Mrs Meyer’s Celebrates Founder Thelma Meyer’s 80th Birthday with Limited-Edition Peony Hand Care Set
Mr. Clean may be a fictional character but Mrs. Meyer exists far beyond the realms of fantasy and marketing. Thelma A. Meyer, an Iowa wife and mother of 9, is the mastermind behind the Mrs. Meyer’s brand of eco-friendly home cleaners, beloved by like-minded consumers for relying mainly on natural ingredients and essential oils with aromatherapy benefits, rather than incorporating countless synthetic preservatives (typically, their products contain only 1% of the latter). To celebrate her 80th birthday, the brand has released the limited-edition Mrs Meyer’s Peony Hand Care Set ($6.99 at MrsMeyers.com), which incorporates one of her favorite garden fresh scents: peony.
Like Mrs. Meyer, I adore the fresh aroma of peony — in fact, it’s up there with gardenia and jasmine in terms of my favorite floral scents. Synthetic interpretations of the scent can sometimes prove overpowering and even pungent, far from the delicately feminine, dewy, hazy fragrance that you experience when you place your nose near a peony blossom. Both the Mrs. Meyer’s Peony Liquid Hand Soap and Peony Hand & Body Lotion, however, offer a rather accurate rendition of the flower named after Paeon, a pupil of the Greek god of medicine and healing, Asclepius. According to Greek mythology when the student began to overtake the master, Asclepius’ heart filled with rage and he began tapping into his wrath to exact revenge. Before tragedy ensued, Zeus intervened, saving Paeon by transforming him into a peony flower.In addition to its roots in Greek mythology, the peony flower also boasts great cultural significance in China, where it has long been used as a national symbol.
At least 98% of the ingredients in the Peony Liquid Hand Soap and Peony Hand & Body Lotion are derived from natural plant and fruit extracts. The Peony Liquid Hand soap’s formula relies on a mix of water; glycerin, a natural humectant with a translucent hue; geranium oil, a natural anti-microbial agent and astringent; aloe leaf juice, which soothes and calms the skin; ylang ylang flower oil, which is believed to have antiseptic benefits and to help relieve tension, improve one’s mood, calm anxiety, and relax the mind; and olive fruit oil, a rich source of softening oleic acid and elasticity-boosting vitamin E. The Peony Hand & Body Lotion, meanwhile, relies on these very same ingredients but also incorporates shea butter, rich in fatty acids that moisturize the skin, restore skin elasticity, and boost cellular regeneration; soybean oil, which includes unsaturated fatty acids that improve overall skin health, as well as vitamins A, E, and K, which stimulate collagen and elastin production, protect skin from UV rays and other environmental hazards, and give the skin a healthy glow; and sunflower seed oil, which functions as an anti-inflammatory, creates a protective barrier when applied to skin, and provides antioxidant protection thanks to its high concentration of vitamin E.
The Peony Liquid Hand Soap has an extremely lightweight quality and it manages to cleanse effectively without drying out the skin — an important attribute for those of us who are moms and wash our hands a billion times a day. Best of all, it features a rather faint scent so that even the males in your household will use it without complaining about the aroma being too feminine.
The Peony Hand & Body Lotion, meanwhile, includes a more potent peony scent, but it’s still rather subtle. The lotion’s consistency meanwhile is milky and slippery, so that it never feels overly heavy or balmy. Best of all, you don’t have to restrict use to hands and cuticles — and, once you see how smooth your skin feels after rubbing this lotion on, you’ll be delighted that you can spread it all over the rest of your body.
The hand soap and lotion come in a shallow pink box made or recycled cardboard, and the bottles bear pink labels manufactured out of 100% post consumer waste paper printed using water-based, non-toxic inks.
