Organic Skin Care Products

Pamper yourself by all means, but could your beauty products be doing you - and the planet - more harm than good?

Like many other industries, the world of beauty is undergoing something of a revolution, with manufacturers racing to get new organic or 'ethical' products onto the shelves as fast as they can. Greater consumer savvy about ingredients and sourcing has driven some brands to rethink their whole ethos right down to the packaging they come in and their involvement with the communities they source from.

And perhaps it's just as well.

The average Western bathroom cabinet is a veritable pharmacopoeia of shampoo, soap, mouthwash, toothpaste, shaving gels and hygiene products. These products contain a wide variety of chemical substances, the safety of which remains questionable. There are over 1000 chemicals currently available to manufacturers of cosmetics and toiletries suspected to have harmful effects. Some of these survive the journey through sewage works into the sea.

Our skin soaks up 60% of what we put on it, which ultimately can end up travelling throughout our entire systems. The term 'natural' is now highly dubious - a product has to have only 1% natural ingredients to earn this moniker!

There are a number of genuinely natural products on the market. The best ones will provide a list of ingredients, and most of these ingredients will have familiar names. (Natural soaps, for instance, will contain coconut, corn, soy or olive oil.)

Look out for the word 'organic' instead, and especially for logos such as the Soil Association's, which will guarantee 95% organic contents. There are other ways to be ethical. Take a look at the way the manufacturer runs its company. Aside from what it puts into its products, it should have a responsible attitude towards the environment. Ask about company policies on chemical usage, recycling, employment, and health and safety. Support companies whose policies you agree with.

Some of the best companies run initiatives in developing countries, too, although that doesn't necessarily mean that their products don't still contain chemicals such preservatives. (For instance, Body Shop products are based on ingredients from natural sources wherever possible, but may contain synthetic chemicals where they are needed, e.g. for safety, or where no suitable natural alternatives exist.) Body Shop sources cocoa butter for its moisturisers from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana. As well as its non-animal testing policy, the Body Shop is committed to environmental protection and has a large community trade strategy.

Aveda, another ethical company, makes use of wind power, which offsets 100% of the electricity used by its main manufacturing facility. Aveda has raised more than $6 million for environmental causes since 1999 through its Earth Month campaigns.

Other things you can do

Wear less make-up! Try having a day without make-up and see whether people even notice.
Buy cosmetic and beauty products which are simply formulated and as ecologically sound as possible.
Try to avoid synthetic fragrances and perfumes, and opt for diluted essential oils instead.
Don't believe all the hype - watch out for 'greenwash' (bogus or inflated environmental claims) and pseudoscientific claims. Words like 'natural', 'environmentally sound' or 'safe' often can't be substantiated. Read the small print first, and look out for specific information that backs up claims and certification from recognised bodies.
Try to avoid products in unnecessary packaging.
Avoid PVC packaging as it's hard to recycle and toxic to manufacture. PVC is signalled by a recycling triangle with a 3 in the middle of it.


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