100% organic and toxin-free

One of my dearest friends in the world has been battling leukemia since September of last year. Every time I mention her and the fact that she is only in her 30s, I get a lot of comments like how young people get cancer these days. "Must be the air and all the chemicals," someone suggested.

Since my friend’s hair started to grow back a little the last couple of months, she’s been optimistic and started to express concern about skincare.

She’s concerned about signs of aging and spots that have appeared since her illness. We talked about skin products she can use as soon as she’s well.

It so happened that two days after our conversation, I got this assignment to review products from The Organic Pharmacy, which is dedicated to natural remedies.

While many brands claim to be organic, if you check out the formula, they actually contain normal toxins. The Organic Pharmacy is one of the very few brands that are truly 100-percent organic, so even cancer patients can use it now.

They make use of no artificial preservatives, pesticides or herbal residues, no mineral oils or petrochemical derivatives, no solvents, no animal testing, no animal ingredients, no artificial colors or fragrances, no harsh ingredients, no DEA, TEA or PEG derivatives.

Only certified organic cold-pressed oils and the highest-quality organic essential oils and botanicals are used.

I suddenly recalled having been to The Organic Pharmacy in Hong Kong. If you are familiar with the Harbour City mall, there is a very high-tech-looking open space at the ground level of Ocean Center selling these products. The store was so beautiful I just had to stop.

I remember thinking, OMG, this looks so wonderful. I want to buy something. I picked up a tube or bottle that was favored by Madonna (according to its description). It was around US$60 so I gently put it down.

So you can imagine my excitement when I received the samples. The first thing I did was to take them to my friend in the hospital where we looked at the products together and read the literature.

Apparently, The Organic Pharmacy is the brainchild of Margo Marrone, described as "a born healer and herb lover" with a degree in Pharmacy.

During her first pregnancy, Margo came across an article by Dr. Samuel Epstein titled "Cancer Alert for Toiletries and Cosmetics."

Convinced she should only use natural products, Margo started to check labels and found toxins and carcinogens everywhere. She discovered that many companies claiming to be all-natural and organic were actually not, while those products that were, rarely worked effectively.

This was when Margo decided to take matters into her own hands. She reeducated herself in the basics of product design using natural ingredients. She experimented with base products, despite warnings from scientists that paraben-free, organic products could not be created.

Margo persevered with the support of her husband, Francesco. In 1998 she gave birth to her daughter Roksana and her first organic product, Herbal Toner.

Margo started mixing creams and serums for family and friends. A range of products followed, including Carrot Butter Cleanser, which now has a cult following.

Now pregnant with her second child, Margo set up The Organic Pharmacy, blending her expertise as a pharmacist and homeopath with her new innovations.

The goal was to create fully effective organic products that are free of toxins. With Francesco’s unique design abilities, The Organic Pharmacy opened as a modern, dynamic store in 2002 in Kings Road, London.

Since then, The Organic Pharmacy has opened more than 40 stores worldwide. It has become a destination hot spot and celebrity spa, staffed with a team of dedicated homeopaths and beauty therapists as passionate as Margo herself.

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Rustan’s introduces the full range to the local market at Rustan’s Essenses Makati and Shangri-La Tower. For more information, visit www.theorganicpharmacy.com.