Moms Debut Kid-Inspired Natural Bath and Beauty Products Co.

Graphic courtesy of Sparklehearts Co.

LOS ANGELES- As Hilary Orr’s two daughters got older, they became increasing less inclined to want to use natural or organic products. “They were always attracted to the really fun packaging from products that had all of these awful ingredients in them,” said Ms. Orr, who got together with her longtime friend, Darcy McMahon, to create Sparklehearts Co., a company with natural and organic products designed for kid appeal.

“There was nothing out there on the market that I could find that was fun and hip for the girls, and that was also natural and organic,” added Ms. Orr, who with Ms. McMahon went on a two-year journey of product development and culminated with the debut of Sparklehearts last month at the Natural Expo West tradeshow.

“We got a really great reaction. People really loved our products,” said Ms. Orr, talking about the company’s five product lines which consist of a shampoo, conditioner, hair detangler, body wash, and body lotion.

“With the Shine Shampoo, we wanted to put something a little different in, so we added a little pansy extract, which is a natural sun protectant. We kind of did that with all of our products, but for the shampoo I would like to add that it makes a really great lather, which is unlike a lot of other natural shampoos,” said Ms. Orr.

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New American Standard Set For Organic-Based Personal Care Products

NFS personal care certification logo

ANN ARBOR, Mich.- With a newly established standard for organic-based personal care products, consumers will now be better able to judge the quality of the items they buy.

National Sanitation Foundation International, an independent, not-for-profit organization which certifies products and labels for food, water, and consumer goods, has adopted the NFS/ANSI 305 ‘made with organic’ standard for personal care products.

Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products, as well as oral care and personal hygiene products.

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Urban Decay Receives PETA Honors for its Cruelty-Free Production Practices

The Urban Decay cosmetics in the photo are: (from left to right) Flipside Eyeshadow, Quickie XXX Shine Cooling Lip Gloss, Ransom Deluxe Eyeshadow, Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Big Fatty Mascara, Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Air Guitar, Lip Envy in Greedy, (in front) 24/7 pencils in Electric (turquoise blue) and Zero (black). Photo courtesy of Urban Decay.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Urban Decay Cosmetics has been honored with the Libby Award as best cruelty-free cosmetics company from peta2, the youth division of the animals rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, based in Norfolk, Va.

“We asked our users on peta2, which range in age from 13 to 21 to nominate and then vote for their favorite companies, brands, celebrities, etc. for all of the different categories of the Libby Award. When it was time for our voting round, we had about 7,000 people vote and Urban Decay came out on top for best cruelty-free cosmetics company,” said Lara Sanders, assistant manager for youth marketing at PETA.

There were 30 Libby Awards this year, according to Ms. Sanders, which included: Best Vegan Shoes, Best Vegan Junk Food, Best Student Group, Best Hip-Hop Artist, and Person of the Year.

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Contaminated Make Up Removers Pulled As Guest Amenities from Holiday Inn Express Hotels

Toiletry amenities on a vanity at a Holiday Inn Express in Bastrop, TX. The photo is courtesy of Flickr.com, which contained the following comments, “these were the instructions at the holiday inn express in Bastrop. Unfortunately, when Jennifer tried to use the makeup remover pad, it stunk like puke. So, she used a washcloth anyway.”EASTON, Md. - simplySmart “Remove” Make Up Remover, a guest amenity at Holiday Inn Express hotels in the United States and Canada, has been recalled by its manufacturer, Celeste Industrial Corporation. The product is packaged as a single towelette with hiexpress.com shown on the packet.

The issue was discovered after a consumer complained of an odor coming from the towelette packet, said the manufacturer. Product samples tested positive for a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The bacteria may cause serious infections in areas including the eyes, skin, and respiratory systems. Individuals at highest risk are those who are immunosuppressed. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the problem, according to the manufacturer.

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10 Makeup Tips for Looking Great and Staying Healthy

Photo courtesy of shu uemura.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As women, we all do our best to look great everyday of the year. During the holidays, this is especially true. We go shopping for new clothes, try to exercise a little bit more, and spend a little more time on our makeup for those festive gathering.

In honor of this time of year, so that we are as healthy as we are beautiful, the Federal Drug Administration has come out with a list of health tips regarding cosmetics that I felt compelled to share. Most of the list deals with our eyes because that is were we have the biggest chance of infection.

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