I haven’t posted anything in this blog yet because it is difficult for me to write in Italian. Anyone who knows me personally, or who has ever received an email from me knows that I write Italian pretty strangely. Instead of having my Italian husband translate everything I write into good Italian, I think this blog will be mostly in English. I’m sure my Italian skills will eventually improve, but I’ve only been living in Italy for 3.5 years…. long enough to speak decently, but I still can’t write the language very well.
What is an American girl doing with a natural cosmetics business in Italy? Six years ago I walked the Camino de Santiago by myself; I started in southwest France and walked nearly 1000 km until I reached Finisterre, on the west coast of Spain. Two weeks in, I met and fell in love with an Italian man from Valle d’Aosta and we walked the next 550 km together. A few years later, after working on my second degree in physics, we got married and I moved to Valle d’Aosta, Italy.
There isn’t much for a physicist to do in the middle of the Alps, so I spent years working towards opening my business, Fleur de Lune. Why years? Because it is a lot of work to follow all of the European and Italian regulations regarding cosmetics. I needed to have a special certified laboratory, a technical director, and a lot of documentation for the Italian ministry of health. I was also working on perfecting my recipes! Being a scientist is very useful for formulating cosmetics; it allows me to create my products in such a way that they are not only natural, but also stable and safe to use. It also means that I am constantly experimenting and doing research to make my products even better.
Six months ago, Fleur de Lune officially opened for business. Doing all of the production using traditional artisan methods, labeling, marketing, and sales is a lot to do for one person (I have no one working with me), but it is very satisfying work. It has been a labor of love and passion, and I am so happy to be able to share my creations with all of you!