Survey Reveals Women In Charlotte, On Average, Are Exposed To Over 20 Potentially Harmful Chemicals And Irritants Through Daily Skin Care Regimens

- Women Scrutinize Food Labels Significantly More Than Skin Care Product Labels

- New Puristics™ Line of Pure, Effective Personal Care Products Now Available in North Carolina


PEAPACK, NJ, February 28, 2011 – Findings of a new survey of 300 women living in Charlotte, NC, revealed that women, on average, are exposed to over 20 potentially harmful chemical ingredients or irritants (e.g. dyes, parabens and artificial fragrances) as a result of their daily facial skin care regimen.

Surprisingly, only one quarter of the women reported being very concerned about chemical ingredients in skin care products. In contrast, 44 percent said they were very concerned about the chemical ingredients contained in packaged foods, according to the online survey conducted by Harris Interactive in December.

"Despite the growing demand for healthier food products that are devoid of artificial ingredients, antibiotics and other unnecessary additives, most people just don’t question or even understand the long list of chemical ingredients in the products that they apply to their skin every day," said M’lou Arnett, chief operating officer and co-founder of Scerene Healthcare, Inc., developer of Puristics™ personal care products.

Two years ago, Arnett and her business partner, Bob Casale, set out to develop a line of personal care products for everyday life that were as safe to use as they were effective. This month, North Carolina is one of three exclusive U.S. markets where Puristics™ personal care products – Puristics Totally AgelessÔ skin care, Puristics Pure ProtectionÔ feminine products and Puristics Baby creams and lotions – are now available throughout the state in Rite Aid and Harris Teeter stores, and nationally online through www.drugstore.com.

"We think it’s important for consumers to consider what they’re putting into and onto their bodies, and to understand that they don’t have to give up effectiveness in order to get pure products," said Arnett. "Our clinical study results were really exciting and prove that impressive results can be achieved without the use of potentially harmful chemicals or irritants."

Specifically, an independent testing lab found a measurable reduction of fine lines and wrinkles in 100 percent of the women participating in the clinical trial after just three weeks of using Puristics Totally Ageless Advanced Skin Rejuvenating Lotion. Additional findings from the study can be found on the Puristics website, http://www.puristics.com.

Survey Findings
Between December 1 and 14, 2010, Scerene commissioned a Harris Interactive online survey of 300 women age 30 to 55 who reside in Charlotte, North Carolina. Figures for age, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

Top findings reveal that consumers are much more attuned to ingredients in packaged food products than those in skin care products:

• When making a purchase decision, twice as many women check the ingredients in packaged food products compared to skin care products (49% vs. 25%). Forty-three percent (43%) of women who check the ingredients in packaged food report that they know most of the ingredients versus only 16 percent of the women who check the ingredients for skin care products.
• Further, when it comes to potentially harmful chemical ingredients, respondents are significantly less knowledgeable about those ingredients in skin care products than those in food (16% vs. 37%). In fact, less then 1 in 4 have reported that they have ever researched skin care ingredients.
• Most women (70%) are aware of the safety concerns with parabens and artificial fragrances that can be found in skin care products. However, less than one quarter have changed their buying habits to avoid a potentially harmful ingredient in a skin care product compared to more than one half for packaged food.

In the study, multiple independent sources that monitor and compile the latest data on cosmetic ingredients were used to identify the number of potentially harmful chemicals and irritants in two leading skin care lines.* The numerical value assigned to each representative product provided a basis for determining the number of potentially harmful or irritating ingredients represented in the regimens of the respondents. The individual exposure rating for each participant was calculated based on reported daily skin care regimen and frequency of use.

About Puristics
Puristics Totally Ageless skin care, Puristics Pure Protection feminine protection and Puristics Baby creams and lotions are free from potentially harmful chemicals like dyes, perfumes and synthetic preservatives, and are recommended for all skin types. Puristics products have the power to work effectively and are non-irritating, even on sensitive skin. For more information, please visit www.puristics.com.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About Scerene
Scerene Healthcare, Inc. (www.scerenehealthcare.com) is a consumer products company based in Peapack, NJ that has developed a line of personal care products under the Puristics brand. Puristics products deliver pure and effective solutions for consumers’ personal healthcare needs. Utilizing pure ingredients and proprietary technologies, the Puristics family of products includes three personal care consumer product lines: anti-aging skin care, feminine protection and baby creams and lotions. The co-founders of the company have more than 40 collective years of healthcare and marketing experience with leading consumer healthcare brands.

For more information, please visit www.scerenehealthcare.com.

Media Contact
Carol Ready and Amanda Merced
MCS Healthcare Public Relations
(800) 477-9626
carolc @mcspr.com

*Sources used in the analysis included the American Academy of Dermatology (http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/general_cosmeceutical.html), Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel of the Personal Care Products Council (http://www.cir-safety.org/), and the Environmental Working Group (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/).