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The Soil Association event will continue to build on the Campaign for Clarity, calling on brands to ‘stop the greenwash’ to enable consumers to be sure that what they are buying is genuinely organic or natural.
The campaign has been given a new look this year, with a fresh logo and creative, as well as a dedicated beauty Instagram. “We are completely revamping the creative and the materials around Organic Beauty Week,” says Clare McDermott, business development director, Soil Association Certification, “and we are taking it national – as well as hosting events in London for beauty buyers we will be holding events in Bristol and Glasgow, primarily to educate but also to allow people to sample brands.”
For retailers, the Soil Association will be offering a digital toolkit available to download, including free POS materials highlighting Organic Beauty Week with the sub-heading – ‘look for the logo’ and ‘we have the logo’. Retailers can place these over certified products to promote Organic Beauty Week and make the most of their offers.
Kim Allan of Botanical Brands, which is running a special promotion for retailers during the month, commented: “Awareness for natural and organic beauty is at an all-time high. More and more consumers are looking for natural and organic skincare but products they can trust and rely upon to deliver results. Certification provides that reassurance and that’s why the Soil Association is focusing on looking for the logo during Organic Beauty Week this year.”
Organic beauty brands partnering the Soil Association during the event include Neal’s Yard Remedies, Herbfarmacy, Spiezia, Natracare, Voya, Therapi, Bamford, Skin and Tonic and Terre Verdi.
Health, wellness and fitness blogger Niomi Smart is the ambassador for this year’s event.
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]]>The post Neal’s Yard launches deodorants, supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>Described as gentle but effective, the new aluminium-free deodorants come in two refreshing scents using organic essential oils: Rose & Geranium and Peppermint & Lime.
The products are clinically proven to protect against odour for 24 hours, thanks to cleansing shikimic acid and absorbing bamboo powder.
To support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the brand is donating £1 from the sale of every deodorant throughout October to The Haven, which offers emotional, physical and practical support to those affected by breast cancer.
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]]>The post Neal’s Yard gets tasty with Deliciously Ella appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>The initial products comprise Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Wash and Moisturiser, both formulated with organic rose and lime essential oils infused with cucumber water, blueberries, acai and turmeric.
Lime is included for its astringent properties to help tone the skin; rose helps balance, hydrate and nurture the skin; blueberry oil is a potent antioxidant; cucumber water helps moisturise and refresh; acai provides antioxidants, vitamin C and essential fatty acids; while turmeric helps to leave the skin even-toned and soft.
“As I became more conscious about what I was putting into my body, I started thinking more and more about what I was using on my skin,” explains Ella Mills. “If my recipes contained only the best ingredients, why shouldn’t my skincare? With this in mind, I wanted to create a line of natural skincare products that made looking and feeling your best as easy as possible. I’ve always loved Neal’s Yard Remedies, so working together was the natural choice. I’m so excited to launch my new Rose Lime & Cucumber Collection, a simple daily skincare routine which is packed with some of my favourite organic ingredients to help every skin type achieve a naturally radiant glow.”
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]]>The post Fresh faced award winners appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>The coveted Best Baby Brand UK went to stalwart Green People, while Best Eco-Friendly Baby Brand was a joint win for both Weleda and Neal’s Yard Remedies.
A new launch from Pai Skincare with its Petit Pai Apple and Mallow Hair and Body Wash managed to scoop the top spot in the Best Shampoo and Body Wash category, raising the profile of its newly launched baby and children’s range “developed to help set the foundations for healthy, happy skin right from the beginning.”
“Our annual Beauty Awards and Baby Awards are always such a fantastic barometer of what’s happening in beauty ‘now’ with regards to new trends, in vogue ingredients, new recyclable packaging and formula innovations,” says Fiona Klonarides, founder of The Beauty Shortlist. “Entries for our Mama & Baby Awards in July were up almost 150 per cent on 2015, and even more interesting was the wave of 100 per cent natural and/or organic-certified products that poured in.”
“The message is getting through that clean, green and sustainable is the way, and it made my heart sing to see these new gentle green brands take part,” she continued. “I do, however, think we need to somehow clarify organic certification, and I wish there was one, definitive organic accreditation process available, as it varies so greatly.”
You can find more information, including entries and voting for the 2017 Beauty Shortlist Awards, here.
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]]>The post Brands join forces to push for UK microbead ban appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>Botanical Brands, along with representatives from Pai Skincare and Green People has signed an open letter issued by Neal’s Yard Remedies today (see below) to coincide with World Oceans Day flagging up the harm that microbead pollution does to seas and marine life and asking the Government to “pursue a legislative route and ban microplastics being used”.
Greenpeace, Fauna & Flora International, Environmental Investigation Agency and Marine Stewardship Council are also partnering on the campaign which incudes a petition with over 300,000 signatures – to be handed in today – to urge the Government to ban the use of microbeads in personal care products. It asks David Cameron to “follow President Obama and other world leaders by banning the use of polluting plastic microbeads. Plastic microbeads are needlessly used in cosmetics. They damage our oceans and the creatures that live in them.”
Kim Allan of Botanical Brands commented: “As a supplier of eco, natural and organic beauty brands from around the world, we have actively campaigned for this cause for a number of years now. We welcomed the US government’s decision to ban the use of plastic microbeads in skin care and personal care products earlier this year, however, this is a global concern, which impacts on the UK cosmetics industry too. Although there are many companies that already produce skin care products without the use of plastic microbeads – showing that natural alternatives are not only available but effective – there are still many more that don’t! That’s why Botanical Brands has joined forces with other leading natural skincare and cosmetics companies that don’t use microbeads to call on the government for a UK ban on their future use. ”
Rt Hon David Cameron MP, 10 Downing Street,
London, SW1A 2AA
June 8th, 2016
Dear Prime Minister,
It’s not often that businesses call on government to regulate their own industry.
This year has seen growing consumer concern over the use of plastic “microbeads” in personal care products, including a petition over 300,000 signatories strong due to be handed in June 8th, World Oceans Day. As businesses operating in this field, we share this concern and believe the time has come for government to step in.
Microplastics are a direct source of oceanic pollution, making their way to the sea from our sinks, toilets and showers after just a few seconds of use. Yet like all plastics, they may last for centuries in our seas and harm marine life.
Removing plastics from personal care products is the most efficient and cost-effective way of stopping this pollution. ‘End of pipe’ solutions through upgrading of sewage treatment plants would be far more costly. We note the recent ban in the US under the Microbead-Free Waters Act 2015.
Furthermore, the use of these plastics is unnecessary: environmentally-friendly alternatives exist, and are available at similar cost.
None of our companies use microplastic ingredients for any function in any of our products, and feel that the quality of our products does not suffer due to this absence. We have also found many of our customers are reassured that they are not contributing to the growing problem of microplastic pollution when using our products.
We believe that microplastic beads and particles should never be used in personal care and domestic cleaning products. It is unacceptable for industry to produce products that pollute our oceans when alternatives are readily available.
Unfortunately, many others in our industry have been dragging their feet on this issue. Whilst some have commitments in place, these mostly do not cover all product types and many have long or unclear phase-out targets. We now feel that given the voluntary approach has proven neither comprehensive nor expeditious enough, the government should pursue a legislative route and ban microplastics being used in such products. It would furthermore send a clear message that use of ingredients that have such negative impacts for so little gain will not be permitted.
Yours sincerely,
Susan Curtis, Deputy Chair, Neal’s Yard Remedies Kim Allan, Managing Director, Botanical Brands Charlotte Vøhtz, Managing Director, Green People Sarah Brown, Founder, Pai Skincare
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]]> https://www.naturalbeautyyearbook.co.uk/8236-2/feed/ 0The post Summer loving appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>Summer solstice (solstice derived from the Latin word sol, meaning ‘sun’) happens around 21 June, and is the longest day of the year. It’s also the only day of the year when all locations inside the Arctic Circle experience a continuous period of daylight for 24 hours, and many argue that it marks the official start of summer. People around the world celebrate the day with feasts, picnics, dance and music. We also have the earliest sunrise of the year in June, and the latest sunset.
The Queen’s official birthday celebrations (because one 90th birthday party simple isn’t enough!) takes place in June, as does Father’s Day, Royal Ascot and Wimbledon. But the most exciting aspect of all during this fertile month is the fact that it’s the ideal harvesting time for mallow.
Marvellous mallow
I love mallow, in particular marshmallow, and not just because the name has me picturing rows and rows of sweet, fluffy pink and white confectionery dangling from long-stemmed plants in a large, organic field (although wouldn’t that be brilliant? A Willy Wonka dream come true!). But I love its abundance of beautifying properties.
Of course, we all know that summer and herbs go hand in hand. Now that the warmer weather is here, we can add a fistful of basil here and a blanket of chopped mint there when preparing delicious lighter meals. But why not make the association with our summer beauty regime too? A pinch of turmeric here, a snip of rosemary there, a drop of chamomile everywhere …
An aromatic herb that usually grows up to a height of three feet when mature, mallow blossoms between May and August and has purple-pink coloured flowers and soft, long-stemmed heart-shaped leaves. While the common mallow has effectual soothing properties and is generally used to relieve irritated or inflamed skin, the marshmallow has more medicinal values. And both the leaves as well as the flowers of mallow have a softening effect on the skin, particularly on susceptible areas.
The main ingredient
It comes as little surprise then that in the bountiful world of organic beauty products mallow features fairly predominantly. Take, for example, Lulu & Boo Organic’s Melissa & Mallow Foot Balm, or Neal’s Yard Remedies’ Rose & Mallow Moisturizer. It is also present in all three of Weleda’s White Mallow Baby Cream, White Mallow Body Lotion, and even its Wild Rose Smoothing Masque, despite it not being featured in the name.
And last month came the long anticipated unveiling of the rebranded Herbfarmacy range. Celebrating all that is British, this modern range of organic skincare puts its homegrown Herefordshire marshmallow at the heart of its beautifully redesigned brand, with its two hero products being Mallow Beauty Balm and Rose & Mallow Facial Oil.
“I love the marshmallow which flourishes in our soil with its pretty lilac flowers,” says Paul Richards, founder of Herbfarmacy. “If you split the roots you can get the silky feel of the delicate mucilages it contains; so delicate that herbalists use the root to soothe troubled digestive systems – perfect then for soothing delicate skin on the face and anywhere where there is sensitivity. In addition, the mucilages attract water to give softening moisturization. For me, it’s the ultimate herb for the skin.”
I’m throwing it out there that June should become the official month of marshmallow. Be it face creams, root tea (accompanied by the sugar-glazed sweet, of course) or a healing poultice, let mallow be the symbol that summer is finally here!
Julia Zaltzman is a freelance journalist and editor of Natural Beauty News.
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]]> https://www.naturalbeautyyearbook.co.uk/summer-loving/feed/ 0The post Winners announced for Beauty Shortlist Baby Awards 2015 appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>“Babies are the ultimate ‘sensitive skin’ generation, so our annual Baby Awards are very much a celebration of the green, natural brands and mini hero products we’ve tested on babies and toddlers, and loved,” explains Fiona Klonarides, founder of The Beauty Shortlist.
“This year, it was even more clear to see how natural and organic brands (many of them indie, artisan brands created by sole entrepreneurs, as well as the bigger, international heroes like Weleda, Green People and Neal’s Yard) are very much holding their own against the (often American) household supermarket brands that many of us grew up with. The green wave, if you like, is pushing its way into the mainstream – in fact this year natural and organic brands really have become part of the mainstream beauty and skincare market.
“The Beauty Shortlist’s mantra has always been ‘read the label’ – it’s the only way you really know what’s in the formula, so products like Green People’s free-from children’s’ sun lotions and Weleda’s popular Calendula Baby range have become quite iconic in a market where natural products sit alongside synthetic-mix ones.”
Klonarides adds: “On a personal note, I’d like to see a bigger push, going forward, and more awareness created for non-toxic household products. Young children as well as adults can suffer “mystery allergies” or rashes, for example, from certain washing liquids. The only way to really be sure is to scrutinize the labels, or stick with a brand you know and love which is virtually 100% natural.”
The main category winners include:
Best Baby Skincare Brand
Weleda
Best Bottom Butter
Neal’s Yard Remedies
Best Baby Shampoo
Burt’s Bees
Best Hair Detangler
Child’s Farm
Best Stress-Less Product/Gift
JustBE Botanicals Happy Pamper Hamper
Best Baby Bath Product
Mustela Bubble Bath
Best Baby Wash
Child’s Farm
Best Nappy Cream/Balm
Neal’s Yard Remedies
Best Baby and Child Sun Protection
Green People Organic Babies SPF cream
Best Baby Rescue/Calming Balm/Cream for Irritated Skin
Barefoot SOS Face/Body Lotion and Bloom Remedies Chamomile & Calendula Balm
Best Gift For A New Mum
BabyMORI Welcome Set
Best Stretch Mark/Tummy Balm
Neal’s Yard Remedies
You can find a complete list of winners here.
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]]> https://www.naturalbeautyyearbook.co.uk/winners-announced-for-beauty-shortlist-baby-awards-2015/feed/ 0The post Pocket rocket sales appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>The media has been banging on about online shopping being the growing sector to keep your eye on for years now, and if you haven’t made your move yet you may soon be playing catch-up!
Mobile selling
But what about m-commerce? The?latest term to be?bandied around?by marketeers and?industry experts, it?refers to the more?recent phenomenon of consumers purchasing via?their mobile devices. Described as?being a “hot bed?of activity” by Laura Sanchez, founder and CEO of beauty information platform Lypsso at a recent natural and organic seminar at Professional Beauty, m-commerce is growing at an exponential rate. Mobile retailers in the UK alone increased revenues by an estimated 31% in 2014, and sales are expected to keep on climbing.
With this in mind, it is now advised that all websites are ‘optimized’ for a range of devices, meaning they can adapt to the size and requirements of whatever device is being used to view them on, whether that be a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Gone are the days of squinting at a 4” screen trying to read the illegible miniscule typeface of an archaic information portal – smart websites adjust their size and design as and when needed, making the user experience far more agreeable, and customers far more likely to buy.
Adapt to succeed
Coined as being a ‘retail outlet in your customer’s pocket’ it would be foolish for natural and organic beauty retailers to ignore m-commerce, not least because Asia represents half of the global mobile commerce market. And with sales increasing by 15% each year, the Asian market is one of the fastest growing in the world for natural and organic beauty, exemplified by the rise of concept stores seen throughout Asia opened by some of the heavyweight organic
Western brands, such as Jurlique, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Melvita.
For steadfast bricks and mortar retailers who are willing to delve into some online activity, the secret is to diversify. Many high street retailers are having great success cultivating a ‘bricks and clicks’ environment, by which they allow customers to access the common benefits of shopping online – product reviews, information and coupons – while still shopping in a physical store. This helps retailers to compete with the often discounted prices offered online. Importantly, however, the latest figures from ‘omni-channel’ retailers (those with significant e-commerce and in-store sales) show that at least 30% of their online traffic is now originating from mobile devices.
So, to provide fast, competitive and convenient shopping for customers, not to mention sales for yourself, make sure your store is the latest ‘pocket retail outlet’ on the high street.
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]]> https://www.naturalbeautyyearbook.co.uk/pocket-rocket-sales/feed/ 0The post UK organic beauty sales up 20% appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>Exports have also grown, according to the report, with export revenue topping £10 million for the first time. This growth has been particularly strong in Asian markets.
With increasing greenwashing in this sector, demand for reassurance through certification is also growing, and the number of companies employing the Soil Association symbol has risen to 204, up 51%, as “consumers look for the reassurance of organic certification in an unregulated market plagued by spurious organic claims”.
The report found that Neal’s Yard Remedies, the market leader in the health and beauty sector both internationally and in the UK, saw its organic sales increase by 12% in 2014. After opening a further ten stores, it now has 50 stores in the UK as well as 45 internationally.
The report also highlights Essential Care, which has rebranded as Odylique and whose exports are growing 50% year-on-year, and Pai Skincare which saw its sales double in 2014.
Consumer demands in this area are changing, according to the Soil Association, with customers looking for clinically proven results. “The leading organic brands are increasingly looking beyond the environmentally conscious core consumers that originally drove the market to appeal to a wider, less ideologically driven public looking for more natural products that work,” says the report.
The Soil Association report says that consumer education is at the core of the marketing strategies of the larger brands, citing Odylique and Pai as having information websites and Neal’s Yard Remedies helping raise awareness of the dangers of neonicotinoid pesticides.
A highlight of 2014 was the inaugural Organic Beauty Week which took place during Organic September and incorporated a range of events and product promotions which reached over four million people and helped deliver a tripling of week-on-week sales of organic beauty products during the week.
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]]> https://www.naturalbeautyyearbook.co.uk/uk-organic-beauty-sales-up-20/feed/ 0The post Get ready for Organic Beauty Week appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.
]]>Whole Foods Market, for example, will be hosting a series of in-store events. On 10 September all nine UK stores will host a ‘an evening of organic bubbles and beauty’, where customers will be offered free organic beauty treatments and a glass of organic Prosecco. On 12-14 September the retailer’s flagship Kensington store will be hosting a pop up ‘Green Room’ featuring samples, demos, workshops and inspirational talks. Additionally, all the stores will be offering 20% off all organic health and beauty products in a special one-off event.
Neal’s Yard Remedies will be actively promoting Organic Beauty Week through a series of special shopping events, promotions and social media activities. Through the NYR Organic Consultants, and in store, Neal’s Yard Remedies will also be previewing a new certified organic, and clinically proven age-defying serum during September: Frankincense Intense Concentrate. Organic Beauty Week celebrations will take place online and
in stores nationwide and will link in with the #OrganicBeauty hashtag.
Leading organic beauty brands – Pai, Inlight, Bamford, Odylique (from Essential Care) and Therapi among them – are also holding educational events, sampling, competitions and special offers.
For further details about Organic Beauty Week and how you can get involved, visit the Soil Association website at www.soilassociation.org.
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