Natural and organic sunscreen for every occasion

Sun protection is more important than ever during the warm summer season, and not all sunscreens are created equal. Using a variety of different sunscreens for activities, different parts of the body, and skin type can appropriately protect your skin from environmental damage in many conditions. Whether it is at the surfing at beach, hiking up mountains, playing at the park with your kids, working in your garden, walking your dog, or simply running your daily errands, a protective sunscreen is a must for maintaining healthy skin. We’ve got a fine selection of sunscreens as part of the natural sunscreens we offer, no matter what the occasion.

Daily

For daily use, a moisturizer with SPF 15 should be part of your daily beauty routine. The time we take drive to work and run errands under the hot sun can increase the risk for premature aging and damage to the skin more than you think. Every day that exposure adds up and can appear in those unwanted sunspots and wrinkles. Avoid forgetting to put on sunscreen each morning and you’ll avoid raccoon eyes from wearing your sunglasses. Don’t forget to apply daily moisturizer not only on your face, but bring it down towards your neck and décolletage – it’s an often neglected spot.

Try Living Nature Daily Moisturizer SPF 15, it moisturizes and protects skin with rare ingredients manuka honey and Harakeke. Badger Organic Sunscreen SPF 30 is also great; it offers 60% organic ingredients and is safer for marine life-and for you-than a chemical sunscreen.

Active

Staying active during summer allows us to have fun and spend time enjoying ourselves, but it also means that we’re spending more time outside. To protect our skin from the sun’s rays it’s essential that we use a sunscreen of SPF30 or more for our body and generously apply sunscreen often. It is important to reapply if you spend a significant amount of time outside to avoid sun damage. Our feet are an often missed spot, we end up with damaged skin and sandal tans. We want to keep our skin healthy with natural beauty products not to mention avoid those dreaded painful sunburns and farmers tans!

Try Soleo Organics All Natural Organic Sunscreen SPF 30, it’s water resistant and grape seed and macadamia along with many antioxidants protect skin.

Children

A child’s precious skin especially needs protection and can be extremely sensitive. Baby safe organic formulas are the best choice for kids to minimize skin reactions. When your kids are active on the playground or swimming at the pool, be sure to choose a water resistant formula. Throw on them a nice hat for added protection, and apply sunscreen especially behind the ears.

Try Erbaviva Organic Sunscreen for Children SPF 15, avocado and almond are excellent moisturizers and it’s delicately lavender scented. It won the “Highly Commended” at the UK Natural Health Awards 2010.

Keep your skin protected all summer long to prevent premature aging and damage for you and your family. Whatever your organic and natural needs are, we got you covered.

Founder & Owner of Suki Inc., Suki Kramer's exclusive interview with Nature's Basin

Suki Kramer

Nature’s Basin: How and when did Suki start and what's the concept behind it?

 Suki: Suki® incorporated in 2002 & now sells over 65 products in 800 stores around the world. I own 100% of the company, which now employs hundreds of people, 98% of whom at our headquarters are women. Suki® is the first & only brand with clinically-proven formulas that quantifiably demonstrate significant improvement to the skin, 100% synthetic-free. I founded the brand with the aim to create results-driven, clean, & sophisticated sensual products. I always had a passion for high-end personal care products, but could not use most formulas because of my sensitive skin, skin problems & allergies. I started out by developing basic formulas for family & friends & later studied independently & with chemists from companies such as revlon & estée lauder. The results of my hard work are products that contain high percentages of cosmeceutical actives in 100% synthetic free bases that are unmatched in the industry.

Nature’s Basin: What makes suki® special? How do you think it is different from other natural/organic products?

Suki: Suki® is unique because it truly bridges the gap between a scientific dermabrand that is filled with synthetics & a green brand that makes skin feel good but does not provide the kinds of clinical, visible results found with this brand. I always wanted to create products that were really unique - clinically proven, effective, & results driven, while utilizing the most organic content possible. a truly different brand on many levels: from formulation integrity, created to treat all skin types to environmental responsibility. One major point of differentiation is that the heart of each suki®  formula contains a nutrient rich base made from slowly boiling down & triple filtering whole organic botanicals. This organic high potency botanic concentrate is then infused with pharmaceutical grade & clinically tested standardized botanical actives. the botanicals are standardized by isolating the most powerful part of a plant & refining it to a consistent potency.  For instance, the salicylic acid that we use as an anti-inflammatory is derived from white willow bark. We isolate the white willow salicins from the bark & standardize them to a 15% potency for maximum efficacy. These powerful standardized white willow salicins, combined with the organic botanic concentrate treat acne & any condition of inflammation.  Results-driven actives such as these salicins, combined with the organic high potency botanic concentrate, is what truly sets Suki® apart from any other natural or organic company. Additionally, suki® offers some of the most allergy friendly personal care products available on the market. The products are gluten free; while some products use rice & oat these are refined ingredients without gluten. The vitamin e (tocopherol) is derived from soy & is allergen free.
Of course, all products are completely safe for pregnant women, nursing moms & babies! 
a tremendous point of differentiation is ingredient sourcing. local, organic, biodynamic, & food grade are key. Our manufacturing process emits as little carbon output as possible & products are shipped at the site of production right from pouring, guaranteeing the highest level of quality & freshness. Suki® packaging is composed of mainly glass & aluminum containers replacing the usual toxic plastic.Vegetable inks, recycled & recyclable materials are used for shipping & packaging. All of Suki® products are truly cruelty free. Suki® never tests on animals & makes each of our suppliers certify that they do not perform animal testing. Many products are vegan but the ones that contain beeswax are from apiaries that do not harm bees or burn hives. The Suki® philosophy is rooted in ethics & environmental stewardship.

Nature’s Basin: What has been the accomplishment you are most proud of (with regards to Suki of course) so far? 

Suki: The multitudes of feedback the company, & I personally, receive from fans. These amazing responses & touching success stories are the things that inspire me to continue working on growing the company & sharing my education with the public everyday. Among the most moving are letters from cancer survivors or people in treatment who say that Suki® products are the only things that helped them feel better when they had adverse reactions to prescription medications & treatment. Additionally people with rashes who have tried everything, moms with babies suffering from eczema, & others struggling with skin conditions have all given similar feedback. knowing I have helped people heal is the most rewarding feeling.

Nature’s Basin: Are you seeing a growing trend towards organic and natural skin care and beauty products? And if so, why do you think that's happening?

Suki: Absolutely! people are more & more aware of ingredients, what they do to the body over the long & short term, which makes them seek out pure products. however people are still most concerned with effectiveness. Sadly many products don’t cover either concern.
 

Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel

Nature’s Basin: At Nature's Basin we take pride in the fact that we deal with only the finest natural and organic products. Why do you think using premium or finest quality products is important?

Suki: Today, clients have increasingly higher expectations as to how their skin should look & feel.  suki® is the first to perfect uncompromising, advanced skin care solutions that incorporate truly 100% pure bases with powerful concentrations of cosmecueticals to produce visible results, which people are looking for in any brand. Suki® products work in unison with the body’s natural biological processes.

Nature’s Basin: What's your favorite Suki product and why?

Suki: That is so hard for me to answer. I couldn’t live without the exfoliate foaming cleanser or the renewal bio-resurfacing facial peel since I have issues with blemishing in my T-zone of course, I also have smooth skin specifically because I use my exfoliate foaming body cleanser. I use my lip repair butter every day as well as my butter cream salve all over. for my moisturizer, I use the pure facial moisture - balancing as well as my facial lift ultimate firming cream for the area around my eyes and forehead.


 

Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

Nature’s Basin: Specifically could you explain please how are your acne products different from other natural/organic brands?

Suki: Suki® is the only company using truly advanced actives that are clinically proven to produce results while remaining 100% pure. for my anti-acne line, I use for instance, white willow salicins (salicylic acid standardized for 15% potency), not synthetic salicylic acid which causes irritation, peeling & redness, to reduce blemishes, inflammation, redness, etc. We use natural alpha hydroxy acids in the form of organic sugar, glycolic acid & apple juice - the list goes on! in our clinical trials a third party laboratory tested the efficacy of the balancing regimen, geared toward people with blemishing skin & acne. In the eight week trial with 21 female & nine male participants 73% agreed that suki® improved the overall appearance of their skin, 82% saw a decrease in redness, 88% reported less scarring & scar darkness, & 77% noticed diminished skin inflammation.

Nature’s Basin: Similarly, how are your anti-ageing products different from other brands in natural/organic category?

Suki: Unlike any other green brands, we have quantifiable proof that our formulations produce REAL, VISIBLE results. Again, we are unique in that we utilize high potency actives in each formulation. in the Suki® mature skin regimen I use high performance antioxidants like standardized olive leaf, green tea (10x more potent than vitamin e) & the most important ingredient, resveratrol (think red wine benefits but for the skin!), an exceptional free radical scavenger, & one of the most complex & beneficial natural anti-aging ingredients available. I use polypeptide liposomes like vitamin C, & natural retinol which solve skin issues without side effects short or long term. an independent lab tested & evaluated the efficacy of our mature skin care products & in an eight week study of 32 women between the ages of 41 & 60, 84 % of our participants agreed that suki® improved the overall appearance of their skin by evaluating the products ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines & skin clarity. I encourage readers to visit www.sukiskincare.com to view pictures from the study & learn more about the results!

Nature’s Basin: What's the Suki product that has received the best reviews so far and why do your customers like it so much?

Suki: The Suki® exfoliate foaming cleanser with lemongrass & organic sugar smells delicious & makes the skin look & feel amazing!  It is the number one best seller & has won several awards. this product deeply cleanses & purifies pores, enhances skin tone clarity, unclogs, exfoliates dead cells, smoothes dryness, lines & wrinkles, & reveals fresh new skin. My renewal bio-resurfacing facial peel with cranberry glycolic & pumpkin enzymes has also received rave reviews & the ICMAD (independent cosmetic manufacturers & distributors) cosmetic innovation of the year award. This product transforms the skin completely, revealing a visibly smoother, more refined complexion. It exfoliates damaged cells (in a nonabrasive way), decongests pores, provides potent anti-inflammatory benefits, accelerates collagen production & enhances clarity.

Nature’s Basin: How does it feel to be the woman behind a successful brand like Suki? Is it easy being a female in the business world? What is your message for other women entrepreneurs?

Suki: Of course, after years of struggle & personal risk, it feels amazing. I am actually proud of this accomplishment but mostly I feel rewarded by the personal connections I have made through this, helping people feel & look great. it’s a much more incredible feeling than looking back on success, which I rarely do. I’m really always looking forward to what I’d like to do next sometimes that’s a good thing & sometimes I need to take more time to revel I guess?. I honestly find being a woman in the business world sometimes a bit frustrating. I have been underestimated on more than one occasion, but that makes the successes all the more satisfying. The thing is, more women go create their own companies because of the lack of truly infinite growth that can occur for us in traditional business settings. I would say for anyone attempting their own business, go in with your eyes wide open. it’s NOT like the tv ads (all the free time you want & make a million)in fact, I never had so little time to myself in my life. You must be completely committed to what you want to do & give it the time it needs to develop. You cannot switch gears after a few months to try something else & think it’s going to work. through the hardship, self-doubt & sacrifice, allow yourself to be afraid & keep on keeping on! don’t give up!

Nature’s Basin: What do you personally bring to the brand?

Suki: Mostly my tenacity & determination (some might say stubbornness ?) I think. These qualities made me seek out strangers to study chemistry with, advisors to study business with, keep going despite everything I had against me (no money, no background, the most competitive industry imaginable).  My background with skin problems, I never thought would be a good thing for me, but turned out to be a primary motivation for creating a product that actually worked! my experience as a journalist gave me great researching skills that I utilize every day to bring the latest information to people. &, I think my sensitivity & spirituality help me stay grounded, wary of greed & shortcuts.

Nature’s Basin: What have you gained the most from Suki experience?

Suki: This company has forced me to grow in ways that I would have never dreamed of constantly pushing me outside of my comfort zone, now challenging me in this next stage to be more public which I’m deeply shy of, & has challenged me personally & professionally at every turn. I’ve definitely become a more self assured, confident person & the whole experience has impacted my life in a tremendously positive way!

Nature’s Basin: Lastly, what would be your brand's lasting message to its customers?

Suki: "Know your beauty®" is my philosophy of self acceptance & self love if you will. It means that we must respect ourselves enough to take charge of our own lives, health & well-being since no one else will do it for us. Defining what beauty means for ourselves & embracing our individuality is so important, especially seeing how beauty & being perfect have become so important to this culture.  "Know your beauty®" encourages everyone to be savvy & discerning, to demand the best for ourselves from the companies WE SUPPORT, & most importantly, to think critically.

Special Gifts for Family from the Heart

It's probably so cliched when you hear someone say "it's the thought that counts" but we all know deep down that it really is just that. When a customer placed her order with Nature's Basin for Mother's Day, we knew she was missing her mom and wanted to make it a special Mother's Day for her mom. At Nature's Basin our commitment is to make it easier for our customers to find the finest natural and organic skin care and beauty care products based on individual needs and packaged with much love and care.

When at Nature's Basin, we reached out to a customer to verify her shipping address (which seemed incorrect), we discovered that the gift was for her mom for Mother's Day. She added that she could not be with her mom this Mother's Day and wanted the gift to be "made pretty." Even though our packaging is fairly good and looks really nice, we wanted to make this gift from her daughter to her Mom a memorable one.

In spite of her busy soccer mom schedule, Donna who owns Nature's Basin went out herself to buy a pretty designed piece of brocade to wrap the gift in as a gift for her Mom. "I really wanted to make this customer's Mom really appreciate her daughter and make the gift and mother's day a memorable experience for both the customer and her mom."

That's exactly the essence of Nature's Basin. We want to go out of our way to make each and every experience for our customers as special as we can make it. It paid off too! Our customer's mom was so happy she took pictures of the wrapped gift and sent it to her daughter. We are committed to bringing memorable happiness that hopefully lasts each and every time they use the product as well. This is what defines the relationship between Nature's Basin and its customers.

And what's in this for you? Father's Day is coming up and I bet you want to deliver similar happiness and love to your dads! Check out our finest natural and organic gift suggestions. Our discount coupon code for Fathers Day is DAD2010 and you can avail $10 off of any order $49 or more! And remember we love hearing from you because it is you that makes Nature's Basin what it is so keep us posted!

You Should Know: Skin from Within Update

The ladies at The Beauty Brains, my favorite blogging cosmetic scientists (even though they're always dissing natural products), came out with an article about what beauty products are a waste last week, just in time for my Skin from Within entry. They make a key (and true) point about out about beauty supplements: Right now there's no scientific evidence that these supplements do anything for your looks. But these supplements have been scientifically studied in terms of other benefits, so it's not like they will hurt—they may even help other conditions.

If you search on Mayo Clinic, you can find the research backing certain supplements and whether they have been approved as medical treatments for certain conditions. However, just because something isn't scientifically proven doesn't mean it won't make a difference. Dr. Weil, the well-known cancer expert, recommends taking GLAs internally for healthy skin, but he does say to wait 6 to 8 weeks for any effect. Anyway, just wanted to clarify that for all of you, so you'd know I wasn't pitching snake oil...

Famous Model and Make-up Artist, Christopher Drummond’s, exclusive interview with Nature’s Basin

Few things are as exciting as makeup gets! This month, we are extremely excited to announce that we are now selling Christopher Drummond, a brand new cosmetics line to our finest range of natural makeup. At Nature’s Basin, we take pride in bringing you the organic beauty care products that are exceptional in results and healthy for your lifestyle. We scrub every ingredient in our products to ensure that they are safe, natural and effective for you to use. And that is exactly why Christopher Drummond natural makeup products are our number one choice!

Celebrity makeup artist Christopher Drummond has a passion for real beauty and simple glamour. His natural makeup line skips irritating ingredients typical in mineral makeups for antioxidants and plant extracts that hydrate and protect. A former fashion model who once had trouble finding makeup to complement his own skin, he created the line with colors that look good on all skin tones and can be custom blended for a perfect match.

We recently interviewed the founder of the brand, Mr. Christopher Drummond himself who shares with us the story behind his brand and himself and some great tips on how to use his brand products.

Here are Christopher's responses to the questions:

Nature’s Basin: How did your brand Christopher Drummond start and what's the concept behind it?

Christopher Drummond: I found a necessity for high-quality, natural based products. They weren't available anywhere, so I decided to create my own.

Nature’s Basin: How do you think Christopher Drummond is different from other brands selling natural cosmetics?

Christopher Drummond: We have a far superior product, it is created by a makeup artist and esthetician, and is created for a specific type of woman. We also give the best customer service on the market.

Nature’s Basin: How far has Christopher Drummond grown since it started?

Christopher Drummond: We have seen double digit growth since our inception as a company in 2007.

Nature’s Basin: At Nature's Basin we take pride in the fact that we deal with only the finest natural and organic products. Why do you think using premium or finest quality products is important?

Christopher Drummond: It's much more difficult and expensive, but well worth it.

Nature’s Basin: What's your favorite Christopher Drummond product?

Christopher Drummond: Currently, it's Saude Pele Radiance Booster. It's a breakaway product. Amazing.

Nature’s Basin: What do you personally bring to the brand?

Christopher Drummond: 17 years of experience in retail and artistry, management, and experience both behind and in front of the camera.

Nature’s Basin: What have you gained the most from Christopher Drummond experience?

Christopher Drummond: Knowing that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

Nature’s Basin: As a makeup artist and former model, what's the most important tip You can give to people who are both new to using makeup or love using it Every day.

Christopher Drummond: "Less is more! "

Nature’s Basin: Why do Christopher Drummond products not include titanium dioxide And bismuth oxychloride in the makeup.

Christopher Drummond: More and more people are finding they are allergic to these ingredients. Plus, they are suspected of being irritants to the lungs, and possibly carcinogins when inhaled.

Nature’s Basin: I really like the idea of your Finale Finishing Powder, could you please explain how this product works to give a finishing effect and how should customers use it for best results?

Christopher Drummond: I have no rules! Just remember, "Less is More" and experiment with it. There is a lot you can do will all of our products. You just need to be adventurous.

Nature’s Basin: Lastly, how would you like customers to relate to and remember Christopher Drummond brand? What is the brand's lasting message?

Christopher Drummond: We are here to help you find the beauty in yourself.

Introducing a new sunscreen!

We started carrying a new sunscreen last week, so I thought it would be a good time to give a refresher on SPF. What exactly does sun protection factor tell you?

The true meaning of SPF is how long you can stay in the sun without burning. An SPF 15 sunscreen, which experts still consider to be a good shield from the sun's rays, allows you to stay out 15 times as long as you normally would be able to without sunscreen. For example, if you usually burn in 20 minutes, you could stay out as many as 300 minutes with SPF 15 protection on. That's 5 hours!

But before you go to the ballgame and sit through extra innings without reapplying, the more important thing about sunscreen is how much sunlight it's actually blocking. An SPF 15 product blocks about 94% of UVB burning rays, while SPF 30 shields you from 98%. That's why SPF 30 is our preference for any sun exposure that's more than incidental, like picnics in the park or long bike rides.

You also want a broad spectrum product that blocks both UVB and UVA rays, which age skin. And we prefer natural sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which physically block rays, to a chemical one that needs to penetrate skin to work. These mineral ingredients have been tested safe; in fact, our new product, Soleo Organics All Natural Sunscreen, is the top rated sunscreen by the Environmental Working Group.

Scrub yourself smooth

I'm on a desert vacation this week and showing a lot more skin than I have been in months. So, I've definitely been thinking about polishing up my body so it looks a little more radiant. Also, smoothing it will help alleviate some of the itching and dryness I get from changing climes—where I live is moist, because we're by the water, and the desert just sucks out all that great hydration. But, when you scrub away the thick outer layer of dead skin cells, this allows moisturizing body lotion or oil to better penetrate the skin so it's more supple and hydrated. Exfoliating is also important if you get ingrown hairs from shaving or waxing, as it helps loosen them so the irritated skin can heal.

I have to confess, because I'm on a trip, I'm probably going to hit a nearby spa to get a body smoothing treatment. But you can easily get a spa-quality exfolation at home with the right products. Nature's Basin sells an organic body scrub from Inara, Organic Sugar Rub, that's actually used in some of the finest spas. Made with organic sugar, it won't sting after shaving like salt scrubs do. And, since it dissolves more quickly than salt, the rough granules don't last as long and the treatment is less abrasive. But no less effective: Sugar contains natural glycolic acid, an exfoliating ingredient found in many cleansers and peels.

Be sure to follow any scrub treatment with a good moisturizing rub (Inara has a body oil in the same delicate, delicious scent), and scrub your skin with a light touch rather than an aggressive one. The sugar granules and natural acids will do the work so you don't have to.