Over her years of practising, founder and naturopath Pernille Jensen grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of high potency and quality gut products available on the market. To meet the demand, she decided to create a product range that contains high quality and scientifically researched ingredients. Now available at The Facialist, we chat to Pernille about business, life in lockdown, gut health and why beauty goes beyond skin deep

Firstly, I don’t do well with too many unknowns and changes so it has been a real challenge for me to constantly adapt to what Covid has thrown at us and live with the unknown. Having said this, I took it as a challenge, a challenge to face all those fears that I have of the unknown and change, to really embrace the unknown and go with the flow. I am not there yet but I have become better at looking at challenges as challenges, not issues, problems or obstacles but a challenge that is there for me to learn and grow from.

The one thing I have enjoyed is the extra time gained from not driving the kids around to activities and school. I miss seeing people face to face and still think the best ideas and exchanges come when we meet in person.

Nature! Walking with my dog Jackson keeps me sane. Fresh air and physical activity is keeping me grounded and content, but having a pretend home ‘restaurant’ dinner, where my husband and I dress up and the kids are the waiters sparks joy. They love it too.

Morning: I always start the morning with lemon in lukewarm water followed by another glass of water. Hydration is so important for the functionality of all the organs and for the skin. My morning skin routine is minimal as I want to get started on a workout, making breakfast and work. I normally don’t wash my face in the morning, I know I probably should! I alternate between my Emma Lewisham Reset Serum and a gentle vitamin A cream (Jan Marini) and then add a light cream (Illuminating by Emma Lewisham)

Evening: I cleanse my face with a gentle cleanser most days and use a scrub with AHA three times per week (Emma Lewisham Illuminating Face Exfoliant). I like to use a rich cream at night (Supernatural by Emma Lewisham). When I do all these things at night I can tell the difference in my skin in the morning.

At The Facialist, we look at beauty holistically. While we work topically with the skin, inner health and mental wellbeing play a large part in the glow on the surface. That is why we love having The Gut Co as part of our ingestible beauty offering.

Can you please elaborate on your business mantra “Everything begins in the gut.”?

For many years I have been treating people for various ailments and I always started with the gut. When your gut works optimally you will absorb more nutrients from the food you eat and the supplements you take, this, in turn, gives the body what it needs to heal itself. When you have a well-functioning gut, your immune system works better, your hormones have what they need and your mood is better. The gut is really the foundation of all health and wellbeing.

Obviously, we are all LOVING them, and the consensus across the team (who have all had individual results too) is an overall increased sense of vitality. We are doing our best to share the knowledge, but you can’t beat first-hand info. So, straight from the pro’ – please tell us how your products work....

As a naturopath we always treat the gut by FEEDing the microbiome and REPAIRing the gut lining
FEED is a pre and probiotics blend that helps to improve the microbiome by increasing the good bacteria and reducing the bad. You want to have a good amount of good bacteria because they help digest your food and help reducing infections

REPAIR: Looking after the gut lining means looking after your immune system (75% of the immunity resides in the skin), your skin and overall longevity. When the gut lining is compromised (leaky gut) larger particles such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), bacteria, viruses and undigested foods can seep through causing an inflammatory response, which when ongoing can cause pre-mature aging, autoimmune diseases and LPS have been related to acne and other skin issues.

Initially, I wanted to help busy women who are juggling life in general. Women who wish to live a healthy life but also enjoy some of life’s little treats. Stress, alcohol, gluten and medication all contribute to leaky gut and most of us have one or all of these elements in our lives, so we need to counterbalance this

Managing stress is really important and is easier said than done. I always tell people to find their chill factor, this doesn’t always have to be meditation or yoga as these things don’t work for everyone. Personally, I relax the most when I am cooking alone in the kitchen with the music turned up really loud.

That I get to help people live healthier lives without giving up all that they love. I love seeing people with life in their eyes and a spring in their step. You don’t achieve this from depriving yourself but by living a full life and that means a bit of stress, a bit of alcohol and maybe that lovely piece of sourdough

When Who magazine and Elle magazine wrote about my products. It was such a surprise and both articles were very warming.

It all works out in the end, don’t fight it because the things that seem difficult or like huge obstacles - they are there for a reason, you are meant to go a different route.

We have just launched Enzymes {digest+debloat} our first TGA approved supplement. Having a therapeutic good that has been approved by the TGA means that it has been through the most stringent regulations in the world.

The next product is also a TGA approved supplement and will be a multi-tasking multi vitamin that contains activated Bs and adaptogens (herb support for stress and nervous system)
This is the ONE pill that people need if they are living busy modern lives as it enables you to go on, without burning out. The activated Bs will give you energy to go on with your day and exercise with full energy and the herbs will look after your gut lining, stress hormones and your fragile nervous system.

There are a few more things up our sleeves but we cannot disclose just yet.