If you thought you’d seen all there is to see in the organic skin care arena, hold on – this one is as about as natural as it gets. Grateful Body, a Bay Area skin care company that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know recently, takes the cake for its socially-conscious guidelines and raw, food-grade ingredients.

What does food-grade mean? You guessed it: If you can’t eat it, it won’t go into their product. In fact, there are numerous “no’s” on the list of ingredients Grateful Body refuses to use; good “no’s,” like:

• No chemicals, synthetic colors, or stabilizers (their shelf life is maintained with organic plant preservatives only, which keep them stable for up to two years)
• No wheat, gluten, corn, or dairy (perfect for those with allergies)
• No animal testing, and no animal products with the exception of humanely-handled honeybees (so most of them are suitable for vegans)

Of course, this means that many of the dermatologic ingredients we’re used to today, such as alpha hydroxy and hyaluronic acids, are absent as well. If these elements are an important part of your skin care routine, no worries – you’ll probably find that’s exactly what makes Grateful Body products such a perfect complement to your regimen.

For example: I’m one of those lucky people on a strict topical medication schedule (under the orders of a dermatologist). Therefore, I have to be careful which products I use as “every day” supplements. However, when I use Grateful Body’s ClearSkin Rx spray to dry up oiliness, or the fabulous eye crème from their 30-Plus line, I don’t fret that I might be “feeding” my skin something harmful, or that it will interfere with my prescription. I just refer to the photo they included with my order (yes, the one that looks like a salad – that’s Sarah mixing one of the formulas)…and I know my skin is being nourished properly! I can also refer to the ingredients on

the packaging, where I’m comforted by the mention of components like seaweed extract, green tea, grapefruit oil, and lemongrass (it doesn’t end there, either – they embrace nature in a BIG way).

Check out the Grateful Body site; it’s fortified with inspiration, info, and of course, easy ordering. Seriously yummy stuff!