Latest / Skin Anarchy / From Sicilian Farm to Luxurious Skincare ft. Furtuna Skin

Transcript

From Sicilian Farm to Luxurious Skincare ft. Furtuna Skin · Skin Anarchy

• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is your book Ekta, and I have a wonderful guest today.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: I am absolutely loving this line.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: I've been using it for the past few months, and I would really, you know, consider it my go-to luxury care line right now.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm um I've shifted my routine a lot and I've just been obsessed with the results I've seen.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm really, really excited to introduce you guys to the founder of Fortuna Skin, Agatha Lusso.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, Agatha.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to host you.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to be here today.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I want to dive in and I I really want to learn all about you and your journey because the line is absolutely phenomenal, and we'll get into it.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to learn about those products that you've created here.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to learn all about you and um where the story began, if you could tell us.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: So the story began 15 years ago.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: My husband and I went on a journey to find the land that his grandma was born on.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I told him, you know, you know, she's Sicilian grandmother had told him these stories about Sicily.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so he made a promise when he was 10 years old that he's gonna go back and find this land that she was born on and bring it back into the family.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we wanted to fulfill this promise um that he made to his grandmother.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: She's not with us, but we wanted to stay committed to that.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we found the half-acre land that she was born on, and we found the the foundation of her house.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: So we built a one-bedroom house on there, and then we ended up buying 800 acres all around her property and transforming it into this magical farm that we call La Fortuna Estate.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's incredible.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's all 800 acres is certified organic, 80% is a biopreserve, and everything on our farm is fed with natural spring water.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it's, you know, when you go to the land, you can feel that the land has a pulse.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: It just wants to give and it wants to give more.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's no industry around our farm, so everything is truly organic.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the soil in Sicily is so rich with minerals and volcanic ash, and but and that feeds all these, you know, wildly potent plants.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: We call them wildly potent because they're all you know supercharged um plants and they're full of amazing nutrients, antioxidants that make up our high-performance products, um, and that give the amazing results that you see after using them.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we went on this journey, that was 15 years ago, and uh we started a food line called Bona Fortuna where we make olive oil.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm olive oil obsessed, I'm an olive oil sommelier.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I cook with it, bake with it, you know, I drink it every single morning.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: That's how I start off my day because I think that it just gives you, it's like I feel like it's a fountain of youth, and it just gives you such incredible results on your skin as well.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we make olive oil pasta, and then about six, seven years ago, when I met my co-founder Kim Walls, she's a master formulist and she saw all the plants and the ingredients.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: We have Dr.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Pasquale Marino that runs the farm for us.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: He has a double PhD in botany biology, he's an agronomist, and um, he documented all the plants we have on our farm, um, over 80 medicinal plants.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so when she saw what we have on the farm, she was like a kid in the candy store.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, I also wanted to come up with a line.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: I felt like, you know, there was it was missing to have um an organic line that had these super um powerful plants.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: And back in the old days, we used these plants to heal all of the, you know, heal the skin, heal your health.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, when you have plants that are cultivated, they lose their potency.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: So having true potent plants with whole nutrition that has these, you know, high performance results and transformative results was key for us.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that's truly sustainable.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we practice regenerative farming on the farm, and we wanted to bring that into the beauty industry, and we practice regenerative beauty, which is taking clean beauty to the next level.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you know, practicing regenerative farming is just you know, taking these farming steps to another level, um, to have the most nutritious plants and put in plants on the farm.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um Right, right.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, I've I that's so interesting.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: I hope I didn't miss anything because I kept talking about it.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, I I've just listened to you because I think that's so interesting to me because, you know, I I think a lot of times when for me as a consumer, you'll hear about a lot of brands that say, you know, we are practicing this, you know, um, this idea of regenerating and and giving back and making sure that whatever we take, we put back um into that, you know, uh ecosystem that we're taking from.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: But it's so amazing to hear that you guys have your own farm and it's something that you are so, you know, keen on doing is that the idea of, like you said, regenerative farming where you're really are putting things back actively.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think oftentimes as consumers, it almost feels like there's a veil, you know, especially in the clean beauty space over what's going on behind the scenes, you know, when it comes to clean beauty.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like where are the where's the proof kind of thing, right?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's like can we can't see it, so we don't know like who to ask.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's very rare when I get to speak to a founder that is saying, no, this is this is something that we actively do.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I find that to be phenomenal.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, one thing I wanted to ask you is you you spoke about the plants, and that's something I really want to dive into because I know with um we, you know, I've I've learned a lot about like, for example, like the Mediterranean area specifically has these wonderful species of plants, but they're also from what I've heard, extremely resilient.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So was that something that you noticed?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when you started like looking into them, that they're just very resilient plants and yeah, they're so resilient.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: We actually call them extremophyte plants because they had to overcome these extreme environmental c conditions and become, you know, and then through that they become stronger in the process.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um they you know, they live on our farm.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: We we have a our farm has all different elevation.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: The top of our farm, there's a mountain called Mount Baru.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: So when you go to the top of this mountain, you could Baru in Arabic means to the sea.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: So with all the different elevations, they have to survive these extreme conditions, which makes them even stronger.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: And plants that are grown in the wild, they're wild plant communities, they communicate through the root system and they also share nutrients with each other because they're different species of plants.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they have they're sharing these different nutrients, which makes them even stronger and even more resilient.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we also um so through this natural adaptation, they both supercharge levels of nutrients and antioxidants, um, and they, you know, they just become stronger.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: But we also um what we did was we it took us you know many years to to find an extraction method that you know that suited us.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: We looked to the pharmaceutical industry to see how they extracted their nutrients from plants because they needed you know precise measures.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we discovered the sound bath extraction method that we adapt and to extracting our nutrients instead of using the conventional extraction methods that you know tend to overprocess and overheat the active ingredients and making them obsolete.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: We're you know, we're using this extraction method that's um that takes the whole plant ingredients, immerses it in oil or hydroglycerin, and it's based in ultrasound using the energies and the sound of low temperatures to preserve the potency of the vitamins, the amino acids, the phenols.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we found that this is the most you know efficient way of extracting the nutrients and keeping the potency levels instead of making them obsolete using the old methods, which you know overheats them.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, sometimes these they are they're also being you know soaked in the solvents that are just harsh solvents, and that also is ends up being toxic toxic.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and also degradation, right?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean it, I'm sure like if you don't extract things properly, like you're degrading the the actual actives.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: So that's really interesting.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we're looking at, you know, we have these extremely potent plants from our farm, and how do we extract them and keeping the highest potency levels to deliver it to our customer?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, getting back to something you said about giving back, you know, we are, you know, my husband and I we always say if we're gonna do anything, you know, we have to, in any business, it's all about, you know, giving back and leaving the earth a better place than we found it for future generations.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we always have that in mind, and I want that to come out through Fortuna skin as well.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're helping the communities, we're bringing back plants that have been extinct.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: One of our cultivars of olive trees has was extinct, and we brought it back from extinction, our biancoila chantanata.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: So you can only find that cultivar on our farm.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we also have a herbarium where we are, you know, saving the seeds and documenting them for future generations.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: So if a plant ever became extinct, we can bring it back from extinction as well.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we have you know a lot going on at the farm.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: So amazing I love that.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: See, this is why I love beauty.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love the beauty industry because this is exactly my idea.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I kid you not, Agatha, when I first got into clean beauty, like I was never that consumer that, you know, I didn't gravitate towards it immediately, but when I did start understanding it a little bit, um, one of my favorite parts about it is there is such a story, you know, for like what's going on more than just the products that you're buying, right?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's an actual purpose here.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: And and the idea that you guys are bringing back extinct species, I mean, that's huge.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that goes so much, it it's it's a beautiful thing in so many ways beyond just consumerism, you know.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's about making sure that if somebody wants to do this in the future, like you you're setting a bar, you know, and I think that's where clean beauty, I mean, for me at least as a consumer, when I look at it, I think we don't have those narratives told to us often enough, you know, to where we're understanding that the brands that are really doing it right are doing a lot more than creating amazing products, which you've done, you know, for tuna skin is phenomenal.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it's true.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's a wonderful line, it's absolutely, you know, efficacious, it works, does everything that you want your skincare to do.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: But then on the other side, on you know, in the back end of all of this, you have a real purpose that you're you know really driving home for the industry.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's huge.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: That goes beyond.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, so I'm just a huge fan of that, and I really applaud you for doing that because we need we need that, you know, we need that.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I think future brands and indie brands that come up, like they can look to that and say, I can do it like that too.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that is the sustainable way to go about this.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, and and that's it's phenomenal.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I I want to actually ask you, you know, with that in mind, because like you mentioned, the plants are very um, they're you know, they're super plants in a way.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to ask about the products because I'm obsessed with your line.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's really, really great stuff.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I especially, for example, the serum.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: We can even start there.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely love your serum because it's a all I feel like it's an all-in-one for me.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when I'm utilizing that serum, it is just like that's it.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I don't need to add on, you know, like I usually use like two or three different serums, but but I specifically only use that and I'll put on the night cream, you know, if I'm doing it at night.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just a wonderful two-step routine that just makes my skin glow.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, what went into the serum?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you can tell us a little bit about that.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so you know, I love the serum.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: So one, I want, you know, when we're creating products, I like multi-benefit products to simplify everyone's routine, and especially when you're so busy on the go.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: So our face and eye serum is you know, made for the face and eye, it's been ocularly tested, it's safe to put around the eyes.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: I call it a vitamin bath for the skin and a Botox in a bottle because it seriously, you know, plumps up the skin and you know, gets, you know, rid of the fine lines and wrinkles, and it's you know, protects the uh the skin from um all the environmental damages and just restores your skin with healthy, um healthy nutrients.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: It also features hyaluronic acid in it and has some amazing, you know, um nutrients in it, like uh chicory and nettle um that are all amazing for the skin.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I mean I I really love it.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a very much a, you know, I I like what you said and how you defined it because for me it's all in one.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's an all-in-one uh, you know, product.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's an all-in-yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's phenomenal.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I think the moisturization factor is what really gets me.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I wanted to ask you like what plant specifically used for this because the moisture that I get from the serum, it's not a greasy moisture.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like I know a lot of there's a lot of products out there that are, you know, you know, hydration products, right?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: But like they always leave my skin feeling very greasy.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Where and I have combination skin, so I often get oily.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: But with this serum, the face and eye serum, I don't feel that it really kind of leaves things very like balanced.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the good word.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like to, you know, and it doesn't mattify my skin or make it shiny, it just leaves it the way it's supposed to be, and I find myself using it over and over again because of that reason.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, because I don't have to feel like oh my god, I can't that use this in the day, or I can't win on your makeup because it'll make my makeup, you know, greasy or whatever, which is a problem I have.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Is the wild organic beet, wild organic chicory.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: We have the organic extra virgin olive oil, our olive leaf water, our wild incusa zura, which is our star ingredient plant.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's this beautiful blue flower, which is rare, you know, uh flour.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: And blue is so healing.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it has the highest amount of antioxidants from any of the edible uh plants in the Mediterranean.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's packed with vitamin B, C, E, phenols.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it also has wild organic beet.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I already mentioned the beet as well.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it also has um um some hyaluronic acid in it as well to plump up the skin.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a beautiful serum.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I mentioned, it's like Botox in a bottle.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I'm amazing.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely love it.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's absolutely phenomenal.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um that makes a lot of sense, you know, because it is it's very nourishing, you know.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's the best way I think I can describe it.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's nourishing, but but it also protects from environmental damage and protects from free radical damage as well.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: So you're really restoring all the nutrients back into your skin that your skin needs.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, our skin is our number one or organ, and I think that, you know, sometimes people forget how important it is what you put on your skin, it's just as important as what you eat.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I have a doctor friend that did this study where he took a bunch of teenagers, looked in their medicine cabinet, and wrote all the toxic ingredients down, and then drew their blood, and all those toxic ingredients was in their bloodstream.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: Just what they were putting on their face.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it's so scary to think about that, you know, whatever you put on your skin does get absorbed into your bloodstream.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I always say, why not put stuff that is nutritious and good for your skin, but also for it for your health and adding benefits inside and out.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: No, I I mean I I it's shocking to hear that, but it's not because I know like we do not talk about that enough.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think as an industry is this idea that what you are putting on your skin is going to be more absorbed than a lot of the areas in your body.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we always talk about absorption in the in, you know, in the realm of like gut health, for example, right?
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: But then we never talk about with your skin, it's not just about like, for example, SPF comes up a lot, you know, but it's also about other things that you're putting on, whether that's the skincare you're using, whether it is the SPF, whether it's what you're showering with, you know what I mean?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have to think, you know, that like you said, it's an organ and the amount of surface area is going to dictate how much of something is absorbed into that organ and the skin has the largest surface area, you know.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's very, very important to consider that.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And as consumers, you know, you have to like that's where clean beauty is is very unique.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I hate to see it like, you know, only focus on one thing or the other.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's like there's so many things to talk about.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you really want to approach clean beauty with the right mindset, you have to think about it from a medical perspective, you know.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: And for some reason, we don't do that.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we think of cleans and we think, oh, let's talk about all the other stuff.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: No, like the medicine is the good stuff, you know, with clean beauty because there's a lot of value there.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's adding value to your overall health.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm a huge believer in that, you know, and I think that um part of why I've seen such great results, you know, with the serum and with other products in your line is because it's, you know, it's not damaging my skin barrier in any way.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's not toxic to my body.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: We keep thinking about how we can restore the the skin barrier and and keep it intact.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: And also, you know, talking about clean beauty, the standards are different in every country.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: So we follow the EU standards and they have 1,300 ingredients that are not allowed that they say no to that America does allow in products.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: So the standards everywhere of clean beauty is different, and that's scary.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, 1300 ingredients you know, we allowed in this country in America that EU doesn't allow.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a scary thought.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's a huge number.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that is absolutely a huge number.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's it's actually part of a I, you know, I launched the safe seal, and it's a seal that represents, you know, true safety of a formulation.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember I was doing the homework around the EU guidelines, and it's and it's like mind-blowing how much they have banned compared to the US.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's really kind of uh eye-opening, you know, when you think about it.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with with products that are over the counter, um, one thing that I really think is, you know, very much important to consider is that, you know, you have to know the people behind the brand.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: You have to know the vision behind the brand because that's gonna tell you a lot about, you know, where it's coming from, where the thought process is coming from, from why it was for formulated, you know, and like whatever you're using.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: So in that regard, it's really important to reconsider what we think about clean beauty.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's more about like what is the what is the idea here?
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, for what reason?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times I think also with clean beauty, like for example, your products, I have very sensitive skin.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: I have not had any kind of redness, nothing, you know, no exacerbation of the inflammation that my skin is normally undergoing.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't had any problems with that.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm gonna come back to clean, you know, the clean beauty take that you guys have really approached this with, because usually with clinical grade skincare, sometimes I have irritation, you know?
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's because of the products, you know, it's because they're not thinking so much as you know, a brand such as yours would be thinking about what are we putting in here?
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Do we really need this?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: What are the preservatives?
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that kind of stuff.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I think it's really cool.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: One thing, one thing I wanted to ask you though, because this is actually one of my favorite products, and I want to, I want to learn about it more from you.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually shouted it out on my personal TikTok the other day as my go-to uh for eye creams, and that's your eye cream.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's literally heaven in a container.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: I am obsessed with it.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: I literally use it every time I put on any kind of concealer.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it gets rid of my fine lines, like nothing I've ever seen before, you know?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I was for everyone listening, I was talking to Agatha before the interview, and I was saying that the whole line actually leaves my skin feeling like velvet.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: And especially the eye cream, Agatha, you have created magic in a bottle with this one.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: I the eye cream.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Is amazing.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: I walked into the bathroom the other day.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, this is a while ago, but um, and and my husband is putting it on all over his face.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, I just love this stuff.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, How pins for the eye area?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's a small bottle, and he's like putting on his neck on all over the face.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, But I love it.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, it's it's incredible.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: It has lilac cells, stem cells in it, which help to lift the eye area and you know, reduce the appearance of dark dark circles.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um it it just um it's incredible for you know uh we formulated it to help with to reduce the puffiness and also the all the different colors under um the eyes.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: So you do see results of you know reducing the appearance of the dark circles within two weeks of using it consistently.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's an incredible product to also reduce, like I mentioned, puffiness and just help it to retain the moisture that your eye area does need.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's it's absolutely phenomenal because I have dark circles and I've uh I don't know if I I should have kept track of my journey with a boot because I've been using it for more than two weeks and um I've literally been obsessed.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, since I've used it, I've been obsessed.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: I can't stop using it.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing in all ways.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I like I said, I'm not a big believer in eye creams, I won't lie to you, because I think most of the time, for me personally, they don't do anything.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't see any results.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't like, but this one completely blew me away.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I like I said, like, you know, I never I'm not a big makeup person, but when I wear makeup, one of my biggest pain points is that creasing um on in the under eyes because I do I don't have like bag problems under eyes.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, people have like you know, puffiness and stuff.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's not my problem.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: My problem is dark circles, like you mentioned, and also just like that fine texture, and it has completely resolved all of that.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I am such a fan of the case.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so happy to hear that.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, we designed it so it helps reduce the the discoloration to brighten, you know, and to also target the moisture.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um very anti-aging and it's it's you know designed for sensitive skin as well.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: So all skin types can use it.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I I want to know, Agatha, how long did the research process take when you were like coming up with the the products you wanted to launch the range with?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how long did that whole process take you guys?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: So it took about you know like four to five years of doing research and finding the processes and the labs and you know, formulating and um also just you know researching our ingredients and finding you know the active levels.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it it took a it took a few years before launching and we launched about three and a half years ago.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can tell because every product So we put a lot of work behind, you know, behind um in the in the initial steps before launching.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: I can tell.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, I can tell because it's like literally very thought, like I feel like everything is so well thought out, you know.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's not a single product, and that's another thing I love.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's not a single product that overlaps really.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's all very, very unique what you're getting from each individual product that you in the line.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I really enjoy that because you know, there are so many moisturizers out there, there's so many, like, you know what I mean?
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's redundancy.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like it's really bad when you notice that like within a brand itself.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate it when I can see that there is none, you know, like your line is everything, is it's meant to do something different, you know.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so for everyone listening out there, if you're looking for, for example, you know, a night cream, well, the night cream is gonna do the job that it's supposed to do, you know, it's a very nourishing product, it's going to really make you wake up with that beautiful, bouncy dewy skin.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what you get, you know?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I really appreciate that.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: And the day and night cream is is is the formulated to work with your circadian rhythm.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: So you're getting the nutrients you need during the day and the nutrients to repair and replenish your skin at nighttime.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: And the day is formulated to protect your skin during the day.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: So it really works on the circadian rhythm of the body.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I love our missilar essence.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: Have you tried our missilar essence?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's incredible.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: So there was no newness to the missilar essence.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Most missilar water, you know, I fell in love with it when I was modeling in Paris at 16 because in France everyone used missilar water.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: But I wanted to, I wanted us to bring some innovation to it.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, most is made with coconut surfactant, ours is made with olive surfactant, and it's infused with her olive leaf water, which is three times more potent than any other olive leaf water on the market.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: And it's also infused with cus azura, the blue flower that I was telling you about, that's really high in antioxidants.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: So it's healing and soothing for the skin.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: It you know cleanses, it um tones and it restores the peach balance of the skin.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's an incredible product.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: No, it really spicy oil is like, you know, even people that don't like using oils love our oils.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: They they said it's the non-oilers' oil.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you have to shake it before using it.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: It has vitamin C in it as well.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just incredible to moisturize your skin.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: It does leaves your skin moisturized and glowing, but without leaving it too oily and greasy.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it mixes so well with making a tinted oil of your own foundation.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I just I'm like I mentioned before, I'm obsessed with olive oil.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think that it's incredible for the skin.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's anti-inflammatory, antibacterial.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it just has so many of the amazing, you know, phenols, antioxidants that your skin needs.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: No, I absolutely love the essence though, to uh answer your question.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've been um really obsessed with it.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: And also I know right now, um, I've seen a lot of TikTok videos around this where um I think kids are rediscovering, you know how we were layering toners before, um, the seven skin method, they've kind of rediscovered that, but they're doing it now with um different things.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I think this is a really great option for any of you that love a really good essence and you love something that you can just pat into your skin and immediately feel like you know, hydration and um the benefits of the initial product in your routine after cleansing.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is a phenomenal option.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: So if any of you are really privy on that toner method that's been going viral, this is an absolute must-have in your routine.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I really, really encourage you.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: But no, I love the whole line.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, it's amazing.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, the cool part about it is that, like you said, these are all plants that have been proven to survive.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like I don't think there's any greater, like, I guess, uh, indicator of something really working than nature.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I always I always try to tell people that is that if you look at nature and you look at plants and the way they deal with UV light and the way they deal with, you know, harsh conditions and dehydration and all these things, you'll start to understand that there's a lot of parallel between the human body and you know what you see in nature.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so I feel like the species and the and the indigenous plants um of you know your farm that you've used, like that is going to tell a lot more than us even you know, telling everybody that these products are great.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it really kind of speaks for itself, is what I'm saying.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I'm always excited to share the products with everyone because I feel like I'm also sharing a piece of the farm, you know, through the products with with everyone.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um but like you said, these plants, you know, they they they they're they're survivalist, but also we have our own preservation system as well.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we look to the plants and how they preserve themselves and they protect one another, you know, from bacteria and molds.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so we we look we, you know, look located a plant community that acts like that in on our farm and um and brought that into into our formulations as well, because it helps prolong the the shelf life of our products and also extend the the vitality and the resilience of the skin as well.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: No, I mean I think it's it's definitely just your your line is just a heavy hitter for me.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I really do consider it like my only luxury line that I'm um using right now.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I use it because it's truly luxurious.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like the feel of it is so amazing.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when I look at luxury skincare, that's one of my biggest um, I think, like things that I'm looking for, right?
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, at the end of the day, if you're going to if you want to indulge in something that makes you feel like you're taking it up one extra notch, you know, in terms of like the benefits and the feel, one of the biggest, you know, components for me is how does it make my skin immediately feel?
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where I just got hooked with Fortuna because I immediately felt the results of it in my skin, you know what I mean?
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: And like the softness and my skin is like more easy when it comes to makeup.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's easier to, you know, on days where I have nothing on my skin, it's glowing, it feels hydrated and nourished.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's where luxury beauty to me stands out.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think like you want to invest at that point where you're saying this is going to make a big difference in my day-to-day routine.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what skincare is supposed to do.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're supposed to be able to have great skincare and then walk away feeling like, well, maybe I don't need makeup today.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, maybe I can go a day without makeup and covering anything up because my skin's growing, you know?
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean, that's that's one thing that I want to show through the products is, you know, I love shooting in natural light and showing that, you know, beautiful skin can also be sexy and great and you don't need to cover it up.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's glowing, and you know, and it I think you know, when you have great skin and using products that just help you meet feel good, you feel better about yourself as well.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely, I agree.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I I absolutely, you know, am a huge believer in the fact that you know, skincare is meant to be not only self-care, but also like self-love, and it's supposed to give you confidence, you know, like you're supposed to gain confidence from this.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, everyone talks about, well, if you have if you have this, this, this issue, like use these products, but then where's the end goal?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, no one talks about that.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: And and that's where I'm like, you know, I I get very lost, you know, in the in this world of like just clutter that sometimes we see in our industry where it's like, oh my gosh, so many products, whatever.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: But at the end of the day, what makes you feel good?
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's the real question that you should be asking before you buy any product.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: So well, it feels good, it's a great ritual.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_01: I really believe in you know, rituals and also, you know, taking a moment for yourself.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: So having your products, you know, have work have a ritual.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: We have oh, we have our smell in the bifus oil and also in our balm is magnolia oil, which is um a hundred million-year-old flower plant, and it helps reduce calm the nervous system and reduce the redness.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, so everything that we however we uh formulate, we think about, you know, the intention and you know, how to help, you know, just taking a moment for yourself and you know, empowering yourself as well.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um in every step.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: But you're right, it we have to think about the end results as well.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I was gonna say that's that's that's also like what I was I was referring to.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's why my skin doesn't freak out then, because I literally get no redness at all from your problem.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, I don't think we're supposed to get redness, but let's be real, there's a lot of you know, most of the time you're gonna experience some sort of irritation.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's just how things are, but with Fortuna, I haven't noticed any exacerbation of redness.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I I have I am, like I said, I have sensitive skin, so that actually makes a lot of sense.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we yeah, and we think about with the plants that we're using, but also the olive oil.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, so the olive oil is so anti-inflammatory that it it helps also reduce any puffiness through the olive oil and reduce the redness.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's great for acne-prone skin as well, because it's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: So olive olive oil has you know, it's the only juice from a fruit oil from um a plant, from a fruit, is olive oil.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it has an antioxidant in it called oleocandhol that mimics motrin.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: So it's nature's motorin' is in olive oil.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it had it's the same.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's why even drinking olive oil every single morning helps reduce inflammation within the body.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: Most of the diseases that are you know c caused today are anti-inflammatory diseases, or also um there's so many people are getting, you know, different um autoimmune diseases as well, which are also caused from inflammation.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: So all oil is great for reducing inflammation and blood pressure and regulating, you know, blood sugar.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I'm a big fan of it.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that we're rooted in olive oil and olive leaf water as well.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we make our own olive leaf water.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then also, you know, what I'm really excited about is we're launching a new product in November, which is our um uh our triple um exfoliant, and we use the whole entire you know, olive from this the pit of the olive.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: We're we granulated it and it's inside the plant.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's a triple um exfoliant, and it's incredible.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited for you to try it.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I want to try it.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds amazing.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's enzymatic, physical, and you know, has a natural chemical like exfoliation.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's just you know, leaves your skin just glowing and um rejuvenated.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's great.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm I'm excited to see that because I feel like most exfoliants always there's always something missing.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just like you know, dead skin cells are soft off and that's it, but you don't really get any kind of balancing, you know.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited to see that.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds really, really cool.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but yeah, I'm excited to show to have you try it out.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I'm really excited and I want to encourage everyone listening.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I genuinely mean it.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is Fortuna Skin is just an absolute must-have line.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's really wonderful.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: I really encourage you guys if you're in the market for some amazing products.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this is it.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you need to check it out for sure, especially if you are somebody who really wants to invest in your skincare and you want something that's going to be a product that lasts you.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to be something you can use no matter what.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is such a versatile line, in my opinion.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm a huge, huge, you know, fan.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: I I really am championing everything you guys are doing, Agatha.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's awesome.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for the love and the support.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate it.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's so great having that support and love because we put so much love into, you know, everything we do, um, every step of the way.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: So it's, you know, I appreciate you um supporting us and and noticing the difference in our products.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's I I mean, it speaks for itself.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I'm just saying what's true.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, for everyone listening, I hope you guys check out the uh the whole line.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you do, please chime in, leave us look some comments, some questions if you have them.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um let us know what you think.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: And um if you have any questions for Agatha's theme, please leave them um in our email inbox wherever you reach out to us and we will pass them along.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you so much for tuning in and I will be back next time.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 38:13
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• 38:18
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• 38:21
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• 38:24
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• 38:27
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• 38:35
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• 38:43
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• 38:46
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• 38:50
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• 38:52
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• 38:56
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• 39:01
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• 39:06
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• 39:13
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• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.