Rachel Perry, author of Reverse the Aging Process of Your Face and founder of Rachel Perry, Inc., a cosmetic company, passed away on March 13, 2016 due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“She was quite creative, dynamic, energetic, effervescent and brilliant,” said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council. “One of the interesting and inspiring aspects of the natural products business is the quality of people who are attracted to it. I have never met anyone like Rachel. She was one of a kind!”
Perry started her career in the cosmetic industry at the age of 15, where she began working for Coty, Inc. While working as a cosmetologist in a health club, Perry began formulating her own products. Soon after, in 1977, Perry began Rachel Perry, Inc., which was originally known as Potions Eternal and was sold in health food stores and department stores.
One of Perry’s most memorable products was Rachel’s Radiant Light Color Therapy system, which used certain colors and fragrances to balance one’s electromagnetic field.
Perry was also active in rainforest preservation and animal rights campaigns. She even based a line on sustainably harvested rainforest plants and contributed a portion of the profits to help preserve the rainforest.
Perry also had a career as a singer and songwriter. Her song “Fine, Fine Day,” was recorded by Roberta Flack and debuted on the album Blue Lights in the Basement.
During Perry’s lifetime, she received numerous awards, including an Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Small Business Administration and she even graced the cover of the inaugural issue of Entrepreneurial Woman.
Stephen Sturm, senior project manager of research and development at Threshold Enterprises, Source Naturals and Planetary Herbals and a friend of Perry’s since the 1970s, calls Perry a “visionary in the field of natural skin care. She was truly a pioneer in our industry.”
Posted on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 6/2/16
