Environmentalist Horst Rechelbacher, the silver-haired 67-year-old Austrian founder of Aveda (sold to Estee Lauder in 1997 for $300 million) is not importing the ingredients for his newest Certified Organic brand, Intelligent Nutrients, from the south of France or the hills of Tuscany.

The soil on his 600-acre organic farm in Wisconsin is the source of many ingredients used in “IN”, for short, his new line of plant-based body and hair-care products, neutraceutical supplements, and functional foods: teas, agave, chocolate bars and aromatics of enhance one’s mood.

Intelligent Nutrients are currently sold at Barney’s but will be available also at Space NK and other stores. The products are pricey. Organic Consumers quotes $39 hairspray, $42 conditioner, $60 neutraceutical tablets.

One fragrance is called Seductive and promises that you will want to make love. One called Focus feeds the mind. Now if we could mix them, we’d have a perfect fragrance for the Smart Sensuality woman.

In their feature on IN, Vanity Fair interviewed Rechelbacher about his return to his roots as a young “herbalist”, wothing in his mother’s apothecary.

After leaving Aveda, Rechelbacher became an activist and concerned about the impact of the beauty industry on the planet. The passionate supporter of Mother Earth says that IN will be what he always wanted for Aveda: a collection of pure, organic products.

He has teamed up with the Mayo Clinic to develop his skin care line. “Food as medicine is real,” he says. “Working with the medical profession, instead of just the hairdressers like I did with Aveda, gives me more credibility and people will pay more attention to my products.”For instance, his Intellimune Oil and Intellimune Tablets are so high in antioxidants that two teaspoons of the oil or four tablets are equivalent to the seeds of 10 pounds of grapes, raspberries, or cranberries. Passionately believing that what goes on your body should be just as safe as the things you eat, he created his skin-care line with this in mind, calling it “skin food.” The skin care seems to have one main goal: anti-aging, the natural and safe way. It will consist of four certified-organic items: Anti-Aging Cleanser, Anti-Aging Mist, Anti-Aging Serum, and Anti-Aging Moisturizer, all made from seed-oil complex, acai, argan, and essential oils.

How inspiring that these products are born in American soil. Horst’s Osceola, Wisconsin organic farm is solar, wind and geothermal powered.

I’m having a nostalgia moment here, looking at the Google map, because Osceola is located close to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where I spent the most wonderful summer of my life. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay there . .. and our departure ruined my young life. Just kidding, sort of, but I loved this part of America. Anne

In a related article on anti-aging beauty products, you may be interested in: Selling Easeamine: Compared to Dr. Hauschka Skin Care; Dr. Perricone’s Anti-Aging Wrinkle-fighting System; and Intelligent Nutrients;