All of our latest posts and news items can be found at www.ezentials.ca/blog/. We'll keep all of the old posts available here, but all future posts will now be on our website.
We'll see you there, and have a cup of tea waiting for you!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Éminence Interview
2 weeks ago, Roy Prevost (a Marketing Consultant who interviews top professional sales people) sat down on our behalf with Éminence Organics’ Darlene Maillet. Darlene, the Executive Education and Sales Manager out of their Vancouver office, gives an inside look into our signature skin care line – including their humble beginnings, their strict product release guide lines, the even stricter certification process and the new “Organic Beauty” makeup line.
To download the phone interview, visit our website.
ROY PREVOST: Good morning, I’m going to be interviewing Darlene Maillet, who is the representative for the Éminence Organics Skin Care company and I’d like to get some background information about Eminence and also learn about some of the wonderful things that your products do. Can you give me a little background to the company as to how long ago it began, who started it, and how it came to be what it is today?
DARLENE MAILLET: Certainly. Éminence is very unique because it is a Hungarian skin care line. Most skin care/professional skin care products today come from countries such as France and Italy, and not very much come out of Eastern Europe. Éminence Organics is built on Hungary’s reputation as the fruit basket of Europe, supplying much of European’s fruits and vegetables because of their very dense and rich soils, because it used to be a subterranean country at one time. Éminence took a century-old recipe in the family of Boldijarre and Attila Koronczay and turned herbology to remedies for skin care that would alleviate different conditions of the skin that were irritating or threatening to the skin. The recipes were brought over to North America by Boldijarre Koronczay to be used in the professional settings today that they’re in to help with treatments for skin.
PREVOST: Is Éminence a Canadian or European company?
MAILLET: It is a European company, however our head office is in Canada and we supply all of the world out of our Vancouver office. However, all the products are still made and bottled in Hungary.
PREVOST: Can you give me an introduction of the types of products that Éminence Orgaincs Skin Care carry?
MAILLET: Sure. It’s a complete professional line. So it includes your cleaners, your toniques, your masques, treatments, etc. It’s a complete spa professional line, meeting the demands of today and the environmental challenges that we face – which are very different then they were 20 years ago. We need top-notch, high-potency and concentrated ingredients that are going to be able to match what we have to deal with environmentally. Éminence has everything, including body treatments and now our new “Organic Beauty” professional makeup line as well.
PREVOST: What makes your products unique as compared to other organic products on the marketplace today?
MAILLET: I would say the most important thing that makes Éminence unique and different than other products is certainly the certification, the fact that all of our products are certified organic. You can buy “organic” anywhere now but there’s no guarantee to the consumer that it has actually been processed and made organically. Éminence has the backing of three of the best organic certifications out there. Demeter, Biocontrol and USDA have all certified our products from the moment that they are actually grown, harvested, made into products, and sold to the consumer. The other important thing that makes Éminence different is that the products are handmade, which makes them very unique. No machinery is used when making our products. All of our products are still farmed with horse and buggy, because there can’t be any be any gas emissions on the properties. They’re all concentrated – we don’t put water in the products – so that when you’re using a small amount and it doesn’t change the consistency of the products. Again, these products are sold professionally; you cannot purchase them anywhere else but through an approved supplier of the product as well.
PREVOST: Are there any chemicals, dyes, perfumes or anything else used in the products?
MAILLET: No. That’s another unique thing about Éminence, we’re a certified organic company so we stay away from those ingredients such as parabens, sulphates, talcs and petroleums. All of those things in consumer products today is not what Éminence is about. So no, we stay completely away from any synthetic ingredients. Éminence is made purely of herbs, fruits and vegetables.
PREVOST: How do you decide which businesses are going to carry your product and what’s your criteria to choose a business to sell your product? I’m guessing it’s not everywhere, so you have selective clients across the country who are using it and allowed to sell it?
MAILLET: Yes, qualifying a customer is very important to us too because we want somebody who is going to maintain the integrity that we have about our product too, so it’s something that we take very seriously. We need to see the locations and see where it’s going to be presented so that it represents Éminence appropriately. We also need to see their qualifications. We need copies of diplomas, accredited certificates, and that they have gone to accredited schools. We do background checks as well. We also don’t release it everywhere – we don’t want to mass-market this product. It’s a special product and it needs to be represented in a smaller locale. I think that’s probably what’s most important and we probably would say no to more people than we say yes to. You won’t find these products in any beauty salon, supply places, or home-based businesses, or certainly mass-market/multi-level marketing. That’s just not our plan, it’s meant to stay humble and in the right hands.
PREVOST: What is it about Éminence that you’re most passionate about?
MAILLET: Well, I’m always looking for something that I can use on my own skin that I feel good about knowing where it came from. At the end of the day, I have to have results. If I’m not seeing results, then it’s pointless to be using the product. I think any consumer would want to know that they are going to get those results as well.
PREVOST: Ultimately it comes down to if you believe in the product, then you can become passionate about it and I can tell by the way you’re speaking you believe very highly in the products. What is the average shelf life of the products?
MAILLET: On average the products last a year, and that year starts the day the products are actually made, not the date that you actually open up the jar. For a lot of people, that’s a big misconception. That year, however, can be extended if the products are looked after properly. They do need to stay out of heat and sun light, they need to have their lids put back on, and spatulas should be used so that the product doesn’t become contaminated. But outside of that, if you take good care of your products, they will last probably even longer than that. However, to me a jar should not last a year anyways if you’re using it properly, so it’s never been a problem for us.
PREVOST: Oh, good. I understand you also have sun care products, could you share with us how the sun care products work and how they’re different than the ones currently sold in pharmacies?
MAILLET: Yes, absolutely. We have two different types of sun care products. We have what’s known as “chemical sun protection” that absorb UV radiation, and we have “physical sun protection” which reflects and shields UV radiation off the skin. It really is important to be vigilant when it comes to choosing your sun protection because of the harmful chemicals that are in a lot of the over-the-counter products today, which ours do not contain. We have a liquid-type sun protection that you can use which is based on high vitamin-C, which is even better than vitamin-E at protecting against UV damage. We also use zinc oxide, which protects and heals the skin as well as reflects the sunlight. We also have what we call powder or mineral sun protection, which is quite unique and different in the fact that it works as a physical shield and reflects the UV radiation away from the skin. Therefore, UV radiation can’t even come into contact with the skin, which then will not age the skin rapidly. It’s been our most popular product to date, and I think that the best part about that too is that’s also is best for oily skins, as well as it keeps the skin much cooler too. I think the most important thing when you’re looking for sun protection to be sure it’s not full of fillers, things like talcs and petroleums which are often used in sun protections. These ingredients can’t be homeogenic and can also have some negative effects on the skin’s sensitivity.
PREVOST: Now I understand you also have a new makeup line. Can you briefly tell us about what products you offer there and what’s unique about them?
MAILLET: Yes, it’s our long awaited “Organic Beauty” makeup line. It’s actually very simple, which is one thing I love about Éminence and this product as well. There’s only five products in the line. Typically if you’ve been to any beauty counter in a mall you’ll see many, many different products out there – very confusing to the consumer. What we wanted to do was keep it as simple as possible and celebrate women’s natural look, so this is what we call “everyday women’s makeup”. It is not a high-fashion makeup, it’s meant to enhance what you already have. It’s very see-through, very transparent, but it’s meant to highlight and contour one’s own natural skin so that their own beauty is still there, not to cover it up. We have tinted moisturizers, which works to enhance one’s own natural skin condition and tone. We have an illuminator, which if there’s something that you want to bring up in your skin and make it look really bright, you would use the beautiful illuminator, which is in a nice coal colour. We also have a bronzer, so if you want to have that sun-kissed look, that would be something you can use. And of course, last but not least, we can’t forget the lips. We have the cinnamon kiss lip plumper, which is meant to gently boost the size of the lips using cinnamon oil and castor seed oil, but also to bring colour to your own natural lips by not using a regular dye, but by stimulating the blood in your own lips makes your own natural colour come out. It’s a beautiful, beautiful product. And best of all, it tastes just like cinnamon candy hearts, which I think a lot of people will love.
PREVOST:What certifications does Éminence have that can offer assurances to any customers, or to anyone listening to this, that the products they’re purchasing that are in fact organic, natural, and non toxic?
MAILLET: We’re very pound of our certifications. Our certification bodies are not easy to get. It’s taken us years to get this kind of backing behind us and it’s very, very strict. One of them is Demider USA, which is probably the most difficult certification in the world to get. It’s also the only company that certifies in Europe and the United States, which is very important because products grown in Europe cannot be certified by American certification companies. Demider is the only company that can do that. Not only is it difficult to get that certification but they have to actually come to see our properties, they have to weigh the seed that we use, they have to watch us plant them, they also have to weigh the yield of the crop to ensure that the amount of seeds that we started with produced the correct amount of fruits and vegetables – it’s incredible! They also have to watch us through out the bottling process to ensure that we are bottling, and not cooking our products and then right into selling them as well. Another certification we have is USDA, because we do have three products that are made in the US. So we do have the USDA organic certification, which is the industry standard in North America and probably the most respected. Last but not least, the one we had since the very beginning, which is Biocontrol Hungary. It is a European only certification body and again one of the highest and largest certification agencies in Europe. All of these again are non-profit organizations, so I think that is important to say as well.
PREVOST: Well, thank you for all of this good information! How long have you worked with the company now?
MAILLET: I’ve worked with the company since the very start when it was launched in North America, which was 12 years ago.
PREVOST: Oh my gosh, you’ve seen it grow to what it is today. Good for you!
MAILLET: Roy, I love it! It has not stopped growing and it’s been a ride for sure. And I love to see that people are being very conscious about what they’re using and the excitement has not died.
PREVOST: Well, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview, and all the best with Éminence. I’m sure just by what you told us and to any potential customers who are listening to this, you’d be well served to get this excellent product. Thank you again, and all the best to you.
MAILLET: Thank you very much, Roy. I really appreciate it.
To download the phone interview, visit our website.
Edited Transcript:
 |
| Roy Prevost, Marketing Consultant |
ROY PREVOST: Good morning, I’m going to be interviewing Darlene Maillet, who is the representative for the Éminence Organics Skin Care company and I’d like to get some background information about Eminence and also learn about some of the wonderful things that your products do. Can you give me a little background to the company as to how long ago it began, who started it, and how it came to be what it is today?
DARLENE MAILLET: Certainly. Éminence is very unique because it is a Hungarian skin care line. Most skin care/professional skin care products today come from countries such as France and Italy, and not very much come out of Eastern Europe. Éminence Organics is built on Hungary’s reputation as the fruit basket of Europe, supplying much of European’s fruits and vegetables because of their very dense and rich soils, because it used to be a subterranean country at one time. Éminence took a century-old recipe in the family of Boldijarre and Attila Koronczay and turned herbology to remedies for skin care that would alleviate different conditions of the skin that were irritating or threatening to the skin. The recipes were brought over to North America by Boldijarre Koronczay to be used in the professional settings today that they’re in to help with treatments for skin.
 |
Boldijarre and Attila Koronczay,
founders of Éminence Organics.
|
MAILLET: It is a European company, however our head office is in Canada and we supply all of the world out of our Vancouver office. However, all the products are still made and bottled in Hungary.
PREVOST: Can you give me an introduction of the types of products that Éminence Orgaincs Skin Care carry?
MAILLET: Sure. It’s a complete professional line. So it includes your cleaners, your toniques, your masques, treatments, etc. It’s a complete spa professional line, meeting the demands of today and the environmental challenges that we face – which are very different then they were 20 years ago. We need top-notch, high-potency and concentrated ingredients that are going to be able to match what we have to deal with environmentally. Éminence has everything, including body treatments and now our new “Organic Beauty” professional makeup line as well.
PREVOST: What makes your products unique as compared to other organic products on the marketplace today?
MAILLET: I would say the most important thing that makes Éminence unique and different than other products is certainly the certification, the fact that all of our products are certified organic. You can buy “organic” anywhere now but there’s no guarantee to the consumer that it has actually been processed and made organically. Éminence has the backing of three of the best organic certifications out there. Demeter, Biocontrol and USDA have all certified our products from the moment that they are actually grown, harvested, made into products, and sold to the consumer. The other important thing that makes Éminence different is that the products are handmade, which makes them very unique. No machinery is used when making our products. All of our products are still farmed with horse and buggy, because there can’t be any be any gas emissions on the properties. They’re all concentrated – we don’t put water in the products – so that when you’re using a small amount and it doesn’t change the consistency of the products. Again, these products are sold professionally; you cannot purchase them anywhere else but through an approved supplier of the product as well.
 |
One of Éminence's farms in Hungary.
Honey traps and insect-resistant herbs
are used instead of pesticides.
|
MAILLET: No. That’s another unique thing about Éminence, we’re a certified organic company so we stay away from those ingredients such as parabens, sulphates, talcs and petroleums. All of those things in consumer products today is not what Éminence is about. So no, we stay completely away from any synthetic ingredients. Éminence is made purely of herbs, fruits and vegetables.
PREVOST: How do you decide which businesses are going to carry your product and what’s your criteria to choose a business to sell your product? I’m guessing it’s not everywhere, so you have selective clients across the country who are using it and allowed to sell it?
MAILLET: Yes, qualifying a customer is very important to us too because we want somebody who is going to maintain the integrity that we have about our product too, so it’s something that we take very seriously. We need to see the locations and see where it’s going to be presented so that it represents Éminence appropriately. We also need to see their qualifications. We need copies of diplomas, accredited certificates, and that they have gone to accredited schools. We do background checks as well. We also don’t release it everywhere – we don’t want to mass-market this product. It’s a special product and it needs to be represented in a smaller locale. I think that’s probably what’s most important and we probably would say no to more people than we say yes to. You won’t find these products in any beauty salon, supply places, or home-based businesses, or certainly mass-market/multi-level marketing. That’s just not our plan, it’s meant to stay humble and in the right hands.
PREVOST: What is it about Éminence that you’re most passionate about?
MAILLET: Well, I’m always looking for something that I can use on my own skin that I feel good about knowing where it came from. At the end of the day, I have to have results. If I’m not seeing results, then it’s pointless to be using the product. I think any consumer would want to know that they are going to get those results as well.
PREVOST: Ultimately it comes down to if you believe in the product, then you can become passionate about it and I can tell by the way you’re speaking you believe very highly in the products. What is the average shelf life of the products?
MAILLET: On average the products last a year, and that year starts the day the products are actually made, not the date that you actually open up the jar. For a lot of people, that’s a big misconception. That year, however, can be extended if the products are looked after properly. They do need to stay out of heat and sun light, they need to have their lids put back on, and spatulas should be used so that the product doesn’t become contaminated. But outside of that, if you take good care of your products, they will last probably even longer than that. However, to me a jar should not last a year anyways if you’re using it properly, so it’s never been a problem for us.
PREVOST: Oh, good. I understand you also have sun care products, could you share with us how the sun care products work and how they’re different than the ones currently sold in pharmacies?
 |
Éminence Sun Defense
|
PREVOST: Now I understand you also have a new makeup line. Can you briefly tell us about what products you offer there and what’s unique about them?
 |
"Organic Beauty" Makeup Line
|
PREVOST:What certifications does Éminence have that can offer assurances to any customers, or to anyone listening to this, that the products they’re purchasing that are in fact organic, natural, and non toxic?
 |
Éminence Organics Certifications,
including Demeter, Biocontrol, FSC and USDA.
|
PREVOST: Well, thank you for all of this good information! How long have you worked with the company now?
MAILLET: I’ve worked with the company since the very start when it was launched in North America, which was 12 years ago.
PREVOST: Oh my gosh, you’ve seen it grow to what it is today. Good for you!
MAILLET: Roy, I love it! It has not stopped growing and it’s been a ride for sure. And I love to see that people are being very conscious about what they’re using and the excitement has not died.
PREVOST: Well, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview, and all the best with Éminence. I’m sure just by what you told us and to any potential customers who are listening to this, you’d be well served to get this excellent product. Thank you again, and all the best to you.
MAILLET: Thank you very much, Roy. I really appreciate it.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Spring Cleaning for your Body.
Once you’re done spring cleaning your home, it’s time to start spring cleaning yourself! The spring is the perfect time to start a full-body, detoxifying cleanse to remove toxins built up in your body. Removing toxins with a full-body cleanse can help alleviate chronic fatigue, irritated skin, menstrual difficulties and mental confusion.
There are many different ways you can detoxify your body, but in every program the first and most important step is drinking plenty of water.
Water dilutes the toxins and flushes them out of the body. Each day of your cleanse, you should drink half of your weight in ounces. For example: if you weight 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of pure water (that’s about 9 glasses, or 2.2 litres).
If you need to do some calculations, 1 ounce = 0.0295735296 litres.
If you would like to learn more about other parts of a detoxification program, visit our website.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
all things being eco. accidentally.
Recently, Jen at gronicktales.blogspot.com (one of our online customers) wrote a blog post reviewing the Lunchbots we sell at ezentials-natural-products.com. Not only was it a sparkling review of our online store and Lunchbots, but it was a great story about just simply trying to be green and making those small changes around the house for you and your family.
"never in a million years would i have cast myself in the role of the environmentalist but it is sort of the place i have landed. by accident. but to be fair - i do use the term environmentalist very loosely.
i distinctly remember 6 years ago standing in line at the IGA and the woman in front of me had canvas bags and was also stuffing her food in her backpack. i remember thinking to myself at the time - what's her deal? how pretentious is she? - like many others now i find myself in her boat. would i plan to go to the store without my bags? no. do i feel ridiculously guilty when i forget them? yes."
Friday, March 25, 2011
Metropolitan Tea following Japan's Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
We recently received a letter from Metropolitan Tea,
our supplier of our loose leaf teas. Due to the natural disasters in
To paraphrase the letter, Metro Tea explains that they hold
sufficient amounts of tea to last 18 months or more of anticipated sales,
currently harvested from the 2010 crop year. Premium quality tea is only
available at the garden level once per year, and the tea is stored in a
high-vacuum, nitrogen atmosphere, ensuring an extremely long shelf life.
Their matcha tea is made in Canada
Metro Tea also explained that this isn’t the first threat of
nuclear calamity that has stricken their growers. The Chernobyl
accident of 1986 endangered their tea gardens in Turkey ,
Russia and Iran
If you would like more information about Metropolitan Tea and their contingency plan for the future, their contact information can be found in the original letter.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Nux vomica is a homeopathic remedy that is extremely beneficial for hangovers symptoms, like headaches, nausea, fatigue and indigestion. It's helpful for symptoms of overeating too.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Ezentials Named One of Constant Contact’s 2010 All Stars
Here is an excerpt from Constant Contact's Press Release:
Ezentials Natural Health Centre & Spa has received the 2010 All Star Award from Constant Contact, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to more than 400,000 small organizations worldwide. Ezentials is one of Constant Contact’s 2010 top performers and most prolific user of its tools, whether within Constant Contact’s email marketing, event marketing, social media marketing, or survey products – or a combination of all four.
Constant Contact looked at criteria including the following when selecting this year’s All Stars:
- Frequency of campaigns, events and surveys
- Open, bounce and click through rates
- Usage of social features
- Mailing list sign up tools
- Use of reporting tools
Thursday, March 3, 2011
"Kiss Me, I'm Green" contest is back!
The product can have a green label, a green logo, even be green in colour. As long as you see green on the product, it counts. Visit the website for details or visit http://www.ezentials-natural-products.com/ to start hunting (trust us, you won't have to look hard!).
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
It’s that special time of the year for everyone to celebrate love and loved ones. If you’re a woman and experience low libido, here’s an important tip to help boost your sex drive:
Check your adrenal glands - Adrenal glands sit above your kidneys, pumping stress-coping hormones into your body. If you experience constant, chronic stress, these gland can become exhausted and cause problems including low libido, irritability, fatigue, weight gain, PMS and/or menopausal symptoms, and a lot of other problems. A Naturopathic doctor can check to see if your adrenals are a problem with just a simple urine test – the Koenisburg Test.
For other tips and suggestions to boost libido in women, visit our website or sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tips for New Years Resolutions
It's day 19 of your New Years Resolution - how are you doing so far? Here's a simple trick to stay on track:
Write down your goals - Studies show that just writing your New Years Resolutions help increase your chances of reaching your goals. Post them somewhere easily seen to help keep you on track.
Here's a few more tips for New Years Resolutions.
Write down your goals - Studies show that just writing your New Years Resolutions help increase your chances of reaching your goals. Post them somewhere easily seen to help keep you on track.
Here's a few more tips for New Years Resolutions.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Boost your Happiness
Looking for ways to improve your mood? Get up and exercise!
Regular, sweat-breaking exercise boosts morale, energy and your overall mood. As you exercise, you release endorphins into your blood stream. It's the endorphins that make you feel happy!
Learn more about how to boost happiness at our website.
Regular, sweat-breaking exercise boosts morale, energy and your overall mood. As you exercise, you release endorphins into your blood stream. It's the endorphins that make you feel happy!
Learn more about how to boost happiness at our website.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
What it REALLY Takes to be Certified Organic
Another reason why we love Earth Mama Angel Baby - they're proud of their organic certification enough to show how they pass inspection.
"It’s that time of the year again. Oh sure, you’re probably thinking I reference cheerful, festive preparations with tinsels and bows, lights and carols. But no, it’s time for Earth Mama’s annual organic inspection, and believe me, the process is no holiday. With so many companies blithely tossing around the “O” word, we think it’s important to show what being a certified organic manufacturing company really entails. Welcome to the Annual Organic Inspection!
"The purpose of an organic inspection is to have an objective third party examine a manufacturer’s facility. An independent inspector is hired by Quality Assurance International, Earth Mama’s certifier. Together they tell you if your processes are compliant with the USDA NOP and NSF organic standards. But not to tell you HOW to comply with them. Translation – while our inspector, John was fantastic, he can’t “consult” with you. That means he is happy to tell you if you’re doing something wrong, but he can’t tell you exactly how to do it right. You’re on your own for that."
"The purpose of an organic inspection is to have an objective third party examine a manufacturer’s facility. An independent inspector is hired by Quality Assurance International, Earth Mama’s certifier. Together they tell you if your processes are compliant with the USDA NOP and NSF organic standards. But not to tell you HOW to comply with them. Translation – while our inspector, John was fantastic, he can’t “consult” with you. That means he is happy to tell you if you’re doing something wrong, but he can’t tell you exactly how to do it right. You’re on your own for that."
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