Why You Should Switch To Natural Skincare

Thinking about making the switch to natural skincare? 

Do you remember the organic beauty market fifteen years ago? Boy-oh-boy was it a far cry from the way it is today. Of the handful of natural brands available back then, packaging was unappealing, products didn’t tend to smell all that good and performance was, well… underwhelming.

Fast forward to 2018 and the evolution of clean, natural and organic beauty is accelerating at pace, driven in part by a growing need for consumers to know exactly what they are putting on their skin.

Because what we put on our skin does matter. Not only are we now better educated about the effects of UVA damage but we also have free radicals, radiation from screens and environmental pollution to contend with. As plant-based skincare evolves, so too does its performance and many people are now deciding to switch from synthetic, chemically derived products to ones boasting natural actives.

In case you are considering a similar move, here are a few natural brands we recommend:

Tata Harper

Delivering dramatic results without compromise, Tata pioneered the growing farm-to-face obsession. The undisputed 'Queen of Green', Tata Harper's super-natural skin care has bewitched beauty editors and award panelists (it's scored hordes of coveted 'Best in Beauty' awards). The Purifying Cleanser naturally exfoliates using fruit enzymes to refine the skin's surface - removing dead cells which compromise its light-reflective properties - while natural sugars and broccoli extract combine to stimulate and reinvigorate dulled, sluggish skin. It's time you discovered the range Vogue termed 'life changing'... 

Purifying Cleanser

100% Natural 
125ml £61

Evolve

British brand Evolve is a relatively new kid on the block. Founded by Laura Rudo, Laura’s Romanian grandmother used to show her how to make natural beauty treatments using common food ingredients found at home. Evolve’s products are all handmade and hand finished in an artisanal studio in Hertfordshire. Our pick from the range is the Radiant Glow Organic Face Mask, made with raw cacao, clay and coconut granules.

Evolve Radiant Glow Organic Face Mask

100% natural and 82.24% Organic
60ml £20

Votary

Founded in 2015 by makeup artist Arabella Preston. Votary has already attained cult status with its array of plant oil skin care. The company believes ‘you should only put things on your skin which you are happy for your body to absorb’ and we quite agree! We particularly love the Cleansing Oil which boasts rose geranium and apricot as well as chamomile, giving it an uplifting and at the same time relaxing scent.

Votary Cleansing Oil

100% natural plant oils
100ml £45

BySarah

BySarah’s Organic Facial Oil has already won "Best New Skincare Product Launch" for its Organic Oil. Not bad for a company founded less than a year ago. The inspiration for the range started when founder Sarah’s sister was recovering from Leukaemia back in 2012. Sarah was desperate to find natural and organic products that would help soothe her sister’s sensitive skin but a frustration with long and cryptic ingredients lists meant she could never be sure what was in a product. She decided to blend her own products and today is championing ‘front labelling’, where a full ingredients list is listed on the front, rather than the back label. 

Organic Facial Oil

100% natural and 99% organic
30ml £38

Malin + Goetz

Malin + Goetz have gentle but effective balancing treatments for sensitive skin that are inspired by nature and enhanced by technology for optimum performance. Good natural deodorants are hard to come by, but the general consensus seems to be 'free-from aluminium chloride' - a chemical compound still making headlines for possibly increasing the risk of breast cancer. Even if these claims are eventually debunked, we found the cult favourite - Eucalyptus Deodorant refreshing enough to cleanse the skin and neutralise odours, providing up to 24 hours of freshness.

Eucalyptus Deodorant

Alcohol and aluminium free
28g £12

de Mamiel

de Mamiel was started in 2010 by Annee de Mamiel. What followed has been a journey culminating in an award-winning business that has won facial oil, skincare and anti-ageing accolades and treatments so in demand that created waiting lists. Also a leading authority on acupuncture, her bespoke and unique treatments offers a range of pure and potent ingredients, blended using Annee's encyclopaedic knowledge of Chinese Medicine and our skin's needs at different times of the year. The ingredients are even blessed for added good vibrations. We recommend the Brightening Cleanse & Exfoliate - the uniquely formulated exfoliator comes out of the bottle as a clay-like paste and mixed with water creates a balmy texture, which can then be applied to the skin. Packed full of so much goodness that it's as healthy as drinking a green smoothie ;)

Brightening Cleanse & Exfoliate

All natural and certified organic
70g £41

Kypris

Inspired by the goddess Aphrodite - renowned for her mythical beauty and intrinsic femininity - Kypris skin care is holistic, sensuous and otherworldly. The stunning range of all-natural, wild-crafted sustainable serums, elixirs and oils have amassed a cult following, their exquisite elixir '1000 Roses' is to die for, steam-distilled from more than 1000 Bulgarian rose petals - to harness their skin-soothing, softening and pampering properties. We also love protecting our complexion with their broad-spectrum sunscreen.

Pot of Shade: Heliotropic

SPF 30
27ml £65

May Lindstrom

We first discovered May Lindstrom Skin when a product of hers was included in a Cult Beauty X Caroline Hirons’ Beauty Box and we have been completely obsessed ever since. Former model and mother of two, May wanted her skincare range not only to be made using the finest exotic naturals but for it to also be a ‘catalyst for self-care rituals’. For May, it is both an inside and an outside job. The product which beautifully sums up this founding ethos is Blue Cocoon – a premium solid oil in a jar that is the colour of the sea (Blue Tansy giving it its instantly recognisable colour). Massaged into the skin at night this other wordily concentrate delivers an anti-inflammatory shot of hydration, whilst the smell eases feelings of emotional anxiety, cocooning its wearer in a blanket of calm. 

The Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm Concentrate

Made from a combination of Certified Organic, Wild Harvested, Fair Trade, Raw & Unrefined and Essential Oils.
50ml £174

Natalie James, businessmakeupartist.com