WELLINGTON -- A former petting zoo camel who has a new home with a Florida family also is the basis for a new business using camel's milk, called Camel Life Inc.
Camel Life Inc. is bringing camel milk soaps, lip balms, body lotion, shampoo and camel milk to North America with partners and suppliers in Dubai. Robb Heering, a Wellington, Florida-based lawyer who considers himself an entrepreneur and animal advocate, explained that he wanted to build a business around camels.
“After toying with the possibility of creating North America's largest camel dairy, he decided to first venture in a different direction,” a PR Newswire article stated. “Heering developed a plan and strategy to bring TheCamelLife.com website up and running to sell camel milk soap. More products are on the horizon with camel milk lip balm arriving soon, followed by shampoo, body lotions and more on the way.”
Heering said his startup will bring disruptive innovation to the health and beauty aisle, as well as the dairy case.
“The startup company's initial employee roster is 'classic family business' with Robb's wife Stephanie serving as president, Robb Jr. as the head of logistics, twins Alex and Kyle in business development, and Connor serving as vice president of technology,” the article said. “The family camel, Sheik, is the company mascot.”
Heering explained that Sheik is a rescued camel who was mistreated in what he and his family considered an abusive petting zoo. He also wanted to stress the all-natural, safe nature of the products the company will sell.
"Consumers are largely unaware of the toxic ingredients contained in their favorite soaps and shower gels. Some of the most commonly used ingredients in popular, household name bar soaps and shower gels include parabens,” Heering said. "Scientific studies have repeatedly shown that being exposed to parabens boosts a woman's risk of developing breast cancer (because parabens mimic the action of the hormone estrogen). Further studies have demonstrated that parabens can also cause neurological problems by way of nervous system toxicity."
Unlike traditional bar soap, which can be found in every grocery store in the country, Camel Life's products are handcrafted with all natural ingredients. Heering said the company's products are much needed because traditional brands are "riddled with harmful ingredients."
“Another harmful ingredient found in popular soap brands is sodium laurel sulfate (SLS),” Heering said. “When SLS bonds with other common soap ingredients, it becomes a carcinogenic nitrosamine. One of the reasons SLS is so dangerous is that it permeates your skin very easily. Studies have shown that SLS causes skin irritation, leads to organ toxicity, promotes hormonal disruptions and increases your susceptibility to mood disorders.”
Heering explained that he is passionate about bringing healthier options to consumers, especially with all the hidden chemicals that appear in beauty products. Camel milk is also more environmentally friendly than cows milk, since camels do not need expansive grazing areas like goats and cows, leaving more green space alone and filled with less methane gas.
"If consumers would actually do a little research and read ingredient lists, they would seriously consider switching things up," Heering said.