One of the over-riding principles that influences everything we do at of Botanicals is our desire to produce products that are pure and safe, and as close to nature as possible.

We want to protect your personal health as well as the health of our environment, and so we are always very mindful of making sure that our personal care products are kind, safe and don’t cause any damage to your skin.

Our range includes a gentle face polish, which is available in Rose and Camelia or Chamomile and Mandarin. It’s an effective scrub but it’s gentle for a reason – we believe that harsh exfoliation is damaging to the skin and we don’t want to produce any abrasive cleansers.

We believe that our organic rosehip shell and oatmeal exfoliators are just as good as a harsher ingredient would be, and softer and kinder to your skin.

The right decision

We know that we made the right decision, and this has been reinforced by coverage of a legal case in America. The makers of St Ives Apricot Scrub, Unilever, are being sued in the US by two customers who say that they damaged their skin by using it.

According to reports, they say they were misled into buying the scrub, which is marketed as being 'dermatologist tested', and that although it may have been tested by experts, it certainly isn’t recommended by skincare experts.

They also say experts have told them the ‘natural exfoliating ingredients’ used in the product could play a part in accelerating the ageing process.

Their £4million claim goes on to state that using St Ives Apricot Scrub to exfoliate the skin on your face can actually cause long-term skin damage, mainly because of the natural crushed walnut shell it contains.

Jagged edges may cause micro-tears

The walnut shell has jagged edges which they allege may lead to micro-tears in the skin when used in a facial scrub. St Ives have declined to comment on the legal action and are standing by their product.

At Botanicals, we will continue to resist using harsh abrasives in any of our cleansing products. Our customers seem to love our Face Polish range just as it is; Carrie, from What I Love Today blog, says,

“I love Botanicals Rose and Camellia range; it’s perfect for my mature skin. I’ve been using their Rose and Camellia Face Polish recently. This is a triple whammy of cleanser, moisturiser and gentle exfoliation! I hadn’t used this in some time and forgot how much I like it.”

We’re happy with that!