You might have heard of Yellow Pummelo before, a line of all-natural lotion bars founded by Victoria Kong. The San Francisco native was a fixture at charity bazaars and ran DIY lotion bar workshops before a knee injury took her out of China for the latter part of 2013.
Now back in Beijing, Kong is once again ready to share her passion for chemical-free cosmetics. She started Yellow Pummelo nearly two years ago when she couldn’t find a moisturizer to soothe the all-too-common problem of dry skin.Kong makes the lotion bars in her apartment from 95 percent organic raw materials and 5 percent non-organic materials, most of them imported. The main ingredient in Kong’s lotion bars is fresh, unprocessed beeswax, which she obtains from a university in China that specializes in the byproducts of bees.
Lotion bars designed for normal and dry skin also contain nutty oils such as shea butter, virgin coconut oil, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, essential oils, olive oil, jojoba oil and organic vitamin E. For those who are allergic to nuts or have sensitive skin, Kong uses organic mango butter and apricot kernel oil as substitutes.
The process is pretty straightforward. Kong measures out the raw ingredients, melts them separately, combines them in their molten form, shakes the mixture, then leaves it to solidify. There are scented lotions available such as the signature pomelo, lavender, and natural honey cocoa lotion bars. One bar retails for RMB 100.
Unlike liquid lotions, Kong’s solid bars contain no preservatives or additives. The inclusion of beeswax ensures a shelf life of two years. If used daily, one bar can last up to three months. To use the lotion, simply rub the bar on your skin and allow the lotion to melt with your natural body heat.
If you’re interested in making your own lotion bars, Kong is planning to restart her workshops at her apartment, Kocoon’s Sanlitun branch, and at private residences (group signups only). In each two-hour session, Kong teaches participants about the ingredients used in her bars and covers topics such as methodology and differences in lotion textures. The bars are tailored to each person’s needs. The workshop costs RMB 200 per participant and includes materials.
Yellow Pummelo
For more information or to place an order, call 186 1833 0900 or email victoria@yellowpummelo.com or info@yellowpummelo.com. To find out more about the workshops, visit the website at www.yellowpummelo.com.
Photos: KEN
This article originally appeared on p20 of the beijingkids May 2014 issue. Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com