Vivesana announces its newest retail partner, the Hippocrates Health Institute of West Palm Beach.

Standing apart as one of the most prominent wellness centers in the country, the Institute embodies many of ideals Vivesana strives to meet. Live Healthy!

We encourage all to give what they can to help. For our part, Vivesana will donate at least 50% of online sales to Haiti relief via Doctors without Borders from January 14-20.

Basking in Sunny Praise: Where to Begin?

We’re blushing.  We’ve received scores – possibly hundreds – of reviews those with the most discerning eyes of all – the bloggers.

Here are just a few notable examples of the blogs and websites that have given their thoughts.

We’ll keep posting the reviews as we find ‘em.  Click on any of the links below to see what the experts have to say…

Ideal Bite, The Style Page, Livestrong, Beauty News NYC, The Greenists, Babble, Baby Gadget, Mamaista, Cool Mom Picks, Treehugger, Quiskaeya, Mogul Baby, Nonchalant Mom, Totsnob, Smorgasbite, Beauty Snob, Re-Nest, DKmommyspot, Green Blog, Sustainability Digest, This Full House, Green Goddess Dressing, FindBuzz.com

Good question. Better answer. Sana removed water from its formulations for two giant reasons. First, topically applied water as a skin care treatment is a red herring…see how long it lasts on your skin without a proper barrier. Fact is, topically applied water does not provide any lasting benefit to your skin. But practically every other skin care product out there is mostly water. What gives? Not our business, but here’s a tip: check the latest price for water. Sana does not believe in cutting corners with fillers. Water needs to be in your skin, not on it.

Second, water is where microbes live. It’s true. Water is a wonderful, vital element that we would not last long without. But it’s filled with bacteria, germs and other critters. Especially standing water. Anytime it sits for a period of time, the little guys are going to find it. It’s not so different in skin care. Water may be an excellent way to stretch a product, but it’s also the main reason synthetic preservatives (and synthetic emulsifiers) are necessary. Take the filler out, and suddenly there’s nowhere for microbes to grow.didn’t stop there, but removing water is the single biggest leap.

It’s just like cooking – once you start cutting corners with unnecessary ingredients, you need to start balancing them, and before you know it, the “recipe” has gotten away from you. It’s first principles for Sana: stick with ingredients that directly benefit skin. What does it mean for you? 100% natural, synthetic-free products that go all the way toward beautiful, healthy skin.

NMF, as it’s sometimes called, is a real thing and it is very attractive to water. It’s a water magnet. How does it work? A series of amino acids that suck in water from deeper in the skin, and sometimes from the outside environment. All the skin cells at the surface of our skin – the bricks – are filled with NMF. It’s central to the skin’s ability to keep water circulating through the system. Another unsexy way of describing NMF is that it’s a humectant. You should look for low molecular weight humectants, like vegetable glycerin in effective moisturizers.

NMF is essential, but it’s also very particular. Something of a catch-22, but if there’s not enough water, skin can’t create it. If there’s too much, skin will shut down production as well. NMF is also reduced by sun exposure, acne, and too much bathing with harsh soaps.