Keys Natural Skincare & Beauty (Probiome) was born after co-founder Wendy Steele was diagnosed with and beat melanoma. The cancer was gone, but she was still dealing with some nasty side effects on her skin – itchy, irritated patches that were just made worse by sticky sunscreens. Her then-boyfriend (now husband) Bob Root decided to take matters into his own hands and researched the work of everyone from Harvard MDs to aboriginal healers.

The products that Bob developed for Wendy worked great for her, so together they decided to start manufacturing for the public. We sat down with Bob to discuss their products, how the company got started, and his best advice for people looking to switch to natural skincare.

Smallflower: The Keys story starts with Wendy’s bout with Melanoma and her struggles with ineffective treatments for the subsequent skin troubles. As you were first working on products with Wendy, when did you realize that you were on to something bigger than a one-off personal solution?

Bob Root: Wendy’s Melanoma came at a time where our core business was brand marketing consulting for major tech and pharmaceutical companies.  I shared prototype products with the pharma people and they encouraged us to develop the first four products.  We sold online only, and the big break came in 2007 when Consumer Reports Magazine ranked Solar Rx number one in its category.

At the same time, the Environmental Working Group ranked Keys’ four products number one in each of their respective categories.  Now at 43 products, we continue to have the safest ratings on the EWG.  This series of events caught the attention of over 500 retailers which increased the brand awareness.  Over the years, we’ve continued to work with integrity, avoiding high-volume big-box store lures.

Parabens and Triclosan destroy good and bad bacteria collaterally.  This imbalance allows bad bacteria to attack the skin.  I firmly believe that greater than 50 percent of diagnosed skin disorders are caused by products containing parabens and triclosan.Probiome is our registered trademark for products that restore the balance on the skin.  We do this with formulations that promote good bacteria growth on the skin, similarly to how probiotics restore the flora in the gut. The difference is that gut flora can be promoted by adding breeder bacteria.  Skin needs an environment that attracts natural growth of the skin flora.

Natural instead of conventional is a good first step.  Natural oils that promote growth is the real answer.  Our products are the real deal, because they use the right ingredients of the highest quality and in therapeutic proportions.

S: For someone who is new to natural skincare products, what’s the single best piece of advice you can give them?

BR: Read the label – if you can’t recognize the names of the ingredients, don’t buy it. Find a manufacturer that you trust implicitly.

Also, vote with your wallet.  It will change the world faster than donating to Non-Governmental Organizations.  Manufacturers follow the money.

It blossomed into a series of products that offer a non-petroleum jelly carrier for solution-oriented products.  So we will continue to replace the top ten used solution-oriented products that have petrolatum as its carrier with AvoJel.

Another hot project is bio-based 3D printing of skin cells as a catalyst for age-reversing skin repair.  It’s really out there, but it’s where I’m headed.  It’s more than anti-aging, it’s un-aging.

S: What’s one Keys product that nobody should be without?

BR: For anti-aging, Solar Rx. We use no chemical sunscreens, only pure uncoated zinc oxide in a natural lotion base. Solar Rx is for those who want to avoid the extreme aging effects of UVA and UVB on a daily basis.