Spa & Beauty Today presents a Q&A with Nathalie Ribon-Tourre, MBA, Founder and CEO of HENRŸIA. The line of 100% organic aromatherapy skincare is produced in France and born out of the ultimate pairing of nature and science, bringing haute performance organic skin and beauty care to consumers.

Ribon-Tourre explains her inspiration behind HENRŸIA, where it started, what’s to come and wellness tips, along with the details of her sustainable packaging. 

How did your childhood, nature and essential oils lead you to create HENRŸIA?

Spending my childhood in the Provence countryside instilled in me a symbiotic relationship with nature. My ancestor’s livelihood depended on the cultivation of fruit orchards for dozens of generations. From my perspective growing up, I only conceived this way of life as universally common. This perception engrained in me not only a sensitivity and an appreciation for nature, but also a deep respect and an intrinsic understanding of our union and dependency as human beings. As long as I can remember, nature has been a source of deep inspiration for me in the beauty world. 

As a pre-teen when I wasn’t collecting tips and natural recipes for my little blue notebook, Beauty By Nature and Plants, I accompanied my mother to the essential oils distilleries for use in aromatherapy treatments. I grew up in an environment where aromatherapy has been a way of life since the early 1900s, where the preventative and curative properties of essential oils are scientifically proven.

Researcher scientist René-Maurice Gattefossé created the word “aromatherapy” in 1928. Cultivated since childhood, the communion between essential oils, beauty and healing treatments, and plants that originated in my native Provence are the founding principles of HENRŸIA’s DNA.

What city in France was HENRŸIA created and where is it based now?

HENRŸIA was created in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a town of 10,000 people in the heart of Les Alpilles. As a dual citizen, I share my time between Saint-Rémy and Chicago. It is only natural that HENRŸIA is based both in France and in the USA. My team of French scientists, chemists, cosmetologists and aromatologists formulate high-performance blends with professional concentration in precisely measured proportions. Lab-technicians manufacture the products with French savoir-faire in the south of France. I launched the brand in North America, my country of adoption, in order to share first-hand this accumulated expertise of scientifically formulating natural ingredients in French aromatherapy skincare with my American compatriots.

Can you tell us about the HENRŸIA Noble Beauty Face Oil Serum?

Noble Beauty Face Oil Serum exemplifies French aromatherapy skincare at its highest level. Perfectly combined with botanical oils and plant extracts, our high-performing essential oils naturally contain powerful complex properties in a unique non-reproducible form. The formula penetrates the upper layers of the epidermis effectively to deliver potent and beneficial properties. Noble Beauty contains only nine ingredients that are purposefully performing, no filler oil (hence the highly concentrated formula based on the perfect synergy and equilibrium of three botanical oils), five essentials oils and one plant extract. 

Our 100% organic haute-performance formulation results in an instant, natural, healthy and youthful glow while providing a wealth of potent nutrients that nourish, soften, tone, protect, regenerate, soothe and hydrate the skin. Day after day, the skin appearance is visibly more radiant, beautiful, silky and supple. Best of all, it’s suitable for all skin types, especially mature and maturing skin.

Are there any key ingredients for the product you would like to highlight? 

HENRŸIA’s haute-performance serum honors the remarkable virtues of nine of the finest ingredients in the world. The efficacy of the face oil serum is not so much due to a single key ingredient, but rather a key French savoir-faire formulation. The key is the synergy of our masterful blend of nine organic botanicals that delivers a high concentration of potency in each drop greater than the sum of its individual ingredient benefits.

Synergies operate at various levels in terms of polyunsaturated and essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E and K, antioxidants, phytosterols, retinoic acid and beta-carotene—between the three botanical oils, the five essential oils and one plant extract. The botanical oils of ente plum, rosehip and pomegranate act as the perfectly balanced vehicle to deliver the active properties of the five essential oils of palmarosa, geranium rosat, oregano, rock rose and damask rose.

In particular, omegas 3 and 6 are essential fatty acids that are absolutely necessary as an external source because the body does not know how to produce them. Omegas 5 and 9 are polyunsaturated fatty acids for the proper functioning of our cells. The ninth ingredient, rosemary extract infused in organic sunflower oil, not only integrates in the synergic effects of the formula, but it also acts as a stabilizer to preserve the integrity of the ingredients. 

When was this product created?

Noble Beauty was created over the course of three years of research, sourcing and due-diligence. After numerous lab trials to find the perfect synergies in precisely the right proportions of each ingredient, we produced our very first batch of Noble Beauty 30 in the organic lab in France. We recently released the clinical test results and the discovery size Noble Beauty 5, which will conclude the unveiling of our first product. Our number one accomplishment!

Will you be creating more products in the future?

Our plan is to expand our slow-aging approach as we grow. As we are just launching, our initial aim is to raise awareness of the brand and establish retail channels for our flagship face oil serum to allow a small operation like HENRŸIA to pursue development of a comprehensive entire beauty line for a regimen. That said, the philosophy of HENRŸIA centers around a very thorough, deliberate and precise methodology in the creation of each product. We have already received demands to develop new products, and each will be crafted one step at a time and introduced as we grow the business organically at the growth rate of a plant—reflective of our communion with nature. I sometimes say we are working like bees and advancing like snails…at nature’s pace. 

Can you also tell us about your sustainable packaging?

HENRŸIA’s adage “beyond organic beauty to eco-consciousness” is at the forefront of every decision taken for the primary packaging, the secondary packaging, and beyond. Every step of the way, quality and sustainability remain top of mind and go hand in hand. Our products are packaged in eco-responsible materials and manufactured by suppliers who share our same eco-conscious values.

Mindful of the impact of shipping individual parts during the manufacturing process, we source all materials within proximity of the lab in the south of France. The glass bottle and dropper come from Milan, which is renowned for exceptional glassmaking. Each part, bottle, pipette, cap and nib is recyclable in its own category. HENRŸIA’s cardboard packaging is made in Provence from 100% recycled materials. The 100% cotton ribbons, used as temper-proof closures in lieu of plastic, are sourced from the Saint-Etienne area in center France—the world capital of fine ribbon making.

The labels and stickers are fabricated in the Alps by a company that plants trees in the Amazon on behalf of our production. Aware of the impact of shipping from the South of France to the US, we are in the process of obtaining a carbon footprint certification to effectively communicate how HENRŸIA is environmentally responsible.

What do people love most about Henrÿia?

Clients at-large and professionals alike are enchanted by multiple facets of Noble Beauty characteristics, depending on who you ask. Estheticians love it for specialty or Gua Sha massages and incorporate it into facials. Makeup artists love it to prep the skin for a perfectly unified canvas prior to makeup application. As one user said after using the serum for nearly four weeks as her face never felt so soft: “Everyone should try it!” In our clients’ own words:

“I’ve been using different serums and oils for many years and yours is by far one of the best I’ve tried. I love the texture, the smell, and the fact that my face stays hydrated all day and all night long!”

Antonieta L. de T., Wilmette, IL

“This is the most clean, effective, gentle and best-smelling oil I ever tried.”

Regina T., Chicago, IL

“I am in total awe of the quality and the instant results of this product—I noticed right away more lifted, tighter and firmer skin. Instantly my skin felt deeply nourished and hydrated. I do take pretty good care of my skin, but the one difference that I also noticed every time I applied the face oil was that I didn’t feel the need to wear makeup.”

Nina Popova, Owner/Esthetician @glowbynina, Chicago, IL

Do you have a skincare tip you can share? 

In order to derive the most benefits of Noble Beauty, we recommend applying our face oil serum on a clean and damp face without forgetting your neck and décolleté. A tip I received from a makeup artist is that if any excess remain in the palm of your hands you should rub your elbows, which are notoriously known for being dry! Every drop is quite special and precious—be sure to make every little extra bit count!

Is there anything about HENRŸIA people might not know that you would like to share?

[Readers should know] the importance of terroir in the development of a plant’s properties and quality. Ingredients derive characteristics from their place of origin and are influenced by specific local geographical factors, such as climate and soil. A link has been established between the quality of an ingredient and its place of origin.

In the case of our Ente plum, for example, the climatic conditions and unique terroir of the south west of France, a designated area with a Protected Geographic Indication, offer favorable cultivation conditions to produce a botanical oil composed of 75% oleic acid (omega 9) and 20% linoleic acid (omega 6) offering an exceptional quality to nourish, soften, soothe, protect and maintain the elasticity, suppleness and hydration of the epidermis. We rely on nature to provide the highest quality ingredients.

As French military surgeon Dr. Jean Valnet once said, “Nature remains, and probably for a long time, the most sophisticated of all the great laboratories in the world.”

Anything else?

Our eco-beauty products are crafted with certified 100% organic ingredients and never tested on animals. We are a cruelty-free company, Leaping Bunny approved, and COSMOS Organic certified by Ecocert Greenlife according to the COSMOS Standard. The COSMOS standard is internationally recognized for natural and organic cosmetics specifically, not simply for organic agriculture. As such, the COSMOS standard association upholds the most rigorous inspections and certification of organic and ecological products, eco-friendly systems, and respect for the environment throughout the production chain.

Finally, we believe beauty is reflected in how we live our lives: kindness, generosity, gratitude, and a plant-centric diet prove to be an excellent foundation for beauty.

For more information, visit henryia.com and follow them on Instagram: @henryiabeaute

[Images courtesy of HENRŸIA]

Jennifer Novoseletsky is a proud Illinois State University alumna with a journalism degree. She has been writing and editing for more than seven years—three in the skin care industry. While her heart lies in the city of Chicago, she currently resides in the suburbs, but is drawn to mountains and the outdoors.