Skin care products build up a following
UPPER MERION» It’s tough to overestimate the retail power of a pleasant scent wafting across the morning breeze at an open air market.
Aromatherapy may be just one of the healing benefits of the therapeutic blends of herbs and essential oils available at Balanced Natural Skincare Apothecary, but there’s no denying its appeal as a sales device that beckons to market shoppers at Upper Merion Farmers Market every Saturday.
“The essential oils have very pleasant aromas, and sometimes people will walk by but then they backtrack to find out about it,” noted Balanced Natural Skincare Apothecary founder and formulator Diann Poole, who is now in her second year at the market selling the natural skin care products she meticulously crafts herself, such as soap, body wash, face wash and skin toner.
“If a person stops long enough to find out about the products, they learn about the effectiveness. Once I engage them in a discussion about my products it gave them a moment to reconsider, and if they were kind of on the fence about it I give them a sample and tell them to try it. ‘If you like it, come back.’ Once people try the products and see the effectiveness they come back to buy them. I gave out a lot of free samples last year and I would say 60 percent of the people came back to purchase,” said Poole, who is also at Twilight-on-the-River in Bridgeport, which runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. along the riverfront behind Frosty Falls ice cream shop, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from May to October.
“Now I have Upper Merion Farmers Market regulars coming in all the time, and sometimes if they can’t come themselves they’ll send a relative,” Poole said, laughing. “They’re seeing such positive results from using the skin toner or the soap or face wash and they don’t want to run out. And that makes me feel very encouraged when that happens.”
The early response to the Balanced line, which is also available at Opal Rose Artisanal Wellness in Boyertown and on etsy.com, was just the encouragement Poole needed when she left behind the corporate world to pursue her passion not long ago.
“I felt like if I was going to do this, as I was nearing retirement age, now was the time,” said the
King of Prussia resident. “I felt it was time to invest in me.”
As it turned out, her experience as a print purchasing agent for an investment services company proved to be an asset when it came to packaging her products.
“I can make educated decisions
about what I want to handle in the packaging aspect and the graphic design,” noted Poole, who designed the brand’s labels and the eye-catching signage she uses at the markets.
While the name of the business, Balanced Natural Skincare Apothecary, hopefully conveys the heart of the venture, Poole will take the time to explain the concept with anyone who is curious.
Credentialed by such online sources as the accredited organic skin care school Formula Botanica, Poole wanted the “apothecary” aspect of the business’ name to shine because she hopes to dramatically grow that side of the enterprise that strongly compliments holistic medicine.
“I wanted to add the apothecary in the name because there are other products I want to add, but as
a startup I had to keep my product line pretty tight. At some point it will be either skin care or apothecary and you can make a decision based on what your needs are,” explained Poole, who received guidance from a Small Business Administration’s SCORE Association counselor.
“He keeps me on track with tracking expenses tracking and streamlining and targeting my business
plan,” she said.
One of Poole’s top selling products at Upper Merion Farmers Market is a Joint and Muscle Pain Balm, featuring lavender, burdock, juniper, rosemary and other healing ingredients, combined to “soothe joint pain and relieve sore and tired muscles, reduce muscle tension, arthritic pain and stiffness,” according to the description.
“I get great feedback on the muscle joint pain salve,” Pool said. “I use a blend of analgesic (pain relieving) herbs and essential oils. The relieving properties are felt immediately due to the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.”
Upper Merion Farmers Market is located at 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia. Hours are Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine, through mid-November.