Legend has it that Athena brought the olive tree to the Greeks as a gift, and it’s certainly the gift that keeps giving. Olive tree has been growing in Crete since at least 3000 BC, which may be why Crete is home to both Papoutsanis and Aphrodite Cosmetics. Their product lines are based on olive-derived ingredients. Aphrodite Cosmetics, aside from the usual, carries both a men’s line and a children’s line. I’ve used the children’s Olive Oil and Chamomile Shampoo on my baby and thought it had a nice lather and rinsed out easily. Be sure to also try Pure Olive Oil Soap from Athens’ Body Farm, which bases its line on local fruits and vegetables.

As far as I’m concerned, mastic was born to be a cosmetics ingredient. For those unfamiliar with it, it is the resin from the Chios mastic tree. Though the tree grows throughout the Mediterranean region, it is only on Chios that it produces the sap, aptly referred to as “tears of God”. It’s a natural anti-fungal, antibacterial, breath freshener and – I kid you not – cholesterol lowerer. It is also widely used in cooking and baking. Anemos carries a limited but high quality mastic health care line. They also have a very interesting offering of mastic soda and chewing gum as well as pure mastic “tears”. Mastiha Shop is similar in that they, too, offer a full-service mastic shopping experience, though with a more abundant body care selection. Try the Lip Aid.

Mastic Spa, cosmetically speaking, is further reaching. My favorite aspect of the company is that you can break down the shopping experience by ingredient. Every product contains pure mastic, but the individual lines include olive oil, herbs, chocolate, and Ariousian red wine from vineyards in Northern Chios. Many of the products have very simple ingredient lists, which I like very much. I found the silkiest, most luxurious soap here: Pure Soap (with mastic, Chios tangerine and local spring water). Other must haves: Face Scrub (with scrubbing olive pit particles, sage and mastic), and Serinkle, a serum containing Ariousian red wine and grape seeds.

The success of the Greek beauty market lies in its simplicity and the efficacy of its ingredients. How can I refute a product that has been proven for thousands of years, made even better now with national pride and modern technology? Now I can enjoy olive oil and red wine not only for dinner, but as a regimen as well. e