Back to nature
Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate, €24, is a nourishing mix of plant botanicals from fruit and seeds that’s like Baby Bio for skin. Effective for use on scars, stretch marks, fine lines and on sun-damaged complexions, this is refining, plumping and is a great product for use last thing at night. Good for all skintypes, once you’ve tried oil as a moisturiser, it’s really hard to go back to creams.
Fans of cleansing balms will appreciate the ease and simplicity of Botanics Organic Face Soothing Cleansing Balm, €9.75. Coming complete with a muslin cloth, this is all you need for effective makeup removal as it can deal with even the most stubborn waterproof mascara. Massage a small amount into skin, watch as it lifts foundation, lipstick and shadow in seconds and wipe face clean with your cloth rinsed out in warm water.
Pretty colours, good pigmentation and a good contrast between chocolate shades and lavender blues make Dr Hauschka’s Eyeshadow Palette in 03, €32.95, a very appealing prospect. Part of the current Natural Glamour collection, with its sleek, glossy black packaging and a large mirror in the lid, this is not going to be out of place among your Bobbi Brown palettes.
Organic foundation, really? Yep, and it’s from a mass market beauty brand too. Bourjois’ Bio Detox Foundation, €17.99, is a full-coverage base that’s designed for oily skins. It’s got loads of great ingredients that help skin prone to impurities like mineral pigments, chlorophyll and plant-derived waters. With 11 shades on offer delivering a matte finish, it’s a dead cert that the sebum-prone will be have their interest piqued.
A brilliant price at just €6.95, Lavera’s Basis Sensitiv Organic All Round Moisturising Cream, is the sort of product that’s simple, fuss-free and contains absolutely no added frills like scent. For that reason it’s great to have on hand for the whole family, even kids with sensitive skins.
French brand Une has created a whole range of affordable, subtly-shaded cosmetic offerings that are a pleasure to wear and use. The Lip Toned Colours, €12.99, are particularly good. No, you won’t get madly on-trend or high-fashion shades, because these colours are mined from nature, but you will get flattering tones and lots of skin-friendly ingredients like shea butter and beeswax as well as seed oils and a natural tomato leaf fragrance. Bridging the gap between care and colour? Une has done it.
New to this Irish organic range are two Soil Association-certified lipbalms in Lemon and Lime and Vanilla and Peppermint (which promises a plumping effect) for €12 each. B and E vitamins, oraganic seaweed extracts and beeswax promise hydration and repair and the packaging continues the eco ethos. Made from corn starch, the outer casing will break down in a few weeks when chucked in a composter. Clever!
With a clever gel-to-oil formulation and good organic credentials, Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel, €13.60, from the Body Shop, is a really effective cleanser that washes off with water and will remove all traces of make-up in seconds, leaving skin feeling soft, clean and comfortable.
How do you know your organic cosmetic is really and truly 100%? Any product can put the words ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ on its packaging, but only those that follow set standards can achieve certification from awarding bodies like Britain’s Soil Association, America’s USDA or Germany’s BDIH. Look for one of these logos on your beauty product to ensure that your buy has achieved proper standards that mean it’s conforming to proper farming and trading standards and it’s assuredly chemical-free.
Organic certification can be an expensive route that some brands can’t afford to go down, or don’t aim for because of particular formulation reasons. Here are three nicely natural picks that are also well worth buying, even if they don’t have a stamp.
With a good track record for sustainability, Ojon has an economic programme in place with the native peoples in Honduras, where it sources the oil it uses in its products. New to the range is Instant Restorative Hair Serum, €26.50, a Moroccanoil-alike product that’s different in that it contains no silicones, a by-product of the petrochemical industry. The magic ingredient here is Rouge Oleifera extract, rich in antioxidants such as beta-carotene and essential lipids like triglycerides.
Burt’s Bees Cranberry and Pomegranate Sugar Scrub, €16.95, smells good enough to eat. Containing 100% natural ingredients, this sweet treat contains cranberry seed and pomegranate oil plus shea butter and olive and soybean oils to provide a triple moisturiser effect. Yum!
Mint Julips lip scrub, €6.75 from Lush, is whipped up from real sugar, peppermint oil and sweet vanilla extract to form a scrubby wonder that gently lifts away dry skin, while soothing and moisturising your delicate kisser.
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