Spa & Wellness MexiCaribe 50, Summer 2023

The Importance of Skin Health for Well Being
An Interview with Karen Ballou
What personal experiences led to the
creation of Immunocologie?
An interesting part of life’s journey is
when the unexpected happens, and you
suddenly learn that ‘nothing is by chance’.
At those times, you find an inner resilience
to make ‘lemonade out of lemons’. That
happened to me. I worked with a French
company that developed a special green
clay when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma. The botanist and researcher I
worked with suggested using green clay
as an adjunct treatment, and I began
incorporating it into my wellness protocol.
Five years later I was in remission, that
inspired me to create this brand.
Why the name Immunocologie?
Exploring the word ‘immunity’ was
important, speaking to the body’s innate
wisdom for maintaining health, resistance
and balance. Especially after the collective
experiences lived over the past few years,
people are more aware and interested in
how the immune system prevents damage
and illness.
toxins, reducing inflammation and
transdermal water loss, strengthening
capillary walls and adding nourishing oils.
Immunocologie tells stories from around
the world, with ingredients sourced from
conscientious and sustainably focused
producers. We include shea butter from
Africa, oils of the baobab tree and desert
date seed from a women’s co-op in
Burkina Faso.
What is the importance of including clay
and minerals in the products?
Every product has green clay water,
creating consistency throughout the line.
Initially, this clay was used in agriculture
as a natural pesticide on potatoes, tests
showed these potatoes were richer in
minerals than others, so the clay was
included in health applications. The
clay functions as a conduit, releasing
a negative charge and maintaining an
alkaline environment rich in vitamins and
minerals beneficial for the skin barrier and
microbiome.
What were some milestones you
encountered on this journey?
One was discovering the importance of the
skin as a functioning organ of the immune
system and the other was realizing that
not all clays are the same!
What is the brand DNA of Immunocologie,
and what are the differentiators?
Immunocologie holds a unique and
leading-edge place in the current skin
health industry. My aim was to bring more
attention to skin health, this is the brand
DNA. The differentiator is vital energy that
the products bring to the skin and body
through the delivery system of the Green
Clay Water.
Our core approach to skin health focuses
on absorption and adsorption, referring
to a push and a pull action where we
intentionally add nutrients and remove
How do you bridge science and nature,
and include it in the brand through
ingredients, philosophy and biomimicry?
Our use of natural methods such as
fermentation, cold pressing, and rich
ingredients allows the product to penetrate
deeply in the skin without any toxicity. We
must care for the skin like we care for the
gut or exercise program. Skin has memory,
it knows how to repair itself following
the natural blueprints designed to heal,
protect, and stay healthy and glowing, and
our products support this ability.
How does Immunocologie address the
microbiome?
We now understand that overall health is
all about the microbiome. We need both
good and bad bacteria in balance. We do
not need to strip the skin with peels and
abrasives. There is a trending concept
of ‘dirty wellness’ which asserts that a
www.immunocologie.com
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