Any way, in honour of the fortnight, we are taking the opportunity to highlight our ground-breaking Organic Makeup range.   Launched in 2011, the line has expanded to include a full range of shadows, liners, mascaras and lipsticks; everything you need to look naturally beautiful.  We were the very first UK company to create makeup certified to both Organic and Fairtrade standards. 

One of the most common questions we are asked is WHY we chose to do this – there is after all considerable extra work involved and what it takes to make Fairtrade certified makeup.

We (and most specifically Margaret / Mum) have always taken a huge interest in the provenance of our ingredients. Margaret works closely with our suppliers on each new batch of oils, butters and extracts we buy, ensuring the therapeutic properties are as good as they can be. For that reason we came to know a lot about our growers and understand their needs, including those in the developing world.  

Trading ethically is thus very important to us. As is third party verification of that ethical status: Just as organic had become a bit of an overused - and often unsubstantiated – way of marketing skin care, the same was starting to happen with fair trade (note that the word Fairtrade written as one with a capital F is supposed to be restricted to products carrying the Fairtrade mark).

So we were really happy when the Fairtrade Foundation introduced certification for cosmetics and we were proud to become the first UK company to launch skin care certified to both organic and Fairtrade standards (our Mint Mask launched in 2009) and even more so when our mineral lipsticks and eye liners also became the first ever UK makeup products to carry the Fairtrade mark.

In terms of what we the FAIRTRADE Mark actually means: All ingredients that can be certified Fairtrade, must be sourced from Fairtrade farmers and producers under Fairtrade terms. The actual mandatory minimum Fairtrade content is quite low – 2% in wash products like shampoo and 5% in ‘leave on’ products. That’s really a reflection of how few suitable cosmetic ingredients are available as fair trade – bananas and coffee aren’t that well suited to most skin care formulations! (The most common cosmetic ingredients and the ones we use are shea butter, cocoa butter, sugar and coconut oil.)

Back to the conversation I had the other day with a new ethical certification scheme (that will remain nameless). “Join us” they said, “you’ve got organic certification that means your ingredients are grown cleanly, Fairtrade which means you don’t use child labour… but our label means so much more.” Okay STOP, stop right there. Fairtrade IS about so MUCH more than stopping child labour. It of course means fair conditions for workers (and no little ones involved), but the central tenet of Fairtrade is about making sure farmers receive a fair and stable price for what they grow, one that is usually far above the world market price. (Clearly there is a need to increase understanding about Fairtrade if someone working for an ethical certification scheme doesn’t get what Fairtrade is!)

We actually have to do much more than pay Fairtrade prices, use Fairtrade ingredients, and approve the formulations and packaging designs with the Fairtrade Foundation. Another purpose of being a Fairtrade licensee is to add value and provide other benefits for Fairtrade farmers. For us this has been helping with market information and research, as well as promoting awareness of the farmers, cooperatives and producer groups.

This added requirement really appealed to me following my own first hand encounter with how Fairtrade helps farmers began on holiday in 2005. I visited a coffee plantation in Panama that supplied Starbucks with Fairtrade and organic coffee. Now they could have wheeled out the happy, healthy looking workers especially for the tour, but I didn’t get that feeling. There was a stark contrast with other farms I hiked past where the workers clearly looked undernourished, not to mention probably sick from the noxious pesticides emanating from the spray guns in their backpacks.

The whole set up matched our brand ideals fully.  Beauty is about far more to us then just pretty packaging (although we love that too).  It has to be beautiful for you, the planet and those that help its creation – anything else is less then pretty in our eyes.  

Another perception is that a beauty product made to ethical standards cannot match the look or payoff of the big commercial brands.  We love make up, and so do many of the people who have tried it – one blogger (We Were Raised By Wolves) likened our Praline Lipstick to MAC, which is more than high praise anyone who loves cosmetics as much we do!

Fancy trying to incorporate Fairtrade make up in your collection?  For the whole of Fairtrade fortnight we are offering 30 % off the whole make up line!  There has never been a better time to try it out.   VIEW THE LINE HERE

Want to learn more about Fairtrade Fortnight and how you can get involved?  Visit the Fairtrade website here.  

In this article we talk through what you can do to improve skin as winter segues into spring and how to win the dry skin battle once and for all.  Understanding what your skin needs - and doesn’t need - is all important...

Dry skin feels taut and uncomfortable after washing and cries out to be moisturised. It tends to be fine textured, which is a plus if well cared for, but is also prone to premature fine lines and will benefit greatly from the protection of anti-oxidant, anti-aging skin care.

Facial skin is particularly sensitive and its natural protective balance of oil and moisture can be upset by exposure to a dry atmosphere and the irritant chemicals, harsh detergents, synthetic perfumes and preservatives found in many skin and body care products and make-up.  All are known to contribute to dry, flaky skin conditions, dermatitis, inflammation and the flare-ups of eczema.

Products consisting of easily absorbed vitamin-rich plant oils and natural actives provide the skin with the nutrients it needs for repair, balanced moisturisation and protection against the aging effects of sunlight and pollution.  Our beautiful Superfruit Serum is designed entirely with this in mind.

By also choosing certified organic products with their guarantee of purity and freedom from any potentially irritant chemicals, your skin will thank you for its dry skin relief by looking its best.   

Lips and noses are both red-flag areas for winter dryness.  Chapped, sore lips and red noses are dead giveaways of skin that is feeling the effect of biting winds and rain. If our lips get dry, we tend to lick them more to ease the discomfort which more often than not aggravates the problem.  

Prevention, as they say, is easier than cure.  A generous swipe of Lipsilk with its high raw shea butter content and calendula herb will soothe and protect.  In handy stick form, it can be applied anywhere, anytime and imparts a lovely sheen – altogether much more attractive than chapped lips.

One of our great multi-taskers, Ultra Rich balm, is also high in protective, soothing raw shea butter and with the added benefits of sea buckthorn, is great for any areas on face, hands or body that are prone to dryness.  As its name suggests, it is rich so I recommend applying very sparingly as needed except if for prolonged outdoor exposure, like ski-ing where a more generous application is called for.

Ultra Rich is also part of our 2-pronged approach to eczema, often aggravated by drying winter weather and the irritation of clothing. Here it functions as a healing emollient either alone or over our Repair lotion during real flare-ups.  

Cracked fingers and toes and chilblains can be a real winter hazard.  Wearing gloves helps avoid dry skin and the pain of chilblains caused by rapid heat changes.  Another great multi-tasker, our Calendula Balm comes into its own here.  More quickly absorbed than Ultra Rich, it has a therapeutic high level of calendula, whose petals have a well- deserved reputation for healing and reducing inflammation.  Apply once or twice a day.

For a real treat to the senses as well as a body that feels sluggish and less than smooth, why not indulge in a weekly home spa treatment?  Our luxurious new Coconut Candy Scrub is rich, creamy and gently exfoliating. It rinses easily away transforming into a light milk on contact with water, so is perfect before or during a shower or as part of a moisture-drenching soak. Dead skin is gently buffed away, circulation stimulated and your skin will be satin-smooth, polished and pampered. 

For daily body moisturising for skin that tends to be dry or lacking in tone, try our brand new Toning Fruit Body Butter, ideally after showering whilst the skin is warm and receptive.  Just a little rubbed between your palms then  smoothed all over, paying particular attention to dry or stretch marked areas, will be quickly absorbed and leave your skin moisturised and with a very subtle fruity aroma.

So, in support of our red noses, blocked sinuses and constant sneezes we have written our top tips for getting on when you are struggling with a cold!

Don’t Sniff:  We know it’s hard but to avoid that ‘pressure’ sensation from a blocked nose you must blow your nose regularly.  Breathing in an organic nasal decongestant like our Breathe Ease (http://www.essential-care.co.uk/organic-essential-oils/essential-oils-blends/breathe-ease-for-adults.html) £7 can also help keep sinuses clear.

Get Comfy:  Sleep is your best ally in the fight against the flu, but with blocked noses and feeling stuffy it can be really hard to get the rest you need.  Grab an extra pillow and try and sleep a little higher up to encourage the drainage of the nasal passages.  You can also use the Congest Ease at night in a vaporiser to keep the sinuses free and allow great sleep.

Keep Hydrated:  Drink as much as you can – water, juice and tea are all fine.  We find a cup of hot water with lemon, honey and a little ginger can work wonders but stay off the hot toddies.  Alcohol will only dehydrate you further and make the problem worse.

Try Nature’s Support:   Prevention is better than cure but even if the bugs have already bitten, extra vitamin C can be helpful. AndEchinacea has been used historically as a traditional herbal medicine to boost the immune system.  Pick yours up here http://www.essential-care.co.uk/natural-supplements/for-infections/echinacea.html.  Garlic is also a pretty amazing natural antibiotic, with antibacterial and anti fungal properties. If you are struggling with a killer sore throat try it minced into a glass of water and knock it back, although if odour free  supplements are available.  

There you have it – failing that we suggest slipping into a onesie, grabbing a cup of tea and making the husband do everything for the weekend!  Atchoo!

So we were concerned to discover from ‘Garden Organic’ (an organic gardening association) that the EU Agriculture Commission is trying to tinker with seeds regulation which could have disastrous results for small growers, biodiversity and wildlife.

Basically, a new Regulation is planned that involves costly rules and regulations for the sale of seeds, bulbs and other plants. Small producers were exempt, but now they might not be.

Effectively the regulation would limit what small seed growers and businesses, including community networks of growers such as Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library (HSL) can put on the market. Rarer, less economic plant varieties could disappear forever and specialist growers might be forced out of business. This threatens biodiversity, future plant breeding and food security.

It may also impact on availability of some of the more unusual ingredients we use in our skincare products.

Garden Organic is part of a Pan-European co-ordinated campaign lobby aiming to secure the important Regulation exemptions for small growers.

Gardeners can help support Garden Organic’s vital vegetable variety conservation work by joining the Heritage Seed Library. Membership gives access annually to up to six varieties from the HSL catalogue, which each year features around 200 of the 800 varieties in the collection. From 2013 this now includes exotic crop varieties gathered in through the Sowing New Seeds project.

For more information about the Heritage Seed Library, visit: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/index.php

For more information on Garden Organic’s Fighting Fund and campaigning activity go to: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/support_us/saveourseeds.php

Natural beauty advocate Janey Lee Grace has scooped the top spot for the second year running in the Natural Beauty Yearbook’s prestigious annual industry hotlist. 

The evening was hosted by leading French beauty brand Melvita at Whole Foods Market, Kensington High Street, in London, and attracted a stellar line-up of key beauty buyers, manufacturers, journalists and bloggers.

Voted for by the industry, the Natural Beauty Yearbook’s hotlist provides an essential snapshot of the leading personalities driving the newest trends and products in the natural and organic beauty market.  With nearly a thousand votes cast this year, Janey Lee Grace held firm to number one, closely followed by Kirstie Sherriff, co-founder of Pinks Boutique at number two, and Alexander and Kim Barani, founders of Kinetic Enterprises (and recent winners of the Outstanding Achievement Award at Natural & Organic Products Europe in April) at number three.

Colleen Harte, owner of Lucy Annabella Organics, was voted fourth, and PR and blogger Rebecca Goodyear, fifth favourite overall.

“I’m thrilled to be voted number one,” says Janey Lee Grace.  “It’s a brilliant accolade to be recognised in such an incredible industry.  The range of natural and organic beauty products and services is now awesome and the real winners are the companies who work so hard to create effective affordable and luxurious natural, organic and eco options for those of us who want to look great naturally – without ditching the lipstick!”

A long-time advocate of natural, organic and holistic products and services, through her role as a guest presenter on BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon show and the continuing success of her Jayney Loves recommendations, Janey Lee Grace has helped to share the benefits of natural beauty with an ever-growing mainstream audience. 

“Natural and organic beauty still has a long way to go before it reaches its growth potential,” comments Matt Chittock, editor of the Natural Beauty Yearbook.

“We’re seeing more and more UK consumers taking responsibility for their health – and seeking out beauty products that are green as well as glamorous.  But there’s still a gulf between want they want, and what’s available on the shelves at their local stores,” he says.

“That’s what makes this who’s who in natural Beauty so relevant.  By focusing on the champions of innovation – the personalities behind the products (and the websites) – it helps to showcase the breadth of great products and ideas that are already out there.  Not just to buyers and retailers, but ultimately the consumers that are driving the growth of this exciting market.”

As the only trade-focused publication for the natural beauty industry, the Natural Beauty Yearbook 2014 is packed full of trend features, company profiles and an exclusive directory showcasing the best of this successful sector.

The 2014 who’s who in natural beauty top 25 personalities are:

1. Janey Lee Grace, writer and presenter

2. Kirstie Sherriff, co-founder, Pinks Boutique

3. Alexander & Kim Barani, founders, Kinetic Enterprises

4. Colleen Harte, owner, Lucy Annabella Organics (new entry)

5. Rebecca Goodyear, PR and blogger

6. Sarah Brown, owner, Pai Skincare

7. Elijah Choo, founder, Bodhi (new entry)

8. Graeme Hume, owner, Pravera

9. Fiona Klonarides, blogger and journalist, The Beauty Shortlist

10. Tracey Robinson, owner, Vert PR

11. Star Khechara, writer, presenter and ‘beautritionist’

12. Sonia White, founder, Amarya (new entry)

13. Simon Ford, brand manager, Melvita

14. Victoria Wright, owner, Souk Souk (new entry)

15. Margaret and Abi Weeds, co-owners, Essential Care

16. Imelda Burke, owner, Content Beauty

17. Jo Fairley and Sarah Stacey, journalists, The Green Beauty Bible

18. Rebecca Hopkins, Clare Hopkins, Sian Jones, co-founders, Balance Me (new entry)

19. Nic White, founder, Alva and ONE Beauty

20. Clare Eluka, owner, Premae (new entry)

21. Wendy Stirling, owner, Botanicals (new entry)

22. Simon Golding, founder, Australis

23. Neena Treham, owner, Spa Fabulous Organics (new entry)

24. Lou Dartford, writer and make-up artist (new entry)

25. Tracey Taylor, new product development manager, Herrco (new entry)

After my daughter Claudia was born five years ago, I began coming across mums desperate to return to work, but still wanting flexibility to spend time with children. In fact, a considerable number of extremely smart, well educated women who didn’t want to return full-time to their pre-maternity day jobs, but whose employers weren’t prepared to offer the flexibility they needed. Women who were at home feeling intellectually under-challenged and / or emotionally torn about returning to work. I made a conscious decision to actively recruit more of them to Essential Care.

The first of these was Sarah (who looks after our retailers in the UK). Two children under the age of 8 with demanding school schedules for whom (and yes this is really true) she cooks organic school lunches every day. Sarah’s the ultimate ambassador for and (extremely knowledgeable about) the organic industry. Sarah has sadly left us for an opportunity to good to miss elsewhere, but she helped us find Emma who juggles a similarly demanding school schedule. We also are lucky to have Kirsty who looks after our website and social media and is a bit of a makeup guru. Two lively, boys under the age of 6. She works around them at all hours of the night and day. And then there’s Isabelle who looks after our French customers and is a mum of four school-age children. Yep four. That’s a logistical challenge. We don’t work all day every day. We work when we can.

I firmly believe employers are missing out by forcing women to work hours that aren’t practical when also raising children or make long commutes. I don’t see anything wrong with flexible hours or working from home. Working mums are highly productive and great at time-management because they have to work in concentrated bursts of ‘child-free’ slots during the day. They’re also incredibly tapped into mobile devices.

I will jump off my soapbox, but I am so glad to have our team of super mums – not only because of their immense experience and talents, but also because we understand each other’s flexibility needs. - My children aged 5 and almost 2 create logistical challenges like any other little ones and it’s nice to have a sympathetic ear to sleepless nights and school bugs.

The working parents who I haven’t mentioned yet, are my own.  In my Dad was eased, already semi-retired and well-past retirement age, back into full employment as the Finance Director of Essential Care. Now aged 82, he still holds that role, continues to oversee our accounts, looks after the bank - and answers the phone from time to time. He was instrumental in developing our website in the early years.

My Mum, Margaret’s biography is covered in earlier chapters of this story, but needless to say without her brilliant natural skin care and makeup formulations, none of us would be doing what we do now. We have a fiery relationship at times, as we described in an article published in 2009 in Marie Claire magazine. Some of this is down to the creative process and her endless drive for perfection. But it is a productive partnership, and has led to some successes over the years, as the next blog describes…

Mary has been part of Essential Care since early 2008. It’s Mary who answers your telephone calls and ensures that parcels are despatched on time. I hope she doesn’t mind me describing her as a Rolls Royce of management and customer service; extremely knowledgeable about natural skin care, logistics, stock coordination, and capable of having 40 things going on in her head at once. – This is very handy when one of us pings in an urgent request on her just before the daily post deadline or trade orders get changed at the last minute…

Such skills of multi-tasking have been honed no doubt through being a mum to three sons and now a Gran of three bouncy grandchildren. On her days off she also regularly caters for hundreds of people at charity events. Mary is heading off somewhere nice and warm this winter for a well-deserved mini-sabbatical from all the hard work in and out of the office. We hope she’ll come back refreshed and with no thoughts of retirement! We cherish her dearly.

The next blog moves on from a supergran, to a team of super Mums. One of my pet topics at a slight tangent to organic skin care is the need for a radical re-think in attitudes towards working parents, particularly mums. But more on that very soon…

Stress and anxiety are the body’s natural ways of helping in emergency situations – also known as the flight or fight response, but when it goes on for long periods of time with no respite it can become very harmful for your mental and physical wellbeing.

Fortunately we all have our own ways of managing our worry levels so this week we thought we would share some tips with you!

1. Look for products containing relaxing Essential Oils: Frankincense, Lavender and Bergamot are all great, natural relaxants, renowned for their abilities to relax even super stressed minds.   Our ‘Relax’ blend is fantastic for vaporisers or on a tissue!
2.  Try sprinkling a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil onto your pillow before bed for sweet dreams or into a warm bath.  The bath must be warm, not hot though as the heat will raise your heart rate rapidly, working against any attempts to chill out!
3. Give yourself a gentle facial massage.  Take a great, rich moisturiser with some key relaxing ingredients, like our Organic Avocado Replenishing cream and working from the centre of the face, stroke upwards and out over the skin.  Pay particular attention the point between the eyebrows and your temples to release natural feel-good hormones.
4. Learn some mindfulness techniques:  The modern equivalent of meditation involves simply learning to listen to your body and control your thoughts.  It can be done anywhere, at any time and has shown excellent results in improving concentration, sleep issues and reducing stress.  For more information visit Be Mindful.
5.  Get some exercise:  Go for a walk, run or cycle and you will rapidly notice how much better you feel. 

And finally look after your diet.  Yes it is tempting to skip meals and subsist on a diet of caffeine and chocolate when you are up against it, not to mention real nasties like cigarettes and alcohol but given that alchohol is a depressant, nicotine and caffeine are stimulants and no one feels great after a binge, you are far better off trying to take care of yourself.  Green Tea is a great alternative to caffeine and small meals taken often will keep your energy levels stable throughout the day.  Try a supplement if needs be to keep your immune system boosted. 

In honour of the week we share our favourite chocolate concoctions, from beauty to food and talk a little about how you can get your sweet treat with a little less guilt when you switch over to Fairtrade.

Chocolate Bars:  If your favourite way to enjoy chocolate is straight from the bar, we highly recommend  TraidCrafts’ Fairtrade Certified Chocolate bars, in particular the Almond and Orange one (http://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/c-28-fair-trade-and-organic-chocolate.aspx).  Traidcraft were the first company to sell Fairtrade Chocolate, after developing the first Fairtrade chocolate chip. With products to rival any mainstream quality chocolate brand and an ethos of helping small scale cocoa farmers in the world’s poorest country, we love that we can enjoy a guilt free fix without compromising on quality. 

Biscuits and Treats:  If you love your chocolate in a more baked way, and you haven’t time to make your own, try Doves Farm Cocoa Crunch Cookies.  Luxurious enough even for fussy guests, they are also gluten free, made locally using Artisan methods and fully Fairtrade! 

Hot Chocolate:  Nothing is better when the weather is cold then a creamy, rich hot chocolate and we have a great way to make your own unbeatable hot chocolate.  Simply melt half a 200g bar of any Fairtrade chocolate slowly, (we simply cannot resist Green and Blacks Maya Gold bar http://www.greenandblacksdirect.com/pages/homepage/side_links/view_full_range/bar_combination_gifts/product_information1/default.aspx?prodid=12) whisk in 150 ml of whole milk and 150 ml of semi skimmed ( can also be just semi skimmed if you are health conscious ) and add Fairtrade sugar to taste (suggested brands available on the Fairtrade website here http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/default.aspx) et voila.  A quick and tasty way to enjoy your fix!

Beauty:  If you are watching your weight we appreciate National Chocolate Week may not be as fun for you but you can still enjoy the idea as much as anyone else with a luxury, chocolate inspired beauty treats.  Lots of Organic brands have Chocolate scented products, but we find them a bit over-powering so our favourite has to be our very own Lipstick in Hot Chocolate.  A deep-nude brown shade that suits everyone.  Get it here http://www.essential-care.co.uk/organic-makeup/organic-lipstick/essential-care-lipstick-hot-chocolate-14.html.

Body:  Last but not least, our yummy Coconut Candy Body Scrub http://www.essential-care.co.uk/organic-skincare-for-bath/organic-body-scrubs/organic-coconut-candy-scrub.html contains Fairtrade Cocoa Butter along with sugar cane crystals and fragrantly blended virgin Coconut oil to leave you polished, buffed and smelling good enough to eat!

Anyway, back to where we were and I wanted to tell you about the people involved in making our organic skin care so lovely. Essential Care would not be Essential Care without the wonderful people who comprise our team and some lovely individuals who have been involved along the way.

For several years into Essential Care’s life, Margaret single-handedly made and labelled all our skin care. Then with a stream of requests to create more formulations (as well as the fact that she was already well past retirement age!) in 2006 we began searching for someone to replace her as the main product maker, allowing her time to return to her beloved research and development (R&D). Enter Charlotte and Juliette, who have now been with ever since and are quite frankly the wonderful ladies who make Essential Care.

You might think making natural skin care is this delightful romantic activity, creating holistic blends of beautiful, fragrant plant extracts. In many ways it is; we use the best ingredients in the world that smell heavenly and there’s a lot of love that go into each jar and bottle. But making skin care day in day out is not an easy job; it’s physical at times like when we have large deliveries of oils and floral waters. And keeping a commercial production space up to standards isn’t the most glamorous of activities.

Every day we make a different skin care product. The mixing and blending of herbs, oils and extracts starts early in the morning. Then every bottle, jar or tube is hand-filled, weighed and sealed by Charlotte. (Not to mention the lipsticks which are a labour of love!) Juliette then carefully labels and boxes each and every single item. Juliette is also the person who makes our soap; we have ­a zoned area of the workshop called the ‘soap kitchen’. Once assembled, and products have passed quality control, Juliette and Charlotte then ferry everything into our temperature-controlled storage room where they wait to be shipped out to you.

Needless to say, for all this, to Charlotte and Juliette we are eternally grateful.

I should at this point also point out Margaret comes back and rolls up her sleeves when we get very busy!  My next blog is a bit about working with her and about the rest of our team.