Balance me beautiful

Lately, I’ve been thinking about an extract from an interview carried out in 2009 with Elisabeth Sigmund, co-founder of Dr. Hauschka, in which she states

"It is important to be aware that cosmetics cannot do everything. Even the best skin care cannot get rid of disharmonious features. You simply have a very well cared for but unbeautiful face. Thoughts are reflected in the face: the good and the bad. A person needs two beauties, an inner and an outer one.”

The question ‘what is beauty?’ is an interesting one.  The old adage “beauty is skin deep” teaches us that physical appearances are superficial, it is the heart and soul which truly counts.  However, superficial or not, our desire for external beauty is manifest in the myriad of cosmetic products available today.  The billion-dollar beauty industry feeds on ours fears that we might just fall short of the beauty standard, a standard that they have defined by bombarding us with images of airbrushed perfection.  The genius of advertising is that it simultaneously creates and offers us a quick-fix solution to a problem that hitherto never existed.  In a 24/7 world of instant gratification, it is easy to see how beauty has become a commodity, something that is bought and sold. 

Now, I’d be the first to admit that Dr. Hauschka competes very well in this marketplace, not I hasten to add through airbrushed images and false claims, but through the pure power of the products.

“Our marketing is based on providing education on the products and their application. Of course we present beautiful images in our marketing, but they are genuine images. All the models are real Dr. Hauschka users - our intention is that our images should represent you, not an impossible dream. Beyond the images we always explain why and how the products work. That is why our catalogue and web site are so important to us - they offer the space and opportunity to properly explain the brand”

First and foremost the products sell because they give you fantastic, radiant, glowing skin. But the brand is subtly deeper than this; much, much deeper. Like a truly beautiful face it has both an inner and an outer beauty working in perfect harmony. The outer beauty is its commercial face, the inner beauty the values and standards driving that commerce.   

I love the products because they help me remember that less is more, for it is all too easy to become greedy and wrapped up in yourself.  I use them with an attitude of gratitude, respect for the wonders of nature, consideration for the environment and thankfulness for the rhythm they bring into my life.