A word from the Founder
As you know, we were eager to launch our new line of mineral makeup. We found, what we thought, was a responsible and ethical supplier of cosmetic grade mineral pigments. We reviewed the MSDS fact sheets of the products and gave it a go.
A few days ago, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics launched the findings the FDA published over lead contamination on over 400 lipsticks and we were alarmed. After close inspection one of the common ingredients in these products was mineral pigments, the same ones used in mineral cosmetics.
Because of these findings we were suspicious of the purity of the ingredients we had purchased and the reliability of the MSDS fact sheets of those ingredients as no information about heavy metals was present on any of them. We immediately suspended the launch of our mineral makeup line, which we reported in our blog here and started testing our ingredients. We also contacted our suppliers so they could provide us with more information to speed up the process and one of them who’s located in California just sent us a reply:
“I can tell you right now that all of these pigments meet the FDA standards for safety per CFR TItle 21. As such they contain small amounts of lead, as for example black oxide tested at 1.87ppm of lead.
As long as you are using iron oxides you will have lead in the ingredients at levels acceptable to the FDA. It is the nature of the pigment.
In any event, it doesn’t matter what each individual ingredient tests at, it matters what your finished product tests at.”
We were a little uncomfortable by this last statement “In any event, it doesn’t matter what each individual ingredient tests at, it matters what your finished product tests at.” Common knowledge and good manufacturing practices dictate, the higher the content of a toxic in an ingredient, the more toxic the final product is, unless we’re missing something? Read the rest of this entry »
Today 2011 is reaching, has already reached in many parts of the world, its end.
This was a year of challenges and difficulties we all at BVO embraced and learned from. It’s made us better and given us strength to take on the challenges 2012 undoubtedly will bring.
We say goodbye and thank you for everything to 2011 and full of excitement we wave hi and welcome 2012.
We all at the By Valenti Organics family wish this New Year be filled with joy and positive energy for all of you!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!
Stay Fabulous and Healthy!!
As kids we depend on what mom tells us to do, to protect us from harm. During our vacations at the beach in the 70′s and 80′s, my mom, like million others, would apply sunscreen and sunblock from head to toe. Little did she know about all the chemicals in those “apparently” safe products we all grew up with.
As I grew older, protection in the form of sunscreens and sunblocks were always kept in my bag when heading for the beach or the pool, especially during swimming practice. I didn’t tan during the high peak hours of the day and used common sense. 25+ years ago, I stopped tanning all along, mainly because I figured out my color skin perfectly matched my hair color and eyes.
Fast forward 25+ years later and about a year ago I noticed something growing in my face, right below my right eye. Busy life and a myriad of other reasons — mom with Alzheimers, dad with inoperable brain tumor, later passing away this past December 1st, plus brother in law passing this March — kept me away from the doctor’s office until not too long ago.
Today, October 6, 2011, just a few minutes ago, I received a little green paper from my doctor’s office where it says, I have skin cancer… I wish my doctor would have been more “humane” and at least gave me a call, but… Although anyone would feel devastated, I’m not, I’m really mad. Mad, because for all the good reasons I started my own organic, pollutant free skin care line, I got to it too late to save my own skin.
If you haven’t read the reports about harmful chemicals in sunscreens and sunblocks launched by the Environmental Working Group, you have to. There are carcinogens and pollutants in hundreds of the big name brands of sunscreens and sunblocks. So if the sun exposure won’t hurt you, those harmful sunscreens will.
I don’t believe the sun exposure I had as a kid 25+ years ago was the cause for my skin cancer of today, and any doctor giving me that excuse would really have to sweat a scientific explanation for it, and it better be a good one. I’m 100% certain all the chemicals I’ve been exposed to, in the form of makeup, anti-wrinkle creams, sunscreens, sunblocks and lotions filled with artificial fragrances and everything else, that I have been pouring in for as long as I can remember, are the ones to blame.
As a fashion model back in the day I would wear loads of makeup. If they had a known label, I would rub it on without hesitation and without reading the label, “hey! it’s a famous brand and they have ads on tv and magazines, so they know what they’re doing, plus it smells so good!” sounds familiar?… Who am I kidding, I would wear the unknown brand just because the colors looked amazing! Many times I was too exhausted to take the makeup off and would even sleep with it.
Today, I’m paying the prize like many millions around the world. Even people who have never tan in their entire lives, today are suffering from some form of skin cancer, an listening to the lame excuse given by every single dermatologist in this planet “the sun exposure is to blame”, just because it’s easier than blaming the big irresponsible cosmetic brands.
The Cosmetic Industry have no regulations, and is neither regulated by the FDA. Any unscrupulous cosmetic brand whose only purpose of existence is money can add whatever they want in their race to prevent aging and make you beautiful. Mercury, lead, petrochemicals, artificial anything, sulfates, phthalates, and lets not forget the beautiful Chromium Oxide Green used so much to make those gorgeous green tones in Mineral Makeup, which is a natural carcinogen, are added freely on everything from makeup to skin care to even hair care and we’re rubbing them on like there is no tomorrow.
As someone in the industry and trying to do my part to change things, I get some of the most horrific news of ingredients been used in all kinds of cosmetics which many moms use on their own little daughters. One of the most notorious cases is the Brazilian Blowout which has finally gotten the attention of the FDA. I’m horrified by all this and the lack of care and responsibility cosmetic brands show for our health, and the health of our entire eco-system. I’m thankful I’m contributing to make a difference and providing an alternative with my products, but I regret I got to it too late for me.
Just because is late for me, doesn’t mean is going to be late for you…
If you have been reading I hope I got to you and please pass it on. I urge you to read the labels of each and every lipstick, eye shadow and cream you use. Check the ingredients and educate yourself, and if you have to, toss that make up and find an honest brand that first and foremost won’t hide their ingredients and second that uses all natural and mineral safe ingredients in the making of their products. If you’re going for Mineral Makeup avoid the green tones or anything contain Chromium Oxide Green as this is a natural carcinogen.
I’ll fight this cancer and I know I’m going to be ok, I’m a fighter after all, you just don’t have to go through this. Read the labels.
Manuela Valenti
CEO/ Founder
By Valenti Organics
Because we TRULY care…
For the past few months we’ve been hammered by Daily Deal websites helping us market our products while offering irresistible sales otherwise not available to consumers. We’ve always been upfront with our clients in displaying that the deals we provide through these services, are simply for discount coupons or vouchers. We’ve never even implied our vouchers could potentially be seen as gift certificates, because they just aren’t.
But recently, after Groupon and immediately after Living Social were hit with quite a few law suits, we’ve come to realize these companies might not be completely upfront with their clients on behalf of all the merchants.
Groupon, Living Social and many websites offering Daily Deals, are based on the concept of selling upfront vouchers also known as discount coupons to consumers. What they do is basically execute the sale for merchants, so consumers are just left with a code to redeem for the goods or services at the respective retail store. This is the same as merchants paying the newspaper or coupon book distributors to include 50% discount coupons in their paid subscriptions, which consumers have to pay upfront to get the deals. With services like Groupon merchants share a portion of the profit while they process the sale of these discount coupons to a more targeted audience. So rather than merchants paying the local newspaper for printing 100000 of these coupons, we share a portion of the, otherwise sale made on our own establishments, with Groupon or similar websites. In other words, instead of consumers getting their hands on these discount coupons and heading to the retail store to pay the $10, $20 or whatever amount the saving on the coupon claims for, they place the order instead on Groupon, becoming Groupon the middle man between merchants and consumers.
Many consumers see this business model and immediately assume Groupon sells pre-paid gift cards, which are protected by law, but there are certain characteristics of these discount vouchers that legally make them NOT gift certificates, no matter what many class action lawsuit attorneys say.
Groupon sells these vouchers/discount coupons clearly stating the expiration date and certain restrictions defined by merchants. Many lawyers claim this is a violation of the Credit Card Act as they see them as gift cards or gift certificates. Nonetheless the fine print on the terms of many of these Daily Deal websites are not quite clear and might be interpreted as if what they sell are gift certificates leaving merchants to pay the prize in the end.
In an attempt to provide a good customer service, Groupon states the following in their Terms and Conditions:
The purchase value does not expire until it is used or refunded.
This is nice and everything from the costumer service point of view, but it might not necessarily comply with the merchant policies, especially if merchants, just like us, are simply offering discount coupons through daily deal websites. I can see why the litigations have started, but they just shouldn’t have taken place in first place, as it’s obvious these litigations are just to get some easy money. Approaching the company instead and ask them to be more specific about their terms to clearly establish consumers are buying discount coupons and not gift certificates or gift cards would have been sufficient, but our legal system I’m afraid allows for these fraudulent lawsuits to take place in first place, so we have to roll with them.
More over, on Groupon’s FAQ they state:
All is not lost! Once a Groupon reaches its expiration date, it loses its promotional value, but you can still redeem it at the price you paid for the length of time stated by gift certificate laws in your state.
Well, again, nice from the customer services point of view but this statement sure conflicts with thousands of merchants out there and confuses millions of consumers! The deals offered by Groupon and websites alike are offered in the form of vouchers or discount coupons, unless some merchants are offering Gift Cards or Gift Certificates. Assuming consumers are buying a voucher that is later seen as a gift certificate sure makes things worse for both merchants and consumers leaving the doors open for litigation.
Many attorneys and legal advisers on their blogs and websites have stated that “because there is a money exchange upfront these vouchers immediately fall in the Gift Certificate or Gift Card category”, well I beg to differ and with me hundreds of more educated lawyers.
From the business point of view if we start naming and treating these vouchers and discount coupons as gift certificates soon we’ll have a huge problem in our hands and here is why. For years we’ve been used to buying the Sunday newspaper just for the discount coupons it contains (I’m guilty of that, I don’t read the news I just want the coupons), the coupon books sold at our kids school to help raise money for the school and even entire lots of unused merchant discount coupons off eBay. If we assume, as stated by many attorneys, just because consumers are paying upfront to get their hands on these, otherwise impossible to get, discount coupons, that these should be treated instead as gift certificates or gift cards and the Credit Card Act should apply, then we will soon see an avalanche of lawsuits towards the Sunday newspapers, coupon book distributors, schools and even eBay!
Groupon, Living Social and hundreds of websites like these what are really selling are discounted coupons with expiration dates and restrictions on behalf of merchants in the marketing form of daily deals, NOT gift certificates or gift cards, no different than the coupon books you buy at your kids school, on eBay or even from your local city hall.
Certainly Groupon, Living Social and all those daily deal websites should take a closer look at their business model, review their terms and change their contracts toward merchants to reflect exactly what’s been offered, rather than using confusing or broad terms. The law is quite specific in determining what’s a Gift Card or Gift Certificate and what’s not.
Whether consumers pay or not for discount coupons, vouchers or coupon books, doesn’t mean the voucher itself changes its status. Consumers are paying upfront Groupon, Living Social and alike, for a chance to get their hands on these deals otherwise impossible to get by other regular means. It’s the responsibility of consumers to get their money worth on goods or services back before the voucher expires and should be understood that after the voucher’s expiration date the consumer is left with nothing, or are we going to start suing the newspaper for all the Sunday coupons we forgot to exchange or perhaps Disney because we forgot to redeem a special discounted ticket?…
Manuela Valenti
CEO/Founder of By Valenti Organics,
Manuela Valenti Studio & Gallery,
Mom of Three, Coupon Book and
Sunday Newspaper Buyer.
Our Founder and CEO at the Health Freedom Expo
We had a blast at the Health Freedom Expo Chicago this past weekend. My oldest son, who’s now working for us at By Valenti Organics and I represented By Valenti Organics at the convention, while Jack, Lisa and the rest stayed behind taking care of the back doors making sure everything ran smoothly while we were out. Nevertheless both teams confronted some pretty serious challenges.
All our products made it safely to the show and back, so that was a blessing. Setting up the booth was a little challenging but despite everything we managed. Here on the other hand computers crashed, internet connections failed, newsletters didn’t go out as they should have and basically everything was momentarily paralyzed.
The weather in Chicago was less than ideal! leaving here at 80+ F and arriving at the convention at 56 F was nevertheless unexpected. It would have helped if we came prepared for it, but we had only summer clothes in our suitcases, yet despite the cold, rain and me getting sick because of it we managed and had a really good crowd in the end.
<- The raw spot we stated with
By day one of the expo I was already exhausted! 5 hours of driving, 3 hours to set up the booth, shivering because of the cold and rain, and just a few hours of sleep made me look like a zombie with fabulous raccoon eyes on the first day! thankfully I had my organic weapon, our new Bulgarian Lavender & White Tea Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream+ came to the rescue and freshened my eyes removing those terrible raccoon eyes off my face.
Just 30 minutes after the show opened we had our first sale and we didn’t stop until the show closed on Sunday 12 at 6 pm! We made tons of connections, stores, spas, salons, dermatologists, massage therapists and even chiropractors were all interested in working directly with By Valenti Organics and offer our products to their clients.
We met many of our clients – so great to put a face on an email! – who gave us tons of ideas for new products, so grateful for that! We heard first hand how our products have helped many of our client’s skin conditions and how grateful they all are to finally count with a line of organic skin care that is truly organic and honest – we don’t hide weird chemicals in our products like many other “organic” skin care companies do – but most than anything, that really work.
The booth completely finished and decorated ->
Everyone at the show was impressed not only with the products itself but with our presentation and labeling, so that was really nice to hear.
We sold out on our fabulous Hand & Body Lotions, Castille and our new Black Lava soaps. We had repeat customers coming all three days of the show buying more of By Valenti Organics products. Overall despite the bumpy road, and how exhausted we were, we accomplished a lot in just three days, and came back with tons of new fabulous ideas.
We’re back, finally online, already working on new products and preparing for our next shows, conventions and expos to heavily promote By Valenti Organics.
Hopefully we’ll meet again in Las Vegas in July for another one of our shows.
Thank you everyone for your incredible support it really means the world to me and the reassurance we are on the right path.
Stay Fabulous and Healthy!
Manuela Valenti
CEO/Founder
By Valenti Organics
