CEO of Jurlique Issues Industry Call to Action at Natural Beauty Summit

NEW YORK, May. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Halliwell, CEO of Jurlique, an independent natural beauty company, was the keynote speaker at the Natural Beauty Summit held in New York on Friday, May 16th. This was the first time the gathering, which previously convened in Paris, had been held in America.

The Natural Beauty Summit America brings together key stake-holders (cosmetic manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, packaging companies, retailers, industry organizations, investors etc.) and creates a forum to learn and discuss the key challenges the cosmetics industry faces in terms of natural products and sustainability.

Addressing 250 members of the natural beauty industry, including executives from Aveda, Origins and Burt's Bees among others, Halliwell issued a political call to action. He urged the natural beauty industry to work for legislation that would declare some cosmetic additives illegal. He identified parabens and phtalates as additives that should be considered for such a ban.

Acknowledging that the natural beauty industry had been characterized in recent weeks by internal controversy over defining standards and certifications, Halliwell called for unity and urged the natural products industry to join together to lobby Washington to ban the ingredients that are considered by natural beauty advocates as dangerous.

This call to action comes at a time when the natural beauty products industry has been struggling to define a standard for natural or organic. Halliwell noted his concern that the industry is not focused on what the consumer wants, or what the consumer ultimately cares about. Halliwell shared with the group that his experience as a CEO and the leader of a company has shown him that the consumer is asking for products that do what they say they will, that are good for them, and that are good for the planet.

Said Halliwell, "Consumers are smart. They can tell when someone is inauthentic and they know good product from bad. Yes, there is certainly value in warning consumers away from putting certain ingredients on their skin. And, yes, it is tough for consumers to figure out on their own exactly what is dangerous and what is safe. But spending time trying to define natural or organic is futile and doesn't deliver true value to consumers. The consumer doesn't care. What she cares about is: Does it work? Does it work for me? Is it good for me? Is it good for the Earth?"

"I love the passion and commitment of this group of people and I believe that together we can all prove that companies can indeed do well and do good. The winds of change are at our back," Halliwell adds. "This is our time. Let's band together to harness this amazing opportunity for us all and do our bit to make the world a healthier, more balanced, more beautiful place."

About Eli Halliwell

Eli Halliwell is the CEO and President of Jurlique, an independent Australian skincare company that is considered a pioneer in the natural beauty field. With an emphasis on quality and purity over fanfare, Jurlique is regularly named by the international media as a "green must-have" among eco-chic and LOHAS-inspired actresses, makeup artists, and models.

Jurlique has been called the Biodynamic Beauty company; its plant and flower-based collection is made from calendula, lavender, chamomile and rose -- hand-sown, hand-tended, and hand-harvested on its own certified organic, Biodynamic farms in South Australia.

Eli was recruited to Jurlique in 2006 to strengthen the brand's commitment to sustainable business practices, and environmental and social responsibility. He joined the company from Bumble and bumble, a New York-based prestige hair care company owned by Estee Lauder Companies.

At Bumble and bumble, where Eli was General Manager, he was known for his strategic thinking, passionate leadership style, and track record of growth. Previously, he served as Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for iMotors, Inc. a $100 million internet retailer of cars. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Under Eli's direction, Jurlique is now the number-one selling skincare in Australia, while at the same time, he has spear-headed an ambitious update of the Jurlique look and feel with a packaging and retail store re-design and has re-committed the privately-owned company to principles of Biodynamics, a form of agriculture that is considered "beyond organic" because of its closed system sustainable practices. These efforts include the recent development of over 150 additional acres of certified organic and biodynamic farmland.

An anomaly among executives in the beauty industry -- in which a variety of functions such as sourcing, R + D, and manufacturing are routinely sub-contracted out, as a key to his commitment to sustainable business practices, Eli has taken the unusual step of determining to keep Jurlique a vertically-integrated, company. From seed to sale, Jurlique is itself considered a "closed system" green corporation, continually seeking ways to create a lighter footprint.

A typical week in Eli's schedule is as likely to find him in Jurlique's farm fields working on irrigation issues as it is to find him in Japan, where Jurlique has 15 stand alone stores and a presence in niche department stores such as Takishimaya.

In addition to its stores in Japan and Australia, Jurlique has a significant presence in the U.S., with 11 independent stores in locations ranging from Montana Avenue in Santa Monica to Soho in New York. Jurlique now has 60 locations in 22 countries.

Contact: Lisa Havlik

LaForce + Stevens 212.242.9353