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Health concerns over secret ingredients found in cosmetic fragrances

Last week was ‘National Allergy Week‘; an initiative to draw attention to the growing problem of allergies.

Allergies may often be associated with food intolerance, but according to a newly published report, ‘fragrance’ is now considered among the top five allergens in North America and Europe, and is associated with a wide range of skin, eye and repository reactions.

A new study of popular fragrances commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that the perfumes they analysed contained an average of 14 chemicals which were not listed on the label, and that among these ‘secret ingredients’ were petrochemicals, hormone disruptors, compounds known to trigger allergies, and others never tested for their safety.

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Is extra dry skin linked to thyroid problems?

Why do so many women suffer from extra dry skin? Recent studies have shown that as many as one in 50 women (and one in 1000 men), develop thyroid problems at some time in life. And that around 80% of these are caused by an under-active thyroid; a condition known as hypothyroid.

This slows down metabolic function, which can lead to skin becoming extra dry and irritated. Hair and scalp can also be affected, with symptoms such as dry and brittle hair, dry and itchy scalp, and even hair loss.

Although treatment for an under-active thyroid is generally straightforward, the extra dry skin conditions can often remain. Sally (above right) recently joined the Botanicals team. She was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid at the age of 31. In the hope of helping others, Sally has offered to share her story:

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Try Botanicals award-winning natural skin care for free

We’re so confident you’ll enjoy our two, award-winning products that we’ve made a batch of complimentary samples for you to try for free.

Our Rose & camellia cleansing melt won ‘Best Organic Skin Care’, and our Mint & tea tree foot balm won ‘Best Organic Body Care’, in the recent Natural & Organic Awards, held at London’s Olympia. (We’re particularly proud because it’s the first time one company has won both awards.)

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Botanicals natural skincare wins Awards for Excellence

We are absolutely thrilled to have won two awards in this years Soil Association Organic Awards!

The awards, announced on Sunday at the Natural and Organic Products Europe Show at Olympia, were presented to businesses that have “set the highest standard for innovation, quality and commitment, within the organic health and beauty industry”.

The awards were for: Best Organic Facial Product: Rose & camellia cleansing melt and Best Organic Body Care Product: Mint & tea tree foot balm. We were particularly proud to be the first company ever to win awards in two categories in the same year.

Wendy holding the two trophies with (from l to r) Sarah, Sally and Lisa.

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‘Organic cheaters’ exposed

Not all organic personal care products are what they seem. Natural Health Ranger, Mike Adams, has brought us news from America about a protest which hopes to bring change to the way ‘organic’ personal care products are labelled,

The American based Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA) held the protest outside the largest annual trade fair of the natural and organic products industry. The purpose? To expose dishonest or misleading ‘organic’ brands.

Members of the OCA picketed the Expo, mocking mislabelled ‘organic’ products with creative graphics, while distributing leaflets to educate the public about the lack of regulation in the organic personal care marketplace. Mike filmed the protest and put it on YouTube.

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Herbal shampoo or bad hair day?

According to Healthy Pages, the online resource for complimentary therapists, people who use herbal shampoo say that it makes their hair grow faster.

The article in this month’s issue stated: “Hair loss is a natural – although unwanted result – of getting older, and many people go to great lengths to stop it disappearing. Several herbs have been discovered to help in reducing the extent of hair loss and actually encourage healthy hair to grow faster”.

The article went on to explain: “Natural herbal shampoos work by enabling the herbs to be absorbed into the scalp, and it’s the effect of these herbs that lead to hair growth. The reason why home-made shampoos are proving more successful than their commercial counterparts is because they don’t contain the damaging chemical agents that the commercial ones do.”

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‘Bizmum’ finds remedy in natural face skin care

We have just received the following email from Julia Damassa (right), which (with her kind permission), I thought should be shared on the blog. Thank you, Julia, for taking the time to write. It’s fantastic to have such positive feedback.

I am a bizmum, aged 43. Since turning 40, I’ve been having problems with my facial skin that I never experienced before – WRINKLES and SPOTS! It’s like having teenage issues and aging crises all rolled into one!