Naturally Beautiful: Get to Know Beauty Guru Celeste Hilling of Skin Authority

She’s helped us clean up our beauty act, busted common skin care myths, and introduced us to the power of vitamin D, and in our final Naturally Beautiful spotlight, we’re getting better acquainted with our very own Beauty Expert and CEO of Skin Authority, Celeste Hilling.

“Being based in California and loving the natural resources provided by the ocean, mountains, desert, you appreciate the power of nature and acquire a desire to protect its beauty,” Celeste said of her inspiration to begin her line of highly-effective and natural skin care. “As a mom, I want to pass on an amazing, healthy world forward to not only my daughter, but the children of her generation and generations to come. That’s our responsibility as citizens of the earth.”

Skin Authority’s commitment to green beauty doesn’t stop with the natural product formulations, Celeste and her team go so far as to ensure that packaging is eco-friendly as well. “We were one of the first companies to ask suppliers for tubes made from recycled materials,” she explained. “We require our suppliers to use wind power, e-credits, soy ink and recycled paper for printing. We forgo using outer boxes for individual products, which can create additional waste.”

While noble, this desire for sustainable packaging proved to be a challenge in the beginning. Celeste went on to share that “ten years ago, most of the packaging vendors had not worked with recycled materials. We had to push them in that direction. Also, it can be difficult to achieve a prestige look with recycled materials. It required collaboration and patience with our partners. It’s encouraging that, all of these years later, those same suppliers are now pushing us with fresh green ideas! You have to commit the time to staying current and constantly researching. Just because an ingredient is natural doesn’t make it safe or effective, so you have to understand formulation and contraindications. It is an ongoing commitment”

Just like our other Naturally Beautiful green beauty pioneers, Celeste is also surprised by common misconceptions and shared the top three she hears most often:

• “People perceive that green products don’t produce results. Skin Authority demonstrates it’s about being innovative; you have to formulate in a way that brings out the best from ingredients. Our new product additions in 2016 will show how powerful green results can be!”
• “Green is not always clean. Green actually requires an even higher attention to quality formulation and manufacturing standards. The potential for bacteria and reactions can be higher, so it is important to have testing and quality assurance in place. For Skin Authority, the natural efficacy of the product has to be able to survive and remain pure from production to use.”
• “It’s not fluff; aspects of green can be safer and better, but you have to know your stuff. Green on its own is not the answer. As green beauty leaders, we have to educate the consumer so they understand the benefits of using, and sometimes paying more, for green products.”

Looking to clean up your beauty routine? Start by eliminating the fake stuff! “Synthetic colors and fragrances are in everything we use and the compounded effect of those layers of chemicals is staggering and goes unnoticed,” she warned. “I call it a toxic sleeper because most people don’t take into account that we are wearing clothes with fragrance and color chemicals deposits from detergents, dryer sheets, make up, hair care, and skin care. We all love to smell nice, but rarely think about how that exposes our bodies to cumulative toxins.”

If you haven’t tried Skin Authority, Celeste recommends starting with her favorite two products, the Resurfacing Accelerator and the Wrinkle Reversing Serum. “The Accelerator is a leave-on peel followed by the Serum, which is packed with healing natural body proteins that are unique to Skin Authority. Together, they create instant, visible plumping of the skin and smoothing of lines and wrinkles, but most importantly, they boost skin cell’s immune defense to stave off damage.” Another great way to try the brand? Through its innovative and on-demand skin coaching on the My Skin Authority App. “It’s the first interactive lifestyle app that connects people with a live esthetics expert for coaching and guidance. The app takes the hassle out of shopping for skin care and the coaches have an ongoing dialogue with the consumer to help them stick with a healthy skin lifestyle routine.”