Camphor, menthol, capsaicin, sulfur and tea tree oil are just a few well-known natural remedies to common quandaries such as back pain, chest congestion or acne. Earth’s Care Natural Products, Inc., a family owned, Long Beach, CA-based manufacturer of topical therapeutic products, recently harnessed these winning components in a new line of over-the-counter (OTC) products now sold at stores like Whole Foods.
 
The Earth’s Care product line ($6.99-$19.99)—from pain relief to acne treatment—offers consumers a highly effective therapeutic line of naturally formulated drug alternatives, and an option to traditional OTC drugs and even homeopathic remedies, said the company.
The products are free of petrolatum, artificial colors or fragrances, parabens and phthalates. Manufactured in the US in the company’s FDA-regulated facility, Earth’s Care products are a new option for consumers seeking natural relief for a variety of conditions including dry and damaged skin, joint and muscle pain, bruising and more.
 
 “Today, there are many excellent natural alternatives to the synthetic ingredients commonly found in OTC drug products,” said Carlos Kessaris, sales and marketing director of Earth’s Care. “We are dedicated to the continuing development of a unique, highly therapeutic line of formulated products that meet or exceed the performance of many mainstream OTC drug items, but use natural ingredients to the extent possible.
 
“After many years of research, testing and ingredient sourcing, we have developed innovative, high efficacy drug products made almost exclusively from proven and naturally-derived ingredients,” added Kessaris.
 
The entire Earth’s Care range encompasses 20 products, with featured items including Pain Relieving Ointment, Acne Spot Treatment with Natural Bentonite and Colloidal Oatmeal, Acne Treatment Mask with Natural Kaolin and Colloidal Oatmeal, Arthritis Cream with Capsaicin, Anti-Itch Cream with Camphor and Menthol and blended with Shea Butter and Almond Oil, and Dry and Cracked Skin Balm with Shea Butter, Arnica montana and Cajeput Oil and Tea Tree Oil Balm with Shea Butter and Vitamin E. The newest addition to the line is a Muscle & Joint Rub with Camphor and Arnica montana.
 
The products feature sustainable packaging as well. As a member of the organization 1% for the Planet, Earth’s Care donates 1% of its worldwide revenue to organizations that work to preserve and protect the environment. Earth’s Care’s box packaging is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and uses wind-powered box printing.
 
According to Kessaris, Earth’s Care only recently launched to a broad consumer base in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, which means that entire product line is new to most consumers.
 
“The OTC medicines in our line are designed for thoseconsumers seeking natural relief without losing the efficacy of over-the-counter products. With this in mind, we first targeted distribution in independents and chains selling primarily natural products. We established a broker network in certain regions of the country in the first half of 2013. Concurrently, we submitted our products to Whole Foods and other key retailers and were pleased to make strong distribution gains shortly thereafter,” he told Happi.
 
In the US and Puerto Rico, the brand is in selected stores of Whole Foods Markets, Earth Fare, New Leaf, Central Market and various independents. At the end of 2013, the interest in Earth’s Care had increased and the sales were strong, so it decided to launch in Canada.The SKUs are now in Whole Foods and selected independents in the Canadian market too.
 
“We had a robust first year in the market with good growth in both the US and Canada,” Kessaris said. “We plan to capitalize on this momentum by promoting greater trial of our products, while helping to make consumers and retailers more aware of the effectiveness of our line for a number of skin conditions as well as our focus on using natural ingredients whenever possible.  In addition, we have interest from some other countries around the world, and we plan to explore those opportunities as well.”
 
More info: www.earths-care.com