AT the start of the year I wrote about microbeads, tiny plastic spheres which are used in many products including those in beauty scrubs for your face and body.
These nasty items do not dissolve but go through our sewage systems and treatment plants intact, ending up in our waterways where wildlife can ingest them.
It can be quite difficult to find scrub products which do not contain microbeads, unless you go with natural products like coconut, apricot kernels or products from companies like Weleda who use tiny little wax balls which dissolve after their use and actually enhance the product benefits by then moisturising the skin.
Looking at the ingredients in your cleansing, moisturising, shower and bath products, shampoos and make ups can be horrifying when you add up the amount of artificial chemicals and preservatives you are putting directly onto your skin every day.
There are a quite a few companies who specialise in natural skin products, and the number is steadily increasing. The best known are Aveda, Jason, Aveeno, Moa, Elegance, Weleda, Oz Naturals and Dr Hauschka.
One of the oldest manufacturers in the natural skin care world is Weleda, an organic and anthroposophical range that’s been going since 1921. Anthroposophy, from the Greek, literally meaning `wisdom of the human being’, is a spiritual world view with European roots, now established all over the world. Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist and philosopher, frequently referred to the science he had developed as `anthroposophical spiritual science’. It encompasses a total lifestyle from how to live, work, educate the young, food, beauty and medicine.
Weleda manufactures over 1000 pharmaceutical products and 120 natural cosmetics worldwide.
Of Weleda’s plant-based raw materials 83 per cent are cultivated in controlled organic and biodynamic environments, or are obtained from controlled wild sources. All the products are made from natural substances, so artificial preservatives are never used.
Weleda’s natural and organic cosmetics promote well-being: if you want to stay healthy and fit it is important to feel comfortable in your own skin – literally. They rely on principles of "salutogenesis" to activate the body’s healing and regeneration processes, strengthening the body’s defenses and restoring the balance of body, soul and spirit.
Weleda’s natural and organic cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are based on an anthroposophical understanding of people and nature, which states that life processes in the human body and nature are similar.
As a company, they try to act as sustainably as possible on all levels, from the raw materials to the subsequent treatment as cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, packaging and distribution.
In terms of beauty products and skincare, Weleda have a huge range of facial products to suit all skin types. For sensitive skin try the Almond Soothing Care range based on organic sweet almond oil and other pure ingredients selected to be soothing and kind, reducing redness and irritation. The range includes cleansing lotion, facial cream moisturizer, or lotion, and facial oil to restore balance.
The Iris Hydrating Facial Care range is designed for younger skin to regulate moisture levels, it includes calendula, witch hazel, sweet almond and jojoba oil to calm, soften and soothe the skin, whilst protecting it from the environment.
The Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Care range is designed for women aged 30 to 40 who wish to counteract the first signs of ageing such as fine lines, reduced glow and dryness. It is based on organic wild rose seed oil – Rosa moschata, which has a unique quality to strengthen and maintain the skin’s elasticity and reduce fine lines, it also smells wonderful.
This range includes smoothing facial oil capsules which give the skin some intensive care and includes wild rose seed, evening primrose oil, peach kernel oil which feels like silk, almond and jojoba oils.
Pomegranate Firming Facial Care is designed for the 40-plus age group and has a day cream to nourish the skin and is said to reduce the depth of wrinkles by 14 per cent in 28 days.
There is also a firming facial serum, eye and hand cream and a luxurious body oil. This range has a very nice light texture and a fresh smell. The pomegranates used are organic and grown in Icel, a coastal region of Turkey, both the juice and the cold pressed oil from the seeds are used.
The products are largely available in health shops, some pharmacies and online at www.weleda.co.uk.
r.armstrong@irishnews.com
