HCG Diet Skincare Now Offers HCG Diet Approved Oil Free Shampoo and Conditioner
HCG Diet Skincare by Golden Essence, the only HCG Diet-approved skin care line, now includes Oil Free, Paraben Free Shampoo and Conditioner. Adding to the already extensive line of skin care products developed specifically for use with the HCG Diet, the Lavender Mint Shampoo and Conditioner completes the head-to-toe oil free product line and offers the HCG Dieter further options in ensuring their success.
St. Petersburg, Florida (Vocus/PRWEB) April 08, 2011
Launched in 2010, HCG Diet Skincare by Golden Essence® offers a complete oil free, paraben free skin care line specifically designed for the HCG Dieter. Now the HCG Diet Skincare line includes Oil Free Lavender Mint Shampoo and Conditioner, two products that are very much in demand by those on the HCG Diet. Both products can be used by either men or women during and after the HCG Diet and are suitable for all hair types.
The Oil Free Lavender Mint Shampoo was specially formulated with natural botanical extracts to nourish and lightly moisturize hair and wheat protein to strengthen hair. The green tea helps to leave hair fresh and clean.
The Oil Free Lavender Mint Conditioner is specially formulated with natural botanical extracts to restore and rebalance the hair and to help retain optimum levels of moisture. Pro Vitamin B5 and hydrolyzed vegetable protein form a two-in-one fortifier to rehydrate and repair damaged hair.
Both the Shampoo and Conditioner contain essential oils of spearmint and lavender, which are often confused with oils that are restricted from the diet. Essential oils consist of the essence of a plant and harness the plants aromatic properties. Commonly found in perfumes, soaps, lotions and other body care products, essentials oils make up the scent of the products in which they are found and should not be confused with digestible oils that are prohibited while on the HCG Diet. “Many people get concerned when they read ‘essential oils’ as an ingredient but essential oils are not the same as the digestible and absorbable oils that Dr. Simeons indicates are to be avoided,” says HCG Diet Skincare formulator, Beth Golden, PhD, ND, the HCG Diet Expert™.
The Shampoo and Conditioner may be purchased separately, together or as part of a collection and, for a limited time, at up to 30% off the regular retail price. “Spring is a great time to start fresh and new and, for those starting the HCG Diet, HCG Diet Skincare, including the newly released oil free shampoo and conditioner, is being offered at 15%-30% off for the month of April,” says marketing specialist Paige Harper.
The entire HCG Diet Skincare line by Golden Essence® is available for purchase online at HCGDietSkincare.com and in Medical clinics, Medi-spas, specialty salons, massage establishments, massage schools, retail specialty locations, health food stores and Chiropractors’ offices offering the HCG Diet throughout Canada, the US, Trinidad and Puerto Rico. HCG Diet Skincare also offers an affiliate program and other online sales programs for those in the HCG Diet industry or for individuals looking to supplement their income through the well-known HCG Diet. Wholesale inquiries may also be directed through the site or by calling (727) 242-2964.
Golden Essence’s mission is to provide “skincare from nature”.
About the Formulator
Beth Golden, PhD, ND, the HCG Diet Expert™, is the Leader in Research, Education, Formulations, and Manufacturing of HCG Diet Products and is nationally recognized for the success of her many HCG Diet Formulas since 2007. Her passion to help HCG Dieters with effective, safe and natural products led to the development of the HCG Diet approved skin care line, Golden Essence®. She has been invited to be a key note speaker about HCG Diets at the Zyto Convention in Utah April 28 – 30, 2010.
‘Kangaroo care': Mother-baby skin-to-skin bonding touted
When Melissa Bungar gave birth to her third child, her mother’s instinct told her it was natural to occasionally nestle infant Chloe against her chest skin-to-skin.
“My husband thought I was crazy. It just felt like the right thing to do,” Bungar said.
Four years later, when Bungar checked into Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh to deliver her fourth child — Eden, on March 2 — she filled out a form asking whether she wanted to do “kangaroo care.” A nurse explained it was skin-to-skin care and talked about the benefits. Bungar wrote yes.
“It sounded real peaceful for me,” she said. “There’s a lot of chaos sometimes after a baby is born.”
It also seemed to her that it was the same thing she had done with Chloe; “I just never called it kangaroo care.”
Also called “kangaroo mother care” and “kangaroo mother intervention,” the age-old concept’s re-emergence has its roots in a poor hospital in Bogota, Colombia. In 1978, Dr. Edgar Rey, chief of pediatrics at the Mother and Child Institute, suggested it could ease the shortage of doctors, nurses and incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Rey reasoned that a mother’s body temperature could replace an incubator — just like a mother kangaroo nurtures her baby in her pouch — while enhancing mother-to-baby bonding. Holding the baby skin-to-skin in an upright or near-upright position around the clock also would encourage breast-feeding and allow early discharge of stable babies regardless of weight or gestational age.
In the years since, the concept has spread to both developing and high-tech nations.
At Magee, it was introduced to the neonatal intensive care unit in 1997 and expanded in the last few years to include full-term babies in the Womancare Birth Center and post-partum newborn care. It is available to nursing and bottle-feeding mothers. Dads have the option of providing kangaroo care, too.
Some earlier studies of its use abroad suggested kangaroo care of low-birth weight infants reduces severe illness, infection and breast-feeding problems; improves mother-baby bonding; and perhaps even saves lives. Other studies said there was not enough scientific evidence to declare skin-to-skin an effective alternative to standard care for low-birth weight infants.
But the American Academy of Pediatrics is pro-kangaroo care for stable premature infants in neonatal intensive care units.
“The surprising benefits of kangaroo care for the infant include warmth, stability of heartbeat and breathing, increased time spent in the deep sleep and quiet alert states, decreased crying, increased weight gain, and increased breast-feeding. These benefits are apparent even when kangaroo care occurs for only a few minutes each day,” the academy says on its website.
The benefits are numerous, agreed Tammy Casper, a developmental specialist with a master’s degree in nursing. She educates staff and families about kangaroo care in the neonatal intensive care ward at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. There, about 80 percent of the babies, including preemies and full-term infants, are eligible for skin-to-skin care. “The only reason it wouldn’t be is if the baby is very ill or needing a surgery, if we’re worrying about a wound,” she said.
The concept has been in use at Cincinnati Children’s for about 20 years, although it was used less frequently for a period of time until a push to reintegrate it during the past two years, she said.
“Intensive care is filled with lots of machines and technology,” said Casper’s fellow developmental specialist Linda Lacina. “Putting a baby on their parents’ chest is not technology, so it’s difficult for some people to wrap their minds around that this is such a good thing to do.”
At Magee, Lynn Kramer, a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant, has been active the last couple years in implementing kangaroo care, first in the Womancare Birth Center and, more recently, where those mothers and babies go for post-partum newborn care.
She, too, finds multiple benefits:
— Breast-feeding is more likely to be exclusive and of longer duration.
— Even bottle-fed babies stabilize more quickly in terms of body temperature, heart rate and breathing. “When the baby is stressed and crying or cold, they use more blood sugar, which can cause complications post-delivery,” Kramer said.
— Both baby and mother are less stressed.
“Kangaroo care is an old concept that is new to Western civilization,” she added.
“It’s just a natural instinct of all mammals at birth to feed at the breast. With the advent of improved medical care and technology we fell away from skin-to-skin care. A mother’s instinct is to reach for her baby when it is born.” And the baby, she added, cries and becomes fretful when separated from mom.
POP-UP FOREST IN NEW YORK CITY’S TIMES SQUARE KICKS OFF EARTH MONTH
AVEENO Creates an Educational, Green Oasis to Raise Environmental Awareness, Encourages Consumers to Take One Million Steps towards a Healthier, More Beautiful Earth in 2011
NEW YORK, NY (April 7, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — AVEENO® Skincare, recommended by dermatologists for over 60 years and known as a pioneer in ACTIVE NATURALS® ingredients, is getting a jump on Earth Day by creating a pop-up forest in one of the most famous urban environments in the world, New York City’s Times Square. On April 7 – 8, hundreds of trees will flourish in the middle of New York’s concrete jungle, creating an educational, green oasis and marking the AVEENO Brand’s commitment to raising awareness for healthy living and environmental sustainability. It’s all part of the launch of the AVEENO BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL™ program, which encourages people to make small changes in their daily lives that can add up to a positive impact on the environment. AVEENO is encouraging people to take one million steps toward a healthier, more sustainable earth in 2011, and will reward everyone who joins them on the journey. Everyone can get involved by “Liking” AVEENO on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/aveeno, and making pledges to earn points that will result in rewards, such as AVEENO product samples, tree seedlings and sustainable tote bags.
Visitors who journey through the AVEENO ACTIVE NATURALS Forest in Times Square will experience how nature makes the planet more beautiful and receive both seed cards to plant their own trees and samples of the latest AVEENO ACTIVE NATURALS products. Additionally, visitors will learn about how trees help sequester CO2 and what steps people can take to protect our environment, thus creating a healthier, more beautiful earth. For example:
Planting a tree — In one year, one tree can turn 260 pounds of CO2 into clean oxygen
Switching out regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones — Energy efficient bulbs use about 75 percent less energy and can save an average household more than $40.00 a year on the electric bill
Using more sustainable forms of transportation, like carpooling or riding a bike to work; doing this one day a week, can reduce an individual’s annual CO2 emissions by eight percent
“The AVEENO Brand has always believed that nature has the power to make life more beautiful, and when we take good care of ourselves, we can take better care of those around us and the environment that nourishes us with its resources,” explains Mike Marquis, Group Product Director for AVEENO Skincare at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. “That’s why we created the BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL program, to empower people to join us in taking one million steps toward a healthier, more beautiful planet in 2011.”
The AVEENO Forest is the first important step the Brand will take toward beautiful change. The Brand is donating 500 trees to MillionTreesNYC, a public-private partnership between New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the City of New York. As part of this initiative, NYRP is challenging New Yorkers to make donations to plant another 500 trees this spring, resulting in 1,000 new trees for New York City. New Yorkers can donate by visiting www.nyrp.org or www.milliontreesnyc.org. Joining the celebration will be Consultant and Sustainability Expert for the AVEENO Brand, Summer Rayne Oakes, a leading Eco-Model who has partnered with the brand to help raise awareness about environmental sustainability and the responsibility we all have to the environment.
Professional Skin Care Market Bounces Back
As hoped for, 2010 has shown signs of recovery in the global market for professional skin care products. With the economy on track towards a rebound after the recession, manufacturers and distributors of professional skin care are exerting a tremendous amount of energy to lure customers back for expensive skin treatments and product purchases. These efforts are visible through heightened levels of product activity featuring advanced research and development formulas, as well as more extensive promotional support. Special offers for consumers ranging from extra value promotions, seasonal treatments and creative pricing, have become the new norm in the industry.
According to Professional Skin Care 2010 Global Series: Market Analysis and Opportunities, a newly released series of regional reports from Kline and Company, consumers in both the United States and Europe still have tight purse strings; however, they are willing to stretch and spend extra on products that can bring about visible improvement. As a result, more consumers are now coming back to professional skin care products and have increased the frequency of their visits to outlets including spas, beauty institutes and doctor’s offices.
Increasing client footfall
In order to draw customers through their doors, spas, beauty institutes and other dispensers of professional skin care products, have engaged in extensive promotional activity. One approach to increasing consumer traffic and encouraging repeat visits has been to offer savings on treatments through membership cards, discounts and value packages. Some outlets have also introduced express packages at lower prices for a variety of services. However, the importance of each service type varies by channel. Massage is the leading service performed in spas, while facials are the No. 1 service in beauty institutes. The high proportion of facial treatments is due to the fact that, as consumers save, they focus their available spending on what they regard as essential and facial care is at the top of their list.
The spas channel is one of the most progressive channels in the European professional skin care market, and is characterized by the rapid adoption of new ideas in response to consumer needs. Although spas face increasing competition from beauty institutes, spa operators are constantly seeking new ways to provide the most unique services at attractive prices. Spa owners also tend to opt for professional skin care brands that offer the best package to their partners in terms of benefits; these include free samples, marketing material and complimentary training.
To stand out among the competition, some spas have come up with creative seasonal offers that utilize suitable products that tackle ailments particularly associated with specific times of the year. Products that help maintain skin moisturized in cold winter months or keep skin radiant in the summer, are often enhanced with fragrances that underline the atmosphere of the season. Recently, Sothys has introduced two limited-edition in-spa treatments with the use of seasonal scented products: a massage cream with rhubarb and raspberry, as well as a vanilla and caramel line with a massage cream, vanilla face mask, and caramel scented body emulsion.
Professional skin care outlets are also increasingly expanding their portfolios to gain a competitive advantage. For example, beauty institutes are broadening their offerings by adding services typically offered by other channels, including body treatments, massages and minimally invasive esthetic procedures, that are performed by medical professionals affiliated with the institute.
Less invasive
In the medical care providers channel, the focus is shifting towards less invasive procedures. For example, the demand for injectibles such as Botox, Dysport and Restylane has experienced very strong growth. As a result, doctors are adding more less invasive procedures to their offerings and supporting them with strong promotional activity. As more customers trade down and replace surgical cosmetic procedures with nonsurgical ones, many are opting for professional skin care products to avoid going under the knife.
In some regions, regulations limit the dispensing of professional skin care products by medical professionals. For example, in most European markets, dispensing skin care products to patients is complicated or entirely prohibited. Conversely, in the United States, where distribution is unencumbered, various types of physicians including gynecologists and dentists turn to professional skin care to increase their revenue. As a result, the channel is expected to experience the highest five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the region of 9.6% through 2015.
A targeted treatment
Today’s professional skin care market is all about providing products that are well-suited to meet the needs of specific skin care concerns. In order to respond to a wide variety of conditions and changing demands, manufacturers are expanding the scope of their assortments to provide more targeted products. In the anti-ageing category, for example, this has meant an increased segmentation, with more products specialized for different age groups, skin types and color, skin problems, gender, and lifestyle. For example, new products targeting young consumers have been introduced, as awareness of the benefits of using preventative facial care products is growing.
The motivation behind expanding the anti-aging category is logical, as anti-aging is the number one concern across the professional skin care markets of Europe, the United States, and Japan. Almost one-half of all sales in these markets are for anti-aging products; a trend that is likely to prevail, as customers feel the need to look young navigating through the post-recession job market.
Most marketers typically segment facial products into four main categories: anti-aging, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, and acne. In order to better distinguish the image of their brand, some manufacturers’ place greater emphasis on treatment of a specific skin care concern. For example, French-based brand Anne Sémonin focuses more on research and development of anti-aging products, while the focus of another French brand Payot has been in developing treatments for intolerant and sensitive skin. Additionally, due to strong competition from mass-marketers of skin care products, as well as an increased level of consumer knowledge, manufacturers of professional skin care products are forced to compete on grounds of uniqueness. This has resulted in their introduction of new ingredients into products, including diamond, caviar, or pearl extracts, in order to create their own technology and trademark.
Looking ahead
An influx of new customers will undoubtedly continue to raise the hopes of a long-lasting recovery to the global market, which registered substantial declines in 2009. The markets in both Europe and the United States have seen positive gains in 2010. Europe has recovered posting a 3.0% increase following a 3.3% decline in 2009, and sales in the United States have increased by 2.7%. Japan’s growth remained flat at 0.1%. The market in Japan has suffered, as consumers have remained reluctant to buy relatively expensive professional skin care products. Strong competition from mainstream skin care brands including Shiseido, or Kosé impedes market growth for professional skin care. Additionally, in comparison to Europe and the United States, new product activity from leading marketers has also been relatively lukewarm in Japan.
While beauty institutes and salons will remain the largest purchase channel in most regional markets in Asia and Europe over the next five years, the medical care providers channel is likely to see the greatest growth across all three regions examined by Kline. This is due to increasing demand for more non-surgical skin care procedures as well as an increasing number of medical care professionals who will turn to selling skin care products at their offices. In Japan, the medical care providers channel is expected to see a 3.5% CAGR over the next five years. In Europe and the United States, growth in this channel will be even more promising, reaching CAGRs of approximately 7.0% and 10%, respectively.
Growth will depend on a steady increase in customer traffic and on a growing number of brands entering and expanding their presence in the various retail channels. More than ever before it will be essential for manufacturers’ and outlets of professional skin care products to deliver on the promise of their products superior results. Whether marketers can regain the loyalty of consumers who have returned to professional skin care after the recession as well as the new customers will depend on their ability to provide solutions catering closely to the needs of the savvy and well informed consumers of today’s new economy.
