Published January 8, 2009

NEW HARTFORD-According to historical documents, Queen Elizabeth I of England and high society women during the Renaissance bathed in donkey's milk to nourish their skin. While the practice has certainly been discontinued among modern women, discerning women continue to steer clear of harmful chemical ingredients in favor of those on the more natural end of the spectrum when it comes to skin care.

Two New Hartford women, Kim Grustas and Grace Petrarca, found a surprising void in the products available to their adolescent daughters and have created their own alternative to Neutrogena and Clean and Clear, launching Good For You Girls last October. Their efforts have paid dividends in many ways, including having their venture selected as a finalist in a national product search contest called The Next Big Thing, which has them being showcased in Dallas later this month.

"We know we're doing a good thing for our girls and we want to share that," said Mrs. Petrarca.

She and Mrs. Grustas have been friends for 10 years. Mrs. Petrarca's background is in finance, specifically banking, while Mrs. Grustas' career focused on national marketing and branding. Currently, in addition to fostering the growth of Good For You Girls and being a full-time mother, Mrs. Petrarca is finishing a master's degree in Ayurvedic Medicine with the intent of becoming an alternative medicine practitioner. Ms. Grustas runs her own advertising agency, representing two national clients.

Before creating their new venture, though, both women were dedicated to natural and organic products, beginning with using only natural baby care products when their children were young. Roughly a year ago, when one of Mrs. Petrarca's daughters wanted to start her own face washing regimen, the two friends stopped at Whole Foods. Scouring a beauty aisle stocked with lotions, creams, body washes and face washes for babies, they discovered nothing suitable for pre-teen skin.

"This whole demographic was left out," explained Mrs. Grustas.

Despite how massive an industry beauty and skin care products are, the focus seems to almost exclusively be on the baby and adult age groups. This leaves 9- to 15-year-old bracket with only the selection of mainstream products, some of which are proving to be harmful. A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group identified 16 chemicals associated with hormone disruption in blood and urine samples from adolescent girls who regularly used big name skin care and cosmetic brands.

"The body doesn't know what to do with them," Mrs. Grustas said of the chemicals. "They act as synthetic estrogens."

As the skin absorbs 60 percent of what it comes in contact with, ingredients such as synthetics, petrochemicals, parabens and dye can have consequences. Mrs. Grustas explained that a pre-teen girl's body is waiting for estrogen signals to begin puberty. When a paraben masks itself as a synthetic estrogen, which the body in turn reads as a natural hormone, the chemical actually triggers the natural changes.

Another Environmental Working Group study found that girls are beginning puberty on average two years earlier than their counterparts in the 1940s. While Mrs. Grustas and Mrs. Petrarca admit that commercial face washes are not the sole architect of a larger problem, they felt it was an angle they could target.

"We're here to educate and provide this one and only skin care for girls," said Mrs. Petrarca.

The Good For You Girls kit offers a gentle cleanser, an alcohol-free toner and an oil-free moisturizer. The citrus scent originated from the focus group sessions of the two women's daughters and their friends. The lengthy list of natural and organic ingredients composing the three formulas came from five months of Mrs. Petrarca's diligent and sometimes uncompromising collaboration with a California chemist.

The two friends designed their products not only to follow on the heels of what mothers would choose for their babies, but also to draw girls into using all-natural products from an early age. Most women eliminate chemicals from their diets and beauty routines when pregnant, but with Good For You Girls the habits can be established much sooner.

The overall packaging and the interactive Web site, continuing a commitment to an environmentally friendly and educational impact, seems likely to attract their target market. Adorned with pink and green flowers and featuring the women's cartoon alter egos, Good For You Girls is the colorful, imaginative actualization of Mrs. Petrarca's and Mrs. Grustas' collective knowledge as mothers and a celebration of what it is means to be a girl.

On Jan.16, the two friends fly to Dallas to appear at the Dallas FINDS Temp Show of the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market. Good For You Girls was selected as one of three finalists in "The Next Big Thing," a national product search contest.

New merchandise is also in the works, including a blemish line, a body wash, an all natural deodorant, a spot treatment pimple stick and shimmering lotion with pink mica. The current skin care kit, which retails for $24.99, is currently sold at Passiflora Café in New Hartford, Studio Hair in Burlington and Garden of Light Natural Foods in Glastonbury, as well as the Web site. With the help of three distributors, it will go national by March.

Written under the folded flap of each kit, Mrs. Petrarca and Mrs. Grustas have placed their last touch. A tiny message reads, "True beauty comes from within. Respect yourself and take time to see the beauty in others."

"We're very proud of what we've done," Mrs. Grustas said. "And our girls think we're pretty cool."
For more information, visit the Web site www.goodforyougirls.com or any of the products on this site are organic and suitable for children and adults alike.