Fresh off the New Year, we attended a launch of a new collection of skincare products at David Bouley’s Botanical. With a commitment to creating a line that includes essentials that are good for your body, we sat down with Jane Iredale, Founder and President of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. (makers of jane iredale) to talk about her natural cosmetic and skin-care line that continues to give us exactly what we need and to stay ahead of the innovative curve. We also used her line in our shoot, The Art of the Faux Bob (p.12).

ATHLEISURE MAG: What sets jane iredale apart from other cosmetic brands in the market?

JANE IREDALE: There are a lot of brands on the market now using “mineral” as a marketing term. The misconception is that all mineral makeup is created equal. The mineral makeup category has been one of the fastest growing and almost every major player has some sort of mineral offering. And while I love what some brands have done, some other lines have talc, chemical sunscreen additives, synthetic preservatives, etc. It’s important to read the label to see if the brand you’re about to buy fits with what you want from a product.

Our pure mineral makeup formula hasn’t changed much since we began in 1994. We were the first to use liposomes in makeup like encapsulated algae extracts and antioxidants. We use a lot of plant extracts – most of them are certified organic. Their benefits, taste and smell are in my blood because I’m an avid gardener. Many of them, like pomegranate extract, have active antioxidant properties and help to reverse sun damage. Because our brand is rooted in science, I love it when I find botanicals that combine the natural and scientific worlds. We source most of our plant extracts from Europe where there is a long heritage of appreciating and understanding their benefits.

AM: What is the primary goal that jane iredale looks to accomplish when making its assortment?

JI: Everything we do is based on making the skin as healthy as possible. As a company, we pledge to provide a product line that has the utmost integrity and the ability to enhance the lives of women through its effectiveness, simplicity and beauty. We believe that our activities should be governed by the requirements of our customers and our concern for the environment.

AM: Recently, you held an editor’s event that focused on #FeedFortifyFinish can you tell us more about that, and is this a new/renewed initiative for the brand?

JI: You’re going to hear us talk a lot about this in the coming year. It’s our new mantra at jane iredale, because we believe that beautiful, healthy skin has to be tackled from three directions:

FEED

It’s now understood that you can effect just as much change, if not more, by feeding skin from the inside as well a the outside. This means eating well and supplementing your diet with food that the skin loves. It will reward you in many ways: clearer, smoother skin at any age; reduced breakouts, irritation and sensitivity; the skin will strengthen its protection from UV damage and it will glow with health. We can help this entire process with our nutritional supplement, Skin Accumax, which contains vitamins and plant nutrients in a synergistic blend that targets the skin. We’ve already seen incredible results with this breakthrough.

FORTIFY

All the good work you do on the inside must be supported outside with a good skin care regimen. (If you have acne, this does not mean over-cleansing which can make matters worse). Your skin care pro-fessional will help you with a routine that is exactly right for your type of skin. Many of our clients have asked for a cleanser, ton-er and moistrizer that work together per-fectly with our makeup, so we’ve launched three producs in as natural a formula as possible. This is where BeautyPrep comes in! The cleanser is a micellar cleanser that lifts dirt through its liposome activity and does not require rinsing off. It contains an organic cucumber extract which is especially designed to remove urban pollution. The toner is full of fruit and vegetable extracts that hydrate the skin and have a soothing, calming effect with a neutral pH. The moisturizer has a wonderful ingredient called Eyebright that is soothing, conditioning and reduces the appearance of under eye puffiness. We’ve also incorpo-rated four rose stem cells from the pet-als of various rose species because they condition the skin in a way you can feel as soon as its applied. BeautyPrep is a simple, effective, natural and skin loving ritual that we feel confident will complement what you're already doing.

FINISH

Once you’ve fed and fortified the skin, its time to add the glamour! And that, of course, means makeup. But don’t undo all the great things you’ve been doing for your skin by stressing it with makeup that contains sensitizing ingredients or block pores. Prime the skin, then apply one of our mineral foundations of your choice. We guarantee that you skin will look and feel better and its absolute best.

AM: How do you plan on introducing new products not for the sake of just having additional products but focusing on the needs of skin?

JI: Listening and learning. More and more, we’re learning that pollution has a real effect on the health of the skin, as does internal stress. Stress damages elastin and collagen, exacerbating fine lines and wrinkles. It also causes our adrenal glands to produce oil – That's why, for example, make matters worse). Your skin care professional will help you with a routine that is exactly right for your type of skin. Many of our clients have asked for a cleanser, ton-er and moisturizer that work together perfectly with our makeup, so we’ve launched three products in as natural a formula as possible. This is where BeautyPrep comes in! The cleanser is a micellar cleanser that lifts dirt through its liposome activity and does not require rinsing off. It contains an organic cucumber extract which is especially designed to remove urban pollu-tion. The toner is full of fruit and vegetable extracts that hydrate the skin and have a soothing, calming effect with a neutral pH. The moisturizer has a wonderful ingredient called Eyebright that is soothing, conditioning and reduces the appearance of under eye puffiness. We’ve also incorporated four rose stem cells from the pet-als of various rose species because they condition the skin in a way you can feel as soon as its applied. BeautyPrep is a simple, effective, natural and skin loving ritual that we feel confident will complement what you're already doing.

FINISH

AM: How do you plan on introducing new products not for the sake of just having additional products but focusing on the needs of skin?

Thanks to bloggers, editors and reviews, we have so much contact now with consumers – More than ever before. The consumer has been saying, “Can you just come out with something really simple – something where I don’t have to worry about extensive protocols, I can just throw on in the morning and at night, to address these concerns?” And the more I thought about it, I realized that it really is our responsibility as a healthy makeup brand to ensure people are prepping their skin correctly so they get the most out of our makeup.

That was the reason behind launching our new skin care trio. We’ve called it BeautyPrep, because it’s designed to protect and prep the skin to give you the perfect canvas for makeup.

AM: Are there additional launches that you can tease us with that are coming out in 2016?

JI: This spring, we’re launching Skin Is In, a color collection that’s all about the bare skin look, made even better. It has always been important to me that makeup be good for the skin. With Skin Is In, you will see for yourself just how naturally beautiful your skin can be. (You can see Skin Is In on page 27).

AM: What is your favorite product within the line?

JI: The product I’m most proud of is our PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation. It’s a foundation, powder, sunscreen and concealer all in one and nurtures the skin at the same time. This is the one I would choose as an introductory product because it has instant gratification and shows what sets minerals apart.

AM: What is a core ingredient that you believe is necessary for us to have within our skincare that is within jane iredale products?

JI: Ingredients that feed the skin from the inside, like Vitamins A and C, and Diindolymethane (DIM), the phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables (all found in our Skin Accumax). Change on the skin is more effective and longer-lasting when it reflects overall health. Fortunately, nutritional supplements like Skin Accumax can target the skin by feeding it the nutrients it needs.

AM: At the editors event, you were telling an interesting fact about the relationship to skin and the brain in its embryonic state - can you share that and why this was such an interesting element to share?

JI: Yes! One of the concepts that I learned a lot about at the recent Global Wellness Summit in Mexico City is Psychophysiology. It refers to the phenomenon of how problems that arise in the mind manifest themselves in conditions of the skin, like eczema, psoriasis and acne, and conversely, problems of the skin that manifest themselves in conditions of the mind, causing depression and anxiety. This demon-strates how the skin is an essential part of our well-being. During embryonic development both, the skin cells and brain cells form from the same tissue. The skin develops a local hormonal system of its own, in-dependent of ovaries and adrenal glands, etc. It produces melatonin, which it uses as an antioxidant, as well as estrogen and testosterone – all work together to keep skin healthy. Studies are also showing skin has its own brain, so to speak, and that the power of touch affects our health in profound ways. This completely blew me away, that we can actually affect people’s health just by the way we touch them.

What struck me from all that is that, despite this profound connection, we don’t really pay that much attention to our skin – our routine tends to stop at the chin. We may put some body cream on, but aren’t always thinking about this amazing organ that we have, that serves us all day long. We’re trying to change that.

AM: How does your belief in natural ingredients in terms of skincare and makeup ex-tend to your life in other sectors - culinary, fashion, etc?

JI: I have always been interested in fashion, in wellness, in beauty, and in personal expression, so the leap into makeup was a very natural one for me to make.

There is also a direct link to the culinary experience. There is a huge trend now in spa towards farm-to-table and organic because spas more and more are embracing a holistic approach to wellness. What we eat is fundamental to a healthy body. Clean, fresh food with all its nutrients in tact builds healthy cells; it’s as simple as that.

My garden inspires me constantly and amazes me with its vibrancy given the right ingredients. Just like our bodies, it needs organic food. That’s why we do our own composting and don’t use any synthetic fertilizers. I love berries, so we grow blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. For example, when it came to flavoring our new PureGloss Lip Gloss-es, there was only one choice – bring on the berries.

AM: Can we expect jane iredale stores or other ways that friends of the brand can enjoy the jane iredale experience?

JI: We’re currently offered through spas, resorts, apothecaries and medical offices in more than 40 countries! It was the plastic surgeons who first saw and understood the benefits of my makeup, and they are still some of my biggest supporters. Some of the surgeons used to keep our Amazing Base in their assistants’ desk drawers – now they have their own aesthetic centers.

I’m also excited to share we recently launched on Amazon Luxury Beauty. You can find us in Nordstrom Spas as well, and Nordstrom.com.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Jane Iredale

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Feb Issue