Devera Naturals: Naturally beautiful skin is this season’s must have

When you think of Spring, you think of a warm glow, freshness, and vitality. Well, I do. And whilst I am cleaning out my larder and replacing it all with clean, natural food, I’m also getting rid of the last of my old skin products and replacing them with natural skin products. The chemicals are banished!

So, goodbye Clarins, Estee Lauder, L’oreal and hello clean skin!  Recently I’ve been using Devera Naturals products – in particular the Multi-Vitamin Serum and the Snow Flower Creme.

The difference I have noticed in the two weeks that I’ve been using them is astonishing. I use them morning and night, and my skin is clearer, brighter, tighter , and I feel fresh.

The serum contains vitamins A, C, E and F, which stimulate collagen production, increase skin’s elasticity, even skin tone, and lighten age spots. Marine extracts, rich in minerals, smooth and quench thirsty skin, while healing lemon peel extract equalizes skin tone and erases signs of fatigue.  This one I apply 2 pumps to entire face, neck, and décolleté and then follow with the Snow Flower Crème, just once a day.

The creme contains edelweiss plant stem cells which have created a new generation of anti-aging products. Edelweiss plant stem cells have been shown to decrease wrinkles by up to 15 percent in 22 days. Devera Naturals has combined this breakthrough ingredient with Goji Berry Extract for immediate and long term smoothing, lifting and firming. This is a very rich creme which you have to use sparingly, which means it lasts for ages! I’ve been applying 2 pumps to my entire face, neck, and décolleté both morning and night.

I can’t recommend these products enough to women of all ages! They’ve been enlightening, both literally and metaphorically!

An Interview with Linda Joffe, Founder of Devera Naturals

What interests you most about skincare and why is it important?

I believe in agelessness. Women at every age can look beautiful when they have taken care of themselves.  My mother and grandmother made skin care a priority and they were looked beautiful all their lives.  I love developing results-driven, anti-aging products.

Over the decades, how have women’s skin products changed and why did you start up your company?

Over the decades skin care has evolved from just moisturizing the skin to multi-tasking efficacious products. Not too many years ago, natural skin care products did not offer the sophisticated products we have today. Women expect their anti-aging skin care products to produce real results. Women are also becoming well educated about natural ingredients and their benefits.

I started my company after being diagnosed with breast cancer. I had always used prestige department store products. As I became more aware of the unhealthy ingredients found in the majority of products, I was determined to make products that really work.

In the summer of 2002, my husband’s business friend along with his extended old-world Swiss Mennonite family welcomed us to their home in the countryside of Ohio for Sunday dinner. Behind the house was a beautiful flower garden. After dinner Marilu, the grandmother, offered to show me her garden. As we admired the flowers I commented on her beautiful complexion.  She responded by sharing with me a very special family tradition that had been passed down through many generations – one that she had carried on for almost 50 years.

Marilu and her grandchildren made their own natural skincare products based on recipes formulated by their Swiss ancestors who believed that pure ingredients provide the best results. Infused into the products were the botanicals harvested from their family’s flower garden. I was excited when she offered me samples, as I was eager to try any product associated with this older woman’s beautiful, smooth complexion.

My own skin was often dry with the inevitable wrinkle or two. I tended to use the expensive department store brands and a few lower priced drug store brands. Few worked and those that did were expensive and often contained harmful, unnatural ingredients.

I used all the samples and was hooked. My skin looked and felt fabulous. The inevitable wrinkles were less noticeable as my skin was deeply moisturized and evenly toned. I purchased more and shared them with my mother and sisters. We quickly became loyal, continuing to use the soap and skincare creams for years.

As for life, there’s never a good time for the worst times. In 2004, my beautiful mother, Devera Rose (Rosie to those who knew her well), passed away and soon afterwards, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Later, while undergoing chemotherapy, when the body is thrown into turmoil and the skin can become patchy and dry, I continued to use the Marilu’s creams. My skin faired considerably well through the treatment and I actually received a number of compliments on how well I looked!

In 2006, still loyal to Marilu’s products, my entrepreneurial spirit inevitably chimed in, as it so often has in the past, and was greeted by the Swiss family’s interest in expanding their product distribution into stores. At this time, I was undergoing a series of surgeries following the chemotherapy, so my thoughts were closer to semi-retired than a full-time professional. However, as history inevitably repeats itself, my ambition got the best of me.

From the Swiss origins and pure is best roots, the natural skincare products stood the test of time for my sisters, for me, and for several generations before us. Only natural was my desire and determination to share what had made us feel beautiful.

The naming of this endeavor would only feel right if the most beautiful woman I knew was linked with the essence of these products. And so it was, Devera Naturals.

Since the products were wonderful in their original form, I focused on ensuring their shelf stability. To keep with tradition, I had the honor of revisiting that exquisite flower garden in the countryside of Ohio to be handed down, step by step, Marilu’s family recipes.

Can men use your skincare products?

Of course! Men love the Multi-Vitamin Serum as an aftershave and even use the eye cream. Men who are bald or shave their heads use Rosewater Cleansing Toner to cleanse the scalp and Cranberry Smoothie Face and Lip Polish on their scalps to relieve dryness. The scrub leaves their scalps conditioned.

What benefits are there to using Devera Naturals?

The line was designed to streamline a woman’s skin care regimen. Currently there are 7 products. No one has time any more to use a multitude of products every morning and evening. In fact, several of our products are mult-tasking. Our Rosewater Cleansing Toner gently cleanses and tones while hydrating the skin. Willow bark extract has been added to help skin cell turnover.

I have been called an ingredient “geek”! I love finding the newest cutting edge ingredients. Devera Naturals uses a combination of kukui and macadamia oils in our creams and serum. The combination penetrates the epidermis more deeply than other oils commonly used in skin care products.  This penetration carries the active ingredients to the deepest layers of the skin. We added plant stem cells, marine extracts, peptides and many other fabulous ingredients.

 Where can I buy Devera products?

We began by selling to post mastectomy boutiques across the country.  However, Devera Naturals appeals to ALL women and can be found on our website www.deveranaturals.com.

Finally, why is natural best?

When I began my ingredient research, I was shocked when I saw a report of parabens being found in biopsied breast tissue. Having gone through a double mastectomy, I was certainly not putting harmful chemicals on my skin. What you put on your body is just as important as what you put into your body.

I am passionate about my products. It took a few years of making batch after batch of my formulas in my kitchen until I hit on the absolute best ones.

I love helping women look their best. I love the “Love Letters” I receive and I love meeting my customers.