How To Spring Clean Your Skin Routine

If there’s one word the health world has been overusing this season it’s detox. From juice diets to slimming retreats and herbal supplements, women everywhere are jumping on the easy-cleanse bandwagon and now, it seems, the beauty world has started to take notice of this growing sector, too. At the forefront of the skincare detox revolution is The Organic Pharmacy. An international brand that landed in the UAE last November specialising in herbal, organic and healing skincare philosophies. We caught up with founder Margo Marrone on her recent trip to Dubai to learn more about the principles of a skin detox and the promises of going organic…

Tell us a bit about the theory behind skin detoxing…

The average woman’s everyday products can contain a mix of internally and externally harmful ingredients including parabens, formaldehyde precursors and skin irritants. These are found in everything from moisturisers to shower gels and facial cleansers. The skin detox is a process whereby you swap your products for organic, herbal alternatives that will naturally flush the body of any toxins and leave you with the best complexion you’ve ever had.

What are some of the side effects of the process?

It takes 28 days for the skin’s cells to regenerate so during a detox people can experience a pause in their results or become frustrated with the process but after the cycle is complete the new skin cells will create a perfectly healthy surface.

What’s the best way to ease yourself onto the detox?

I would recommend starting internally with a few herbal supplements and getting your body ready for a change by making positive lifestyle choices like exercising more, eating low-sugar and low-calorie foods and spending only a minimal amount of time in the sun.

Beauty Editor Samantha grilling Margo on all things organic

What are the essential organic products every woman should have in her bathroom cupboard?

I would recommend our carrot butter cleanser first and foremost. Most people opt for a lathering, soap-based cleanser but what you are effectively doing is stripping the skin of all its nutrients before plying it with moisturiser to feed it again. The Carrot Butter cleanser helps make-up melt away without dehydrating the epidermis. A hardwearing body brush is another essential buy, it stimulates circulation around the body and encourages cell renewal.

What inspired you to start The Organic Pharmacy?

My first job was as a pharmacist’s assistant and back in those days the pharmacist would still make custom creams and cures for ailments rather than just handing people a pill and that sparked my interest in the skincare sector. I then read a book on homeopathy, which proposed that psychological ailments such as stress, jealousy and negativity can manifest in the body as diseases and I decided to take a course on the subject to further my interest. Studying this sector of healing really changed my life and I made it my mission to educate the public on how important it is to care for your physical and internal health.

There are a growing number of organic brands on the market, what makes The Organic Pharmacy the leader of the pack?

We actually started as a health brand rather than a skincare brand and because of this our ingredients had to be sourced from only the most effective markets as they were audited for health reasons. We’re also an educational company, the most important part of our work is to teach our customers about the ingredients they are putting onto their skin and advising them to make healthier, less harmful choices.

Margo’s Top Detox Picks: