Read Rave About Skin's Spotlight Interview With Lynn Gentile,
owner, Chikyu Skin Care
Skin care formulator + wellness enthusiast!
Believes in pure, simple natural ways to skin care...and being kind to our bodies
photo courtesy of Chikyu Skin Care
RAS: I'm sure you get asked this question a lot, but how did you come to naming your brand Chikyu? What is the meaning behind it?...It is most certainly unique.
Lynn: ln Japanese, the name Chikyu means "earth," and because my ingredients are derived from what our earth provides, I felt the this name was most appropriate and at the same time, I could honor my heritage as well.
RAS: Your product line focuses on using pure ingredients without the use of chemical ingredients. Do you find this challenging as a formulator? What kind of challenges do you face, if any?
Lynn: Continuous and ever evolving changes by way of new findings, ingredients and new innovative and technological ways to improve the skin are a constant in the skin care industry. The biggest challenge Chikyu faces when developing products is maintaining the integrity of the product by sustaining an adequate shelf life without the use of harmful preservatives, while also focusing on consumer demands with the new findings in mind. A tremendous amount of research, formulation, development and testing is applied before a product comes to fruition. Everything from consumer demands, the type of container used, to the ingredients itself, as well as addressing the longevity of the product without compromising the composition of the product, must be taken into consideration before a product is introduced to the market.
RAS: Prior to starting Chikyu, you mentioned working in the health and fitness industry, how did this influence your journey to where you are today?
Lynn: Working in the health and fitness industry influenced me in many ways. Most profoundly was the fact that many people I came across had very little awareness of the importance of caring for your skin, or more importantly how to care for it without applying harsh chemicals to it. I've always taught people to eat whole natural foods straight from our earth as opposed to prepackaged or, what I call "artificial" food. Doing so creates a chemical reaction to the body and is counterproductive to our system, thus we end up having many ailments as a result. The very same concept applies to the skin when using chemically laden products. However, many people were unaware of this, and had no idea where to begin when it came to pure, effective beauty products. This is when I knew I had to change my focus and create Chikyu.
RAS: It’s obvious you have a great passion for health and wellbeing, why do you feel it is so important for consumers to focus on simple, pure, effective ingredients?
Lynn: The skin reflects everything you endure whether its environmental, stress, what you consume or what you apply to it. If you want good skin, you must approach it with mindfulness and with the "whole" body in mind just as you would about exercising. How you treat your body as a whole will directly affect your skin. Using high end or expensive products doesn't necessarily mean it will work, nor does it mean it won't. However, what one must bear in mind are the ingredients in the products. The skin is a living, breathing organism and when you apply products to your skin containing toxins, your skin absorbs them only to have it enter into your bloodstream thereby compromising the overall health of your body. Using simple, pure and effective ingredients such as raw materials is no different than what preexisting and existing primitive societies still do today. There is a direct relationship between humans and plants in their environment. We as an industrial society have come to believe in, and rely on artificial means to satisfy our instant gratification of beauty, as opposed to pure, simple natural ways.
RAS: Part of your philosophy entails focusing on longevity, what experiences created this outlook? Has your heritage been a major influence?
Lynn: As you may know, Okinawans are known to age slowly and are known to live the longest (Centenarians). Even though my mother was from Tokyo, Japan (where I was born), she believed in the Okinawans philosophy on living, and was steeped in the traditional ways of her cultural ancestors. This meant eating a healthy diet consisting of a wealth of fresh vegetables, seaweed and fish; staying active, gardening and more importantly relying on vascular and nonvascular plants for health and wellbeing purposes. I consider myself extremely fortunate and grateful, to have had a mother with extensive knowledge on ethnobotany (which was passed down to her), educate me on the principles and applications of ethnobotany from a very young age.
Many thanks to Lynn for taking the time to be in our Spotlight! I'm so glad your brand brings awareness to consumers that we don't need to unnecessarily expose ourselves to chemicals and toxins just by being mindful about what we use and the natural ingredients mother nature provides us with. Please visit Lynn's site to learn more about Chikyu's pure and simple products,
Use code: ARIGATO for 10% off your order over $20.00.