Toxic chemicals are still present in way too many of our skin care products and some women are applying up to 300 chemicals to their skin every day, and are often not even aware of the cocktail or its potential side effects. Toxic chemicals remain in our shampoos, soaps, deodorants and household cleaning products. Irene Falcone founded Nourished Life to help the rest of us avoid the chemical cocktails without doing the hard work and we spoke to her about it in this recent interview
Can you tell us a little about your background?
When I started blogging for Nourished Life I was still working full time in advertising! The biggest challenge was taking that leap of faith and putting everything I had into my little blog, but it was the best decision of my life and I would not hesitate to do it all over again. I took the risk and gave up my corporate job at Universal Pictures to focus 100% on Nourished Life. When I was in corporate I was a beauty addict! My drawers, cupboards and everything in between was full of makeup, beauty and body products!
How did you come to found Nourished Life?
One morning I woke up and decided it was time to overhaul my life. A few years ago I was feeling very fatigued and this prompted me to look into exactly what chemicals I was putting into my skin. To my surprise I was quite shocked to find out I was layering myself in about 500 chemicals a day! I switched to using organic products and I noticed an improvement and I was full of energy a week later. From that day Nourished Life was born and the rest of the story is history! The philosophy that I wanted to create behind Nourished Life is to provide an online, fun and inspiring shopping destination where women could purchase affordable, natural and organic beauty and lifestyle products.
Can you tell us a little about Nourished Life, what it does and how it works please?
Here at Nourished Life we do all the hard work for you! We source the best and latest natural, organic, ethical and sustainable beauty & health products from all over. With free naturopathic advice and shopping guides as well as a growing online community of like-minded people we are like no-other beauty or health food store.
There are a staggering amount of chemicals in many of our everyday products, can you tell us about what we should be looking for?
As part of the vigorous vetting process, we utilise a number of propriety tools to determine what stock we will sell. From consultation with certification boards and environmental scientists, scientific reviews and implementation of best practice principles this is how we continually ensure we have the safest and best products on our shelves. The best bet is just to shop with Nourished Life and you won’t look back!
There are a number of chemicals that are present in mainstream beauty and bath products that do nothing but mess with our hormones and put us at risk of a number of health issues. Parabens, Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), Propylene glycol, synthetic fragrances and colours are just a number of chemicals that we need to be on the lookout for, just to name a few.
What are some of the risks we face using these products?
There is so much research and information on the damaging health impacts of chemicals in mainstream beauty products. For me using organic products isn’t just about getting better results for my skin, it’s about leading a safer, healthier life. People used to say they couldn’t use organic products because of the bigger price tag but this is no longer the case, there are so many affordable, safe and effective products on the market now.
In a more ‘superficial’ way, organic skin care products are important to me because they help me achieve clearer, healthier and younger looking skin because so many petrochemicals & synthetics can clog up pores as well as causing irritation, while harsh cleansers and preservatives dry out our skin making it appear dull and older than we are!
How can we avoid unwanted chemicals?
Nourished Life is here to source the natural alternatives to everyone’s beauty favourites from natural deodorant to organic skin care. Shop with us and you’ll never look back!
What are some of the best alternatives?
We have amazing innovative Aussie brands bringing out such beautiful products now, with green science behind them for proven results. We also have so many amazing locally grown ingredients, such as Kakadu plum, flame tree, and earth clays. These beautiful ingredients are not only locally sourced but create truly effective skincare. I always look out for ingredients that are derived from flowers, herbs, fruits and plants!
Can you give us your top 5 chemical free products that we should be using every day?
I have a few personal favourites! My all-time favourite is the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream! I love how it uses organic green coffee to reduce dark circles and puffiness. Here at Nourished Life we love magnesium and I just can’t get enough of Elektra Magnesium Flakes and all the amazing benefits (read all about them here). From anxiety to tiredness and leg cramps, magnesium will help to alleviate your symptoms. The new Life Basics sunscreen is a vegan facial sunscreen and primer with an SPF of 30+!
For makeup I can’t go past the 100% Pure Coquette Lip Glaze and Black Tea Mascara!
For more information and to check out the great range of products head to www.nourishedlife.com.au
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!