The Czarina is very, very picky about her cosmetics and skin products, and she is always looking for something new and improved that doesn’t break the bank.

Accordingly, she was very impressed when she met Gina Garrubbo, the CEO of Terralina, at the BlogHer ‘07 convention. Gina is a true entrepreneur who is extremely passionate about creating luxurious skincare products that are all-natural. She was fed up with the existing products on the marketplace and set out to do something about it.

Terralina’s use of olive oil, olive leaf and white tea as major ingredients stands in stark contrast to the list of items that Terralina does not contain: parabens, PEGs, ethoxylates, glycols, acrylates, silicones, or artificial fragrance. The best tool on the Terralina website is the Glossary of ingredients found in Terralina and/or mainstream cosmetic products. Another good idea is the Articles of Interest webpage, where a shopper can read recent articles about ingredients in cosmetics.

Since the Czarina hates to be told what to do (in case it wasn’t obvious yet) she likes that she is able to read articles and make an independent decision about Terralina’s claims. The Articles webpage is reflective of Gina’s confidence in her product. She encourages people to do their own reading and is confident that they will come to the same conclusion that she did: what you put on your skin matters. It matters a great deal.

Follow up:

Terralina is also concerned with green packaging. As a result, the products come packed in corn foam, and the facial cream jar can be reused as a beautiful holder for a tealight candle – an excellent and creative design! Terralina’s product development team is hard at work on a cleanser and a toner, an eye cream, and a moisturizer with SPF.

Right now, according to Stylefool’s focus group, the facial cream is a bit too heavy for every day use in the summer unless you have dry skin, but it absorbs well and isn’t greasy. Come winter, though, a cubicle dweller will probably be happy to have such a rich formulation. It is available for $42 a 1.5 oz jar, which is a bit steep. However, it is likely some of this price is the direct result of the procurement issues and the research and development challenges involved in creating all natural products. It is up to you, dear Citizens, to decide whether a higher price is worth it if it means supporting the mission behind the product. The Czarina tends to think that such a marketplace statement is indeed worth it if you can afford to vote for an idea with your dollars.

The body lotion is light, comes in a fragrance free version, and is also easily absorbed. The lotion comes in 8 oz bottles ($28) or a 1.5 oz travel size ($8), which will keep the TSA lady from appropriating it for “security” reasons.

Since Terralina is new, some patience is required as they expand and start to market their line; but when these products selling at Barney’s for $100 an ounce, don’t come whining to the Czarina if you didn’t get in on the ground floor, because she told you first!

Overall Product Grade for Terralina: A-

Areas of strength: All natural products, quality of product and ingredients, website tools, innovative use of packaging

Areas for improvement: Current lack of diversity of offerings on website, price of face cream