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Organic Beauty By Lisa HaynesShe may be the face of Estee Lauder with a bathroom cabinet brimming with free products but it's the kitchen cupboard Gwyneth Paltrow often raids for a natural beauty fix. The actress recently confessed to covering her body in coffee, olive oil and honey to make her skin smooth, in what she dubs her "five-minute makeover". Gwyneth joins the increasing number of UK consumers craving all-natural beauty. Last year sales of certified organic health and beauty products soared by almost 70% to £27 million, indicating that organic beauty has well and truly got the green light from shoppers. "Increasingly consumers are extending their organic lifestyle choice beyond the food they eat to what they put on their skin," says Clio Turton of The Soil Association. "Organic products are also increasingly available and perform just as well as their non-organic versions. "The fact that supermarkets like Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury's have all launched ranges of their own brand organic products is testament to the growing popularity of organic beauty." Going organic With organic the new buzz word in beauty, many companies are climbing aboard the green and natural bandwagon. But finding your organic fix isn't clear-cut. Any company can label a product as organic even if they only contain tiny amounts of organic ingredients, so stay beauty-savvy, when you're picking up products marked 'natural'. "In the EU, all food and drink must be certified as organic before it can be sold as organic, but this regulation does not extend to organic beauty products," Clio explains. "As there is no legal definition as to what constitutes 'organic' beauty, products labelled as such may vary enormously in the organic content and the other ingredients they contain." So if you're an organic beauty beginner, how do you know you're getting the real deal?  Check for the Soil Association stamp of approval. If a product carries their logo and is labelled 'organic', it must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients. If the description is 'made with organic ingredients' it must contain over 70%.Consumers can also look out for the Cosmos standard - a new EU-wide standard for organic health and beauty products. Visit www.cosmos-standard.org/  Green shopping basket Although organic products have become more readily available on supermarket shelves, one of the easiest place to source organic products is online. Patricia Davidson, author of The Shopaholic's Top 1000 Websites, reveals some of her top organic sites: 1) Aveda (www.aveda.co.uk/): Plant-based haircare, skincare, cosmetics, fragrance and lifestyle products for both men  and women.2) Jo Wood Organics (www.jowoodorganics.com/): Bath oils, body lotions and soaps plus natural soy wax candles all exquisitely presented in glass bottles and jars (pictured). 3) Jurlique (www.jurlique.co.uk/): This range of beauty products using plants and flowers includes cleansers,  moisturisers, treatments and lotions designed to leave the smallest possible footprint on the planet.4) Love Lula (www.lovelula.com/): Organic apothecary where you can get natural products for stress, acne, chapped lips and stretch marks.  5) Neal's Yard Remedies (www.nealsyardremedies.com/): One of the country's leading alternative beauty retailers (pictured).Other noteworthy sites Patricia highlights include: www.johnmasters.co.uk/ for haircare; www.spieziaorganics.com/ for oils, balms and soaps (pictured), www.theorganicpharmacy.com/ for their Organic Glam cosmetics, and www.willowbeautyproducts.co.uk/ for luxury beautifully packaged organic gifts (pictured). Natural Spa-ing Prefer to be beautified by the experts? Spas across the UK are also turning to a greener way of thinking, according to Anna McGrail of The Good Spa Guide (www.goodspaguide.co.uk/). "We have definitely seen an increase in spas asking for our advice on which organic products they should be using," she says. "There has also been a shift away from the more traditional 'earthy and worthy' organic products to a more modern approach with manufacturers acknowledging products don't have to contain hemps or oats to be organic." But although spas such as such as NEOM, REN, Spiezia and Circaroma are increasingly offering organic treatments, few are completely dedicated to the cause. "The Good Spa spies' favourites include the REN facial, available at Ocean Spa at Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall (www.bedruthan.com/spa) and Bath House Spa at New Park Manor, New Forest, offers organic facials and body treatments using their own products (www.bathhousespa.co.uk/)," says Anna. Tried & tested Perron Rigot Pain-Free Wax, from £20. For nationwide stockists call 0207 512 0872 or visit www.perron-rigot.com/ A wax that promises to limit the ouch factor? Bring on the smooth silky skin! The Perron Rigot Pain-Free Wax uses lukewarm wax without strips. My very thorough therapist at Patrick Ludde, London, applies the wax in a thin layer, which dries within a minute and becomes plastic-like as it cools. The tacky strips are then swiftly whipped off by the therapist... followed by a bearable 3/10 rating on the pain scale. It's slightly more time-consuming than traditional methods due to the wait for the cooling time. By no means was the wax 'pain-free' but it was certainly more bearable than any other I've tried and two weeks later my skin is still hair-free. Buy it now An extension of her lingerie collection, Stella McCartney gets a little cheeky with her new Nude fragrance, from £29.50 for 30ml EDT. "I love the idea of walking through a scented mist in your lingerie," Stella says. Available nationwide now. Beauty bulletin Foundation fears Thought finding the right man was tricky? The average British woman tries seven different foundations before finding their perfect match, according to a new Bobbi Brown survey. We spend an average of £125 in the quest for foundation but 13% admit they still haven't found the right one. Make-up artist Bobbi Brown says: "One of the most common errors women make when choosing a foundation is that they try to add colour to their skin - foundation is only there to even out skin tone."
Photo Images: Jo Wood Organic Amka Bath Oil, £44.05 face of Jurlique, Australian actress Teresa Palmer Neal’s Yard Remedies Rose Collection, from £7.90 Spiezia Organic Facial collection, £39 Willow Organic Travel Trunk, £29 |
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