Juice Beauty... the inside scoop from one of its creators, Karen Behnke

“Innovative organic beauty solutions masterminded by a team of women who are passionate about organic and healthy lifestyles and whose organic products are backed by powerful science…” That is the description that the Juice Beauty skincare company give to what they have created and what they do, and after attending the brand’s New Zealand launch a couple of weeks ago I was keen to know more. The company is headed by Karen Behnke (Head Juicer - 25 years pioneering healthy lifestyles companies) and Melissa Jochim (Product Juicer - 15 years pioneering organic beauty formulations), two California women who are on a mission to bring pleasurable organic beauty solutions to people worldwide. For over two decades, Karen's mission has been to build businesses that are health and wellness driven. At 24, she pioneered the corporate wellness industry that revolutionised how health was treated in the workplace. Built on the idea that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce, Execu-Fit (later named PacificCare Wellness Company) provided worksite wellness programs around the country that delivered onsite screenings, health risk appraisals wellness educational and fitness programs, for major corporations. Karen later became an executive at the multi-billion dollar healthcare company that purchased her wellness company. Karen's current passion and mission continues this drive to forge positive health change through consumer safety for women that spurs organic and sustainable farming. Fascinated? I was, so I tracked her down for a chat about what she does and why, and a little about what to expect from Juice Beauty in the future…

Why a skincare range Karen - you were both in the health industries but did you have a hidden passion for the beauty biz?
Yes, I started one of the first Corporate Wellness Companies in the country so my passionate roots for the beauty business really stems from wellness. Starting the company really stemmed from the wellness side first and then beauty second. I was astounded at the lack of regulation and the lack of healthfulness of most ingredients that went into beauty products! When I asked Melissa Jochim to come on board…we knew we could provide extremely high efficacy products but healthful ones also. You know your skin absorbs over 64 per cent of what you place on it - why wouldn’t you want to use organic products that work!

What was the greatest challenge when you first started the process of creating Juice Beauty?
Juice Beauty’s biggest challenge initially is one that continues today - to point out to consumers the difference between “natural” and “organic”. Natural can mean anything ranging from some pretty decent natural products (derived from nature but not farmed organically) to mostly just marketing fluff. Juice Beauty takes all of this to the nth degree in that we are actually “organic” in that we purchase ingredients from USDA certified Organic farmers so we obtain crops farmed without pesticides and synthetic chemicals. Just today, I walked into a prestigious store and asked if they carried organic beauty products and the I received the same answer I always do…the sales associate walks me over to some brand that has no organic ingredients whatsoever but markets themselves as organic.

Do you get frustrated by the growing number of skincare companies pulling the "natural" card, with very little regard to ethics?
Yes! And even worse, it is legal in the U.S. to have “Organic” within the name … such as “BLAH BLAH Organics”; however, unless the product complies with organic laws they cannot put any seals or any other organic claims on the packaging. But if the name is large and says organics in the label---it leads the consumer to believe it is an organic product. I often find products such as this with either 1 drop of organic ingredients or none at all!!

What do you think is the next "buzz" ingredient in the industry?
Well, you’ll have to contact us in six months because it will be coming from us! I just want to state that we have Clinical Validation for Significant Hydration and 87 per cent Free Radical Scavanging (fighting wrinkles) with our products. Juice Beauty Organic products work!

And lastly, what is the one Juice Beauty product that no one should be without?
I just have to go by regimen and of course it would depend on Blemish, vs Soothing vs Age defying but since I’m in the “Age Defying” Category…I’ll give you my choices:
1. Juice Beauty’s Cleansing Milk (creamy and takes off all eye make up - super luxurious !)
2. Juice Beauty’s SPF Mineral Tinted Moisturizer (all you need on your face in the a.m. (moisturises + light mineral coverage + antioxidant load with pomegranate) - your skin will glow!
3. Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Peel (Hollywood’s choice! The powerful wrinkle AND blemish zapper 1- 2x weekly)
4. Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Antioxidant Serum (feed that face at night)
5. Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Antioxidant Moisturizer (DMAE, Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ10…the power night moisturizer)
6. Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Nutrient Eye Cream (tightening and age defying)
OK…I’ll stop now since you just asked for one product! Thank you and we LOVE New Zealand!