Have a quick glance at your bathroom shelf. There’s bound to be at least one product labelled ‘organic’, even if you’re a die-hard glycolic-acid devotee. That’s the thing with today’s natural beauty industry – the very word has become a powerful marketing tool, used with abandon and not always honestly. “Outside of the recognised COSMOS bodies, there can be very loose organic standards and some companies can even call their products organic, despite them having minimal amounts of qualifying ingredients in them” explains Olivia Thorpe, founder of natural beauty site Vanderohe.
Considering all this confusion, it’s easy to see why natural beauty fans are taking their quest for clean skincare one step further, looking for honesty and simplicity alongside that organic stamp of approval. In a world where clean eating and wellness continue to dominate, it makes sense that we now want to peek inside the workings of the brands we entrust with our complexions.
Thankfully, a new generation of all-natural beauty brands has risen to the challenge, seizing control of the entire production process – and shouting about it, proudly. These independent operations shun mass production and shiny marketing campaigns for the finer things in beauty: properly pressed oils, ethical processes and a beautifully designed bottle.
The appeal of buying from small-batch companies is manifold, explains Imelda Burke, founder of organic beauty store Content and author of The Nature of Beauty. “Purchasing from such brands supports a variety of social and ethical issues: these products are often made locally, with sustainability and the environment in mind. The money that goes back to these companies in product sales can enhance local communities and employment, supporting fair-trade practices and organic growers in developing countries around the world.” What’s more, when there’s a face behind the name, the interaction works both ways. “Beauty enthusiasts love that you can often contact the founders of small-batch brands directly for recommendations, in contrast to a larger company where you can’t talk to the person actually mixing the product.”
For Thorpe, the appeal of small-batch beauty lies in its simple, open nature. “The most obvious benefit to choosing a traceable beauty brand is the knowledge that comes with it: what their ingredients are (in mass-production products the ingredients are often hidden, which should ring alarm bells), where the ingredients are from, and how they were sourced, farmed, and bottled.”
So, it seems the best way to clean up your beauty act is to start small. Click through for our verdict on the best new niche brands with open-door policies…
Romilly Wilde
Romilly Wilde is the brainchild of superfood chef Susie Willis, who takes the same clean approach to beauty as she does her food. Don’t be fooled by the dreamy pink packaging though, because there are powerful nature-derived actives within these bottles. Take the Light + Energy Serum Cleanser: it’s formulated with a blend of hand-sourced plant and flower extracts including saffron, manuka honey and neroli. Sound too good to wash off? No worries – it makes a gorgeous soothing mask, too.
Romilly Wilde Light + Energy Serum Cleanser, £54, available at Romily Wilde
Farmacy
Fusing the purity of nature with the power of science, Farmacy grows its own organic ingredients with independent New York farmers before transporting them straight to the lab to be transformed into products so fresh, you could almost eat them. The star of the show is the patented Echinacea GreenEnvy: a powerful antioxidant that protects the skin’s collagen levels. Think of it as a cold-pressed juice, for your face.
Vanderohe
Olivia Thorpe founded online beauty forum Vanderohe to share her passion for natural beauty, after pregnancy encouraged her to question exactly what was in her beauty regime. This month, Thorpe launches her debut product, Vanderohe No.1 serum. Every oil inside is certified by The Soil Association – which adheres to the strictest requirements of organic farming – and harvested from its original source to ensure maximum potency. Apricot kernel oil is cold-pressed in Pakistan, while cedarwood essential oil is steam-distilled in the Atlas mountains of Morocco, and myrrh is wild-crafted in Somalia.
What’s more, Vanderohe donates 10% of its profits to the Marine Savers Programme at Four Seasons Resort Maldives, one of the world’s most successful coral reef propagation projects.
SHE-Y
SHE-Y is a celebration of founder Menaye Donkor’s Ghanaian roots. The brand’s artisanal body creams and scrubs are crafted in an Italian laboratory using shea butter traditionally produced by local women in Ghana. Each of the three scents – black orchid, olive and praline – offers a new take on a heritage-laden beauty ritual, and a percentage of every sale is donated to help build and run new schools across Africa.
Amly Botanicals
When two friends discovered a natural silver-rich water source beneath their organic East Sussex farm, they saw the potential for a seriously gorgeous beauty project. In Amly Botanicals' Silver Rich Facial Mist, this antimicrobial spring water is infused with a treasure trove of botanicals sourced from hedgerow fruit, native herbs and organic flowers, plus a hint of moisture-sealing hyaluronic acid. And the scent? It’s therapy in a bottle.
Amly Botanicals Silver Rich Facial Mist, £42, available at Content Beauty & Wellbeing
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
The Mistakes You're Making With Your Acne Scars — & How To Fix 'Em
Dermatillomania AKA Skin Picking: What Is It & How Do You Stop It?