Over 4000 Americans receive a cancer diagnosis every day, according to the American Cancer Society. For Britta Aragon, that is more than just a scary statistic–it is personal. When Aragon was 16, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and, eight years later, cared for her late father, when he was diagnosed with cancer, too. Finding skincare for his highly sensitive, compromised skin was a challenge.
“I witnessed my father be at a loss, we didn’t know how to help him when it came to his compromised skin and nails,” says Aragon. “When I witnessed my father not leaving the house because of a severe rash, I knew this was a quality of life issue, beyond beauty.”
Aragon’s experiences have turned her into a health advocate, author of When Cancer Hits and founder of CV Skinlabs, a skincare line that she formulated with a team of doctors and organic chemists, and created specifically for people with compromised skin: psoriasis, side effects from cancer treatment, side effects from medications for diabetes, eczema, even side effects post laser treatment. The products are built around three main ingredients–turmeric, reishi mushroom and bisabolol–and they are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and have an antihistamine effect.
Aragon has launched a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo, through May 8th, in an effort to raise $65K (or $20K for the first phase) to get her products to doctors and hospitals around the US. “We want to get a sampling campaign in the hands of doctors and nurses in hospitals across the nation, along with a campaign to the top 10 cancer hospitals with education about reducing the toxic load, educating patients about what’s safe enough to put on their fragile skin and how to deal with side effects from treatment,” says Aragon. “This was not in our budget, so we decided to do a 30-day crowd-funding campaign.” If you sign on and donate, not only will you be contributing to a great cause, there is free stuff that will be sent to donors.
Cvskinlabs has been backstage at fashion week and is a celebrity eco-makeup artist standard. The line, with four products and five more in the works, is a cult favorite even among those with normal or sensitive skin. “I really wanted to stay true to the belief that people are loving my line because it brings immediate radiance to the skin,” says Aragon, who adds that products like Rescue Relief and Restorative Balm heal kitchen burns. But in order to get it in the hands of medical professionals, she needs your help now. www.igg.me/at/cvskinlabs