The Beauty Chef Arrives in Asia: how Carla Oates gets her Inner Glow

It's time to start thinking about beauty and nutrition together. In this special GSB interview, Carla Oates, aka The Beauty Chef, tells us about her organic beauty epiphany and how her GLOW Inner Beauty Powder can help improve our skin health, plus a few other skin and beauty tips.

Carla's self-named skin care line comprises of versatile, daily supplements with naturally supercharged skin-loving ingredients to promote inner health and outer beauty. By combining over 15 years of research, writing and teaching about organic beauty and health, Carla has created a truly unique skin care range that can be easily incorporated into a busy lifestyle.

Hailing from Sydney’s beautiful Bondi Beach, Carla is a passionate advocate of organic skin care and food (she’s the Goodwill Ambassador of Australian Organic!) and we are proud to introduce The Beauty Chef to Hong Kong and Asia.

1. Why did you turn to organic and natural beauty? 

When I was working as a Beauty Editor for a mainstream newspaper I became concerned with the amount of toxic chemicals in mass market cosmetics. Having had eczema as a child, I understood the impact of a poor diet and harsh chemicals on the skin, so I decided to focus on writing, researching and educating about healthy alternatives for skincare, and organic and natural ingredients for the inside and out. I also understood that beauty begins in your belly as improving my digestive health made a huge impact on my skin, hence the philosophy of the brand and the two key tenets: Beauty Begins in the Belly and Living Beauty from the Inside Out.  

2. What makes GLOW different to other superfoods on the market?

The main difference is that GLOW is a bio-fermented superfoods powder. We use a completely unique bio-fermentation process called Flora Culture with 20 years of research behind it. When you ferment foods the nutrients become more available, sometimes up to 200 times more available for the body and skin to use. The other great benefit is the creation of natural, bio-available probiotics.

Digestive health is key for healthy, radiant skin. Fermenting foods not only makes the nutrients more available for the body to use, but it creates probiotics to help balance digestion. Our gut is where 70% of the immune system lies, where we metabolise hormones, where we make detoxifying enzymes, make nutrients etc. So much of what goes on in our digestive system can impact our skin.

GLOW feeds the skin super charged nutrition from the inside as well as helping to improve digestion at the same time - two of the most important things for glowing, healthy skin. The skin, hair and nails are the last places to receive nutrients that go to more important organs first, so nutrition is important for glowing skin and fermented foods give you dense, super charged nutrition. There is more and more scientific research to show that digestive health and probiotics play a huge role in skin health. 

Shop The Beauty Chef, GLOW Inner Beauty Powder, HK$360

3. What’s your five minute beauty routine?

When I need a quick pick me up, before and event or if I wake up with a big day ahead of me I start with a big glass of GLOW Inner Beauty Powder mixed purified water and lemon juice. I then cleanse my skin with coconut oil, which is a great antibacterial but nourishing cleanser and moisturise with a few drops of Dream Repair Serum to give my skin a velvety glow.

4. What’s your favourite recipe with GLOW?

I love the Glow Blueberry and Cinnamon Smoothie - full of skin loving antioxidants, anthocyanin and minerals as well as probiotics, fibre and omega 3's. Its a sure fire way to get your skin Glowing with health!

Check out another The Beauty Chef recipe with GLOW here

Do you currently incorporate superfoods into your beauty regime? How has it improved your overall health and skin?