Word to Moisturize By

Wisdom for the mind and cream for the skin, all in one bottle.

Emanuel Bronner had the idea in 1947 to print his “Moral ABCs” on the label of his Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap. Bronner, who died last month at age 89, saw his company sell 1 1/2 million bottles of the soap each year to naturalists who appreciated the product as well as the packaging.

Now cosmetic companies are also serving up insight along with moisturizer and makeup for men and women.

Take Stila and the aptly named Philosophy, for example. Both companies wrap their products around words to live by.

Makeup artist Jeanine Lobell’s Stila line of shadows and blushes come in ecology-minded packaging. Inside the biodegradable, 100% recycled cardboard color pots’ lids are quotes from women:

* “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”--Marie Curie.

* “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”--Emily Dickinson.

* “Wisdom never knocks at the iron walls it can’t bring down.”--Olive Schreiner.

Stila is available at Nordstrom (Brea Mall, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, MainPlace/Santa Ana) and Barneys New York (Costa Mesa).

Philosophy’s brochure that states that its “products are a way of life for the thinking mind and feeling heart.”

In the Philosophy makeup, skin care and fragrance line (at Nordstrom), lighthearted names are stenciled on generic plastic black and white bottles and pots.

There’s Word of Mouth (lip colors); Eye Believe (eye cream); Deeply Superficial (exfoliating enzyme scrub); Soul Owner (foot cream); Razor Sharp (shaving gel); and He Makes Me Blush (blushes).

Beside the catchy names, sometimes there’s a saying a therapist might love: “When you can’t move forward or backward you’re not stuck, you’re scared. Solution? Take small steps, not giant leaps.”

Or this one: “By definition, to be entangled is mysterious and complex. More often than not, it results in a mess.”

Profound? Let’s leave it at skin deep.