Kimberly Sayer

You grew up on an organic farm, where your family grew herbs for skin care. What inspired them to start making their own skincare products?

My family grew mainly organic foods. We had flower gardens and rose gardens and we grew a lot of herbs and different things, but mainly they farmed for food purposes and beauty with flowers. My grandma—my dad's mom—started making products from our garden, but it wasn't a family business. I was would say that my family inspired me, and I just went to the next step.

Did you ever rebel against the way you grew up and break away from the whole idea of organic and living green?

I would say more with food than with products. I drank soda and ate pasta for six months. Everybody's parents were shopping at the supermarket when I was growing up and mine were out picking their food. Yet, you eat the processed food because everybody else does and then after six months, you're like, 'This is awful, why do people eat this?' With products, I never really rebelled. Natural was something that I really loved using and was always attracted to so I never felt the need to rebel from that.

New York City is a far cry from a farm in rural England. How did you end up moving here?

I moved for romantic reasons and I ended up loving being in the U.S. The opportunities are the greatest in the world here for a startup company and I think people root for the underdog and they're very, very supportive to small business owners

Is it hard to be green in the city?

I find it quite easy. I live in midtown and Whole Foods is right up the street so obviously I eat organically. I think there's a great recycling program in New York. I can walk everywhere if I want to and many of the buildings that they're building are green. I think New York City is a great city for going green. They have farmers markets and Earth Day. People are really aware.

How did the Kimberly Sayer line come about?

I worked in the spa industry for 15 years and I didn't like the products I was using so I started making my own based on my grandmother's recipes and my own studies in beauty therapy college in the UK. I started making my own products just to use at the spas. The clients kept asking for them and asking what was in them because their skin looked fantastic. So my line started mainly due to customer and spa owner requests.

Did you ever use conventional products?

Yes, but I can absolutely, see a difference, and I don't like them. I think they're unhealthy for the skin and the body. Petroleum by-products in skincare ages the skin and dries it out. It doesn't create the luster or glow that you can really see with organic products.

Why do you think organic and natural ingredients in skincare are so important?

I think the only way that you can truly change the skin is with pure, organic ingredients and for the health of the skin and body, the immune system, pure ingredients are vital.

What are the main chemicals in conventional skincare products that don't exist in your line—and why are they so hazardous to one's health?

Propylene Glycol, sodium laurel sulfate, colors, dyes, and alcohol. They're all petroleum byproducts that they weaken the immune system and dry out and damage the skin. The pH level for these products is highly acidic and so they tend to create a drying of the skin and can also damage the skin and the actual ingredients themselves are just hazardous to people’s health. People don't drink oil, they shouldn't put it on their skin, and it's not good for you.

What's your favorite product in your line?

My Cellular Extract Eye Lift Gel. It’s the number-one seller in the line and people just rave of the product. It really changes the eye tissue. It’s 100% organic and contains active botanical ingredients so it creates change and people really see a difference

What other brands do you like?

I really like Peacekeeper's products. Jodi Weiss is the founder and she has a great line of nail polishes, lipsticks, and lip glosses.

You have a lot of celebrity fans. What's that like?

Honestly, the people I've worked with on the whole have had really good skin. They want to look as young as possible. I use a lot of anti-aging products on them. They want their skin to be buff and at its optimum level with no wrinkles or sagging. Looking good in Hollywood is all about that. Paula Abdul is my main celebrity client. She's really fun to work with.

Where do you source your ingredients?

The majority of them are grown in northern California because the state has very stringent organic laws, meaning that the ingredients are grown and harvested and the whole irrigation system is run very strictly. There's a lot of control of the organic growth out there. I also source things like shea butter, which can only come from Africa, and other ingredients that are not grown in California, from self-supporting communities, which means that the production of these ingredients supports a village.

Can you give us the one skincare tip that you think most women should follow yet they often overlook

Use sunblock 365 days a year. The most aging and damaging thing for your skin is the sun, even in the dead of winter. It's so simple but it's number one. Because the ozone is being depleted and global warming is a problem, you'd be surprised that the rays are there in the winter.

What does green mean to you?

It's a lifestyle. It's not just organic products or food. In New York, we have a subway, but if I didn't have that, I would walk to my local store instead of driving. It means taking my own bag to the grocery store, always recycling, and turning off my water. I believe that eight gallons a year are wasted on the average person while they are brushing their teeth.

What's your eco-sin?

I do use a lipstick and mascara that isn't organic sometimes. That's got to be as sinful as I go in the green world.

What tip do you have for women who are searching for truly natural or organic products?

The main thing is always read ingredients because people are told it's natural but they read the ingredients and it has extras in it. The difference between natural and organic is huge. The FDA allows a product to be "natural" if it contains 3% natural ingredients. To be certified organic, a product has to contain 95% organic ingredients, and there are strict laws on how things are grown and harvested. The difference is night and day.