Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, pharmacy with both mediums always being used to express the latest trends. It would then come as no surprise that while fashion has been taking an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, pill which can be seen from clothing brands such as People Tree, that the beauty industry took point and followed. From this new approach, words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, however what do these actually mean, and is there a difference? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??Ethical means being conscious about the recognition of individuals all over the world, and their effort and position it took to get the ingredients which are in the products you’re using. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America.
This standpoint focuses on the conditions and pays those individuals who source ingredients receive, such as, recently there has been questions raised as to the conditions of workers in Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which can be considered an ethical dilemma. Also under the ethical standpoint is the adherence to not test on animals. Most beauty and skincare products do not test on animals; however consumers must always check the packaging, as this is another area of controversy.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
?Natural is another term that often gets confused with what it actually means for beauty products. Brands which use this term are Lush, The Body Shop, Naked Shampoo & Conditioners, Origins and many more. Natural generally means nature and the state in which we are to begin with, (i.e. no makeup or enhancements) however there is also the viewpoint of ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up.
?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
IMAGE ETHICAL BEAUTY 3 JENIFFER
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
http://www.jenillustration.com/
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, visit both used to express the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, cheap best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree, and of course the beauty industry has followed. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. Recently, for instance, there have been questions raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes, presenting buyers with an ‘ethical dilemma’ once this is known. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, approved both used to express the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, cure best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree, prescription and of course the beauty industry has followed. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious about the recognition of individuals all over the world, and their effort and position it took to get the ingredients which are in the products you’re using. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. This standpoint focuses on the conditions and salaries of those individuals who manufacture the products, such as, recently there has been questions raised as to the conditions of workers in Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which can be considered an ethical dilemma. Also under the ethical standpoint is the adherence to not test on animals. Most beauty and skincare products do not test on animals; however consumers must always check the packaging, as this is another area of controversy.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
?Natural is another term that often gets confused with what it actually means for beauty products. Brands which use this term are Lush, The Body Shop, Naked Shampoo & Conditioners, Origins and many more. Natural generally means nature and the state in which we are to begin with, (i.e. no makeup or enhancements) however there is also the viewpoint of ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up.
?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, approved with both mediums always being used to express the latest trends. It would then come as no surprise that while fashion has been taking an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, visit this which can be seen from clothing brands such as People Tree, that the beauty industry took point and followed. From this new approach, words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, however what do these actually mean, and is there a difference? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??Ethical means being conscious about the recognition of individuals all over the world, and their effort and position it took to get the ingredients which are in the products you’re using. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America.
This standpoint focuses on the conditions and pays those individuals who source ingredients receive, such as, recently there has been questions raised as to the conditions of workers in Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which can be considered an ethical dilemma. Also under the ethical standpoint is the adherence to not test on animals. Most beauty and skincare products do not test on animals; however consumers must always check the packaging, as this is another area of controversy.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
?Natural is another term that often gets confused with what it actually means for beauty products. Brands which use this term are Lush, The Body Shop, Naked Shampoo & Conditioners, Origins and many more. Natural generally means nature and the state in which we are to begin with, (i.e. no makeup or enhancements) however there is also the viewpoint of ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up.
?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, information pills with both mediums always being used to express the latest trends. It would then come as no surprise that while fashion has been taking an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, price which can be seen from clothing brands such as People Tree, medical that the beauty industry took point and followed. From this new approach, words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, however what do these actually mean, and is there a difference? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??Ethical means being conscious about the recognition of individuals all over the world, and their effort and position it took to get the ingredients which are in the products you’re using. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America.
This standpoint focuses on the conditions and pays those individuals who source ingredients receive, such as, recently there has been questions raised as to the conditions of workers in Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which can be considered an ethical dilemma. Also under the ethical standpoint is the adherence to not test on animals. Most beauty and skincare products do not test on animals; however consumers must always check the packaging, as this is another area of controversy.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
?Natural is another term that often gets confused with what it actually means for beauty products. Brands which use this term are Lush, The Body Shop, Naked Shampoo & Conditioners, Origins and many more. Natural generally means nature and the state in which we are to begin with, (i.e. no makeup or enhancements) however there is also the viewpoint of ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up.
?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
It’s clear the beauty industry is relentlessly changing as fast as the fashion industry, order with both mediums always being used to express the latest trends. It would then come as no surprise that while fashion has been taking an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, which can be seen from clothing brands such as People Tree, that the beauty industry took point and followed. From this new approach, words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become somewhat common when it comes to the latest beauty products, however what do these actually mean, and is there a difference? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??Ethical means being conscious about the recognition of individuals all over the world, and their effort and position it took to get the ingredients which are in the products you’re using. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as FairTrade and The Body Shop sourcing ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America.
This standpoint focuses on the conditions and pays those individuals who source ingredients receive, such as, recently there has been questions raised as to the conditions of workers in Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which can be considered an ethical dilemma. Also under the ethical standpoint is the adherence to not test on animals. Most beauty and skincare products do not test on animals; however consumers must always check the packaging, as this is another area of controversy.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
?Natural is another term that often gets confused with what it actually means for beauty products. Brands which use this term are Lush, The Body Shop, Naked Shampoo & Conditioners, Origins and many more. Natural generally means nature and the state in which we are to begin with, (i.e. no makeup or enhancements) however there is also the viewpoint of ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up.
?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? More viewpoints come into the fray when questions start to get asked on where that sugar was produced. Has it got more ingredients than sugar? Is that honey, 100% honey? There are two issues which have been raised here, and that is the issue of Organic sourced products, which will be discussed, and secondly, that more often than not, products are not 100% natural. The brand ‘Naked’ Shampoo & Conditioner use 97% natural products and Lush, while try to make their products 100% natural, there are still some of their products which are only partially natural; “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Lending the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
??Organic is another term that seems to be related to natural skincare. Organic skincare focuses on the sourcing and products of the ingredients, often meaning that no parabens or synthetic emollients, synthetic humectants, synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic surfactants; synthetic preservatives, artificial dyes, no colourings, flavourings or additives are included. Brands which are focusing on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. As you can see organic skincare is looking more at the ingredients on the back of a product and often overlaps into natural skincare and ingredients because of the adherence to none synthetic additions.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused with these words, and what they mean, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, which kind of products should you be going for? However the decision might be easier than you think. More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, the body shop is a chain which adheres to ethical and fair trade policies, while sourcing natural ingredients in a majority of their products. Also to some degree, using products which are organic, such as the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox foundation and concealer, which boasts 98% organic and natural ingredients, is helping the planet by not using or supporting the use of chemicals which may not be so environmentally friendly, this is on the pretence that a majority of organic ingredients are bio-degradable and do not destroy the planet – which is where the name of this product can be seen to come from.
Links: – Bourjois –
This change of focus could have easily come from the ever increasing pressure of climate change and being friendlier to our environment; nevertheless capitalism could easily have been an influence on this change as well. Especially since there is pressure for using more environmentally-friendly products on consumers, making it more about profit and less about caring for the planet. As consumers, we can easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, as after all, it’s made for us, and the promise of natural ingredients often mesmerises us into thinking it will do better than all the other products we have bought. It may be assumed that this shift in market focus is trying to signal the move away from chemically enhanced products as perhaps that doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
The same goes for ethical sourcing of ingredients; this is a great way for other countries to get fair pay and conditions, and however this can be viewed as a way of the market to ease our conscience of buying more and more products, especially in a time of economic crisis. There has without a doubt been a significant rise in brands specialising and advertising their ethical, natural and organic sourced products, when I only remember when I was younger The Body Shop and their adherence to stop animal testing, therefore there is definitely the question to ask whether this shift in market focus was because of research into natural and organic skincare working for the environment and being less harsh on our bodies, ethical trade programs for those individuals who do pick and harvest the ingredients first, as opposed to a purposeful money making scheme.
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, website like this constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? Where were the honey and sugar sourced from? Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.
In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, this constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, more about best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, sale Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? Where were the honey and sugar sourced from? Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.
In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…
Illustration by Sandra Contreras
The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, order constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, viagra buy best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, discount Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which were withdrawn from the shelves of Superdrug earlier this year. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Illustration by Dee Andrews
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. But would they? Where were the honey and sugar sourced from? Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.
Illustration by Jennifer Costello
?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?
Illustration by Aniela Murphy
Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.
In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…
I’ve always loved France, this harbouring an intention to learn the French lingo for many years. I’m not being frivolous, visit I can assure you. I am able to testify to my desire through my ginger cat, sildenafil whom I named Francois and my half French boy. Oui, j’adore France! Kate Stables wanted to learn French too, so she moved to Paris. Always an observer of life’s idiosyncrasies, she found her vision could stretch even further when she left Bristol’s borough and sat within a caffeinated artery of France. Stables, the singer/musician/protagonist in This Is The Kit, defines the music they create as ‘Screamo/Emo/Flamenco’. Which in a sense it is. A feisty, heart dancing, spirited, emotional flounce. Folky but not in the jingly sense, more soulful and with minimal instruments.
This Is The Kit by Kayleigh Bluck
Stables is an endearing, dark Rapunzel locked figure. Her voice shoots through you like the first sip of wine after a slog of a day, trapped in an unlit cave. You will find This Is The Kit will gently waft along on a gondolier, tell you it’s all ok, then fighting off the cave bats with their melodies, take you outside to some weeping willow adorned fairy land. She beholds a sound similar to Mary Hampton and Martha Tilston, but more girl next door in pronunciation, realness and the simplicity of lyrics. See: Two Wooden Spoons and Our Socks Forever More. The latter, sang with an acoustic guitar and ukelele, is about wanting to take off your shoes and socks forever more. ‘One of these days’ going to make it back ‘to your mattress’… but ‘I have a thing about sound sufficiency’. It’s a haunting, touching song about decisions, desires and, ‘that someone’. Moon has to be the most splendid of songs about first breath romance. After being lost in the skies, the couple come down, gasping for air and hit by reality. It has only a few lines, but manages an upbeat yet serious undertone feel to it. ‘We had the Moon’ says all it needs to.
This Is The Kit by Kayleigh Bluck.
It’s nice to be sitting down when you listen to This Is The Kit, with some Pear and Apple cider preferably, or indeed a cafe au lait, if you want to make it French. At many of their relaxed, low key shows (such as Village Halls) you can do this. However, This Is The Kit have also played with big Folk heros like Jeffrey Lewis in their time – so you’ll probably be somewhere bigger, without sitting potential and Maureen and Agnes’ tapestry collections festooning the wooden walls (shame). Multitalented Stables plays guitar, banjo, trumpet and percussion. Often she is joined on stage by her musical friends including Rozi Plain, Jim Barr and Francois and The Atlas Mountains. Tres Bon. Their latest album, Wriggle Out The Restless, on Dreamboat Records, was produced by long term collaborator, Jesse D Vernon, who also often plays on stage as a two piece with Stables.
Continuing to flit across the Channel, This Is The Kit are worth seeing whilst they are this side. They encourage the celebration of the pure and simple things in life. The joy from another person and the beauty right out there. French people will tell you about this: I quote Chamfort, the 18th century French playwright: “Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.” Think about this, at a time when most of the world belongs to some form of networking site. Encouraging self evaluation, we discuss our loves, losses, diets and determinations into the abyss. France and This Is The Kit say: look out and to the people we care about.
This Is The Kit released their latest album Wriggle Out the Restless last week on Dreamboat Records. They are also touring at the moment. Catch them in London during mid November, or check out other dates on our listing here.
Written by Helen Martin on Monday October 25th, 2010 12:46 pm
Categories ,bristol, ,Cider, ,Dreamboat Records, ,folk, ,france, ,Francois and The Atlas Mountains, ,french, ,Jeffrey Lewis, ,Jesse D Vernon, ,Jim Barr, ,Kate Stables, ,Kayleigh Bluck, ,Martha Tilston, ,mary hampton, ,paris, ,Rozi Plain, ,This Is The Kit
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