As organic September draws to a close here are some of my favourite places to feed an organic beauty habit. Naturisimo Top of my list has to be online green beauty destination Naturisimo. Not only do they have a huge range of products but … Continue reading
When I spotted this British organic beauty brand in Liberty I was drawn in like a beauty homing pigeon. Faultless natural credentials? Check. Pioneering ingredients promising results? Check. And expensive enough that surely it had to work? Checkeroo. Aurelia Probiotic … Continue reading
Over the years lavender essential oil has become my cures-all-miracle-product whether it’s a few drops in my bath, dotted on my pillow at night to help me nod off or applied directly to blemishes as a spot treatment. You can apply … Continue reading
Organic Beauty Week 2014 has arrived. Running from 8-14 September, this Soil Association initiative aims to increase awareness of organic beauty products and the benefits of using them.
To celebrate Organic Beauty Week, Glamour Magazine have reviewed their favourite natural beauty products. A huge selection of natural products are covered from fake tans to lip balms and the list features well known natural brands such as Lavera and Neal’s Yard alongside new ones such as Adam and Eve. There’s something to suit every budget…so no excuses:
I’ve become a bit obsessed with finding a ‘safe’ suncream recently, one that protects from the sun but isn’t packed full of nasty chemicals. I’ve been poring over horror stories on the internet about how skin cancer rates have actually gone up since we started using sunscreens, the dangers of nanoparticles and how many of the most commonly used ingredients are known to produce free radicals under UV light. Scary stuff.
I came to the conclusion, and this is very much a personal opinion, that plain old zinc oxide is the safest sunscreen out there. And that led me to US firm Badger, makers of the famous Badger Balm.
I’ve been putting their SPF 30 Sunscreen for Babies through its paces all summer, both on me and my 16 month old. It’s easy to apply, holds up to water exposure (it was actually quite hard to wash off) and has a pleasant smell. It also contains soothing chamomile and calendula, with sunflower oil and vitamin E to mop up free radicals produced in the sun. It does make you look a bit like you’re auditioning as an extra in a Twilight movie but I found that more of an issue for me than for the baby.
Badger also produces an SPF 15 for adults which is meant to be less whitening and they are reworking their adult lotions so I will be road testing these too and reporting back. To see all Badger’s sunscreens follow the link below:
In short, highly recommended for kids but grown ups might find the formula a bit white as an all over sunscreen.
Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen for Babies: £14.95 for 87ml
Natural credentials: 100% certified natural and 94% organic; non nano zinc oxide
Available from: 24/7 Healthfoods (£1.99 shipping cost)
Nuxe is a staple in the bathroom of many French women. Its Huile Prodigieuse has long been the go-to for adding shimmer to a Mediterranean tan and I’m very excited that they’ve recently launched a fragrance version. In general, I’m a big fan.
So when I hit the Paris pharmacies to pick up a face cream their new Bio Beauté range caught my eye (bio being French for organic). I decided that the Bio Beauté Smoothing and 24HR Moisturizing Light Emulsion with clementine cells was for me. And I was very taken in by the packaging promises:
I was also taken in by the big box which actually holds a rather small 40ml tube!
The cream, sorry, ’emulsion’, smells amazingly tangy (so avoid if you’re not a fan of citrus scents). Designed for normal to combination skin it strikes just the right balance of lightweight versus hydration, which some natural creams definitely struggle with. Great if you don’t like greasy creams or for use in the summer (especially under a natural UV cream). I like my face creams super rich so I will probably go for their dry skin version next time. But my skin feels very soft. I didn’t use it religiously day and night as suggested, but I would highly rate this as a natural face cream. And my face smells delicious!
Unfortunately you won’t find this on Nuxe’s UK website yet, but it is available on the French pharmacy website cocooncenter.co.uk (along with Weleda’s cold cream, which I highly recommended a while back). Delivery is €9.90 which is about £8 so might be worth it if you felt like stocking up. I’ve got a feeling the Nuxe Bio Beauté brand might have some real pearls amongst its products and I’ll definitely be picking up their emulsion for dry skin on my next trip (or asking my mother in law to bring some over!). I’ll chase them to see if there are any plans to introduce this to the UK market and update you here.
Bio Beauté Smoothing and 24HR Moisturizing Light Emulsion: Approx €16.90 for 40ml
Natural credentials: Clementine cells and poppy petals to moisturise along with pear seeds to smooth lines. 98.8% of the total ingredients are from natural origin and 72.4% are organic.
Available from: cocooncenter.co.uk
Joli Naturellement 