A big thank you to EcoBold for not only supporting eco-minded people and businesses, but for also featuring Supernatural Botanicals today.  The following article is courtsey of EcoBold.  Visit their site to learn more about the great work they are doing…then let it inspire you!

The founder of Supernatural Botanicals, Robin Feltner has a chemistry background and she just knows what ingredients should or shouldn’t be inside skincare products. This line is completely paraben-free and phthalate-free. Learn more with the interview below:

Tell us a little bit about the background and story of Supernatural Botanicals.
Supernatural Botanicals is an eco-chic bath & body company specializing in skincare that follows Green practices and principals, and formulates its products with intent and purpose.

At the inception of Supernatural Botanicals, we knew we wanted to create a company that knows its demographic. Growing increasingly disappointed with mainstream bath & body stores catering to teenagers, Supernatural Botanicals wanted to target the grown sexy woman demographic. We also wanted to focus on being Green and creating products that not only feel and smell amazing, but products that are highly beneficial for the skin.

We created products formulated without Parabens or Phthalates. Green products come from natural and organic ingredients, and that’s exactly how we formulate our products…with intent and purpose, and as natural as we can. After literally hundreds and hundreds of prototypes, we formulated perfection, bringing to you natural products that smell as incredible as they perform.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? 
I’ve always had “entrepreneur” in my genetic makeup. I was selling homemade cards to neighborhood ladies at the age of 4. I wanted to grow up and have a double major as a fashion designer and interior designer. That dream never materialized. In hindsight, I wish I would have had a mentor to help me prepare, telling me which art and business classes I should have taken.

What’s wrong with standard skincare products and why do you think such ingredients are allowed? 
I believe lack of quality ingredients poses a huge threat. Not only has quality fallen by the wayside, but we also should be concerned with the toxins in the products we are using every day. Many common ingredients have been proven by scientists to be harmful, yet manufacturers continue to use them because they are inexpensive, thus allowing for more profit.

How did you choose your ingredients and what to put in each product? 
Extensive research! Having a chemistry/pharmacy background, I’m always extremely cognizant about using quality, natural ingredients.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned while starting Supernatural Botanicals? 
I’ve literally learned a wealth of knowledge in forming my company. I’ve learned that customers sincerely do appreciate companies that are going the extra effort to keep them healthy. I, too, have learned how many mainstream companies use cheap fillers in order to make profits. 

If you could choose just one of your products, which one would it be? 
Extremely hard to narrow that down as I love all of the products. I do favor our Beach Body Spray. Not only does it smell absolutely amazing and I get numerous compliments on it every time I wear it, but it’s a multitasker. It works great in your hair, giving your hair extra volume and beautiful scent. I even use it as a linen spray on my bed sheets. It’s also our best seller.

Describe a typical day in your life.
I’m an early riser. I tend to get a tremendous amount accomplished in the early hours. I work on the business end of the business from 5-8…networking, emails, following up on orders, PR, social media, etc. From 8-6 I’m in our workshop, formulating skincare products and filling orders. The day flies by, and I’m always hungry for more hours at the end of the day. In the past, it would be very common to find me in my workshop until as late as 11 p.m. I’ve luckily learned time management, and the importance of accomplishing that task.

What’s one thing we could do to have an awesome skin, naturally? 
Check your labels. Use products that do not contain parabens. Don’t be fooled by companies that splash the name of an all natural ingredient, only to flip the label over and realize that they natural product they are promoting only has trace elements within it, and is filled with other harmful fillers. 

If there is one thing/thought/idea that you could pass on to the next generation, what would it be? 
One huge concern I have for our next generation is the condition of our planet. Global warming and eco concerns will certainly be a problem in which they inherit. My hope is that we can educate the masses enough to get everyone on board with being green and eco-responsible. 

What’s your # 1 green tip? 
Recycling is an easy way to start being green. Every human being on the planet creates waste. There’s absolutely no reason we shouldn’t be more responsible for the garbage we create. This is also something that even children can learn and be a part of. If we start them early, it will become second-nature to them.

So it’s no secret that we here at Supernatural Botanicals are tree-hugging, granola-eating, Earth-loving people, so an event like Earth Day 2011 is a celebration for us.  In our effort to be Green, we ask that you do one thing kind for the planet today.  You can approach this in a myriad of ways…try to walk instead of drive, recycle something, reuse something instead of chucking it into the garbage, avoid putting toxins down your drains,  reduce your consumption, plant a tree, start a garden.  Simply, live a cleaner, more eco-friendly  lifestyle.  Start today, and see if it “sticks” tomorrow.  Stand for something, have a cause.  Happy Earth Day!

With the surge of catalogs and Christmas cards we all receive in December, be mindful to recycle.  Be especially cognizant of your landfill contributions this month by recycling all magazines and catalogs, recycling envelopes from the Christmas cards, and ultimately recycling the cards after Christmas.  If the card is especially beautiful, buy a great frame, put the card in it,  and put it on a bookshelf, desk, or entry table.  That’s recycling too, you know.  Have a Green Christmas this year!

We all know the 411 when it comes to recycling, and that’s simply to DO IT.  We know better than to make excuses.  We should also know it’s simply a way of life for us now.  It’s should be a way of life for your children, too.

So lets take it a step further and precycle.  What is precycling?  It’s Proactive meets Recycling.    Here are 10 ways to proactively recycle.

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1. Bring reusable bags to the store with you. Cloth or paper will do!

2. Buy Large Quantities. If you buy products in bulk or in large sizes and quantities, you can put them in smaller containers as you need them and this uses less containers.

3. Buy products with the least amount of packaging or none at all. Items packed in multiple containers may look nice, but they are a waste!

4. Buy products packed in recycled packaging. If you have to use a container, it might as well be green. Additionally, you help support green corporations. (Important: make sure you look for the recycled symbol)

5. Don’t buy disposable items (plates cups, pens, diapers, batteries, etc.) They only fill the landfill more.

6. Buy less paper towels and napkins or none at all. Use cloth ones!

7. Buy long life and concentrated items (batteries, bulks , etc.) This saves on packaging as well as product.

8. Don’t purchase styrofoam. It contains polystyrene, which is the most difficult material to break down in our landfill and is considered a hazardous waste.

9. Buy items in cardboard. aluminum, steel, glass, and plastic containers marked 1 and 2 ( They are stamped on the bottom 1 and 2). These containers can be recycled more easily.

10. Read labels for ingredients. Stay away from chemicals that harm our plant and animal life and poison our land.

Our adorable new Supernatural Baby Collection is now available at Supernatural Botanicals.  Gorgeous retro-esque packaging, this is what every eco-baby needs.  Check out the new collection here.

Plastic bags are not biodegradable. Even if they say they are, they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. If your purchase is small don’t take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.

Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.  One glass bottle.  Think of the possibilities of that.  That’s amazing.  Think about what you can do…and do it!  Recycling requires virtually zero effort, but has such a huge impact.  You can recycle, starting today.   You can make a difference.  Starting right now, you can make a difference.  I always say, responsibility builds character.  Not to mention, being eco-cognizant is totally hot! 

It’s Earth Day.  It’s an attempt to bring cognizance to taking care of the planet. 

It’s a day to recycle.  It’s a day to change your light bulbs out for more efficient ones.  It’s a day to change the filter in your air conditioner.  It’s a day to plant a tree.  It’s a day to conserve water. 

Whatever you do today, make sure you do something for the planet.  Then continue that habit tomorrow.  And then the next day.  And so on.

Been wanting to compost to reduce your garbage output, create soil for your garden, and save the planet’s eco system at the same time?  Composting can be daunting and, admittedly, make a huge mess of your backyard. 

Luckily, The Earth Machine does this for you in one contained unit.  And, what makes it even better is the deal they have worked out with Hamilton County Environmental Services.  They are offering a one day only sale on The Earth Machine for $35, (regularly $100.) 

They will have two sale locations, one at Cincinnati State Technical College and one at Princeton High School.  The sale will be on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Cincinnati, contact your county’s local environmental services and ask them about The Earth Machine.  

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwhU-KT_Iqo

The average American consumes five times more energy than the average global citizen or 10 times more than the typical Chinese.

If the typical Chinese consumer used as much oil as the average American uses, China would require 90 million barrels per day—11 million more than the entire world produced each day in 2001. 

Source:  Worldwatch Institute