I remember working at Space NK on the Kings Road back in 2002 when an organic beauty shop opened up just a couple of blocks away. We all went down individually to check out the competition, my manager wasn’t happy.. I on the other hand was quite pleased they had taken root nearby and began to visit often, checking out their lotions and potions.
This beauty haven was the dream of Margo Marrone, a trained pharmacist specialising in herbal medicine, nutrition and wellbeing. Her focus on natural and alternate medicine led her to homeopathy, and it was during her study of this that she discovered organic. Shocked by high levels of pesticides and suspect ingredients in food and cosmetics, Margo decided to combine all of her knowledge and create the ultimate beauty store with organic health and wellbeing at its core.
Fast forward 14 years and The Organic Pharmacy has gone from strength to strength with stores and distribution worldwide. They have the most amazing organic skincare and make-up range along with health products including supplements, homeopathic remedies and herbal tonics.
Margo has become the ultimate green beauty guru and could certainly tell anyone a thing or two about organic living. She has extensive knowledge and a passion for spreading the word on cleaner beauty, health and wellbeing. I wish I knew half of what she knew.. Margo very kindly agreed to answer some questions for the blog so here is a quick 5 mins with her talking organic beauty…
What does organic mean to you?
For food, organic means that it is grown and produced through organic standards which includes animal welfare. For cosmetics, it means using organic plant oils, waxes and essential oils instead of synthetic versions, and of course making sure at least 95% of the formula is organic and the remaining ingredients are non toxic and natural.
Why is organic beauty important?
I discovered over 25 years ago that certain chemicals that go into cosmetics can be harmful to our health. Some have an oestrogenic activity and others have a carcinogenic activity, and they can be absorbed straight into our blood stream. This also includes pesticides from non-organic plant oils, herbs and essential oils and since I believe that pesticides are poisons, I don’t think they have any place in our food or our cosmetics. When you think that we use at least 20-40 products a day – the cleaner they are the better. But also I find that organic beauty gives the skin incredible health.
What’s inside your make-up bag?
I love wearing make up so I always have – from my Organic Glam range – foundation, highlighter, a black eye pencil and mascara. I also love sparkle so my go-to is my Nude Sparkle Palette which has some nude colours for day and darker shades for night. I usually forget to wear lipstick but always wear gloss.
What product couldn’t you live without?
I couldn’t live without Carrot Butter Cleanser, Antioxidant Face Serum and Antioxidant Face Gel. Now I also can’t live without highlighter.
What make-up product should every woman own?
Every woman should own mascara and lip gloss.
What is the best piece of beauty advice that you were given and by whom?
The best piece of advice I was given was 23 years ago when I was travelling through Iran with my husband. We came across a tribe and I noticed all the women had beautiful skin despite the horrible conditions. When I asked them what it was they were using, they mixed 2 drops of Rose Attar with some sunflower oil and they used it every day. I use Rose whenever I can, it’s one of my favourite ingredients.
Do you have a skin care ritual?
As a teenager and young adult I had terrible skin and it wasn’t until I created The Organic Pharmacy that I was able to make all the products that I dreamed of. My ritual now is
PM: Cleanse with Carrot Butter Cleanser, followed by Antioxidant Face Serum and Antioxidant Face Gel and Gene Expression
AM: Wash with Rose Cleansing Gel, 3 minute Enzyme Peel Mask (every other day), followed by Herbal Toner, Antioxidant Serum and Gel , followed by Rose Diamond face Cream (new soon to be out in March)
Is there a key product that every woman could benefit from?
Every woman will benefit from adding a face oil, either Rose Hip Oil or Antioxidant Face Firming Serum. A good quality oil is like magic on the skin.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to switch their beauty regime to an organic one?
Just do it – you will never look back and wonder why you didn’t switch in the first place. 🙂
Do you have any New Year resolutions?
My New Year resolution for 2016 is to spend a little bit more time on myself. I am turning 50, my children are older and I have promised myself more time for me so its yoga, detox retreats, meditation, cooking classes, painting classes, dance classes and anything else that will feed my body, mind and spirit.
Thank you so much Margo for your brilliant answers!
If you haven’t tried anything from the range then give them a go, you won’t be disappointed. My favourites for my kit are the lipsticks in red, nude and dark nude along with the black mineral eye pencil and the nail polishes. For personal use the Antioxidant Face Serum and Antioxidant Face Gel are my hero products, I see a real difference in my skin when I use them.
What are your favourites from The Organic Pharmacy?
