Middletown couple seeks stricter definition of 'organic' bodycare

by Rebecca McClay
Staff Writer

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Mar. 31, 2005

A medical twist of fate inspired Diana Kaye and Jim Hahn, former interior designer and architect, to ditch their harried careers at an architectural firm on Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.

Launching a crusade for a more stringent legal definition of “organic”, they now farm an herbal garden and mix natural ingredients to produce dozens of organic products in their humble shop, Terressentials, off U.S. Route 40 in Middletown.

From clay-based shampoo to beeswax skin balm, their products are shipped and sold to small organic shops nationwide, a 100-percent pure organic market they said is increasing in demand.

Sipping herbal tea in their barn-turned-boutique with sharp peppermint and coconut oil aromas Thursday, they said certified organic skin care products should meet the same requirements as organic food products because they are absorbed into the skin.

“The broad issue is not just personal choice, but we feel people aren’t being given all the facts,” Hahn said. “When you’re in a store, you can see USDA certified organic food. But if you walk to the other side of the room [to the skin care products] the definition changes. Most companies put in only a small amount of organic material and label it ‘organic.'”

In white lab coats, they mix USDA-certified natural ingredients to create skin care products and cosmetics that will avoid triggering asthma symptoms in Kaye, who, after doses of chemotherapy treatments for cancer, is sensitive to many synthetic products.

Terressentials is located at 2650 Old National Pike in Middletown.

For organic product information, visit www.terressentials.com or www.organicconsumers.org.