Sephora

KatieBT · ‎10-13-2016

When it comes to beauty, I'm all about natural ingredients so I was instantly fascinated by the products sourced from Farmacy’s upstate New York farm. I was lucky enough to ask the brand's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Mark Veeder, a few questions before our Live Chat next week. (Save the date: Mark will be live on BT this Tuesday, October 18th from 12-1 pm PDT!!)

How did Farmacy get its start?

Farmacy was the perfect storm of passion, timing and fate — in a way, it needed to be born. I had patented Echinacea GreenEnvy™ nearly a decade before we launched and always wanted to create products with it. I met David Chung in early 2014 (he is our co-founder and owner of Engelwood Labs, the lab that does all our formulations) and he realized the power of GreenEnvy™ right off the bat. So we dove in, and when we presented our concept and Echinacea GreenEnvy™ to the amazing visionaries at Sephora, they not only wanted it, but worked with us to develop the right products. We launched in seven months which is unheard of in the industry.

Tell us! What’s the secret behind Echinacea GreenEnvy™?

Echinacea GreenEnvy™ contains the highest concentration of cichoric acid of any tested version of the species. Cichoric acid is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory that fights free radical attack and signals the immune system to boost collagen. It also helps inhibit the production of melanin thus giving the skin a more even, brighter tone. But, the plant’s power is really amplified and harnessed through the use of science, that's why we say that Farmacy is Farmer Cultivated, Scientist Activated. Our team of scientists have perfected the extraction process of the active ingredients to achieve maximum potency and then combined them with other actives to achieve our incredibly effective formulas.

How did you (and your skin!) react when you discovered the skin-enhancing Echinacea GreenEnvy™?

It was a big OMG moment -- and I knew I needed to bring it to market so that the world (and its skin) could benefit from it. My skin has never been better, the chicoric acid in GreenEnvy™ has evened out my skin tone and reduced the dark spots as well as smoothed my fine lines and wrinkles, especially around my eyes.

From farming to marketing, you’ve done it all! Why did you choose to pursue skincare?

I have always been interested in skincare and, truth be told, I’m a bit of a product junkie myself but could never find that perfect line that fulfilled all my desires. When I discovered that Echinacea GreenEnvy™ had additional power over the normal echinaceas on the market, my first thought was to use it in skincare. Echinacea boosts the immune system and the skin is the largest organ of the body so I thought it was destined to do the most good.

What’s it like to work with bees on your honey farm—did you have to conquer your fears?

I’m still conquering them! I didn't realize how much work bees are when I came up with the idea to add hives to our farm but with some expert help, I'm getting the hang of it and enjoying this amazing new adventure.

Which step in a skincare routine in is the most important?

I believe the most important step in any skincare routine is moisturizing because it is with the proper formulas of moisture that you can deliver key healing and nourishing actives deep into the skin. My recommended hydration process is two-fold:

• First, always use a very nourishing and potent serum under your day cream and night treatment. Our Invincible Root Cell Anti-Aging Serum is super potent with 10% Echinacea GreenEnvy™, 5% of a pro-form of vitamin C that is stable and only activates upon contact to the skin, and a triple action hyaluronic acid complex that delivers actives to all levels of the dermas.

• Second, use a deep moisturizing mask that is filled with actives at least twice per week. Our Coconut Gel Masks are a quick and easy way to hydrate when you don’t have 20 minutes to lay down and disconnect because, since they fit close to your skin, you can do one on a flight, or while catching up on social media, making dinner or watching a movie. If you have the time to disconnect, our new Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hyrdation Mask has been proven to increase the moisture of your skin from 45-55% on average after just one application.

What is the best skin advice you’ve heard that the BeautyTalk community would benefit from?

Add a serum into your daily routine — it delivers powerful actives deep into the skin before you add your moisturizer. And also Mask at least 2 times per week, especially as we go into the winter season, you will see a big difference in your skin.

What big skincare trends do you think we will see more of in 2017?

I believe the trend of active botanicals will continue to grow — we are excited about some new discoveries we are pursuing that are all botanical ingredients that are activated by science. Stay tuned!

Want to learn more? Be sure to check out our Live Chat with Mark this Tuesday at noon (PDT)! Can't wait to see your questions and learn more about the brand!

shoegirly · ‎10-15-2016

...I'm excited for this too! I really like what the Farmacy brand stands for and how they are doing things -really great to see from a company. Loved the few products I've tried. Looking forward to this Live Chat!

Titian06 · ‎10-15-2016

Too bad your chats are always while I'm at work! Looking forward to reading the chat later.

SydBristow · ‎10-15-2016

So cool! And love that truck! (What year is it?) 🙂

fatimamummy · ‎10-14-2016

Straight on my calendar! Can't wait 🤗

KatieBT · ‎10-14-2016

@veronika23 @Mochapj @Anewxa I'm glad you're excited! I'll look out for your questions 🙂

Anewxa · ‎10-14-2016

Really looking forward to this one as I have been wanting to try a few things from the brand (mask, serum, eye cream) and wasn't sure what is best for my skin.