Irene Falcone has always been passionate about beauty products. But after a period of unexplained poor health, Falcone took a closer look inside her makeup bag in search of answers. What she discovered not only helped her regain her health but lead to the creation of her multi-million dollar company, Nourished Life.
Nourished Life Founder Shares her Business and Beauty Secrets
Nourished Life was born from your own personal health struggles, wasn’t it?
Yes! About 3 years ago, I started to feel tired ALL the time! As a full time working mum, I got to the point where I accepted this was just a part of my life. It got so bad that I struggled to walk up one flight of stairs! Pausing to have a break, I rubbed my favourite body lotion on my legs, and for the first time, wondering what was in this body cream that I religiously slathered onto the skin?
What were the most shocking facts you uncovered when you started researching toxins in beauty products?
I immediately read all my beauty product labels as soon as I got home and discovered I was applying 500+ chemicals a day to my body. Some of the shocking facts I discovered were that 75% of my lipstick collection contained lead. That parabens, used as preservatives on all my moisturisers, could disrupt hormones and potentially cause thyroid issues! And that 60% of topical skin products absorbed right into my bloodstream through the skin.
How did you turn all that new knowledge into Nourished Life?
I made it my new mission to seek out all the gorgeous, natural and certified organic beauty products available. I blogged about this journey to toxin-free living and all these new undiscovered products!
And then I discovered that there was a MASSIVE community of women like myself who were searching for a way to reduce the toxic load in their lives without compromising on performance or beauty.
What will people find when they first go to the Nourished Life website?
You will find all the best and latest in natural, organic, vegan, ethical and sustainable beauty health and wellbeing products, Free naturopathic advice, Shopping guides as well as a huge online community of like-minded people!
Former corporate Irene Falcone’s own personal health struggles sparked her passionate pursuit of organic beauty business, Nourished Life. Image © Nourished Life
Nourished Life is described as the most strict natural beauty and health store on the web. What do you mean by that why is that so important to you?
We have a very complicated matrix to determine whether Nourished Life will stock a brand or product, we think that it is what we don’t stock that makes us different. Our customers know this, and it means they really trust what’s available on Nourished Life.
Some products are marketed as ‘natural’ when in fact they still have harmful chemicals in them. Which are the nasty ingredients we should be looking for when looking for authentically all-natural beauty buy?
There are over 3500 that should be avoided! We work with scientists and certification boards to ensure that we don’t have any of these ingredients in our shop, the best bet is just to shop with Nourished Life!
What are you most proud of when it comes to Nourished Life?
The online community.
Have you converted all your family and friends to natural health and beauty?
Of course I have!
Describe your typical Nourished Life customer.
She is me; a working mum trying to live the healthiest life possible for her and her family.
What are your five stand-out best-selling products?
100% Pure Black Tea Mascara, 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream, Dr Alkaitis Treatment Oil, Dr Tungs Tongue Cleaner and Hurraw Organic Lip Balm.
Which are your personal five favourite products?
Happy Skincare Over the Moon Cream, 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream, 100% Pure Black Tea Mascara, Elektra Magnesium Flakes and 100% Pure BB Cream.
Which are the most popular men’s products on the site?
Definitely the Sanctum range. We are expanding our men’s range all the time as well.
Can you recommend three must-haves for great winter skin for face and body?
Weleda Birch Oil and Juniper Intensive Moisturising Lotion.
Do you have some favourite travel products?
Definitely the Dr A Travel Kit.
You also sell superfoods and supplements. How important do you find nutrition and supplementation is for maintaining that glow?
Even more important than skincare! Beauty definitely starts on the inside, you should consider everything that goes inside your body as important as what goes outside!
Which supplements do you include in your own beauty regime?
I have a personalised concoction from naturopath including over the counter herbs, Ethical Nutrients.
One of the fears when moving from anti-ageing cosmeceutical products to a natural range is the fear of losing the effect of the active ingredients. Are there natural ingredients that we should be looking for that might mimic those effects?
Absolutely! Some of the most active ingredients come from natural origins anyway, such as Vitamins C, A, E, CoQ10, Hemp and Rosehip
Which make up products would you recommend trying when first making the switch from regular cosmetics to natural make-up?
Definitely start with the stuff that goes directly into your bloodstream such as mascara and lipstick!
Irene Falcone’s business Nourished Life is booming with further plans for expansion underway. Image © Nourished Life
You are also passionate about eco parenting. How important do you think it is to educate your children about what is going in or on their bodies?
Incredibly important, they will be the next generation. There are so many great alternatives now, children should definitely be educated about all the options!
Can you recommend any other resources, authors, bloggers, writers or podcasters that might be a good source of information for anyone wanting to make the switch?
We compile all our favourite info together into our own blog! It’s a great place to start!
How do you see Nourished Life evolving over the next year to five years?
Currently looking at locations to expand to an entire Nourished Life hub with a retail shop and naturopathic services available for everyone!
Skye is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fit Traveller.
She is a journalist, writer, photographer, intrepid traveller and a former personal trainer with a passion for helping others reach optimal health.
As a TV journalist and producer, Skye has worked for household names such as 60 Minutes, Sunrise, TODAY and Nine News. She has also written for Women’s Health, Fodor’s Travel and Yahoo7 Travel, among many others.
Equally comfortable in a 5-star resort or hiking a far-off mountain, Skye loves the unexpected and enriching life experiences that each trip brings and can often be found in a backstreet chatting to locals with her camera in hand.
Skye is based in Sydney, working to master the balance between motherhood and her appetite for adventure.
Read more about Skye’s story here.