Winery shop offers organic products for adults and kids

If you’re looking to treat someone — or yourself — with natural and organic body care products, you can look no farther than Rancho Bernardo.

Located in the Bernardo Winery village shops, Natures Perfect Scents offers products to relax and awaken the senses with aromatherapy-based lotions, soaps, oils, bath products and more.

Everything in the store is natural with no plastics, dyes and artificial ingredients — ideal for those with allergies or prefer chemical-free personal care. In addition, the store also features post- and prenatal products, including naturally made children’s toys.

The store is owned and operated by Pregnatique business owner Kimberly Bianco, although Natures Perfect Scents is not limited to new mothers or babies.

“(It’s for) anybody who’s looking for natural and organic products,” said Bianco, a Rancho Bernardo resident and Mt. Carmel High School alumna who opened the store in December. “A lot of people are leaning toward good quality natural and organic products.”

Among the store’s most popular skin care products is a lotion solid bar by Honey House Naturals ($14.95). The non-liquid formula is great for massage and airline travel, Bianco said.
Nearly all products are from small businesses across California, Bianco said. There’s an organic line of lotions, body oils and scrubs from Napa Valley company NV Organics. Vegan-certified olive oil soaps are from Bazil Essentials of Santa Barbara. Soy-based candles ($6.50 and up) from Orange County by Aroma Naturals are made with plant essential oils and contain no paraffins. The candles are healthy to burn and last longer than their traditional counterparts, she said.

“Because they’re soy, they burn at a lower temperature, so they burn slower,” Bianco said.
Gourmet handmade soaps by chef Claude Poissonniez of Sky Valley Farm in Ramona sell for $4.50 each. The soaps contain culinary ingredients and no glycerin, which can dry skin. “Raspberry mint” is a best seller.

Owner Bianco, who is also an aromatherapist and massage therapist, also sells shower steamers ($3.50 each) using a recipe she and a friend concocted with essential oils, baking soda, and citric acid. Each steamer ball, which lasts seven to ten showers, unleashes an invigorating aroma, such as lavender or orange Satsuma. Unique scents like “Abercrombie Like” mimic the olfactory experience of an Abercrombie & Fitch store, and the popular “Headache Relief” features mint and eucalyptus.

For the kids, Chill Pill bath bombs are especially popular. The detergent-free orb’s essential oils dissolve, making bath water softer and revealing miniature toys inside, as with the large “Ocean” bomb ($10) that includes tiny dolphin and whale figurines.

In addition to personal care products, the store features products for babies and their mothers, in line with Bianco’s business Pregnatique, a baby health and wellness boutique. Bianco, who also assists new mothers as a birth and post-partum doula, offers products for babies and infants by companies such as Bébé au Lait and Moby Wrap.

Natures Perfect Scents also offers massages with a holistic health practitioner ($60 for a full hour through August), and classes in subjects such as prenatal yoga, childbirth, infant massage, and aromatherapy.

Natures Perfect Scents is located at 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte in Rancho Bernardo. For more information, call 619-838-7267, or visit www.bernardowinery.com/pregnatique.aspx.