Shopping the all-natural aisle has become a more and more beautiful experience these past few years. One woman we have to thank for that is Pam Helms, Chief Innovation Officer for The Caldrea Company and the creative guide behind so many beautiful natural brands for the home. Brands like Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea Essential Collection, which Ms. Helms has helped to guide, have utterly transformed our kitchens and bathrooms. Our crew here at TCM is marginally obsessed with keeping unattractive-looking items out of these somewhat sacred spaces and these brands always thrill us with their beautiful bottles, non-toxic formulas and swoon-worthy scents!
Now Caldrea is branching into aroma-therapeutic body care. As she branches into beauty, we asked Pam to tell us a bit about what inspires her, the new products on her radar and what she thinks will come next in an industry over-flowing with exciting innovations…
- Moment that sparked your passion...
An early experiment and evaluation of meadowfoam seed oil on hair – it was amazingly effective, even more so than comparative synthetic raw materials under evaluation; it was aesthetically beautiful growing out in the fields; and it was a sustainable and cruelty free substitute for animal-derived conditioning and shine enhancers. I was struck by the ability of this single natural material to simply solve a variety of problems and thought, "It can’t be the only one!"
- Product you're most proud of:
The Tea Olive Lime
rollerball perfume. We have had fragrance fans all through our company history with many requests to turn our cleaning fragrances into personal perfumes because they have been so sophisticated, fresh and well liked. To be able to meet this desire within our new collection is a thrill and an honor! The rollerball perfume is preciously packaged and for added skin benefit includes angelica root extract and linden flower extract – fragrance plus function! - Ingredients you avoid:
phthalates, artificial colors, parabens, synthetic polymers, formaldehyde and its derivatives.
- Trends you love seeing...
Small batch. Made in the USA. Creative sustainable and beautiful packaging innovations. Broader wellness focus. And bar soaps!
- Brands that inspire you:
Patyka, Sponge, Love & Toast, Shiseido, Annick Goutal and The Different Company.
- Favorite design inspirations:
Kate Spade, Camper, J Crew, Best Made, Hay and Tom Ford.
- Sites you love:
Brain Pickings, Design Sponge, Matchbook, This is Glamorous, Sweet Paul, NuboNau, Zaega, Osmoz, Pinterest.
- Always on your desk:
Fragrance samples, blotters, Caldrea hand balm, multiple likenesses of my beloved dachshund, product samples, colorful Moleskine notebooks and a good pencil or two.
- Scent you'll never get enough of:
Lilacs.
- Scent of the moment:
Anise/fennel. Not all by itself, but nicely and subtly intertwined with citrus and florals – adds a sophisticated, cool freshness.
- Brands in your beauty bag:
Caldrea, Dr. Hauschka, Eminence, Burt’s Bees, Aveda and Tata Harper.
- Trends happening in natural products:
Continual betterment of product attribute aesthetics – natural products used to be a bit “chunky, greasy, coarse" which is no longer true; wild crafted botanicals; wider acceptance and application of bio-dynamic agriculture practices.
- Obsession-worthy product in your new line:
Oh, difficult to choose between the body oil and rollerball perfume! But truly, the body oil is one that will bring people back again and again for its incredible moisturization, skin glow and softening abilities – all delivered in an elegant, non-greasy, pleasing-to-apply formula. The natural oils of sweet almond, chia, rice bran, grapeseed, apricot kernel, and avocado are perfectly balanced to help deliver nutrients, anti-oxidants and anti-aging benefits to the skin.
