OverDressed for Life

I met Amy Woodbury recently at Whole Foods. I was shopping for a natural face moisturizer and Amy helped me to sort through the numerous options.

A holistic nutritionist and brand ambassador for skincare products, Amy educates store staff and customers on various good and healthy products.

There is a lot of talk lately about changes in the beauty industry – new organic and food based products and customer shifts in wants and needs. So I thought a Q&A with Amy would be of interest to OverDressedforLife readers.

As a Holistic Nutritionist, how to do see skincare and beauty products as part of healthy routine?

Your skin is an organ. What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your mouth.

I have noticed that lately consumers want not just say, a moisturizer, but one that will do more than moisturize. In makeup I now look for lipsticks that will put a lovely shade of red on my lips AND also condition, heal, offer anti-aging properties. We’ve gone beyond “no parabens … no bad stuff” we want all kinds of good-for-us ingredients. What do you think about this trend? And are you finding the industry is responding?

I don’t think its a trend. I think it’s an awareness that will never go away. Now that humans have learned their skin is an organ and ingests what is put on it, there is no way chemicals will be acceptable or a conscious choice. Yes, the skin care and makeup industries are responding. How can they not? Making products that poison a human organ is an irresponsible business.

As we shop for skincare and beauty products, what are some key ingredients we should look for?

Aloe as a top ingredient in lotion. It allows the oils to be absorbed into the skin tissue. Olive oil. Algae. Flax oil. Green tea. In makeup look for ones made from plant waxes.

How about the inside? What foods should we eat for healthy skin?

Foods for healthy skin: Water, sardines. Lots of raw greens. Bone broth and all root vegetables.

What are the three must-have makeup products you carry in your handbag?

The 3 must-have beauty products in my bag are:

1. Sea Kind facial toner
2. Ingenues eye gel for bags and wrinkles
3. Acure lip gloss

From your perspective working with customers, where do you see the skincare and beauty industry going in the next five years?

The future of skin care is going to be all food based and collagen producing, like polypeptides from plants. Algae. Hyaluronic Acid. Ingredients that our body can ingest and thrive on, while looking younger and fresh.

Great information and tips! Thank you, Amy.