Going all-natural for better skin care
The Indian Trail Trader found @ www.enquirerjournal.com

BY JILLIAN LEAMY
Correspondent

Indian Trail - The term "all-natural" is being used more and more by advertisers to describe everything from cleaners to cosmetics, but when you look at product labels there is usually a small list of extracts right between ethylparaben and yellow number 5.

The goal of Augisa & Co. Organics is to use ingredients that get their clients a whole lot closer to "all-natural" than that. For example, the Organic Sugar Satin Body Scrub contains pure organic sugar and a proprietary blend of 100 percent pure plant and fruit butters, and that is about it. Nikki Rodriguez is the head chemist and creator of Augisa & Co.Organics, and has experience working on products for high-end names such as Clinique and Victoria's Secret. When she began whipping up special creams for her irritated skin during pregnancy about five years ago, Rodriguez didn't think much about her new hobby. That all changed when her middle child was born. "Giovanna has severely dry skin and eczema flare ups. She just couldn't stand anything with a fragrance or harsh additive," Rodriguez said. After trips to the doctor and creams that did not work, the mother of three took matters into her own hands. The result was a fragrance-free product that can help give some relief to eczema sufferers, aid in UV protection, and also reduce the signs of aging. The specialty cream created for Giovanna has been dubbed ReNewed, and is called a skin conditioning alternative instead of a cream or lotion. ReNewed uses apricot and avocado oils so that people with nut allergies can use it without worry.

The kitchen recipes were big favorites of friends and family, but Rodriguez had other things on her mind. Her marriage was failing, and she found herself as a single mother of three living with her mother in New York. After much praying, Rodriguez decided to take her hobby seriously and begin making her creams for the public. She named the! company she formed after her children, August, Giovanna, and Isabella , creating Augisa with their names. Rodriguez decided it was also time to get other aspects of her life back in order about a year and a half ago. She began dating online and met her fiance. The relationship started out with the two of us just being great friends. She was getting out of a bad marriage and so was I. This is something that has helped our family, and we really believe in what we do," he said. Rodriguez has kept her job as an office manager in Charlotte to make ends meet while the company grows. "I know what it is like to be a single mom watching every penny. You want your little luxuries. That is why affordability is so important, and why each product is only $15," Rodriguez said.

Augisa & Co. Organics carries a variety of products, from body butters and sugar scrubs to lotions and lip balms. The various lines were created to work for all skin types and any ethnicity. The line of products can be found at Berrybrook Farms Natural Food Store in the Dilworth area of Charlotte as well as many salons and all-natural stores in Mecklenburg County. However, Rodriguez would also like to reach-out to Monroe and Indian Trail residents. "We live here-this is where we shop, where my kids go to school, and where we pay our taxes. This is the community that we live in and love," said Rodriguez. So far, Augisa & Co. Organics have had a great deal of success at various events and shows in Charlotte at the Convention Center, as well as at events in Union County like Waxhaw's Spring Fest and Wingate's Holiday Shopping Spree. "Both of the Union County events were a shock - we did so well," Rodriguez said. Augisa & Co. Organics products are also available online, and Rodriguez has been known to go to a party or two selling her skin care line.

"We want to be assessable to everyone, "We will always use all natural ingredients and maintain the integrity of our formulations." Presentation and texture are what Rodriguez feels sets her line apart from other all-natural companies. "Many all-natural creams and lotions just look unappealing. I want to make products that look and feel good and maintain an all natural ingredient list," she said. Nikki has coined a phrase to describe what they are aiming for- "Cosmonatural." "We want to have that New York edge but keep it all-natural," she said.

Forimmediatereleasereviews.com has posted reviews of Augisa and Co.Organics products and the skin care line has also been written-up in Moving Forward magazine out of New York."We have had such a great response. We get orders from all over the country," Rodriguez said. "That is what keeps me going the thanks I get from my customers."