trend” in the cosmetics industry.  I always like to hear Mike Indursky, CMO of Burt’s Bees, speak at conferences.  He’s very smart, articulate and always has an interesting perspective.  At the summit, I learned that Burt’s Bees was owned by the Clorox Company.  Wow did that spark a discussion/debate.  Many, including myself, wondered why a large chemical company would invest in a natural health and beauty care company.  Talk about incongruity.  Well it turns out that Clorox is doing quite a lot to evolve into a green and sustainable company.  A few months later, I notice Clorox Green Works products on the shelf in my local grocery store.  Still skeptical, I continued to purchase Seventh Generation products – a great company with a great reputation for making natural cleaning products.  But, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in price of the Clorox products.  I have to admit that it wasn’t until recently that I purchased my first Clorox Green Works product.  I use it to clean my counters and even my baby’s high chair table.  It’s non-odorous and effective.  Being aware of the history Clorox brand, I feel comfortable that things are actually getting clean, just in a more natural, environmentally-friendly way!  I’m a convert.

Interestingly, Clorox is the first home care product to receive the Natural Seal by the Natural Products Association.  Seriously, the FIRST!  I would have thought that Seventh Generation would have been leading this initiative on the home care front.  I commend Clorox for their amazing efforts.  I commend them for acquiring Burt’s Bees and making the brand more accessible in more places.  I’m glad to see natural home care products holding their own right alongside the conventional products.

I just read an article about a natural health and beauty care company for young girls in which the founder of the company stated that she’d like to see mass retailers have a “special section” for natural products – a store-within-a-store concept so that consumers of aisles dedicated to natural products, even suggesting that trained staff educate consumers.  I understand the logic, but then I think about Clorox.  As opposed to segregating (a strong word, but a fitting one) these products, I believe that they should be alongside conventional products.  When I walk into Target and even Sephora and I see the “green aisle” of beauty products, it seems an afterthought.  It’s not where your average consumer would tend to go.  The prevailing perception is that these natural products are more expensive and inaccessible.  I believe that we, as manufacturers, need to do our job to educate consumers on the benefits of natural products.  We need to have a louder voice in advocating for the Natural Products Association.  We need to figure out better ways to merchandise our products alongside conventional ones.  And, we need to figure out ways to offer our products at more affordable prices.  Now, I realize that’s not an easy laundry list of to-dos, but it’s what we need to work toward.  We need to look to Clorox as the standard.  Obviously, we’re not as big as Clorox and we don’t have the distribution or bargaining power that they have as a large company.  But, when we’re sitting down with the buyers at mass retailers, we need to come to the table with creative ways of educating the the mass market and give them a better option in the ways and places that they typically shop.  When it comes to young girls, that means placing JOON right next to Hannah Montana and allowing moms and girls to make a choice that’s right for them.  That means doing everything we can before they get to the store to arm them with information about their product choices.  Eventually, we won’t have to worry about Hannah Montana.  Sorry, Miley.  We love you, but, your health and beauty care products – not so much.

copy and paste the following link into your browser to read more about Clorox and the Natural Products Association http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eon/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100420005717&newsLang=en