Remembering Geraldine Howard - Vogue.co.uk

[MassageNews]

Beauty

• 08 January 2016
• Nicola Moulton

The beauty world is today remembering Geraldine Howard, the inspirational co-founder of Aromatherapy Associates who died yesterday aged 63. Vogue beauty and health director Nicola Moulton pays tribute.

Having studied cosmetic science and beauty therapy at the London College of Fashion in the 1970s, she went on to train with one of the early pioneers of aromatherapy, Micheline Arcier. In 1985 she co-founded Aromatherapy Associates, giving treatments and mixing up products from a small Fulham flat. It quickly attracted high-profile clients - including one Diana, Princess of Wales - and went on to become one of the UK's biggest beauty exports, now sold in over 50 countries.

The very first product, and still the bestseller today, was the Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil, often referenced by beauty editors in their lists of all-time greatest products. The products are remarkable for their astonishing therapeutic benefits. I once had a Deep Relax massage at the end of the day, went home and slept for 14 hours straight.

In 2012 Geraldine was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma tumor, a rare form of eye cancer. The treatment was lengthy and gruelling, but in tandem with her medical treatment she developed one of her best-loved oils, Inner Strength, to give her the strength, courage and a positive frame of mind to enable her to face her fears and continue, strong, on the path to wellness. It is a product that has particular resonance for me because I remember us coming up with its name together during one of our many tea and beauty chats at the Westbury Hotel. Except there never was very much tea, because she always insisted that when the business of new launches was done, we had a glass of champagne and a good gossip.

Geraldine cited her greatest achievement as "seeing the incredible results that essential oils had both on the quality of the skin and on the way people felt". Anyone who uses an Aromatherapy Associates product owes a debt of gratitude to a genuine beauty visionary whose products, like her, are exceptional.


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