There’s a rich story behind every honestbrand and Hynt Beauty is certainly no exception. You may know that Hynt FounderMeryl Marshal sought to offer a line of luxury cosmetics free from potentiallyharmful ingredients, inspired by her battle with breast cancer. Not only as away to minimize future health issues but also to offer a gentle, non-irritatingway to feel beautiful during and after treatment without having to worry aboutthe safety of the ingredients.
Meryl shares her story on how breastcancer led to developing her line of organics-based skin-nurturing cosmetics,tips on dealing with treatment, and the role green beauty plays in the lives ofall women.
An Interview With Hynt Beauty FounderMeryl Marshall
Didbreast cancer play a role in your dedication to green beauty and creating HyntBeauty, and how so?
When I was going through chemotherapytreatment, it was my AHA moment. I started to read about how chemicals affectour well-being.
Arethere certain cosmetic ingredients you feel are of particular concern withbreast cancer?
If you speak with quite a number ofcosmetic chemists, they will swear that parabens are totally safe along withmany other questionable ingredients used in conventional cosmetics. They willtell you that the studies were not conducted properly and are inconclusive interms of their safety. My perspective is that if ingredients are questionable,then swap them out with a substitution. There are other options. That said, Ido strongly believe in using preservatives, especially in eye products. Eyeinfections are dangerous as well as downright not cute. In these unique cases,I believe it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons.
For Hynt formulations, we have a verylong blacklist of ingredients that we do not use in our products. For example,artificial fragrance, dimethicone, petroleum, and phenoxyethanol areingredients commonly found in mainstream cosmetics that you’ll never see inHynt products.
Personally, I do not care for FD&Cdyes which are derived from coal tar. Many cleaner brands use them in theirlipsticks. I chose not to go this route and color with a combination of micacoming from responsible sources as well as iron oxides. I would use fruitpigments, as a few other brands that do not use FD&C dyes do, but fruitdyes can often cause allergies. I havehad a bad allergic reaction to my eyes years ago which landed me in theemergency room.
Photo courtesy of The Detox Market
Howdo you feel green beauty can benefit women, those with breast cancer and thosewithout?
I feel that it is important to useproducts that we feel confident using. The ingredient sourcing and selection ineach of our products has been carefully vetted to support and offer reassuranceand confidence. The vetting process is important in so many differentcategories such as food, cleaning products, even the mattress and beddingmaterials that we use. It all comes down to making better lifestyle choices.
Additionally, cancer treatment affectsour skin and conventional products can have many irritants which I feel arebest avoided. It is easier to find gentler products in the green beauty space.
Thereare women who are just beginning their breast cancer treatment, can you give afew tips on what to expect and how to cope?
Your body goes through many adjustments while going through surgery, chemo, and/or radiation and it can immediately throw your body into menopause, even if you are much too young to get menopause naturally. If you will be experiencing menopause for the first time, it can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve compiled a list of tips that helped me to stay comfortable and feel beautiful during this time.
Howabout after treatment ends? There is still a journey to recovery and feelinglike yourself again. Do you have tips to share on this stage of the experience?
Take your time by being patient andallowing your body to rejuvenate. It will not happen quickly. For me, I startedto feel like myself again after 1 ½ years. Yoga and water aerobics were myinitial path to regaining my strength along with healthy, clean organic foods,love of my family and friends, along with lots of laughter.
Howdo you stay healthy now that you have conquered breast cancer?
I do my best to avoid stress and that isextremely difficult while being a #ladyboss and running a steadily growingbusiness. I pace myself by taking breaks, going to the gym, swimming, reading,knitting, cooking, taking baths, and most recently, meditation. I seem to havevery little time for myself with all the demands of life, however I make sureto schedule “me time” and be very selective on what I say yes to.
