Page 35 - SFHN0120FINALUF.qxp_SFHN 0608 Friday 5.0

Back Cover Story: More Than Just a Roll of the Dice

Continued from back page. harmful impact of parabens, SLS, phthalates, and other chemicals used often in main-
organic soybeans. As is only fitting for such instances, the two were soul mates. stream personal care products began rising to the surface. “We were right there wait-
This was the ‘70s, when aerosol hairspray was king and nothing about your mauve ing to catch the wave,” explains Peggy. “Not only that, but we were way ahead of
lipstick was natural. A purist at heart, Paul recognized that the personal care industry other formulators who hadn’t yet discovered how to develop truly natural products.
needed more products containing natural ingredients. “I would read the labels on the Our vision, and our commitment to that vision, positioned us to lead the way.”
‘natural’ skin care products in our health food store and find that the majority of their Throughout the years, the Liebers created their own in-house brands, including
ingredients weren’t actually natural,” explains Paul. “Sure they contained some botan- their flagship, Deep Steep, a plant-based brand of high integrity bath and body care
icals, but they were far from healthy.” As a health advocate and someone to whom his products. “Our brands are an expression of the level of quality we have been able to
customers would look for recommendations, Paul was conflicted. attain in our formulations,” says Peggy. “Worldwide, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ are the
At the age of 21, and newly married, the couple began research and development fastest growing segments of the industry - by far. People are looking for ways to take
for a natural cosmetics line. For their time, they might as well have announced an better care of themselves, and that’s very exciting for us.”
intention to stroll around the Sun. “Our parents thought we were crazy because we Over the course of 35 years, Royal Labs has built strategic partnerships with many
were doing something that nobody cared about at the time,” recalls Paul. But the cou- of the best packaging and raw material/ingredient suppliers in the world, giving cus-
ple was curious about the natural world around them: how some plants were able to tomers access to the best prices and the fastest turn-around times. With the advent of
stay green for so long; how different natural extracts interacted; and how Nature itself CBD, Royal Labs has taken steps to secure the same valuable relationships so that
appeared to preserve youth. their final goods continue to be safe and effective for a customer-base that is looking
Equipped with a dream to always work together, a gram scale, and a mixer donated to leverage this new ingredient for their health and wellness. As a result, Royal Labs
by Peggy’s parents, Paul and Peggy founded Royal Labs Natural Cosmetics, and devel- has seen its private label business soar.
oped their first brand of skin care products: Aroma Bella. A skin aesthetician by trade, “Our founders have over 50 years of combined experience in personal care formu-
Peggy opened a skin care clinic and spa where she used Aroma Bella products during lation and manufacturing, producing award winning products for many of the world’s
facial treatments, providing her with the opportunity to receive immediate feedback leading companies. With clients ranging from small, independently owned companies
on the effects that her products had on various skin types. “We knew that getting to leading chain retailers and marketing groups, our breadth and capabilities are both
direct feedback from people was the best way to see, over time, how skin can be versatile and deep. If you can think it, we can most likely make it,” Heffernan said.
improved with the use of natural ingredients,” recalls Peggy. “There were no case Royal Labs operates from an FDA-Registered, USDA Certified, cGMP and Certified
studies at the time. There were no standards. We were pioneers of completely Cruelty-Free manufacturing facility on Johns Island, South Carolina.
uncharted territory, and so it became our mission to figure out how to bring natural
into the mainstream.” For more info, visit royallabs.com or call 800-760-7779
The spa was a success, and within a couple of years, Royal Labs had their first
breakthrough: the successful formulation of a natural preservation system. With the
ability to make entirely natural creations with stable shelf-lives, the Lieber’s opened a
small manufacturing facility in Connecticut where they embarked on perfecting their
art. “We knew that since our products were natural, we would have to work even
harder to achieve the results of mass market luxury products,” explains Peggy. “Our
products are competing with FD&C colors, Propylene Glycol, PEGS,
Triethanolamine (TEA), and DEA, to name just of a few of the artificial ingredients
that give conventional skin care products that ‘feel good’ factor.”
In mass-market lotions, for instance, silicones are widely used to give a silky feel to
create the impression of supple, hydrated skin. “Our rules are simple: If the functional
goal is to moisturize, then our aim is to reach that goal without compromising the
integrity of ingredients, nor the experience of overall enjoyment,” she summarized.
By creating products that could appeal to mass-market expectations, the Liebers
knew they were positioned to achieve a bigger picture goal: to build a legacy of nat-
ural living. “Synthetic and toxic ingredients in personal care products negatively
impact not only our immune systems, but also our rivers and our oceans,” notes
Peggy. “Not adding to this problem is a personal goal that I strive to achieve every
time I put on my lab coat.”
By 2000, the green movement took off and so did Royal Labs. Awareness of the

Cannabis News Florida cannabisnewsflorida.com January 2020 35