We learned so much during our visit to ORGÁNACHS FARM TO SKIN in Westport. The high-performing, natural luxury skincare boutique opened last year and is the dream and vision of Siobhan McKinley. Leaving behind her position as a cosmetic executive in the conventional beauty industry, she opened ORGÁNACHS, selling only the best, natural and organic brands in skincare.
Post sponsored by ORGÁNACHS FARM TO SKIN
When Siobhan started questioning which ingredients were in her own daily skincare routine, she realized just how badly the US regulates known toxins. The quest began to replace everything she was using to natural products that work, resulting in ORGÁNACHS FARM TO SKIN!
Reminder – The skin (our largest organ) absorbs 60% of the products we use topically, directly into our bloodstream.
On to the blog post at hand; trying all of these luxurious goodies, and getting a fresh new look from makeup artist Kristi Allen, while we ask Siobhan (organic oracle) our questions!
What is the concept/philosophy of ORGÁNACHS?
The mission of ORGÁNACHS is to offer high-performing, result-driven organic and natural skincare and cosmetics from formulators with the highest efficacy. I strive to inform my customers about the benefits of using these brands and offer a curated selection that will meet every woman’s skincare needs. I founded ORGÁNACHS so that every woman could have the opportunity to discover what I did – the best organic skincare that rejuvenates, nourishes, heals, and protects the skin.
Tell our readers a little bit about yourself – and what led you to open ORGÁNACHS in Westport last year?
I’m a former cosmetic executive and had a strong interest in organic products. I was living “organically” as possible by eating organically, using non-toxic household cleaners and clothes detergent. The first book I came across, Not Just a Pretty Face, blew me away and led me to delve deeper!
I felt so naive and betrayed as a consumer as I didn’t realize how toxic all my personal care items really were. So, I threw my entire bathroom out! Wanting to know what the alternative was, I began my search in Ireland where my family is from and that led me to find an abundance of organic products from Europe and the U.S. What I noticed is that the brands I became interested in had high efficacy standards in terms of where the ingredients are sourced, how they are sourced, their impact on the environment, the extraction process used and the noticeable effects on the skin.
Top 5
For those of us who would like to give our makeup bags and skin care routines an organic makeover – what 5 items would you recommend we start using asap?
I like to keep it simple – the best advice is to start with the product you use the most. My top 5 items (though it’s like asking me to choose a favorite child!) are: VOYA Me Time moisturizer and Cleanse and Mend cleanser, Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation compact, Rituel de Fille enchanted lip sheer, Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen.
What’s trending?
Facial oils
VOYA‘s My Little Hero contains Gold of Pleasure oil.
Bottega Organica‘s Cherish face oil contains the anti-aging Prawn Sage extract.
de Mamiel‘s Seasonal face oils, their Spring facial oil, “It’s a wake-up call for winter dull complexions dehydrated through hibernation.” [Lora loves this and uses daily!]
Maya Chia Super Couple, luxe facial serum is a multi-correctional high-performance ultra luxe face oil serum containing one of the world’s most powerful antioxidants, Astaxanthin.
Make-up
Foundations that give a dewy complexion, have a more youthful appearance and make the skin look flawless. Kjaer Weis foundation, formulated with moisturizing and age-defying ingredients has an intelligent refillable system and is a certified organic luxury color line created by the highly sought after makeup artist, Kirsten Weis.
Foundation from Vapour Organic Beauty offers a “lit from within glow”.
Highlighters from brands Kjaer Weis, rms beauty and Rituel de Fille are very popular now.
Ingestible beauty
The ingestible beauty category is very popular as people are understanding that beauty begins from the inside out. This is where Moon Juice comes in! ORGÁNACHS sells the Moon Dusts. “Moon Dusts work synergistically at the deepest levels to enhance your beauty, brain, body, sexual energy, sleep, and spirit. These transformative formulas are alchemized with the most potent organic and wild-crafted herbs, adaptogenic plants, and bioactive minerals available. Add these botanical blends to your daily routine to help your body adapt to physical, mental and environmental stress.”
What are some ingredients we may find in our makeup or skincare items that we should try to avoid??
I strongly recommend avoiding 12 ingredients:
Parabens are the most widely used preservative in cosmetics and when applied to the skin and absorbed into the body, Parabens in cosmetics bypass the metabolic process and enter the bloodstream and body organs intact.
Phthatlates, mainly in nail products as a solvent for dyes and as a plasticizer that prevents nail polishes from becoming brittle. Phthalates are also used as fragrance ingredients in many other cosmetics, but consumers won’t find these listed on the label. Fragrance recipes are considered trade secrets, so manufacturers are not required to disclose fragrance chemicals in the list of ingredients.
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) which are closely related synthetic antioxidants used as preservatives in lipsticks and moisturizers, among other cosmetics. The European Union prohibits the use of BHA as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics. The State of California requires warning labels on products containing BHA, notifying consumers that this ingredient may cause cancer.
Formaldehyde-releasing agents: hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
Polyethylene glycol are petroleum-based compounds that are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers. Propylene glycol is a related chemical that, like PEGs, functions as a penetration enhancer and can allow harmful ingredients to be absorbed more readily through the skin.
*Two great websites to check if products are safe are www.ewg.org and www.safecosmetics.org
The make-over
With Kristi’s advice and Siobhan’s expertise, we picked out the perfect skincare and makeup for our beauty bag makeover. Thankfully, Kristi took note of everything she applied and used and gave us a great worksheet at the end, which also gave us tips on how to apply certain products. So helpful!
Everything felt utterly amazing on the skin, smelled great, and seemed to give us a “dewy” kiss of youth! We were sold! We left with an array of items that we couldn’t live without for one more minute. See below for our favorites…
Be sure to keep your eye on ORGÁNACHS’ social media and website for fun classes and workshops.
Bev’s Product Pick: MAYA CHIA Pure Supercritical Omega-3 Chia Oil – Life changer! My skin has never looked and felt so good!
15 Post Rd West, Westport, CT 06880
203.221.0435