health

A

nyone who has ever blocked
his or her pores with face
creams or tasted lipstick
whose shine was enhanced with fish
scales might want to open her eyes
— and reduce the wrinkles around
them — to natural, botanical health
and beauty products.
Among the alternatives in this
market is Arbonne International.
With products for hair, skin
(including a line for babies) and
fitness as well as nutrition, weight
management and life enhancement,
ingredients read like a garden-mar-
ket grocery list: green tea, chamo-
mile, ginseng and cucumber, which
help remove impurities, refine
pores and reduce oiliness; peptides
in the lipsticks hydrate and help
reduce the appearance of wrinkles;
and soybean oil moisturizes and
improves the skin's elasticity and
flexibility. Dietary supplements are
made without colors, starch, yeast,
caffeine, preservatives or salt.
Plus, says Helaine Rodin Keller
of Birmingham, "The products are
not only beneficial because of what
they do have in them, but because of
BY SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
what they don't have — like mineral
oil, which blocks other good prod-
ucts from getting in," she explains. "It's almost like wearing Saran Wrap on your
face or legs — nothing gets past it and toxins can't get out. But all of Arbonne's
products are hydrating and get into the skin. That's why you see such beneficial
results." And everything is made without animal by-products and with no animal
testing.
Always striving for a healthier lifestyle, Keller, a personal trainer who just
turned 50, tried Arbonne products at the recommendation of a friend. She was so
impressed by the natural ingredients and benefits of the line that she was not only
hooked as a customer but, for the past two years, also as a consultant.
Not just a pretty face, Arbonne also garners praise from medical profession-
als. According to Dr. Lisa Elconin of Infinity Primary Care in Farmington Hills,
many women with menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms benefit from the
company's PhytoProlief Natural Balancing Cream, a completely plant-based hor-
mone-balancing cream that comes in a pre-metered pump. What makes it different
from other balancing treatments? "It is topical, all natural and contains phytoestro-
gens and USP progesterone," explains Dr. Elconin, who, along with colleague Dr.
Genise Kerner and medical receptionist Lori Farber, is an Arbonne consultant.
Formulated in Switzerland, Arbonne was founded in 1975 by entrepreneur
Petter Morck with a team of bio-chemists, biologists and herbalists. Not sold in
stores, the company's more than 300 products are made in California and pur-
chased through independent consultants
like Keller, some of whom hold parties
to demonstrate the products. Prices are
comparable to department-store cosmetic,
health and skin care products. And with
sales reaching $35 million last year, up 28
percent from the previous year, Arbonne is
now considered a competitor of Avon and
Mary Kay cosmetics.
Arbonne products run the gamut, from

baby care to mature skin care and
everything in between, for any skin
type. Baby products include gentle,
ultra-mild, tear-free hair and body
wash, body lotion, herbal diaper-
rash cream and sunscreen, with no
dyes or fragrances added. "And you
don't have to be a baby to use them,"
adds Keller, who had a client use the
diaper cream for rash-like bumps
on her chin. "It can be used for dry,
chapped or sensitive skin for some-
one of any age."
Amy Wander of Farmington
Hills also was attracted to the line's
natural ingredients — so much so
that she also became a consultant.
As a nursing mother, it is important
to her that the products she uses are
safe for the baby and were safe while
she was pregnant. "I don't have to
worry about what I put on my skin,"
says Wander, who adds that the baby
line is peanut-free, an important
allergen consideration.
In addition to new moms,
Wander's clients include those who
use hair-care products, especially
those who color their hair. "The
shampoos don't strip the coloring
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN
because they are all natural," she
says. "Some customers also use the
hair and scalp revitalizer as a preventative for hair loss — both men and women."
Wander says there really is a product for everyone. "My husband, Marc, loves
the men's line, especially the pre-shave, which he says gives him the closest shave
he's ever had."
And Keller's husband, Mark, uses the anti-age wash, shave cream and eye cream.
"Men want to look good, too — and they don't want wrinkles either," she says.
At 16, Keller's daughter, Lucy, also is a client. "She can use the products to help
treat and prevent acne; it just dries out the acne without drying out her skin," says
Keller.
The Arbonne products Carol Berger, 52, of West Bloomfield chooses both
moisturize her skin and keep it younger looking. "I look at girls my age, and I often
think that they look older than me," she says. "Plus, I'm a sun worshipper, and you
would never know it. I feel like I'm doing something good for my skin to counter-
act the bad."
Having used Arbonne for "years and years and years," Berger recently became
a client of Tracy Weitzman of Farmington Hills. "I really like that there are no
chemicals. I would never use anything else," says Berger. "That's what makes them
really stand out in the marketplace," adds Weitzman, "the fact that they are all
herbal- and botanical-based. They have no fragrances or mineral oils that act as
fillers and don't let skin breathe, perspire and let out the toxins. And they don't
have alcohol that dries the skin."
And, at 31, Weitzman already recommends anti-aging skin-care products to her
peers. "It's not too early to use it as a preventative system," she says.
Keller's introduction to Arbonne came through the anti-aging products, includ-
ing the facial scrub, toner, serum, eye cream and day and night moisturizers. "I
liked how they felt on my skin — really clean," she says. "It felt like my skin was
glowing.
"I'm always interested in anything that takes care of my skin — and is anti-
aging. We know our age and we know we get older. We just don't want to look
like it." ❑

Find your natural glow and balance in a tube.

For information on Arbonne International products, access the Web site at: arbonne.com or call (800) ARBONNE. To contact Arbonne consultants, call
Helaine Rodin Keller (left) at (248) 703-5636 or access her Web site at helaine.myarbonne.com ; call Amy Wander at (248) 626-4999 or access her
Web site at: amywander.myarbonne.com ; call Tracy Weitzman at (248) 330-2456 or access her Web site at: tracyw.myarbonne.com .