All about: Yes To skincare

A few weeks ago now I was lucky enough to spend an inspirational morning with Lance Kalish and Ido Leffler, the creators of Yes To skincare who were visiting from San Francisco.

A brand new to the New Zealand and Australian market but breaking all sorts of records internationally, products from the Yes To ranges have won awards from names as diverse as PETA and Allure magazine – and with good reason.

In 2006, Lance and Ido were two average guys who had made a conscious decision to eat healthier and buy more eco-friendly products, much like many of us do at a certain point in our lives. They found the food part was easy, but were shocked at the high priced, low quality and “negative marketing” surrounding the natural beauty products they saw out there on offer. So they came up with a rather big idea: “let’s create a line of natural skincare that actually works (no more compromising!), is affordable and guilt-free (no more breaking the bank!), eco-friendly and made from organics fruits and veggies and clean ingredients only (no parabens, petroleum, SLS or phthalates), and most importantly, will make you SMILE! It needs to be all about positivity (no more anti this and anti that!).”

A big call! But from here, Yes To was born. Fast forward to 2012 and Yes To is a global leader in natural beauty, with nearly 70 Yes To products available in 28,000 stores in 29 countries. The next place it will land in New Zealand this October, which is exciting stuff!

Their skincare combines high quality organic fruits and vegetables with a special mineral elixir derived from the Dead Sea to nourish and hydrate naturally. It is made up of five unique collections - Yes To Carrots, Yes To Tomatoes, Yes To Cucumbers, Yes To Baby Carrots and Yes To Blueberries – that have something for everyone and are created with a variety of skin types in mind.  You can mix and match within ranges and use many of their products on the whole family – with more products reportedly set to drop in early 2013.

They do not test on animals, their packaging is recyclable and all of their products are at least 95% natural, and free of parabens, SLS, petroleum, and phthalates. Yes To also fund a non-profit organisation helping to make a difference in people's lives through sustainable agriculture, a portion of all Yes To proceeds has been dedicated to the Yes To Carrots Seed Fund.

I’ve been battling breast cancer of late and have become even more obsessive about what goes on – and in – my body – to give myself the ultimate fighting chance. It tales a LOT to make it into my bathroom cabinet at the moment but Yes To Carrots Nourishing Super Rich Body Butter has done just that.

You could almost eat this pot of goodness, which is formulated with Carrot Seed Oil, Carrot Juice, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Dead Sea Mud. It is super hydrating and absorbs incredibly well, and is rich in Beta Carotene - a natural form of Vitamin A found in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Its antioxidant and anti-aging properties reduce damage caused by the sun and other environmental aggressors, making it a worthy skincare essential. Oh and last but not least, a tub of this wee marvel will set you back no more than $19.99 (250ml), and will be available exclusively at Countdown supermarkets nationwide come October. Hooray for that!

My next Yes To product wish is their Cucumber Cleansing Wipes - a totally iconic beauty tool I can't wait to try.