When I first had the idea for JOON, I gathered a group of tween girls to get their feedback. Why bother moving forward with the idea if girls simply weren’t interested, right? We had a pretty interesting conversation about age (what it means and how it feels to be a young girl), beauty (how they define beauty because at the end of the day, it’s all about them), body image, fitting in, the environment, natural products, etc. I was amazed by their perspective and eloquence. Sometimes getting young people to talk is like pulling teeth, but these girls willingly opened up about themselves, their lives and the products they use (or would like to use).
As I review products on this blog, I always find myself wanting to send products for girls to our panel to try out and give their feedback and opinion. But, when I go to the store – whether it’s Target, Whole Foods, or even tween retail stores in the mall, I can’t find anything. Literally, there’s NOTHING available to the masses (specifically for girls) that’s natural and free of the NO-NO ingredients (parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sodium laurel/lauryl sulphates) for me to pick up. It’s not that we don’t have competitors; we do have a handful who are available solely online, in limited distribution or trying to get distribution. I have to say that I am surprised that mass retailers aren’t seeking out healthy products for young girls. We all seem to underestimate the intelligence of the very young. They are smart, they are savvy and they are growing up in a world where the word “green” isn’t a trend or a category, but a way of life. If I go to mass retailers and look for products for tween girls I can easily find a rack of Lip Smackers, some sparkly body cream (sans the natural mica for sparkle), or maybe a Hanna Montana body care or make up kit for girls. When I was a kid, i used Lip Smackers and made perfume with my Barbie perfume maker, but that was because we didn’t know any better. There wasn’t a dialogue about things such as parabens or petrochemicals. But, now we do know better, but the selection hasn’t seemed to change much. I long for (and am working my hardest toward) the day where I walk in a Target or any other mass retailer and alongside the other products, there is an alternative – there is a world of JOON – body care, skin care, sustainable clothing, accessories.
