It would be great to live in a world where we knew that every skincare product we purchased was totally safe for us and our children. But sadly we do not. As even if a product is sold in a supermarket or a department store, you still need to do your homework to make sure you can trust a brand. The recent Johnson and Johnson talcum powder scandal stands testament to this, as they have just been hit with a bill of £51m worth of damages. Which is to be paid out to the family of Jackie Fox, who died of ovarian cancer ruled to have been caused by the use of their talcum powder.
Skincare Safety – Your Responsibility
The family of Jackie Fox argued that Johnson & Johnson knew of the talc risks to health, but failed to warn consumers. And whilst you think this may be an isolated case, think again. As there are a reportedly 1,000 more similar cases pending nationwide in the US, more cases like Jackie’s could be filed.
Here in the UK people have also been using this brand of talc for years, many on the delicate skin of children, where chemicals absorbed into the blood stream can be far more dangerous in babies and children. But no matter if you are an adult or a child, everything that either one puts onto the skin, ends up getting absorbed into the blood stream. And from then on wards it isn’t a case of ‘out of sight out of mind’, as some ingredients will either be building up good health or tearing it down the longer dangerous ingredients accumulate in our organs. And how many more products made by this giant corporation, and others, are sitting on our shelves just waiting to be found to be just as harmful as J&J’s talc?
Remedy This By Choosing Skincare Products Made By People Who Care
Over the last 9 years, I have not only become entrenched in researching the food that is best for my body, but also the products I put onto it. What I discovered along the way, was that the people behind making many of the big name skincare brands, often care more about their bottom line than the health of the people using their products.
So, although the EU has banned more than 1,000 chemicals from being used in cosmetics in recent years, they still have a long way to go in ensuring all the products and chemicals that make them up are truly safe. As currently a lot of products in the UK market are allowed to contain ingredients that are GMO, which if you see here, have been proven to not be safe, with Russia being the latest country to ban them.
And many products include parabens which some companies like Lush! include as they claim they are ‘natural’, but if you visit the Environmental Working Group and see their independent studies covering parabens and more, you will see why I have come to the conclusion they are not safe and are best be avoided. This is why I prefer to do my homework, and choose products made by companies that care about my health.
Rather Lovely – Natural Bathing, Home Fragrancing & Organic Skincare – A Conscious And Caring Small UK Based Skincare Company
One such brand I recently discovered that very much does this is Rather Lovely. The Rather Lovely range is proudly British and developed by experienced homeopath and natural health practitioner Fiona Wray, who has been practicing as a homeopath since 2003. Since beginning to work as a health practitioner, Fiona has seen a lot of people with skin issues like eczema and has treated a lot of them successfully homeopathically.
Once she had gained a couple of years experience under her belt, and felt she had seen enough skin cases to get a good understanding of them, she began experimenting with her own range of natural skincare products. After having them safety assessed and certified, she then began to sell them to her clients. Word quickly spread and many others then wanted to buy them too. The range I am mentioning here is Fiona’s first line of skincare called Remedy, which even though has expanded, remains very much aimed at people with skin problems.
Not wanting to stop there, Fiona then saw a gap in the market to use her knowledge of treating skin conditions for a more commercial, mid-price range that was organic, suitable for even the most sensitive of skin, effective and perfect for gifting. Enter the Rather Lovely range which can be delivered anywhere in the UK, with a free, handwritten, personalised card.
After exploring and thoroughly testing the Rather Lovely range in full for the last three months, here are my top reasons why this brand is better for you than many commercial skincare brands available to us;
- all the ingredients used are clearly labelled,
- all ingredients are GMO free, natural, and where possible organic,
- ingredients chosen are there to benefit and support skin and lung health based on what Fiona has learnt as an experienced natural health practitioner,
- none of the ingredients sourced have ever been tested on animals and neither have any of the finished products,
- there are no animal ingredients in the products (but as the range gets bigger there is the possibility of us using some beeswax),
- and the company uses minimal packaging and plastic to box and send your order, with the main wrap on the outer box being newspaper, whilst some of the boxes are made from recycled paper.
Below is a review of each individual product I tried from the Rather Lovely range.
Rather Lovely Love Lavender – Organic Body Lotion 100ml
Since having my son almost 2 years ago, my skin is in a different place. I now have a lot of dry areas that I never ever had before. Infact my skin was always well hydrated and always look very moisturised and healthy. So you can understand my annoyance when experiencing long-term dry skin for the first time!
After trying various natural body lotions, this was the first one to actually improve these dry areas and seemed to calm down the breakouts I have been getting on the back of my arms and legs also. So, for me this is a wonderful product that I will now be keeping as part of my regular body care regime.
In case you find the price a bit steep, this bottle did last me for 3 months – making it £5.33 per month. The product pumps out nicely so you can get however much you need in an exact amount, making it unlikely you will waste any as it does not pour out freely. I also particularly loved how this body lotion smelled of lavender which helped me relax first thing after showering, especially if I had had a frantic morning getting my husband and son ready for the day! 😉
Rather Lovely Love Trees – Natural Reed Diffuser 50ml
I had quite large expecations when it came to testing this reed diffuser, as not only did I want something that would disguise the ‘pongy’ dog smell that lurks in my office where my dogs sleep, but also I wanted to use a product that was as natural as possible without any toxic chemicals that could harm my dogs lungs or mine. Knowing this Fiona suggested the ‘Love Trees’ diffuser would be ideal, and she was spot on. Fiona also enlightened me that there are studies showing that mums who live in homes that are filled with chemical-based commercial fragrances, are more likely to suffer from post natural depression and their babies are more likely to suffer from more breathing problems, diarrhea, earaches, due to the toxic gases they release into the air.
I now find it a pleasure to settle down for work and not smell any doggy smell and only ‘fresh trees’. I also love that all the diffusers in the Rather Lovely range are based in high quality essential oils, in a vegetable derived fluid, and are totally free alcohol, glycol and other nasties.
Rather Lovely Love Herbal – Organic Handcream 30ml
This Rather Lovely Herbal Hand Cream was also put to the test in a big way, as with having dogs, this means you still have to brave the outside harsh winter elements daily to ensure they are happy by giving them a walk. At the end of my walks, I found this winter I had very dry hands if I didn’t use my gloves.
But once I started applying this before my walks, at the end of it my hands no longer looked like they had aged by 50 years, but looked young and hydrated still! This is a miracle product for me as I have tried many hand creams this winter and this by far has been my favourite purely for how long my hands stayed moisturised . (On a random note; I also love how the love herbal smell took my back to my childhood with each application, as it reminds me of Vick’s Vaporub!)
Rather Lovely Love Floral – Organic Soaps 250g
These soaps arrived beautifully presented and because you get 5 in a pack, they will last you or the person you are gifting quite a while. I once again found the soaps to clean well and loved how they did not dry my hands out after using them like many soaps and hand washes can.
I have to say, this product was the only one out of the whole range that gave me concern, and this was over the use of sustainable palm oil. As the use of palm oil is the reason many orangutans and other animals are losing their homes due to deforestation caused to set up palm oil farms. But after speaking to Fiona I learnt that there is a distinct difference between regular palm oil and sustainable palm oil. The sustainable palm oil Fiona uses is also organic and certified by the RSPO (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil).
Since 2004, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has been transforming the palm oil industry in collaboration with the global supply chain, to put it on a sustainable path and has plans to make sustainable palm oil the norm. And Fiona also went on to say,
“The sustainable palm industry is nowhere near perfect but is making good progress, so I came down on the for side but only if organic and certified by RSPO.”
Age Gracefully With Skincare Products That Are Kind To Your Skin
I hope all of this has given you food for thought when it comes to making your next skincare purchase. And gets you thinking before you reach the checkout, whether the company, it’s policies and ingredients match up to your expectations and whether they are what you would feel happy in ultimately supporting the growth of, each time you buy from them.
And I hope it gets you to explore the many beautiful options out there that are kinder to our skin, such as the Rather Lovely range. As there is mounting evidence backing up that the synthetic chemicals in many products that fill our homes, are toxic and a disaster for those who want to stay healthy until ripe old age. When it comes to aging, we should be looking at it not just in terms of the amount of years we have clocked up as a sign of health, but just how good quality were those years?
