The Art of Blending Sustainable Skincare

By Vennie Chou, Skin Expert and Natural Skin Care Teacher

​I started studying and developing natural skin care over 20 years ago.
I work in a Western Medicine field, but I have a strong passion for the wisdom of traditional medicine, especially Chinese Medicine. I strongly believe that there is a harmonious blend of both medicinal fields.
In Western medicine, I learned the physical structures of our skin and how the structures relate to one another. However, the traditional medicine focuses on the actions of the botanicals and how our body reacts or behaves to their properties. This knowledge is developed from historical observations and valuable experiences. This is important. This is clinical experience along with evolution. We cannot separate ourselves from the natural environment.

When the environment changes, we need to change how we take care of ourselves. We eat different foods to balance effects of seasonal changes and we use different blends of personal products to protect our skin at different times.

When I create a formula, I have to develop three dimensionally.
In one dimension, I have to think about blending the scents. The natural scents have to be harmonious.
The second dimension, I have to consider the environmental changes on our body and what botanicals to use to balance the environmental effects.
The third dimension is to balance the energy of botanicals with the movement of energy or ‘Chi’ in traditional Chinese Medicine. 
Different parts of a single plant can have different effects on the body.
Natural world is alive and constantly changing. Our body and skin are alive and constantly changing. Therefore, what we use on ourselves has to work with the changes.
This is sustainable natural skincare, especially if we learn to use plants that evolve with the environmental changes. Learning to create natural skincare is an active process that brings us closer to nature.

Enrol for Vennie Chou's Certified Natural Skin Care Course at the Natural Perfumery Teacher's Academy.