• Keys Last Email Newsletter…New Real-Time News Blog – Subscribe Now!

Beginning in July of 2009, we have added a New Real-Time News Blog to our various social and information sites. We tried the traditional newsletter information resource, but found that it was an obsolete format for today’s instant information world. We created this blog so that you can be informed and not bothered with lengthy monthly broadcasts. Now, you can subscribe using your own preference for how you would like to receive brief summaries of what is been added to the Keys Now blog. Look to the upper right column for the Subscribe Now button and choose how you would like to receive notices of updates to our blog.

Along with the rest of the information resources on Clean Green Café, our blog fulfills the daily information gap we have searched for and refined.

We Care About You!

From our beginning, Keys has been focused on education with a positive intention to help people understand about our products, skin disorders and making sound buying decisions.

We believe it is our responsibility to continually seek out information and share it with our customers. That is why our first website and since has been focused on information, facts and our research as well as other research by scientists, universities and health practitioners.

Keys began with our Keys Central that quickly spread to our CleanGreenCafe.com. Clean Green Café started as an online forum and chat area. It then expanded to include all of the below facets.

• The Café – The Original Forum

• Sound Advice – A Podcast Forum coming soon

• Questions Answered – Our Knowledgebase FAQ Area

• Information Central – Videos, Articles and Information

• Keys Facebook – Social Network

• Keys MySpace – Social Network

Now we add this blog to replace our old fashion newsletter with timely pointed information and replacing our stand alone calendar for events. So, please subscribe using the button to the right and choose the best way to inform you of new posts.

• Keys Solar Rx Ranked #1 Second Year in a Row by the EWG 2009 Sunscreen Report

Once again Keys Solar Rx tops the best and safest sunblock on the Environmental Working Group 2009 Sunscreen Report. Now two years in a row, Solar Rx tops the Moisturizing Category for the safest and most effective sunscreen protection. Wendy Steele, Keys CEO said, “I am thrilled for Keys to be #1 again. I am even more thrilled for the people this report will touch because the EWG has refined this years report to be a significant tool in the prevention of skin cancer in children and adults. By seperating Beach and Sports for everyday sun protection, creating the Mosturizer with Sunscreen category is profound and a huge leap for the advocates of sun protection and sun avoidance. As an Inner Circle member of the Skin Cancer Foundation, I am so proud of this years EWG Sunscreen Report and want to extend my appreciation for the dillegence of the EWG Team! The members of the EWG team that created this report can leave for their 4th of July holiday knowing that they will have saved countless lives. Good On Ya EWG!

Here is the link to the EWG Sunscreen Moisturizers with SPF protection listing

Some significant points in the EWG Sunscreen Report are listed below

Hundreds of all-day moisturizers advertise SPF protection, but 1 in 5 provides poor shielding from harmful UVA rays or breaks down in UV radiation. A new review by FDA scientists attributes an increasing incidence of malignant melanoma among people who work indoors to UVA rays shining through windows onto unprotected skin (Godar 2009).

 EWG’s highest rated moisturizers contain zinc oxide. This stable sunscreen gives broad spectrum protection and doesn’t break down.

 You may not think you need a sunscreen indoors, but windows let through about one-third of the sun’s UVA-1 radiation, the more deeply penetrating UVA rays. This radiation is associated with skin aging and malignant skin cancer. Vitamin D stored in the skin can help kill or arrest the growth of cancer cells, but UVA radiation breaks this vitamin down while spurring faster spread of cancer cells (Godar 2009).

 A recent European study confirms our findings: this research team also found that 1 in 5 moisturizers fail to provide strong UVA protection. And when they exposed 35 moisturizers to 2 hours of UV radiation, 77% of the products lost at least 10% of their SPF strength. These scientists admonish the cosmetics industry to improve UVA protection, and warn their readers that unstable, ineffective sunscreens in moisturizers are “inappropriate” (Sehedic 2009).

 Moisturizer labels don’t normally list warnings common on beach and pool sunscreens to reapply the product often. Most of us rub moisturizers on our skin just once in the morning and assume the UV protection will last.

• How Does Luminos Work…A new generation of makeup by design.

By Bob Root, Keys Technologist

Authors note:  Everywhere I go, women and men  come up to me say, “Show me that Luminos thing you do?”  What they are talking about is a little illusion I do with Luminos that is more than an illusion.  I turn my hands, palms down, show them the back of my hands and then rub Luminos on the back of just one hand.  Two seconds and I show them the back of both hands again, side-by-side.  The Luminos hand is clear, smooth and any redness is gone.  I move from one lighting area to another to show them that the illusion remains in any light. Then I explain how a TV show inspired its creation.  Invariably, the first question is, “How did you do that.”  I answer…Magic!

Painting Faces: Luminos Background – How it began!

Keys was thrust into the Hollywood scene with our Eye Butter.  Invited to present Eye Butter to 300 Hollywood makeup artists I was exposed to a lot of industry jargon.  What struck me the most was that the makeup artists referred to themselves as “face painters.” 

As Eye Butter grew in popularity, I realized that we had something different.  Eye Butter was different than anything else because it softened, illuminated and brightened the eyes.  Makeup artists liked it because they kept telling me that it’s like a clear foundation that hides defects without covering the skin…Eye Butter grabs the makeup and holds it lighter and longer.

I really did not take notice of  until a makeup artist asked me to create a new product for a new TV show.

The challenge was to create a moisturizer foundation that would create a soft focus filter for the skin.  A moisturizer that  would “scatter light to trick the camera” and permit the same makeup to be used indoors and outdoors without needing to change for each lighting situation.

The reason this makeup artist asked me to create this new product was because she noticed that Eye Butter did what she wanted.  She started to use Eye Butter all over the face.  Her request, to do what I did in Eye Butter in a lighter moisturizer form.

I am not a chemist!  My career began in optical physics at a Polaroid Research & Development.  Photographic and printing technology is either an additive or subtractive color.  The best and smoothest color uses subtractive color components.  Today the best photo printers use subtractive technology.  It is why your digital camera pictures look so clean, crisp and vivid.

Makeup has been the same since Cleopatra painted her face.  Solid additive color rubbed, brushed and placed strategically on the face.  Same then as it is now!

What I realized in designing Luminos is that I had shifted from the world of additive to subtractive technology.

What does Luminos do and how does it work?

If you have read anything I have written, you already know I am a geek.  I believe that when you understand why a product works, you know how to better utilize it.  Same is true of Luminos!

The technology is revolutionary to the world of makeup.  It has been around in the world of photography since the late 1800’s.  It is the world of diffraction, diffusion and subtractive color.

Let’s start with the challenge.

Create a moisturizer that creates a soft focus filter for the Skin…not the Camera!

The world of high definition photography, television and motion pictures has made critical and revealing the skin of actors, newscasters and everyday people shot in “high-def.”  The solution for most news broadcasters has been to pull those cameras further back from the person to show space above and below the newscasters  body.  Previously popular torso shots are now becoming full length shots due to high-def cameras showing every detail of the skin!  TV commercial directors and movie makers do not have this luxury.  Everything is in tight and every skin defect shows.

Since the beginning of motion pictures and then TV, the solution was to put a filter on the camera to soften the look.  Below are two pictures.  The shot on the left uses a soft focus filter and the one on the right, Luminos!

 In the world of High-Def, everything has to be sharp and crisp.  High-Def cameras are often four times as sharp, crisp and revealing as old film and television.  The early solution was to use more and more makeup.  As motion pictures and television tried to make the actors look more natural and less phony, conventional makeup did just the opposite.  Also, as the green movement took over Hollywood, that dead dry mineral makeup look was changed out to a youthful glow.

The natural look is in and age is no longer an excuse.  Young actors with outstanding skin like Rachel McAdams do not want to hide it.  Now in her 40’s Mary Louise Parker has gorgeous skin and does not want to hide it.  Using any form of opaque makeup covers and hides…and everyone knows it.  It has become a huge challenge for the professional makeup artist.

Analyzing what I had created with Eye Butter is not a cover-up, but a new direction in makeup called refraction.

How Eye Butter works and now Luminos is that it does not cover up, but diffuses the light in such a way as to trick not only the camera, but the eye.  To understand, you have to know the difference between traditional makeup and the new field of transparent natural foundations.  Now, rather than an opaque multi-layer foundation made from minerals and then layering color, we propose that the new look is a Keys diffraction foundation, adding spot color to enhance.  Instead of hiding the skin using layers of thick base, with Luminos the skin glows evenly and softens the skin without a filter on the camera.  Luminos is truly like a soft focus filter for the skin!

Here is an illustration of how Luminos works.  Notice that the geometric field is all clear and sharp.  This is like the world of High Definition photography.  Imagine, the glass represents a face in high def.  The top part of this glass represent the principle of the Luminos refractive technology and at the bottom, traditional makeup.  The light at the top of the glass is soft and smooths the background without hiding it.  At the bottom, not only is the background displaced, there is also no definition to the surface of the glass.  The glass is “flat” photographically and lifeless.  It looks painted on because the natural surface of the glass is covered-up.  It clearly looks covered up and unreal.

The top of the glass, especially at the edges maintains the look of the glass, preserves its shape and the feeling that it is real.  Yet, if you look closely, something unusual is happening.  The edges look soft, but they are not, the center looks sharp, but it is not.  Notice, that the grid lines are bent and are not the same size.  They change shape as the glass curves and at the very edge, they actually reverse their shape creating this very soft focus effect.  Imagine that the same happens as the glass turns or the light changes.  The bottom never changes.  It always looks flat and worse, it looks painted on.

 I see dead people!

I have always appreciated the work of makeup artists.  My early days in photography found me involved with a number of TV commercials.  Then shot on film, soft focus was a common effect.  Still, makeup was beautiful and the makeup artist a master of illusion.  The look was soft, glowing and radiant.  Then as mineral makeup became popular, I could see its effect, and I would tell Wendy, “I see dead people!”  Now that the look is obsolete, I am stunned to still see people with that lifeless white Geisha look.  Spending a great deal of my time in Hollywood and LA, I am pleased to see the continuing new skin trend of “the natural glow is in!” 

The understand how we do it, you have to understand how regular makeup works.

Since the beginning of the use of makeup, sometimes referred to as “War Paint,” the process is to mix minerals, plant materials, fruit extracts et al to cover the skin with foundation to hide some areas and then color to accentuate others.

 This is a micrograph on various minerals used to create a powder foundation.  The first thing you notice is that they are all opaque and they have rough jagged edges.  Opaque means that it hides the skin and the jagged edges cut the light creating hard focus effects by chattering the light.  Remember the bottom of the glass and how it looks painted on.  As I started to look at the problem of creating a soft focus filter for the skin while letting the true color and texture of natural skin show through, I tuned to optical physics.

I wanted to create an effect and affect for the skin.  Said differently, I wanted to make a product that brought life into the skin, making it healthy and glowing.  Then I wanted to be able to create an effect of soft focus, diffusion and diffraction.  To do this, I knew I had to use ingredients that are transparent and spherical.  Totally the opposite of the mineral makeup foundation pictured above.  It had to be smooth and change the pattern of light from sharp angles to soft shapes that act like millions of little lenses.  To do this, it took three elements.  Ingredients, ingredient processing and manufacturing process. 

 This image illustrates how Luminos is different from the picture of the mineral makeup.  In the process of choosing ingredients like Aloe Vera, Shea Butter and exotic oils, we first look at how each ingredient is created.  For example, we buy pharmaceutical grade Aloe Vera with high polysaccharide levels and that are processed using a freeze drying technique to create small crystals that when combined in our manufacturing process using ultrasonic blending creates transparent spheres similar to those illustrated here.  Again, remembering the illustration of the glass, they diffuse, diffract and refract the light.

 Enough for the theory and science. Let’s bring it into the real world of everyday makeup and skin care.

Above is an image of one of our actor models that uses Luminos at work.  To the naked eye, you can clearly see the difference between her left and right.  What is important to realize is that it is only an illusion.  The light from the Luminos side is diffracted and refracted creating the illusion of less redness and smooth finish.

Looking at a tighter view of both her cheeks is even clearer that there is a difference.  But, there is really no difference, it is merely bending the light coming from her skin and creating a soft focus illusion on the skin without hiding the texture of her skin.  The natural beauty comes through while a glow hides slight imperfections. (You can click on the image above for even a tighter view)

 Back to science, The images below are texture maps that emphasize the defects and differences between the Luminos side and the uncovered side.

The first map is commonly called a “plastic wrap” of the skin.  The high contours on the side without the Luminos, shows areas that are inconsistent.  The Luminos side is smoother with much fewer contours.  Notice also the sharp definition on the non-Luminos side at the edge of the mask.  The corona on the Luminos side is softer and less “edgy.”   Also notice the lifting effect on the Luminos side versus the droop on the non-Luminos side.  Again, all illusion.

Now for what we call the “hard-edge filter”.  This texture map, above,  finds all the hard edges of the skin.  Bumps, imperfections, blotches and freckles show as distinct colors and shapes.  You can clearly see that the non-Luminos side shows many more shapes and color variations indicating imperfection in perceptual light.  The Luminos side is smoother and cleaner looking with fewer imperfections

 Yes, it is a sort of before and after, but the difference is that this is an illusion. Perception being reality, Luminos is a soft-focus filter for the skin that is much more than a high definition photography tool.  What the cameras sees or in this case does not see, so does the eye.  Luminos is great for everyone that wants that glow and also wants the true person to shine through.  Yes, it adds some illusion making the skin look brighter, clearer and healthier. 

You don’t have to be a Hollywood actor to appreciate Luminos and Eye Butter.  In fact, only a small percentage of Luminos sold is used for high-def.  The majority of our customers use it every day to look more youthful.  We hear lots of fun reports from people that are now calling it their “date night regime”.  Even more say they are going from work to be with friends or out for the evening because of Luminos.

Yes, it is natural and chemical-free.  It will affect your skin health.  That is an article unto itself.  The clear message from the above is the you will look more natural and Luminos will let the real you shine through.

The change in regime is to replace your covering foundation with Luminos.  Then add your favorite color to those areas you want to accentuate.  You will notice the difference, your friends will notice and that special someone will probably comment on the new you!

 Try it yourself.  The next time you order your Keys products, add Luminos as your free travel size.  Take a special weekend break and be daring.  Wear just Luminos and see if the people closest to you notice.  See if you notice.  Then on Monday wear Luminos with your favorite eye makeup and lipstick.  Instead of taking 45 minutes to get the “natural look,” take 5 and a really go natural the Luminos way.

Remember it is all just illusion in a natural sort of way.

 The combination of Luminos and Eye Butter perfects the look of a natural glow for the evening and indoors.  Solar Rx is fundamentally Luminos with UVA and UVB protection.  Solar Rx is your daytime version of Luminos.  When you are going to be outside, in an office near windows or driving, substitute Solar Rx for Luminos and you will get the same illusion and with the assurance of being protected from harmful UVA and UVB radiation.  UVA and UVB are the number one cause of visible skin againg.  In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation says that 90% of all visible skin aging comes from UVA.

At Keys we believe that natural is always better than synthetic.  We believe that both Eye Butter, Luminos and Solar Rx represent a new era in makeup.  One where natural is not only better for you, safer and healthier; it is better, prettier and more attractive.

• Keys Featured in Super Natural Home book by Beth Greer. Interviews Bob Root, Keys Technologist and Founder on her radio show “Super Natural Mom”.

Beth Greer had been living what she considered a healthy lifestyle when a medical crisis prompted her to reevaluate everything—from the food she ate to the personal-care products she used and the environment she lived in. Now, in Super Natural Home, she shows the alarming extent of the dangerous chemicals we unwittingly expose ourselves to every day. As she did in her own life, she invites readers to put their lives under a microscope—to scrutinize what Americans put in and on their bodies and bring into their homes—and to make personal choices that will enable them to “live clean” in a toxic world.

The straightforward, solutions-based approach of Super Natural Home— complete with quizzes to help identify and correct potential toxic hot zones—speaks directly to what environment-conscious consumers really need: ultra-practical advice on what they can do right now to limit exposure to the poisons that are endangering them and their children. At a time when impeccable scientific research points to an alarming correlation between common chemical compounds and cancers, allergies, psychiatric disorders, and birth defects, among other serious health concerns, Super Natural Home gives consumers the tools to start protecting themselves and their families.

Keys is featured on Page 99 as Beth’s favorite sunblock because it is safe and effective

• Keys Featured in G-Free Diet book by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

New Gluten-Free book by Elisabeth Hasselbeck of “The View” ABC Television Talk Show has featured Keys Solar Rx in the book.  Keys Solar Rx has been listed as the most effective moisturizing sunscreen by the EWG , Consumer Reports and is now featured by Elisabeth because it is also gluten-free.

The View cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck brings gluten-free living into the spotlight as the next big movement in health and wellness.

For years, Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn’t pinpoint what was making her sick. She consulted doctors and nutritionists, but no one seemed to have any answers. It wasn’t until she was close to starving in the Australian Outback, living off the land as a contestant on Survivor, that, ironically, her symptoms vanished. Returning home, she identified the food ingredient that made her ill—gluten, the binding element in barley, oats, wheat, and rye. By simply eliminating it from her diet, she was able to enjoy a completely normal, healthy life.

Hasselbeck also discovered the myriad benefits that anyone can enjoy from a gluten-free diet, from weight loss and increased energy to improved attention span and quicker digestion.

In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck arms you with the tools you need to start living a gluten-free life—from defining gluten and targeting gluten-free food and beauty products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, dining out, maintaining a G-free diet at home or away, and managing G-Free living with family and friends.

Keys Solar Rx was also featured on the CBS Early Show.

One of the premier conferences every year for and about women is the California Women’s Conference hosted by Maria Shriver and the Governor of California. This year, Keys was honored to be invited as one of the sponsors of the conference being asked to have our Luminos be included in the speakers’ gift bags. Many conferences permit vendors to buy their way into participation. For this conference it is an invitation only honor that delighted us to receive.

There will be 118 speakers from the entire globe that includes Sir Richard Branson, Kelly Preston, Maria Shriver and numerous noteworthy speakers. Click Here for a complete list of speakers.

The conference covers a wide array of topics and is a concentrated two day event. Keys will also be partnering with some of our retailers in Southern California and will be exhibiting our full line of products.

Key Luminos continues to gain momentum as one of the hottest products in the Hollywood TV, Motion Picture and for Television Commercials. The illusionary effects and glowing skin resulting from Luminos has caused quite a stir from the like of “LA Candy” and is well known by director of photography and makeup artists in the industry. No surprise it will be a significant part of this year’s gift bag to every speaker.

The Women’s Conference is the nation’s premier forum for women and is hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Conference, also known as The California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women, has grown from a California initiative for working professionals into an international network of women from all walks of life, backgrounds and perspectives, and a life-changing experience for the thousands of women who have attended. The mission of The Women’s Conference is to inspire, empower and educate women to be Architects of Change in their own lives and in the lives of others. This year the Conference has expanded to two full days of speakers, sessions and events.

What is The Women’s Conference?

The Women’s Conference is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation. The annual Conference unites more than 80 internationally-acclaimed leaders, visionaries and authors with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more online, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, self-empowerment and life lessons. To extend the power and reach of The Women’s Conference, a new website, www.womensconference.org, was launched in July 2009. The Women’s Conference is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization.

When is The Women’s Conference?

This year, The Women’s Conference 2009 will be held on Tuesday, October 27. And, for the first time, the Conference has been expanded to two full days — with our new A Day of Transformation sessions and Night at The Village on Monday, October 26.

Who will be speaking this year?

A full list of speakers will be announced on July 13th.

Where is The Women’s Conference?

Since 2004, the Conference has been held at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

How do you purchase tickets for The Women’s Conference?

Online ticket registration begins Monday, July 13, 2009, at 9 AM PDT.

• Keys on Weeds Showtime Series

Congratulations to the Weeds team for all your Emmy Nominations!!!   Special congrats to Mary Louise Parker, Elisabeth Perkins and the entire Weeds team.
Keys on Weeds
Well we think it is true. We heard from an informant that Keys will be featured on Episode 10 of the hit Showtime Series “Weeds.” We have been working with the team using Solar RX and Luminos along with some of our other products. Rumor has it that some of our products will be seen during the episode in a bathroom scene.

Keys has been extremely popular in Hollywood because our Luminos and Solar Rx provide a soft focus effect for the skin. This illusion of reducing fine lines and smoothing the skin is especially important in the world of high definition photography. Keys has been used now in a number of television commercials, motion pictures and TV shows like Weeds