Natalie Yates, founder, Beauty Retreat 'I started an organic salon because I absolutely believe in the importance of what you put on your skin'

Organic and green beauty products have come a long way – but can they be as good as synthetics, and does it really matter what you put on your face? Olivia Abbott investigates

Nicola Elliott, founder, NEOM 'For me it's about striking a balance - you've got to make sensible, informed choices and try to be as good as you can'

It’s easy to be cynical about organic beauty products. We’ve come a long way from dusty, unappealing earth-smelling tubs of carrot moisturiser at the back of a shelf in the health food shop – in fact, it seems almost everyone is jumping on the ‘natural, organic, good-for-you bandwagon – but is that indeed all it is, a bandwagon?

One of the ranges that has really changed the face of ‘green’ beauty is NEOM (neomorganics.com). Founder Nicola Elliott started the company because she realised that women do want organic products – but they also want the luxury and sophistication they’re used to with the big brand beauty names.

‘It’s all well and good creating an organic or green product that absolutely ticks the boxes of performing in the right way and containing the right products,’ says Nicola, ‘but it’s no good that product being whiter than white [or greener than green!] if women aren’t going to buy it.’

Consumer confusion

Part of the problem with deciding to choose a greener regime is knowing what’s green and what’s not. What does organic mean when it comes to beauty products? There are so many supposedly natural, organic, biodynamic ranges available – not to mention all those shampoos and conditioners boasting ‘active botanicals’ and ‘pure plant extracts’ – that it’s difficult to know what really is organic.

‘It is very difficult for the consumer, because for so long now we’ve been led up the garden path by synthetic brands bandying names around and using the word “natural” where it’s not meant to be used,’ says Nicola. ‘Now we don’t know what we should be looking for and need some sort of guidance. We’ve come so far with foods - you see women in supermarkets turning packets around, looking at the ingredients, but we’re nowhere near as close to that education when it comes to beauty products, and I think that’s a real shame.’

Of course, the $64,000 question is, in any case, are organic products really any better for you, your skin and the environment anyway? Natalie Yates, founder of the organic beauty salon Beauty Retreat (beautyretreatsalon.co.uk) in St Neots, is absolutely convinced.

‘I started an organic salon because I absolutely believe in the importance of what you put on your skin,’ she says. ‘We still don’t really know the effects of chemicals like parabens and preservatives. Organic products are kinder on the skin, and better for the body.’

Synthetic sins

Natalie uses organic products herself, and looks at least five years younger than her 27 years. ‘I’ve got quite sensitive skin so I’ve always had to be a bit careful about what I put on my skin. My products work just as well as synthetic ones - they’ve all got the same sort of essential oils in but mine just don’t have the preservatives.’

Nicola Elliott, meanwhile, is adamant that synthetic products are far more harmful than people realise. ‘A lot of ingredients that are used in standard synthetic products – particularly parabens and PEGs - are known carcinogens: they are known to potentially cause cancer. In recent tests, 19 out of 20 of breast cancer tumours were found to have parabens in them. An awful lot of these ingredients are also known to cause fertility problems and skin complaints; several chemicals are linked with cancer, diabetes, obesity, eczema…’

So, it would seem to make sense to choose natural products – but as we’ve already discovered, with the plethora of brands out there all making claims for their naturalness and sustainability, how do you know what to choose?

Know your labels

Don’t be fooled by products simply claiming to be ‘natural’, ‘active’ or even ‘organic’. A brand can claim to be organic without being obliged to get any certification – but reputable brands will have undergone voluntary assessment. Check labels for Soil Association certification, and US Department of Agriculture organic certification. Other recognised associations are the French EcoCert, the Farmers Assocation and the German trade association BDIH.

However, there’s also a case for not getting too hung up on labelling. The criteria for organic certification are very stringent, and there are some ranges that fail to hit the mark but even though not necessarily certified organic are still synthetic free and environmentally conscious. It’s about being realistic, and being informed.

‘I would never profess to be 100 per cent organic,’ says Nicola. ‘NEOM is probably not the greenest brand out there, but we are very truthful about what we do and we are always organic. For me, it’s about striking a balance. You’ve got to navigate your way thorugh and make sensible, informed choices and try to be as good as you can. And if you can get there 80 per cent, you’re doing quite well.’