When funding was slashed for an environmental research program out of Ashburn, Va., the people behind it had to come up with a creative way to keep it going. That was the impetus behind C’Watre, a new line of oceanic-based skin care that’s rolling out to spas nationwide over the next few months.
“We needed to do something to fund continued research, and this will beautify the skin as well as the Earth,” said co-founder Emily Durham.
The core ingredient of the line is Odoroki, a combination of 78 essential nano-nutrients, minerals and salts derived from the sea. Housed in sleek, clean aquamarine-colored packaging, the collection currently has five items for retail sale and another five for professional use. Since its official launch at the Spa and Resort Show in Los Angeles in early March, Durham reports an “enthusiastic response,” with at least 20 high-end spas and medi-spas placing orders. The line is newly available at places such as Spa Ja in New York, Tate & Kennedy in San Francisco and Ridgely Retreat in Annapolis, Md.
“It’s at the point that people are contacting other spas and companies to tell them about us, and we’re very encouraged by that,” she said.
Durham’s background is in environmental research and development, specifically in the arena of bio-pollution.
“Our company is still very much involved in working to protect the oceans from environmental and biological pollution,” she said, citing oil tankers and huge container ships as among the main contributors to marine pollution.
She worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to determine where to find the best quality seawater to touch the U.S. and then implemented a patent-pending process to purify, micronize and ionize the water.
This makes up the foundation of the line which, in the retail category, includes the Kanreki Wash, Tonic, Serum and Cream, plus the Sample Set, which contains all four of the other products. They range in price at wholesale from $12 to $97.50. The professional line encompasses the Kanreki Wash, Tri-Plex Gel, Tonic, Mask and Cream. An individual product, the Haeru Activating Ageless Serum, carries a wholesale price of $12 and was cited by Durham as being one of the top sellers.
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Throughout the collection, Odoroki is enhanced with ingredients such as white-tea extract, sweet almond oil and ginkgo biloba leaf extract.
“Seawater has the same molecular composition as human blood plasma,” she said of the basic principle of the range. “And the additional antioxidants and amino acids bring skin cells to a healthy state, providing the skin with everything it needs. We call it ‘intelligent aging.'”
Durham said the line will be slowly expanded to include a tea, as well as an acne treatment collection.
“It’s not about having 80 different products,” she says. “It’s about simplicity.”