Instead of harming your skin and the planet, choose skincare that can create social change!
Skincare and beauty routines are part of our every day, but what if your skincare and daily choices can create a larger social change? We asked for some tips and tricks from our friends at Luxe Botanics on why we should make the switch to natural skincare, the dirty dozen skincare ingredients to avoid, how we can enrich our skin health, and get that natural glow from inside out.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body where on average we use 12 personal care products each day that we spray, rub and paint onto it. Tally this up and we’re looking at 2.3 litres of lotions and potions that could travel into our bodies every year.1
The Greek poet Homer said, “My heart has learned to glow for other’s good and to melt at other’s woe.” And who are we to argue with the legendary poet and author?
Not only does our skin reflect our physical health, but it also reflects our emotional well-being. Yes, that little saying ‘beauty sleep’ has truth and when we’re feeling happy, we exude a lit from glow from within. So how exactly do we achieve the best of both worlds, how can we make our soul (and skin) glow?
But first, the scary skincare stats
The approximate number of restricted ingredients for use in beauty and personal care products varies wildly from country to country. In the European Union, there are 1,328 undesirables restricted3, in Canada – 8004, and bottom of the list, only 11 in the United States.5 For many countries, the law does not require cosmetic products and ingredients, other than colour additives, to be approved before they go on the market. These ingredients have been linked to skin irritations, hormone disruption and may compromise health over time, which are often the triggers for seeking more natural skincare solutions.
Greener beauty steps
Still not convinced? The natural and organic beauty market is predicted to be worth US$22 Billion by 2024 and is growing at 8-10% per year. Analysts expect the market’s value to double in the next 8 years.2 The biggest factors cited by consumers contributing towards this shift are to support a cleaner environment and for health reasons. You see where we’re heading with this? That’s right, one #littlegreenstep at a time.
Enriching skin health
At Luxe Botanics we’re all about nature to nurture, creating a botanical range of advanced natural skincare that enriches skin health. We believe Mother nature is the ultimate innovator, so we’ve scoured the globe for the most transformative botanicals to create a line patterned with cutting-edge green chemistry and inspired by biomimicry. You won’t find a paraben or sulphate in site. But we’re not just content in skincare that goes skin deep. From the beginning, it’s been our South African Founder Jené’s mission to design skin care that you can feel and look good about.
Empowering women and protecting the environment
At Luxe Botanics, we care about not only about what we present on stage but also what’s behind the curtain. What this means is that beyond using nature’s most time-honoured ingredients to hydrate, brighten and clarify skin, our botanicals are able to economically empower communities in Africa and Brazil and are harvested in such a way that is environmentally sustainable.
So the next time you’re feeling curious…
Take a look at the ingredients in your skincare and start to notice words you that you’d need to be a scientist to understand. Lucky for us, we are! Well, biotechnologists to be exact, and with over a decade of working on dermatology trials behind her, at the intersection between science and nature, our founder Jené has cracked the code to create clean, transformative skincare. Don’t know where to start? Here’s a list of the dirty dozen6 to avoid:
- Butylated hydroxyanisole
- Diethanolamine
- Formaldehyde
- Parabens
- Parfum
- PEG compounds
- Petrochemicals
- Phenylenediamine
- Phthalates
- Siloxanes
- Sulphates
- Triclosan
Honour yourself and others
Remember what Homer said, that we glow when others do. And while you practice your self-care ritual of good nutrition, relaxation and exercise, you can also honour yourself and others through a mindful skincare ritual.
Take a pause in your day, find a quiet space to relax and breathe in the earthy scents of your plant-powered elixirs knowing that you’re giving thanks at the same time to nature and those that contribute to the beauty of our daily lives. Illuminating isn’t it?
N.B:
All Luxe Botanics botanicals are organically grown and hand-picked by the local community in Malawi, Kenya and the Amazon in Brazil. To find out more about how we enable women with business training across Africa, provide nutritious meals to nursery school children and give back to the environment, visit us at www.luxebotanics.com.
1 Nat Van Zee, natural beauty expert for Psychologies Magazine and The Soil Association
2 Persistence Market Research 2016
3 EU Commission 2012
4 Canada cosmetic-ingredient-hotlist-prohibited-restricted-ingredients
5 Food Drug and Cosmetics Act 1938
6 Dirty Dozen Cosmetic Chemical to Avoid