Susan Griffin-Black.
What work do you do?
I am the co-CEO and co-founder of EO.
I am also affiliated with Youth for Environmental Sanity, Pachamama Alliance, Marin Organic, the Organic Trade Association’s Personal Care Task Force, and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
How does it relate to the environment?
EO is a certified organic, family-owned and -operated manufacturer of bath and body care products based on the traditional healing and therapeutic wisdom of plant-based essential oils. Not only are they safe, gentle, and effective, but they also awaken the senses to enhance natural beauty. Our intention is to bring aromatherapeutic pleasure to the everyday ritual of life.
Keeping the vision alive is my daily work (and passion!), including being the steward of our ingredient selection manifesto, which states:
- We use organic or wild-crafted essential oils whenever possible.
- We use active herbal infusions, which are micro-brewed fresh for every batch.
- We source the highest-quality ingredients from the regions where they thrive naturally.
- We support sustainable, organic agriculture and small family farms.
We also make sure that our raw materials are selected with many criteria in mind, including customer safety, organic availability, product efficacy, and environmental impact.
What are you working on at the moment? Any major projects?
I wear many hats: I develop new products and formulations, design new packaging, manage the finances and our wonderful 25-member team, ensure we have an open, collaborative, engaging work environment, talk to customers, attend trade shows … You get the idea.
When you run a small business, everything can be major depending on the moment. Recently we’ve been involved with Project PROM, working with a group of amazing Bay Area teens to create a perfume for their new “i-line” safe cosmetics to raise awareness of, and alternatives to, toxic ingredients used in daily products.
We created Michael’s Aloe & Lavender Hand Cream to raise funds for our dear and remarkable friend, Michael Keenan, who is in the intensive-care unit at San Francisco General Hospital suffering burns over 80 percent of his body. Truly dogs’ best friend, Michael was house and pet sitting when a fire broke out Feb. 6, 2007. Michael escaped, but returned into the burning apartment building to save Bobby, a Jack Russell terrier.
Whole Foods Market has been an amazing supporter, and recently asked us to create a high-quality all-purpose soap that they could offer their customers. They wanted it to be made from the best ingredients using sustainable agricultural and processing methods. We worked with them for about a year developing a line of three all-purpose soaps made with organic lavender, peppermint, and lemon essential oils. It’s the first time that Whole Foods has ever co-branded with someone else, so it’s very exciting for us.
We recently introduced the first organic hand sanitizer in America. Unlike mass-market sanitizers, which use factory-formulated chemicals to simulate natural smells, ours features organic lavender essential oil, which is naturally soothing and calming to both the skin and the senses and has a pleasant, natural aroma. Organic alcohol, which is made from 100 percent non-genetically modified corn without the use of any harsh chemical denaturants, effectively kills germs and sanitizes on contact. And, of course, our wipes are 100 percent biodegradable wood-pulp towelettes.
How do you get to work?
An eight-minute drive over back roads. It’s about three miles away from where I live.
What long and winding road led you to your current position?
In college, I opened and ran a couple of clothing stores that focused on the hipper fashions of the day (I’m not going to say what time period — OK, it was the late ’70s). After school I decided to move to New York and try my hand at design and merchandising in the biggest fashion city in America. Fortunately, I made some good decisions, had some great people willing to guide me along, and was able to thrive in the city. In 1983, I decided to move to California. My first retail store, in the Castro [District], was called East Coast Girls, the last one was on Sutter Street and was called Susan Griffin, and my grand finale in the clothing trade was at Esprit around 1991.
In 1992, I started to import a small line of aromatherapy products from the U.K. In a weird twist of fate, we were being asked to make products for people here in the U.S. while the U.K. relationship became financially difficult. So we had a decision to make: stop and do something else, or transition into a different company. The decision to transform came rather quickly, and we were off on our own! We started making products for companies like Birkenstock and Rockport, and in 1995 we started making something for Bloomingdale’s. We called it EO. Soon thereafter, we made our own products with EO as the brand. Voila, EO was born.
Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. Now I live in Marin County, Calif.
What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?
I really don’t think that way. Every moment is a teaching moment. Whether I find the outcome unpleasant is not really relevant, because it’s only my view. There’s so much to learn, every day, that I just stay open-minded to new experience. I’ve been a Zen Buddhist student for 15 years, so that helps a lot. Seriously though, when you make it through bad cash flow, layoffs, etc. and stay in business, the stories disappear and gratitude and humility are left in their place with the real truth: all of life is incredibly precious.
What’s been the best?
They keep coming. I really find every day to be the best, because I get to open the doors to a world that I get to participate with on life’s terms. Business is about working with people, and our company is about healing and caring for people. So every day is a blessed moment.
What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?
As a practicing Buddhist, I’m not one to become infuriated much. However, I see the complete lack of regulation around the beauty-care market to be almost criminal — including animal testing and the use of chemicals to create the myriad of products that are woefully unhealthy.
To that end, we created a list of ingredients that we will not use (it also lists the health issues that surround each of them):
- sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate — harsh surfactant that is a known irritant
- diazolidinyl urea — preservative that is considered carcinogenic
- propylene glycol — harsh solvent, synthetic petrochemical mix, and known allergen
- petrolatum — petroleum-derived, tends to interfere with the body’s own natural moisturizing mechanism, leading to dry skin and chapping
- stearalkonium chloride — toxic, carcinogenic chemical used in conditioners and creams
- phthalates — known to cause birth defects
- triethanolamine — toxic chemical, skin irritant
- synthetic fragrances — known irritants which can lead to chemical sensitivities
- synthetic colors — completely unnecessary and considered carcinogenic
Who is your environmental hero?
I have too many to list. But, I’d have to say that Rachel Carson is one of the most courageous people I’ve ever read. She’s amazing. I also find Paul Hawken‘s work to be illuminating and necessary to raise consciousness.
What’s your environmental vice?
Hmm, tough one. Popcorn at the movies? My best friend Margaret O’Leary’s cashmere sweaters? I still have a little of that clothing thing.
How do you spend your free time (if you have any)? Read any good books lately?
I spend a lot of time with my amazing young daughter, and am totally awed by seeing my older son perform his original music with his band The Transfer. I’m on the board of San Francisco Zen Center and spend time practicing and studying Buddhism at Green Gulch. I’m currently reading Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken.
What’s your favorite meal?
An organic one that I don’t have to shop for and cook.
Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?
I’m a Marin mom, baby boomer, Volvo driver, and I get involved in local environmental issues.
What’s your favorite place or ecosystem?
My favorite place is Earth. It’s the only ecosystem we have. After that, I love the coast of California: Green Gulch near Muir Beach, Tassajara in the Carmel Valley, and Big Sur. And let’s not leave out Paris, France, the most beautiful city on the planet.
If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?
I would like to see the cosmetics and beauty industry come clean on the ingredients they use.
Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?
When I was 18, my favorite was Jackson Browne. Now, it’s my son Marc and his band, The Transfer.
What’s your favorite TV show? Movie?
I really don’t watch TV, because I don’t have one. My favorite movies: The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Love and Death. Goya’s Ghosts was incredible.
Which actor would play you in the story of your life?
Ali MacGraw, circa 1975.
If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?
Try to live close to your work. Less driving frees your life up for other pursuits. Be kind to everyone and everything.
Good, Clean Fun
I am a bit disconcerted that EO still contains parabens in many of its products. Does EO intend to phase out parabens? – Laura Kiesel, Washington, D.C.
Susan Griffin-Black of organic body care company EO.
All EO products are paraben-free and have been since April 2006. However, while we stopped formulating and manufacturing products with parabens, some retailers and distributors have backstock of our products, and some of the old (and inaccurate) labels are still out there. — I’d be happy to answer any additional questions or concerns you might have.
How do you respond when someone (a competitor in this case, it seems) claims there is no soap in your soap product? – Rob Jaworski, San Jose, Calif.
Soap is a slippery slope! The FDA defines “soap” as “solely made up of fats and an alkali.” Most body cleansers on the market today are synthetic detergent, formulated to make suds easily and not form gummy deposits. Many of these products are marketed as “soap,” but don’t meet the legal definition of the term.
We at EO acknowledge that true soap removes dirt and germs from skin. However, as an alkaline, it also strips the skin of lipids, causing irritation. In our products, we use gently foaming cleansers with a pH that matches that of human skin, in the 4.5 to 5.5 range — much lower than the pH found in real “soap,” which has a pH of eight or higher.
I was interested in trying out your mature skin facial starter kit — come to find out, you will not be carrying a facial line at all anymore! I’m very sad to hear this — I would have been a loyal customer for this. Why did you drop it? – Cindy Sams, San Jose, Calif.
It’s hard to compete in the skin-care category in our primary retail market. We found that we were doing too many things and were not able to meet the training, sampling, and marketing demands of the marketplace. I agree our face-care products were wholesome and worked great. I would check out my friend Marla’s new line, Duchess Marden — very pure, simple, and effective.
In your interview, you mention EO is “certified organic.” But on your website, I had a hard time finding any products that were USDA “certified organic.” How would you recommend consumers best differentiate between personal care products that have some organic ingredients from products that are totally organic? – Adam Frewitt, Duluth, Minn.
Good question. At EO, our goal is to truly support organic agriculture, truth in labeling, and transparency so our customers are getting the information they need to make decisions. Currently there are no standards for organic personal care products. I’m a founding member of the Organic Trade Association’s Personal Care Task Force, and we’re taking up this issue. Because the supposed organic standards are for food products, it’s a marketer’s paradise out there.
Some of the ingredients used to make effective personal care products may never be able to be truly organic because they are not agriculturally produced. Ingredients that EO uses that are truly organic are herbs, essential oils, and vegetable oils — agricultural ingredients that are grown organically. Read labels carefully, ask a lot of questions, and don’t assume that products that have “organic” as part of their name are actually made from organic ingredients.
What type of packaging do you use for your products? – Kelly Larbes, Cincinnati, Ohio
We currently use PCR, post-consumer resin, because it’s the option we think is best. We are in the midst of working on ways to reduce our plastic consumption and are working with our local recycling plant and our bottle manufacturer to do more of a closed-loop system. We all have to do our best thinking to reduce plastic consumption — it’s a big problem.
Are all components that go into your products certified cruelty free? – Ryan Hamilton, Maite, Guam
Yes. All our products are people-tested, on us. The only animal-derived ingredient we use is beeswax.
I work in a hospital and use foam hand sanitizers nonstop! It’s good to stop the spread of bugs, but I worry about what and how many dangerous chemicals I am absorbing into my body in the meantime. Any thoughts on this, or solutions? – Karen Porte, Denver, Colo.
Check out EO Hand Sanitizer. It’s 62 percent organic alcohol — a healthier option for your skin. Our sanitizers also smell great thanks to plant-based essential oils, and they’re moisturizing.
Is there such a thing as healthy and environmentally friendly lipstick or blush? And if so, where can we get some? – P.M., Washington, D.C.
Yes — check out Jane Iredale, Dr. Hauschka, and EccoBella.
Do you capitalize on the health benefits of red wine in your personal life, and if so, which is your favorite varietal? – Marc Goldberg, Paso Robles, Calif.
Yes. My favorite is Windward Vineyard pinot noir.
