CV skinlabs is one of our favorite lines because of how effective and healing it is. There's a product for everyone to use. Check out this informative Q&A with founder of CV Skinlabs, Britta Aragon:
What is the driving force behind CV Skinlabs?
We are
out to change what consumers expect from their skin care products. The time for
harsh, toxic chemicals that are linked with a number of health problems is
over! Consumers deserve safe products made with natural and organic ingredients
that actually nourish, repair, and help improve the condition of skin, but
that’s rarely what they get when shopping in the department stores. On the
other hand, that’s exactly what they
get with our products, and once they try them, they don’t want to go back.
What is your mission, as founder of CV Skinlabs?
Our mission is to provide everyone—including those with sensitive
skin, those going through medical treatments, pregnant women, and even
babies—healthy, restorative skin care that delivers beauty and safety without
compromise. Our products can be used by anyone with complete peace of mind.
We insist on the utmost in safety, by toxicologically examining and
screening all ingredients for any link to irritation, cancer or hormone
disruption, but we also conduct results-driven, rigorous clinical testing to be
sure that our products perform at the level we expect. The result is a line of
products that work like a healthy diet for your skin—full of good-for-you
ingredients that actually give your skin what it needs to look and feel its
ultimate best.
Is there a background story to the creation of CV
Skinlabs?
I developed CV Skinlabs in response to a need. I was diagnosed with
Hodgkin’s disease at the age of 16, so I know what it is to go through cancer
treatments and to suffer the resulting side effects on the skin. We’re talking
dryness, flaking, thinning, and premature aging effects. Yet I couldn’t find
skin care products that did me much good. It was like slathering on a solution
that did nothing but cover my skin for a few minutes.
It got even worse when my father was diagnosed with cancer. He
suffered even more severe side effects than I did, including a nasty rash on
his face. I tried products specifically targeted for “sensitive skin,” but they
actually made his fragile skin worse. I later discovered they were laden with
potentially harmful chemicals linked with irritation, eczema, redness,
inflammation, allergic reactions, and even cancer.
After my father passed in 2007, I knew I had to make a change, so I founded
Cinco Vidas in 2008, and dedicated the work to my father's legacy. In September
2011, I published When Cancer Hits, a guide for the newly diagnosed. But my dream
was always to create a skin care line that would address the issue of
sensitive, medically treated skin. So I assembled an expert team of leading
dermatologists, toxicologists and holistic skincare chemists and developed CV
Skinlabs. We launched in March 2012.
Why do people need CV Skinlabs products?
It’s kind
of like asking why do people need to eat a healthy diet. The skin is an organ,
just like the heart or the lungs. It requires the same sort of care, as far as
nutrients and hydration are concerned. Yet somehow we’ve been duped into
believing that we can slap a little petrolatum or alcohol on it and it’s fine.
We need to change that thinking. The skin needs vitamins. It needs minerals. It
needs fatty acids. It needs antioxidants. It needs the same types of things the
rest of our body needs in order to function correctly.
When it
doesn’t get these things, it becomes dry, cracked, and compromised—even
“ill”—and that’s when you see things like fine lines, wrinkles, redness,
thinness, and sagging. Healthy, properly nourished skin looks vibrant, radiant,
and youthful. Plus it’s more likely to resist problems like dermatitis, eczema,
rosacea, acne, and even cancer.
People
want to look younger—that’s a given. What we need to understand is that a
youthful appearance comes from good health. We understand that a healthy body
looks good. We need to transfer that thinking to the skin. If you want to look
radiant and young, you should be using CV Skinlabs, because that’s how you’re
going to get your skin healthy.
Which skincare concerns does CV Skinlabs cater to?
CV
Skinlabs can help with all sorts of skin conditions. I’ve mentioned most of
them—dryness, cracking and flaking, peeling, thinning, redness, inflammation,
eczema, dermatitis, rosacea, and sensitivity. Those with medically treated skin
love our products. We’ve toured hospitals and cancer centers and nurses are
astonished by the results they’re seeing in their patients. Those struggling
with wounds that haven’t healed find things change when they start using our
products. We’ve had moms write in to tell us how CV Skinlabs has helped speed
wound healing for children with eczema. (Check our website testimonials for
before and after pictures.)
Meanwhile,
even those with so-called “healthy” skin are raving about CV Skinlabs because
of the way the products boost treat dryness and create new radiance and glow.
We’ve got makeup artists at New York City’s Fashion Week using CV Skinlabs on
their models because of how it helps the skin look great even amidst a number
of makeup and wardrobe changes. And holistic doctors love it, too, because they
can recommend it to their patients without worry—all the ingredients are safe
and the products really work.
What sets CV Skinlabs apart from the competition?
It’s true
that there are other skin care companies out there that are focusing on natural
and plant-based ingredients. What sets us apart is that we care about safety,
sensitivity, and efficacy. We understand that a natural product that contains a
known allergen is going to cause reactions in some of our customers, and that’s
not okay with us. We know that even some natural ingredients are linked with
skin irritation, and so they don’t end up in our formulas.
Sensitivity
is a growing issue in today’s population. We’re surrounded by more chemicals
than we ever have been before in history, and our bodies are reacting. We have
more allergies. We have more reactions. We have more sensitivity. So we focus
on ingredients that have a track record of being effective without causing
these sorts of issues.
Finally,
the last way that we’re different—and I think this is a big point—is that we
care about efficacy. We want these products to work! I’ve tried natural products before and they may have smelled
nice or whatever, but they didn’t make any difference in my skin. That’s just
not acceptable. It’s a waste of money! So we worked hard in formulation and
during testing to be sure that these ingredients worked well together, and in
such a way that they really made a visible difference on skin. We couldn’t be
happier with the results, and from what we’re hearing from customers, it was
worth the effort.
Tell us about some of the unique characteristics of
your products.
One thing
that we’re really proud of is our Tri-Rescue Complex. Every one of our products
has it. It’s a synergistic combination of
three key ingredients:
·
Bisabolol: This is the main active ingredient in the medicinal plant chamomile; it
delivers powerful anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory properties.
·
Reishi mushroom: This is known as the “mushroom of immortality;” it
increases cellular turnover and hydration.
·
Turmeric: This is an ancient spice that has been extensively tested lately for
all its many health benefits; we already know that it’s a powerful antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory, and some studies have indicated a potential anti-cancer
activity.
We’ve
combined these three ingredients to rescue damaged, inflamed, and sensitive
skin.
We also
use a number of other ingredients that have scientific data supporting their
benefits—again, that dedication to real results! Some of these include:
·
Aloe
Vera and Water Lily: Help
cool and heal burns, encourage healing, calm irritated skin and reduce
inflammation.
·
Jojoba,
Olive, and Safflower: Provide
superior moisturization, protect from dryness, soothe irritated skin, protect
skin’s outer layer and give skin a smoother, softer appearance.
·
Oat
Kernel Extract and Beta-Glucan: Conditions skin, helps encourage healing, relieves itching and
discomfort.
·
Calendula
and Sea Buckthorn: Reduces
inflammation, encourages wound healing, supports skin-cell regeneration,
promotes skin recovery, protect from the damaging effects of the sun, soothes
skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.
·
Ginger
and Vitamin E: Provides
antioxidant protection, conditions skin, controls oil production, protects from
the damaging effects of the sun, helps reduce age spots.
·
Fair
trade, certified organic shea butter from the Léo region in Burkina Faso provides superior moisturization to
help heal cracks and peeling.
And
finally, we’ve paid special attention to our packaging so that our customers
with neuropathy, arthritis, or similar conditions can still use our products
with ease.
·
Safe
from contamination: CV
Skinlabs uses no jars, but only one-way evacuation pumps and tubes to
reduce the risk of contamination, and to protect the ingredients from the
effects of the air around us.
·
Easy
to use: People
with arthritis, neuropathy, or other movement challenges caused by medications,
diseases, or other health conditions can find it hard to perform simple tasks
like buttoning a shirt or opening a jar. CV Skinlabs created customized
bottles, tubes, and pumps easy to use by anyone.
·
Recyclable,
safe & BPA-free packaging: We use PET bottles (#1) & PE tubes (#2) which are picked up through
most curbside recycling programs as well as not known to leach any chemicals
linked to cancer or hormone disruption.
·
No
glass bottles: They
can crack, break, and shatter, creating a safety hazard.
·
Reduced
ecological footprint:
In an attempt to contribute to earth-saving manufacturing processes, CV Skinlabs
included our product brochure on the inside of the packaging where appropriate.
FFollow @GBSBeauty on Instagram for your chance to win CV Skinlabs products during 12 Days of Giveaway starting on December 13th!
