I bet you can’t pronounce and/or recognize the majority of the ingredients on the back of your favorite under-eye cream or tinted moisturizer. I sure can’t. In fact, most of the products we use contain a variety of chemicals — from methylparaben, [1] phenoxyethanol [2], and triethanolamine [3] to other toxins that researchers have found to be detrimental to long-term health.

Though more and more Americans are currently shifting their diets to organic [3] foods, motivated by a deep concern for what they put in their bodies, many have yet to consider what they put on their bodies. The personal care products that fill our everyday lives — shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, [4] deodorant, [5] and especially moisturizers, sunscreens, and cleansers — do not sit benignly upon the skin, but are absorbed into the body.

Fortunately, Karen Behnke, one of the three minds behind Juice Beauty [6], launched an all-natural, organic-based skin care line in 2004. Filling the growing need for personal care products that are not only 100 percent pure, but also live up to their promises, Juice Beauty has been finding its way to the shelves of Sephora [7] and Whole Foods [8]. Even better, the young company is quickly educating the public about the importance and efficacy of using ingredients derived from nature. As Karen explains, juice is for far more than drinking.

LIME: What motivated you to create Juice Beauty?

KB: When I started researching products, I found things that were banned from our food were still in our personal care products and I was appalled. And we soon figured out that organic products really work

LIME: How is Juice Beauty different from all of the other “natural” beauty companies out there today?

KB: All personal care products are water based but we are organic juice based. Every drop of our products is packed with vital antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. And we are one of first groups to become paraben-free [9]. We really felt that organic beauty did not have to be granola-ish. We felt that it could have wonderful aromas and beautiful textures, and be age defying.

LIME: Can you tell me a bit more about the benefits of a juice base?

KB: Juice is jam packed with nutrients, which means that literally every drop of our products is packed with nutrients. We’re the only ones working with juice and we have a patent on our juice base. We’re forging a new area. The FDA even had to come up with a new category for us — juice-based beauty. The FDA has come down on companies that are exporting water-based products under an organic label because water is not recognized as organic. We’re one of the few beauty companies that can legally export under the term “certified organic.”

LIME: Until your partnership with Sephora, the company had a serious lack of natural and organic products. Do you think the public is looking for healthier beauty options? Is there enough awareness about the dangers of conventional beauty products?

KB: The consumer demand is increasing dramatically as people begin to recognize the difference between natural and organic. The consumer is becoming savvier. They’ve gone through this already with food. People know that companies can add one drop of green tea extract to a product and call it natural. A prime example is Herbal Essence [10] — which is as far from natural as you can possibly get. The FDA requires that a minimum of 70 percent of a product’s ingredients be certified organic to label it organic. This is very hard to do. Suppliers have not caught up with the demand and they can’t supply beauty companies fast enough. There are just not enough organic farms out there and it can be extremely difficult to get organic ingredients.

LIME: Things are happening so fast for Juice Beauty. What’s next?

KB: We just launched a mass line that will be available in 6,000 CVS stores. It’s called Juice Organics and is formulated with five juices that are certified organic. The products are extremely pure and designed for masses. We got the price down by having it less concentrated — our upper end collections are formulated with 17 juices. Most of our mass products will sell from $10-20. We really felt strongly about bringing organics to the masses, that organic products should not only be for those who can afford to walk into high-end stores.

LIME: What’s your favorite Juice Beauty product?

KB: The cleansing milk [11] is so pure and wonderful, as is the exfoliating cleanser [12] with dissolving jojoba beads, and the green apple peel. [13] For moisturizers, my favorite is the green apple antioxidant [14] moisturizer. I also use the SPF 30 tinted moisturizer [15] on my hands, face, and neck. We micronized the titanium dioxide and tinted with minerals. I’ve never worn foundation, but this just melts into your skin.

Image: Karen, Christin, and Melissa of Juice Beauty