The face behind the name
Along with his wife Ulrike, German-born Dr Jurgen Klein, a biochemist and naturopath, is the name behind the natural skin care brand Jurlique. Having set up the first natural products/aromatherapy company in Germany in 1972, the Kleins emigrated to South Australia, and founded Jurlique in 1985, combining aromatherapy, alchemy and homeopathy with traditional organic and bio-dynamic farming methods. The products sell in more than 5,000 outlets in 20 countries worldwide, and the company has established two charitable organisations that research complementary treatments for chronic illnesses. Jurlique recently opened a new concept store with integrated treatment rooms at 30 Des Voeux Road, Central.
Why did you start Jurlique? In the 1970s, most established beauty brands sold only chemical-based products and there was so much junk on the market. I knew I could do better and wanted to create the purest skin care on earth. We were the first to use words like 'holistic'' and 'natural'' and people thought we were mad. But we wanted to set a trend for the future and even though we were 15 to 20 years ahead of our time, we did.
What is the secret to your success? Integrity and truth. We do everything on our herb farm and pharmaceutical-standard factory in South Australia, from growing the plants to formulating and manufacturing products so it means we can control and guarantee quality. We don't lie to our customers about what we do or what our products can do. I call all this craziness 'skin scare'', creating fear of getting old. It has been made up by marketing men to make women insecure enough to buy products with big promises, which never deliver. We offer skin care, nurturing and pampering.
Will you break into the decorative cosmetics market? Not in a major way. We are limited because we don't use toxic pigments, which are dangerous for the skin and health. Jurlique uses only natural-based earth pigments so we can't do the high-fashion colours in the same way as other brands. We sell eight lipsticks and have recently released some prototype natural foundations, which look, feel and perform well. Compact powders will follow.
What about the next big beauty trend? Women will see through quick-fix treatments and the demand for natural products will get stronger. You can't outfox nature and you'll eventually see the bad and long-term side effects of having overused chemicals. Take Botox injections. Great, your wrinkles are gone for a while because your face muscles have been paralysed. But after four months you need another injection, then it only takes three months before you need more and later on in life your skin will look much older than if you had left it alone.
What is your secret to great skin? As long as skin is radiant, healthy-looking and glowing, it doesn't matter whether you have a few wrinkles. You have to eat well most of the time, drink a lot of water and nurture your skin naturally from the inside and out. It is important to care for skin from an early age to prevent attacks from the environment. We come into contact with so many harmful chemicals and free radicals - air-conditioning, traffic and especially polluted air. Your skin and body are like a car. If you maintain them constantly, you'll need only minor repairs.