Natural Woman

Farmaesthetics Founder And Formulator Brenda Brock

Farmaesthetics founder and formulator Brenda Brock is a bona fide if unexpected trailblazer in “green” beauty, having successfully translated her generations-old traditional herbal recipes born from Grandma’s “kitchen chemistry” to a thoroughly modern skincare line.

BRENDA LAUNCHED HER FIRST handmade herbal skincare solutions in the summer of 1999 at a roadside organic farmstand in Rhode Island. Using recipes gleaned from her own farming family heritage (she is a seventhgeneration farmer from Texas), Brenda created a full line of authentically natural skincare products she branded as “Sustainable Beauty.” She credits her prowess to the women of her family who came before and were just looking to soothe and heal their tired, cracked hands and sun-ripened faces. Despite being a successful actress for years, known best for her role on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, Brenda has found her life’s work, and it all fell into place, well, naturally.

What initially drew you to skincare?

Mainly my farming family heritage in Texas. I grew up on the farm in the summer my dad also grew up on that farm and the women in my family were growers. They used the herbs and the flowers to make what they would call unguents and ointments, tinctures and salves. I learned to infuse the herbs, flowers and oils with beeswax and make skincare products at a young age. It was just something that I really was interested in, so my whole life, I found joy in reading the books I kept next to my bedside about herbalism and uses for herbs in taking care of the skin.

What was the first “aha” moment for you when you realized you were onto something that could really change cosmetics?

One summer in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, a group of my women friends and their little girls and I all dug up five acres and had a roadside stand where we used the crops that we grew in different ways. I used all the herbs to make my lotions, creams and salves. We would get the girls on the tractor and plow the field and put the plugs of lavender in. I started putting these creams, lotions and body oils into pretty, very traditional glass bottles, just handwriting what they were on the labels, and we got a lot of attention. . . . Locals and people on holiday would come by, and I kept getting calls saying, “I would like to buy more of this.” A friend of mine said,

“You have a business,” and I didn’t have a clue what that meant. But I figured that if people want this, I certainly want to be able to get it to them, and then the floodgates opened.

I learned about the manufacturing industry and how difficult it was to have products made naturally. Something very important to me was to find someone who wouldn't change the ingredient decks for these products and convert them to synthetics, but would actually use the real ingredients. I found someone in Connecticut who I still work with, and I was able to translate all of those recipes from 5 x 7 index cards into formulations so I could have them made in small batches in a controlled environment without changing a thing, and that is how I was able to sell to Saks, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

Why do you think natural products work better than those developed in a lab?

I am such a proponent of natural ingredients. The more we can have in our lives, the better, because I do believe that even in a chemical, synthetic product, a lot of the fillers they put in aren't needed. They put them in there so they have a certain feel to them, or they put them in there so they have a certain scent or a shelf life of, like, forever! And even though you are delivering an ingredient in that product that might be completely useful and helpful for your skin, there are so many other things that aren't. Synthetics are, many times, petroleum-based, and petroleum products on the skin thin the tissue over time. Over a lifetime, [they can] thin your skin, cause more wrinkles, might make you more vulnerable to ultraviolet rays, etc., so I really believe everything in a product should be there for a reason to do good to your skin. And with natural, you can let it go down the drain into the water table and it does no harm.

Is there a product that is particularly special to you in your line?

For the last three years, I have been working on a hyaluronic acid serum that is 100% natural. We are going to launch that in the summertime! The new product is called Marigold Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum. I'm so excited about this because hyaluronic is just a wonderful molecule that helps keep the skin plump and juicy, and you can use it and then put anything over it for extra moisture. There are so many uses for this product, [and] we were originally really struggling to find the ingredients in natural form. This is one of the exciting things about the industry right now especially for us natural formulators. We have access to natural ingredients that we have never had before. When I first started, it was pretty narrow. If you were working in a laboratory, you really had to struggle to find calendula extract, let’s say, that didn't have a lot of artificial preservatives in it, and now you can.

The Farmaesthetics line is diverse and plentiful. Is there something you suggest for first-timers?

Our Nourishing Lavender Milk and Fine Herbal Cleanser. If you are a bare-bones, no-nonsense person, you can have a full skincare line with them. The cleanser is for the face and the lotion is for the face and upper body. Those two are wonderful products to try, and

I think it’s a great intro to the line. We also have great introductory sets, little Facials-to-Go, and of course a lot of products that are great for the whole body complexion, like the Midnight Honey Bath & Beauty Oil, a really delicious product people love that.

Is there something particular about Rhode Island that inspires you?

I first came here as a weekend visitor with a friend from Texas whose family had a boat docked here. I was living and working in New York City, and when we drove across the Newport Bridge, it was like my whole chest, my heart everything just opened up, like I had been gasping for beauty and fresh air. It is such a majestic entry to a city! I really physically just felt like, “wow,” and I ended up meeting somebody who I am now married to! I stayed in New York City for many years and kind of commuted back and forth, but I think Rhode Island is the most beautiful state in the union. I could be here on the water, by a farm, and go get on a train and be in Boston in an hour, or 2.5 hours to New York City on the Acela. There is such a diverse crowd of people here so many interesting people from all over the world. It's just so special I can't stand it!