Your cart
Close Alternative Icon
ENJOY FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OF $50+ ENJOY FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OF $50+
Close Icon
Down Arrow Icon

News

A Candid Interview With Our Founder, Casey Georgeson and re•spin, An Online Wellness Community

THE WAY THIS “CLEAN” BEAUTY BRAND IS PUTTING WOMEN’S HEALING AND EMPOWERMENT FIRST
By: Jessica Ourisman
 

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once wrote. In the case of the indie beauty brand, Saint Jane, there is actually great depth and significance in their name. It references a historical figure and saint, Jane De Chantal, a French baroness who dedicated her life to healing and uplifting vulnerable women outcast by society in the 1500s. This healing legacy alludes to the root of the founder’s mission and ethos, whose philosophy aims to heal sensitive skin and to empower women — giving back to non-profits that empower girls and women.

But as the mother of three young daughters, CEO and founder Casey Georgeson’s business decisions to prioritize women’s health are deeply personal. As you’ll learn, she aims to support women’s health, healing, and wellness through critical moments of pause and self-care set aside to nourish and rē-connect the mind, body, skin, and spirit. Georgeson’s story also provides insight into the growing “clean” beauty niche, which is slowly but surely transforming the billion-dollar industry, rē-spinning the way consumers think about beauty and personal care products.

The Founder’s Journey to “Clean”

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once wrote. In the case of the indie beauty brand, Saint Jane, there is actually great depth and significance in their name. It references a historical figure and saint, Jane De Chantal, a French baroness who dedicated her life to healing and uplifting vulnerable women outcast by society in the 1500s. This healing legacy alludes to the root of the founder’s mission and ethos, whose philosophy aims to heal sensitive skin and to empower women — giving back to non-profits that empower girls and women.

But as the mother of three young daughters, CEO and founder Casey Georgeson’s business decisions to prioritize women’s health are deeply personal. As you’ll learn, she aims to support women’s health, healing, and wellness through critical moments of pause and self-care set aside to nourish and rē-connect the mind, body, skin, and spirit. Georgeson’s story also provides insight into the growing “clean” beauty niche, which is slowly but surely transforming the billion-dollar industry, rē-spinning the way consumers think about beauty and personal care products.

The Controversy Over “Clean”

Many deride the clean beauty industry, in part due to the fact that the term is still legally unregulated and thus can be used as a marketing ploy. Although a growing body of research exists, experts often disagree when it comes to what constitutes “safe” (with a major debate brewing over sunscreen), fueling discourse and continued research — but also divisive rhetoric among impassioned beauty consumers and commentators. If you’re one of the skeptics, simply try thinking of the push for “non-toxic” beauty in terms of consumer preference; just as some of us prefer organic, farm-to-table cuisine, opt to be vegetarians or flexitarians, or to practice yoga as opposed to pilates, it comes down to personal choice and sovereignty over one’s body — something that each of us is entitled to. After all, what makes a person feel safe is a highly personal decision. Even without industry regulations in place, you can trust that the products you purchase from Saint Jane adhere to Georgeson’s notion of “clean”; namely, “ingredients that are globally recognized to be less toxic.”

“For too many years, women didn’t know ingredients in their beauty products were toxic or dangerous, like Formaldehyde, which we now know is a carcinogen.” Talc is another common (and legal) ingredient that has been found to occasionally be contaminated with the carcinogen asbestos, and Johnson & Johnson has actually been ordered to pay billions of dollars in damages to cancer patients and their families due to suspected links between their talcum powder — yes, the same baby powder made for use on our babies — and the disease. (As recently as June 2021, J&J lost a Supreme Court appeal to overturn a $2 billion settlement awarded by a jury, after already having been ordered to pay $4.9 billion in damages for talc’s link to ovarian cancer back in 2018.)

Debates aside, growing consumer interest in personal care, fragrance, skincare, and cosmetic products that make their ethics part of their business models — from sustainability, to ingredient selection, to supply chain transparency — is apparent. “Brands are absolutely taking notice [of this growing consumer trend and] represents a significant shift that I believe will ultimately make the beauty industry safer and more regulated,” Georgeson says. She is not alone in her belief that beauty’s best practices should be aligned with wellness of the self, with that of the planet, animals, and the communities of people involved.

 

rē-Thinking Beauty and Wellness as One

“The wellness of our planet is integral to the brand,” Georgeson says. “We partner with companies and farmers around the world to support their diverse cultures and empower their rich traditions in a modern and sustainable way with environmentally sound practices.” Whether it occurs tomorrow or in the next 20 years, the industry is undergoing a shift that is being led by health-conscious entrepreneurs and brands like Saint Jane.

 

Continue reading

Best in Class Vitamin C for Bright, Glowing Skin

It’s no secret that Vitamin C is one of the most powerful ingredients in skincare. In the 1920’s a Hungarian scientist named Albert Szent-Györgyi became interested in the cell respiration and energy production in plants, and would meticulously study any “browning” or interrupted growth. While conducting a series of experiments, he discovered that he could delay these interruptions by adding citrus juice to nurture the plants. Eventually, he would learn to isolate what he believed to be the protective acid agent in the citrus juice, and made the game changing discovery of Vitamin C. 


Our skin is just as delicate as the botanicals in Albert’s studies, and infusing Vitamin C into your skincare routine can be just as powerful as the results he witnessed in his discovery.

Like many ingredients, not all Vitamin C is created equal. There are different variations, different potencies and different levels of quality. We believe that in order to transform the skin, only the best Vitamin C will do.

We use an innovative form of Glycerin-Encapsulated Vitamin C that goes into every drop of our award-winning The C-Drops and Bright Repair Eye Cream to deliver potent benefits to your skin. Glycerin is a natural hydrator that is known for its ability to deeply absorb past the skin’s surface. In combination with Vitamin C, it increases the efficacy in visibly brightening, smoothing texture, and nourishing the skin. Delivering Vitamin C to your skin in this form also helps to improve your skin barrier and provides a level of protection against skin stressors.

 Our Vitamin C is formulated for top level potency. Active at 20% in C-Drops and 10% in Bright Repair, the brightening and resurfacing power is at its highest level of efficacy. Our decision to infuse Full flower Hemp Extract into the formula helps to soothe on contact, and keeps irritation at bay...a common problem with traditional Vitamin C skincare. The way these two ingredients perform is a beautiful balancing act, a dream for even the most sensitive complexions. 

 

Like all of our ingredients, our Vitamin C is held to the highest standards of clean beauty. Sustainably sourced and thoughtfully formulated, we never compromise when it comes to keeping every component meticulously clean.  A clean approach to skincare for peace of mind so you can squeeze the day. 

Life is a wondrous phenomenon. I can only hope that someday man will achieve a deeper insight into its nature and its guiding principles and will be able to express them in more exact terms…To express the marvels of nature in the language of science is one of man’s noblest endeavors.” — Albert Szent-Györgyi








 



Continue reading

Beauty, Botanicals and the Entrepreneurial Spirit

 

I’ve always been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit. I must get it from my great grandmother, an extraordinary woman (and personal inspiration) who came to California as a mail-order bride from Italy where she became a mother of 7 and made a living growing grapes with my great-grandfather. She believed in achieving more, so she went to the bank, took out a $10,000 loan and started our family heritage in the wine business. She became one of our country's first female entrepreneurs seeding well-known wine brands Franzia and Gallo.

 

 

Growing up with such a deep family history in winemaking ignited my passion for botanicals and cultivation. I joined the industry myself (I developed Cupcake Vineyards and many others), and it was that journey that eventually led me to start Saint Jane. Infusing all of this knowledge of botanical ingredients and the power they hold, and channeling female empowerment from my great grandmother’s story. 

So where does beauty come into the mix? I’d always had a passion for cosmetics and had my eyes set on Sephora, the leader of innovation. I interviewed in 2007 and became Sephora’s 1st unpaid MBA intern. (I was paid in makeup, which was fine with me!) I learned the business, I soaked up every moment, I dove in head first. This eventually led to my role in Creative Marketing for Kendo. It was an incredible opportunity to build Sephora exclusives like Marc Jacobs, Disney, and Elizabeth and James. 

 

 

When I created Saint Jane, I wanted it to feel like a beautiful marriage between my two biggest passions, beauty and botanicals. The journey has led me here, to building Saint Jane and crafting botanical and nutrient-rich formulas that transform the skin. 

Seeing this brand in Sephora stores and on sephora.com is a dream come true. I got my start there 13 years ago and it's surreal to see my own brand on it’s shelves. They took a chance on me then, and now they are taking a chance on Saint Jane. I couldn’t be more grateful. 

 

 

Every day I go to work and channel the fierce courage of my great grandmother. I think about all she accomplished when it wasn’t normal as a woman to pursue entrepreneurship. She had the guts to take the risk. I’d like to think that some of that spirit is in Saint Jane, inspiring women to be powerful, transformative, and to change the world.



Continue reading