April 17, 2012
When you think of Burt’s Bees—the world-renowned natural beauty brand with its iconic yellow tubes and tins—a certain image might pop up in your mind. That would be Burt Shavitz, with his signature cap and grizzly gray beard.
Burt wasn’t always the face on thousands of lotions, ointments, salves and creams. Before Burt’s Bees was a name for a global brand (and not just the bees on his Maine property), the journalist-turned-beekeeper had a humble business selling honey.
After a serendipitous encounter with Burt in 1984, Roxanne Quimby made candles from a stash of his leftover beeswax to sell at local flea markets. It didn’t take long for a high-end New York boutique to take notice of Burt and Roxanne’s candles, and it took even less time for Burt’s Bees to transition from candles to personal care.
In addition to making half a million candles a year, Burt’s Bees began producing the now-famous lip balm—made from nourishing beeswax and fresh peppermint.
In 1994, Burt’s Bees began to focus on personal care, expanding from that first little tube of lip balm into soaps, face washes and lotions. Today, Burt’s Bees can be found in more than 30 countries nationwide and has over 100 products for lip, face, and body—even lines for men and baby.
So, how has Burt’s Bees sustained such a buzz for more than 25 years?
It’s simple, says Burt. “With our products, we never strayed from our values, unwilling to sacrifice quality. Natural ingredients work, and they’re good for you.”
The ingredients in Burt’s Bees labs sit in mixing bowls, not test tubes. Lemons, coconut, honey and almonds (just to name a few) are processed in the simplest way possible for the best benefits. Below, we give you an up-close look at a few of Burt’s Bee’s favorite ingredients to use.
Lemon: There’s a reason why lemon is such a common beauty ingredient. The oil pressed from a lemon’s peel is believed to add shine to hair and nails, balance oil in the skin and uplift the senses—which is why it’s the star of Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.
Pomegranate: The antioxidant properties of pomegranates help protect skin from environmental stress by fighting damaging free radicals. Brush on a bit of the superfruit with Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil.
Peppermint: Oil from the peppermint plant can soothe and stimulate. To help relax sore muscles and energize your spirit, rub on Peppermint Foot Lotion and Fabulously Fresh Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash.
Aloe: Famous for its emollient and moisturizing properties that help soothe irritated skin, aloe gel is the star of the Soothingly Sensitive Aloe & Buttermilk Lotion.
Sunflower: In 2003, Burt’s Bees added color and shimmer to the lip balm formula for the first time, creating Lip Shimmers. They used sunflower oil to give an extra boost of ingredients like vitamin E and A and essential fatty acids.
Coconut: Sweet and scented, coconut oil serves as a protective layer on the skin and helps moisturize dry skin. Try Coconut Foot Cream.
Almonds: Oil found in almonds (and the Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream) helps soften and recondition the skin.
Honey: Last, but certainly not least! The honey from hardworking bees has been used for centuries in beauty products for its healthy dose of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. No wonder why it’s a key ingredient in the Milk & Honey Body Lotion, Honey Lip Balm and the Honey & Shea Sugar Scrub.
Source: Shop Burt’s Bees at Target.com. Happy Earth Month!
Beauty & the Bees (Burt’s Bees, That Is)
http://abullseyeview.com/beauty-and-the-bees/
