The old adage, "necessity is the mother of invention" was never more true than in the development of Naturel.

When Mme. Josiane d'Hoop inaugurated the introduction of French Limestone to the American Market in 1980, no one foresaw the tremendous popularity this classic material would enjoy. However, although in Europe stone is not sealed, but rather left alone to develop its own patina, in America, many prefer to seal the surface immediately, avoiding the worry of staining the stones and grout.

The problem quickly arose: There wasn't anything available to seal and maintain limestone except chemical impregnators, whose effects on limestone were unknown, and inhibit its ability to "breathe" (an essential part of the calcium development, which hardens the surface). Chemicals also brought new worries: Over time, they could break down the structure of the stone, causing it to slowly deteriorate and crumble.

Cleaning was also a problem. Existing cleaners were either ineffective or too harsh on the stone.

Undaunted, Mme. d'Hoop returned to France and began to adapt a product used to clean stone for years. Her work culminated in an all-natural, non-toxic, combined cleaner-sealer, Naturel.

Unlike the chemicals treatments, Naturel's gentle ingredients clean stone thoroughly while its natural sealing agents permeate the material's pores and protect the surface. This allows the stone to acquire a soft luster, and  intensify the natural beauty. An added anti-skid ingredient diminishes the stone's natural slipperiness.

Throughout the development, care was taken to keep Naturel a simple, cleaner-sealer the homemaker could use regularly with confidence and without precautions of any kind. In contrast to other complicated methods requiring professional application. Naturel remains natural, non-toxic, non-abrasive and , perhaps most important, Fast & Easy.

Without fanfare or advertising of any kind, Naturel was introduced in a small test market area. Sales started off slowly, of course; but with only word-of-mouth recommendation, within a short time the rate of sales accelerated dramatically. This demonstrated that there is a heretofore-unmet need for a product like Naturel--- which affords the consumer a means of simultaneously cleaning and protecting areas in and around the home, for which nothing was previously available. Also, since a 16 oz canister makes twelve gallons of solution (enough to clean over 5,000 square feet), Naturel is surprisingly inexpensive.

Although Naturel was created for the purpose of cleaning and sealing limestone, within the first years of its inception it became apparent that Naturel was best for all types of stone, and for all types of unglazed tile and grout.  In fact, there seems to be no limit to what Naturel can clean superbly, easily, and safely.

Within months, Naturel has been accepted by the nation's largest home improvement centers, paint companies, catalog companies, and recommended in magazines. Consumers keep finding new uses for Naturel, broadening its appeal for more and more people.

And so, a new product has been launched; one created by necessity for a specific purpose, but the horizons of its applications have yet to be seen.