The organic touch to the skin

With ingredients from organic farming, respecting the environment and people, Argentina has the first certified organic cosmetics line.

Courtesy Clarin Rural Magazine, October 8, 2011
By Liliana Cobelo

In Argentina, organic production also reached cosmetics. It was by the hand of the firm Aname Vio, which developed the first fully organic cosmetic line in the country.

"We are a company with extensive experience in the cosmetics industry, considering that nature takes care of you with wisdom. Aname Vio is an innovation for the daily care of the skin, in harmony with the nature and your everyday needs taking into account the protection of the planet", said Grace Ceballos, one of his mentors.

The entrepreneur, who is also a lawyer, has for 4 years this line of cosmetics (95% of its ingredients are organic, with compliance with the normative of the European Community and of the United States. While her 17 years of experience acquired as CEO of a traditional cosmetics company, she is convinced that the organic represents more than a trend.

"Every element that is part of the processing chain of our products meet the strict standards required by Organización Internacional Agro­pecuaria (OIA), USDA, US National Organic Program, and argentinian organic standard, which is equivalent to regulations of the European Community. "This ensures a final product that meets traceability”, said Ceballos.

There are several reasons that led to the director of Aname Vio to start. Initially, the skin is the largest organ in the body, and the most exposed to the impact of the environment. This is the reason why is not included in the forms any conserving, petroleum products, silicones, fragrances, dyes. "We only used what nature gives us", said Ceballos.

Another quality that activated the project is that it takes care of the environment, "from which we are all part and we consider that what we do to him, we will do ourselves". In this sense, it is only used income from the organic farming, respecting and promoting sustainable ground, plants, animals and people”.

"We promote sustainable development and sustainable planet", said Ceballos. And she told: "Since I decided to start my own business seven years ago, this encourage me to do something different than the rest. Thats why I travel and research a lot, and in the international fairs I attended, I was impressed with two words: organic and natural, that was the trend and decided to create the first brand of organic cosmetics".

"The line we carry is produced entirely in the Argentina, with certified organic local products, although some inputs must be imported from the United States and Europe, such as butter of Karité (obtained from the seeds of Butyrospermum parkii fruit tree that grows wild in a wide area of central Africa)", Ceballos said. Meanwhile, she supplies with other local organic raw materia such as aloe vera, cranberry, honey, olive oil, alcohol and rosehip.

Cranberry ranks first in the line "because it offers everything a skin needs: they are rich in amino acids, vitamins, oleic acid, essential fatty acids (omega 6 and omega 9) and antioxidants. Nature provides us with all these qualities in a single fruit and we decided to take advantage of it".

The firm regularly participates in international fairs to promote the product, "which is oriented to the international market, but internal market is increasing”, said the entrepreneur. Regarding the product line, a few months ago they began to develop the second line, in addition to the cranberry one: plant DNA with wheat germ.

Clear that the road is not without pitfalls. "To specify a completely organic brand is not easy, because it demands much time and effort. It is not easily found producers who are involved with the organic production, and sometimes we need some kind of industrialization that it doesn’t exist today", said the entrepreneur.

Negotiations to close export contracts go from strength to strength. Today, the firm markets are the United States and Germany, but there is good work with Turkey, Spain, England, India, Romania and Iran.

Source: www.anamevio.com