Why our brands formulate organic beauty products

Whether they choose to formulate with certified organic ingredients, or opt for full organic certification, most of the brands we stock at Blomma Beauty contain organic ingredients. The faces behind some of our brands tell you why they are so passionate about formulating organic beauty products...

"Organically grown ingredients have no toxic pesticide and chemical residue. There is a study that proves that organic ingredients are 1.5 times more nutritious than non-organic ones. In skincare, you then have a more nourishing product that brings more vitamins and minerals to the skin, so more healing properties to help several skin conditions. The antioxidant level of organic ingredients is much higher than the one of non-organic ones. And higher anti-oxidants means a higher anti-ageing factor." Alessandra De Gregorio, Terre Verdi

"The reason behind selling organic products or using organic ingredients is simply because it joins the dots between our Moroccan heritage our own health and the planet health and the future of our farmers.

We all know that using products either externally or internally has an effect on our health and our bodies. Using organic products will save you from using all the other types of products with additives and chemicals that may be harsh on your skin and body.

As more of us make a conscious decision to reduce our impact on the planet and to build a better future, opting for organic has the potential to make a world of difference. Buying organic beauty products mean supporting a holistic and sustainable way of farming that works for farmers long into the future by increasing their income and helping them and their families to improve their lifestyles." Ikram Benzila, Founder Pure Argan Co

"We love organic ingredients with a positive story. For example the organic shea butter that we use in all our balms is produced by a woman’s cooperative in Ghana. The ripe nuts of the shea tree are collected by the women after they have fallen to the ground. The green edible peel is removed and the nuts are sun dried before being roasted and kneaded by hand to produce the soft shea butter. It is sent to Holland to a certified importer for organic oils where it is melted, filtered and deodorised. It is such a wonderful protective and healing product enhanced surely by its organic and fairtrade credentials.

We seek to include ingredients that are certified as organic, usually through the Soil Association. We are able to do this with the majority of our ingredients and feel very good about the positive impact this has both on the environment and our own skin health. When choosing ingredients we want maximum plant active benefits and minimum toxins so it makes sense to choose organic!

Given a choice between synthetic ingredients that contain mineral oils, sulphates, parabens, etc and active plant ingredients with a huge range of naturally occurring vitamins, omega’s and antioxidants, we choose natural!

Many of our clients have sensitive skin and therefore the presence of high levels of naturally occurring antioxidants in plants is fantastic for inflammation. You can also select ingredients for sensitive skin for example the calming and healing properties of calendula extract, marshmallow, shea butter, chamomile. I use organic versions of all of these ingredients and they feature throughout the product ranges.

We have chosen not to certify the products as organic at this time as we are already registered with the Leaping Bunny Programme and the Vegan Society." Marian Hardiman, Founder Silvan Skincare

"We use organic ingredients because we care about sustainability. We support fair trade and work with growers who are organically certified so that our herbs are grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides. We do this because we value the health of our customers and the health of our environment. Scientific evidence has proven that organic agriculture results in much greater biodiversity. It also protects the environment through legally binding standards that prevent pollution and ban herbicides and artificial fertilizers. Organic farming is playing an increasingly important role in mitigating climate change as well, by taking carbon out of the atmosphere and safely locking it away in the soil.

We also believe that organic ingredients grown without herbicides and pesticides make for stronger more vibrant plants with better constituent profiles and therefore more effective extracts." Barb Paldus, Founder Codex Beauty

"We always choose to use organic and fair-trade ingredients where possible, because we know that this is something that’s important to our customers who are seeking natural skincare. Our carrier oils are organic, cold-pressed, unrefined and never bleached to ensure that we are retaining as much of the natural goodness as possible. However, we do have a small number of ingredients that can’t be sourced organically, for example the kaolin clay in our Calm and Soothe Face Mask, as clay is naturally mined from the earth and not grown. We do make sure however, that this is sourced locally from Cornwall as our customers are not just looking for organic, but also British, local and sustainable ingredients. For this reason, we made a conscious decision to use non-organic lavender essential oil from our local lavender farm as we feel that supporting local business and keeping a small carbon footprint is just as important as using organic ingredients. We take our carbon footprint very seriously and to be able to source such a beautiful oil in the next village is very special and our customers love that we are able to do this!

There are various reasons why we have chosen not to be Soil Association certified at this time and it’s not always justified to assume that a brand that isn’t certified lacks in quality or organic ingredients. As a small brand using a high percentage of organic ingredients we could certify, however this is costly for a small business and we have made the decision to invest that cost in high quality ingredients and glass jars that preserve the ingredients naturally for a much longer period than most skincare on the market. We focus on ingredients that actually make a difference to skin and have designed our products to be effective, first and foremost. The small scale of our micro-batched production process ensures that our products are fresh, thoughtfully sourced and gently formulated into products that our customers repeatedly return for. We spend a significant amount of our time talking to British oil suppliers, fair trade co-operatives and listening to our customers, who know they can trust that our ingredients will always be of the highest quality and are considerate to the environment. We source all of our ingredients from reputable suppliers and ask for evidence to confirm their sustainability." Wendy Lane, co-founder Meadow Skincare