Soleil Moon Frye: Little Seeds, Big Changes
Soleil Moon Frye on the Weleda biodiesel truck. All photos: Meeno Photo. Part One of Five.
It’s been decades since the show went off the air, but fans still associate eco-diva Soleil Moon Frye with “Punky Brewster.” I caught up with the actress, director, producer and founder of uber-popular The Little Seed boutique (seriously, is there anything this girl can’t do?) in Los Angeles on the last stop of Weleda’s “Honestly Natural, Truly Beauty” national mobile tour—a biodiesel truck that traveled the country throughout 2010 to raise awareness of the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010—which was created in collaboration with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: We last met on TV Guide’s “The Fashion Team.” Splurge versus steal eco-accessories, do you remember?
Soleil Moon Frye: Yes!
RLS: It’s not every day that I get to interview somebody in a biodiesel truck. Tell me more about what Weleda’s doing here—and how to pronounce it! Is it “Weleda” or “Weleeda?”
SMF: “Weleeda!” They’re awesome. When we first opened The Little Seed, it was really because we were trying to find the products that would allow us to create this safe haven for our little ones. And one of the first products that we found was Weleda. Literally, I used the baby wash for the babies for me, for my body, for shaving, for everything under the sun! So it was so great when I teamed up with them because—
RLS: You were already there. You were there from the get-go.
SMF: Exactly. I really love this company. And they are all about truly natural. As you know, when something says it’s natural it doesn’t necessarily mean it is. So they kicked off this amazing campaign to educate people so that they had an understanding of what’s really in the products that we’re using.
RLS: Amazing. And they teamed up with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act, right?
SMF: Yes. The problem is that we don’t have regulations for what goes into our products—it’s the same in kids’ toys. The Safe Cosmetics Act is saying we need to test the chemicals that are in our products. We need to have a better understanding. We’re putting these cosmetics on our babies and our bodies. What’s in them? And at least to educate people about the process. And again, I’m the mom that’s all about—my kids have the wood toys, but we also go to Disneyland and my five-year-old loves Barbie.
RLS: You’re so honest, I love it.
SMF: I’m not about, “You have to live one way or another.” But at least let’s have an understanding. Let’s have a dialogue. This is what Weleda is inspiring. Let’s talk about it. Let’s ask questions. I’m a true believer that as moms we are like the modern-day activists. Like for me, for my clothing line, of course I want to make it organic! And then we have raw cotton. I just want people to know that raw cotton is an unbleached cotton and this is organic.
RLS: I didn’t know that.
SMF: Had I not done the research, I wouldn’t know! But at the same time, none of us is perfect and I don’t want to be the person that comes in to the Little Seed to feel like they have to be that way. But we can show a piece of that eco-lifestyle, we can show a range of choices, whether it’s riding our bikes or walking our kids through the neighborhood or driving a hybrid or turning off our lights, whatever it is.
For more of our exclusive interview with Soleil Moon Frye, check back here next week!
