Newport's Farmaesthetics Puts the Natural Back in Beauty

Maret Paetznick

I was a few weeks into a new diet when a product label totally caught me by surprise. I had cut out all processed food and was trying my best to eat clean, which meant I was focusing on whole, real foods. I was so used to reading labels closely to avoid faux food that I found myself turning every package around – and that’s how it happened. I was in the bathroom, getting ready to wash my face, when I casually flipped my facial cleanser to glance at the ingredients. I’m not sure why I was shocked to find a paragraph of artificial dyes and unpronounceable chemicals (it is, after all, manufactured by a gigantic cosmetic company found at every CVS and Target), but I was. And I was determined to start another diet, this time with my skincare.

I set up a meeting at Farmaesthetics’ Newport flagship storefront with the intention of going all-natural for 30 days. The Portsmouth based company – and darling of the green beauty industry – touts a 100% natural line of products made with sustainably grown herbs and flowers. As I enter their whitewashed boutique, it’s immediately clear that it’s more old-world apothecary than Bellevue Avenue chichi. Clear bottles with simple handwritten labels are neatly displayed on an oversized mantle (salvaged from a Newport mansion, no less). A clean, crisp herbal aroma fills the room. Kenzie Gallagher, the brand’s executive coordinator, is there to walk me though my month-long cleanse.

Kenzie asks me some questions about my skincare routine and any ongoing issues. I tell her about my combination skin and how I’m prone to dryness and breakouts.

She explains that since their products are “live,” meaning made with farm-raised ingredients, most have a certified two-year shelf life. And while each bottle offers healing properties, she points out that they don’t have one-size-fits-all directions. “We don’t tell people to use this every day or to apply that once a week,” she says when I ask about how often I should use an exfoliater. “It’s really just playing with the products and figuring out what’s best for you. You know what your body is telling you."

She loads me up with a dozen products and enough confidence to experiment with them. When I get home, I place each product on my bathroom counter. With simple names like Midnight Honey Oil, Hand to Heel Softening Salve and Fine Herbal Cleanser, I organize them in my medicine cabinet by type: moisturizers, masks and cleansers.

I’m so used to heavy, over-processed cosmetics that at first I’m taken by how light these feel. The Fine Herbal Cleanse (the company’s best selling product) is water thin as it lands in your palms. Delicate, aromatic foam is made by a slight rub of the hands. It’s so gentle that I can’t imagine it actually washing my face, but I apply it and a minute later I feel positively refreshed.

Farmaethetics’ rise is the stuff of legend. Founder Brenda Brock, a seventh generation member of a farming family, sold her first batch of organic salves and creams at a friend’s farm stand in 1999. Green products were just coming into market along with a demand for sustainability, and Brenda’s pure philosophy and goods were poised for great success. Today with eight employees and millions of products sold internationally, Brenda is a revered leader in the eco-beauty industry, racking up accolades, awards and press from Time magazine to Martha. Earlier this year, the RI Small Business Association named her their Small Business Person of the Year.

Day after day, I wash and moisturize. But each day is a different routine. In fact, the only true routine is that I’m making decisions based on my skin that day. When I’m feeling oily, I mix the Sweet Milk & Chamomile Exfoliate with the Fine Herbal Cleanser to create a rough scrub, and then moisturize with the light Nourishing Lavender Milk. When I’m feeling dehydrated, I layer the Midnight Honey Oil and the Nourishing Herbal Cream. When I get a pimple, I use the Rosehip & Clay Mint Mask as an overnight spot treatment. It’s almost like cooking without a recipe, adding herbs or spices depending on your mood. And just like real food will result in higher energy and better digestion, my skin is responding tremendously to the farm fresh products.

By the end of the month, I have connected with my skincare in such a way it’s impossible to go back to using the mainstream rinse-and-repeat-stuff. Not only did I get a fresh face, I gained a fresh new perspective on real beauty.