Shoutout Ohio featured us recently in one of their online news articles!
"We had the good fortune of connecting with Christie Duffy and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Christie, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Most people outside the skincare industry don’t realize the major issues with greenwashing. There is an enormous amount of unnecessary ingredients, including harmful chemicals, in many skin care products today. This includes the “natural” brands, too. Lastly, there is overuse of plastics among skincare companies and this needs to change. We know better, so we should be doing better, right?
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m most proud of the knowledge I’ve gained about plants and how they can help with acne, rosacea, and even the aging process. Using the whole plant in an infusion process is the best way to get the most benefits from the plant, and I do this in my formulations. It’s like brewing a cup of tea, but instead of water, I use organic carrier oils such as olive, sunflower, and coconut. I am also a strong proponent of environmental issues and conservation of our planet. We have only one Earth. This why you’ll see my products in glass and tin containers and why my small business gives back every year to local Conservation Groups.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You could easily spend a week in the Cleveland area! First, I’d take my friend to some of our local parks – we have so many. Then, after a stroll or morning hike through one of the parks, I’d take them to our local Farmer’s Market with North Union for fresh veggies, fruits, and Vegan Scones from Barb’s booth. I’d bring my pal back home to enjoy on my back deck because it’s a great space with my dogs, backyard hens, and an acre of woods we can tromp through.
We’d spend a few days in Chagrin Falls and Willoughby Hills and walk through the local boutiques. We’d have dinner at one of the amazing restaurants there before heading to catch a sunset on Lake Erie at Edgewater Park in the city or Mentor-on-the-Lake. The driving to these places is scenic with the Chagrin River showing off her glistening water or winding roads with hills and valleys.
There are so many more things for us to do: the Cleveland Art Museum, the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, and more nature, including the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland. So much great stuff, including live music right down the road from us in Mayfield Village at The Grove or if we’d planned correctly, a show at Blossom Music Center in Akron.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My maternal great-grandmother, Christina (Reisterer) Parker, was a strong and hard-working woman I never met but heard many stories about. She raised twelve children on the remote island of Lake Erie where my family settled in 1850. The family had very little money after her husband died, but she continued to thrive and used the resources she had to make the healing salve our family used for aches, pains, bruises, and cuts. The stories always tell me how tough and strong she was, even after suffering a stroke."