Local entrepreneur and mom helps customers stay healthy and beautiful
Marj Melchiors, founder of Cosmetics Without Synthetics, started her business 20 years ago out of a need to share chemical-free makeup and skincare products with others. Suffering from allergies and chemical sensitivity since childhood, Melchiors had always sought out personal care and cosmetic products with minimal ingredients. After a 13-year professional career as an interior designer, she started her natural cosmetics company as a mail-order business so she could stay home with her two young daughters. Melchiors heavily researched every product line she sold to make sure the ingredients were truly toxin-free. In the late 1990s, online shopping had not yet gained popularity, so she had to advertise in magazines. Two years later, she decided to build the website allnaturalcosmetics.com in order to reach more people. At that time, she was one of very few companies in the U.S. selling natural cosmetics online.
The customer base continued to grow just as quickly as Melchiors’ daughters, and eventually she had to move the business out of her home and hire a staff. Due to many requests from customers wanting even fewer ingredients in their makeup than what was in the brands she carried, Melchiors developed the award-winning Earth’s Beauty® line of loose powdered arrowroot makeup. This led to the development of additional in-house brands.
“We are proud of all of the companies we represent,” Melchiors said. “From Arizona-based companies, such as DeVita and Organic Excellence, to Rocky Mountain’s Wild Sage and Malaysia’s Paul Penders, to name a few.”
Today, the website shows over 400 products, of which most can be purchased as a sample size first.
Because natural cosmetics grew to be so in-demand among customers, Melchiors opened her first retail store in Prescott Valley, several years ago, along with spa services at the location. The most popular items sold at the boutique include lipstick, moisturizers and a new fast-selling product, which is a water spray that hydrates and heals the skin. The boutique also highlights gift items that are made by local artists. Due to the longevity of Melchiors’ presence in the natural cosmetics world, she is often asked to give presentations to small groups. She will be traveling to the East Coast later this year to display her products at a medical symposium addressing the topic of cancer.
With so much time and experience behind her, Melchiors’ vision has not changed. She is determined to educate the public about the dangers of putting chemicals onto one’s skin, and committed to providing her customers with the best cosmetics without synthetics.
All Natural Cosmetics Boutique & Spa is located at 8504 E. State Route 69 in Prescott Valley. Phone is 928-772-0119.
