“Celtic Complexion Hand Blended Organic Skin Care is made with ingredients that have been used for centuries, and once available only to wealthy aristocracy and traded like gold.”

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Jennifer Devlin is a Master Esthetician and founder of Celtic Complexion Organic Skin Care. Jennifer created the line to help her own skin condition called rosacea.

Celtic Complexion Hand Blended Organic Skin Care is a collection of luxury skin care developed for dry and sensitive skin. The products are made without chemicals, dyes or fragrances. Each product is made with ingredients that have been used for centuries, and once available only to wealthy aristocracy and traded like gold. They are hand blended in micro-batches for optimal freshness, and optimal results.

MO: What were you doing before you founded Celtic Complexion? How did your experience and background contribute to the development of the company?

Jennifer: As a former educator for the world’ s most recognized brands, I have worked over 20 years in the beauty, cosmetic and personal care products industry, but several years ago I met a holistic esthetician who urged me to stop using synthetic and toxic chemicals on my skin which were making my rosacea condition constantly flare up.

I was put on a skin care and cosmetic “diet” and quit using all commercial brands. Most importantly, I was taught to read ingredients to find out exactly what I was putting on my skin. The discovery shocked me.

Within one month of using natural and organic products, my skin healed itself. I started studying everything about cosmetics, skin care, nutrition and alternative therapies. What I found inspired me to make a career change to become an esthetician over 10 years ago.

Now I am on a mission to educate the public about how to care for their skin without harming their health.

MO: What are the three main differences between “mass marketed” products and hand-blended products?

Jennifer: Toxic chemicals, dyes and fragrances are routinely used in commercially available products because they are cheap to manufacture. They are marketed so well, consumers ask for them by name, completely unaware of the long term damage they are doing to their skin. Consumer put unquestioning trust into brand names, slick marketing campaigns, bogus “seals-of-approval” and celebrity endorsements. Instead of fancy packaging, get past the poetry on the box and read the ingredients. The truth is, beauty and skin health is a natural, effortless state that is thrown out of balance by modern assaults, conveniences and toxins that our bodies are unable to adapt to.

MO: Are there any misconceptions about organic skin care that you’d like to clear up?

Jennifer: The biggest misconception about organic skin care is that it isn’t as effective as commercial skin care. Commercial skin care is often viewed as the most trusted path to the fountain of youth, mostly because it also has the largest advertising budget to pay for beautiful (and often misleading) ad campaigns. It’s a business model, whose main focus is shareholder profits rather than actual healing or correcting skin conditions.

Marketing deceptions have a huge impact on our society and we often accept truth as what we hear most often. This goes for industry professionals as well as consumers. We hear the same rhetoric about what is supposed to be the “accepted” standard of care for a particular skin type, and follow it as if it were the letter of the law.

Likewise, consumers read about the latest “hot” ingredient from biased journalism, and it’s accepted as truth without question. Paid endorsements from celebrities and medical spokespeople are the norm and we end up rewarding companies who spend millions on everything except the actual product.

MO: What kinds of hand selected ingredients are you putting into your products and how have you managed to build up a reputable network of suppliers?

Jennifer: My collection includes coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil and an assortment of specific essential oils selected for their regenerative and healing properties. The efficacy of the products is in direct proportion to the quality of the ingredients. Much like wine crops, there are good and better regions for natural oils and essential oils. I was lucky, and early on, met wonderful people in the business who shared their knowledge with me about where to look for quality ingredients. I don’t source any two ingredients in the same place. I like to support smaller family –owned suppliers.

MO: You have such stiff competition from the big name beauty brands with incredible advertising budgets, what does your marketing strategy look like?

Jennifer: As simple as it sounds, I make the very best product, with the finest ingredients. I don’t exaggerate the claims, or have 18 year old photo shopped models in my ad campaigns. I offer a 100% unconditional money back guarantee if the product doesn’t deliver what I promise. I maintain a one-on-one relationship with each customer. I answer emails personally and I send out hand-written thank you notes. I rely on testimonials and word-of-mouth referrals to grow my business organically. My customers trust me and they are very loyal. My goal was never to be the next Estee Lauder; it was to make a difference in people’s lives.

MO: What’s the most exciting thing on the horizon for your company?

Jennifer: I was asked to be in the 2012 VIP Red Carpet Celebrity Lounge honoring the Academy Awards later this month. That kind of exposure on a national level is very exciting.