Melissa Tornay | Owner

Much of Melissa Tornay’s life has been dedicated to helping others. Raised vegetarian and concerned about animal rights and social issues from a young age, she wrote hundreds of letters to political figures and organizations. Calling Melissa a “flower child,” her parents always said she was born in the wrong era.

After a rewarding but emotionally taxing career in the home health care industry, Melissa transitioned to work in the beauty industry. Trained in topics including essential oils, natural and synthetic beauty ingredients, and chemicals, Melissa managed an eco-friendly, organic, vegan business for more than four years.

Melissa’s goal is again to help people, this time educating them to navigate the organic/natural beauty industry she increasingly finds deceiving with regard to labeling, hidden ingredients, and misleading claims.

“People are trying to do the right thing… I want to tell people what to look for,” Melissa said. “Helping people decipher what is becoming a big industry… I would like people to know what things mean beyond marketing words.”

In carefully researching and selecting eco-friendly products for use and sale in Primrose Organic Salon, Melissa invites dialogue with customers about the ingredients and companies behind them. She makes every effort to extend the eco-friendly lifestyle throughout all aspects of the business, down to details like the pencils at the front desk. “If there is an eco-friendly option, I like to try to make it work.”