There has undoubtedly been a rise in interest in natural and organic skincare and cosmetics, a recent Mintel report showed a two hundred per cent rise in spending in this sector. We are aware that ‘you are what you eat’ and are looking at ingredients and purity as well as sustainability and the eco picture, but it’s becoming apparent that if you’re ‘clean’ in your eating it makes sense to follow that through to the personal care products that you choose. You are also ‘what you put on your skin’, as the skin is the largest organ of the body and what goes on, goes in, or at least a large percentage of it.
In my personal pursuit of all things natural I zoomed in this month on lipsticks and found some bizarre new research suggests your colour choice suggests where you live in the UK!
They’ve taken this data from a leading department store who have offered statistics on sales of particular colours across the country, it seems if you’re a southerner you like bold reds and bright pinks, while in the north, women opt for coral and nude shades, They get even more specific than that suggesting that in Scotland the best-selling lipstick is ‘high shine baby pink’ and in Cardiff it’s a ‘pink nude’ shade.
I don’t think this research offers anything ground-breaking, what would have been much more productive is to ask how many more women are now opting for natural and organic lippy. We know that conventional lipstick can contain some potentially toxic ingredients, mineral oils, petroleum, lead and other trace metals are often found in lipsticks, but is there an alternative? Absolutely.
At one time natural alternatives, especially make-up, were seen as inferior and didn’t cater for those people who wanted effectiveness and luxury, but now it’s changed, customers are becoming much more discerning, and choosing organic cosmetics over conventional, not just because they have allergies or are concerned about the environment but because they are better.
The phrase ‘clean beauty’ is used a lot, it refers to skincare and beauty products that are not toxic, they don’t contain any synthetic chemicals that have been linked to toxicity. Clean beauty also means less harm to the environment, consumers expect their natural skincare and beauty products to tick the eco box too.
It is possible to make for example, lipsticks without the harsh chemicals, extra virgin coconut oi, and Shea butter often feature as gentle moisturising ingredients.
There are some excellent natural lipsticks on the market, from the lovely matte shades from Green People:
www.greenpeople.co.uk
The new tinted lips balms from Weleda:
www.weleda.co.uk
Organic lippy from Natorigin:
New to the market is a range of seriously bright colours from Antipodes.
www.kinetic4health.co.uk
100% Pure Organic Lipstick from PHB Ethical Beauty:
www.phbethicalbeauty.co.uk
Wherever you live, and whatever your preferred shade, I’d opt for the trend of knowing you aren’t ingesting anything nasty, rather than buying the same lippy as the women on your street.