Think baby oil’s the gentlest way to remove eye makeup? I dropped my cotton ball when learning about the “fragrances” typically added to baby oil.
“Use natural oils instead,” advised Elin Ross Pedersen, creator of Nothing Nasty natural skin care products. “Go and buy sunflower oil — organic cold pressed — at the supermarket. Much better!”
Handmade in Wales, Pedersen’s products are free of unhealthy chemicals, not tested on animals and most are vegan. “Skin will absorb stuff you put on it, so it is important to make it healthy,” she said.
Eco-friendly cosmetics are the fastest-growing sector of the beauty industry. Sales at Nothing Nasty (nothingnasty.com) more than doubled since being listed on the Skin Deep cosmetic safety database (cosmeticsdatabase.com). Pedersen loves letters from customers — the man whose face appeared afflicted by psoriasis until using her Flawless moisturizing oil; the woman whose rough patches vanished.
“Your skin needs skin food, not synthetic chemicals, alcohol, preservatives, perfumes and colorings,” Pedersen said.
Often, “sensitive skin” results from using products with these ingredients. Parabens, phtalates, triclosan, propylene glycol, butylene glycol — these are just some of the chemicals used in commercial cosmetics. Alcohol? It dries your skin. “And who wants to put caustic soda on their newborn baby?” Pedersen asked. Yet that ingredient is found in some popular brands of baby moisturizers.
Another discovery: Most commercial moisturizers contain a lot of water, Pedersen said, because it’s cheap. But water allows for bacterial growth, creating the need for preservatives — often synthetic — which further dry out the skin. In contrast, most natural products contain a greater percentage of active ingredients, Pedersen said. “This makes them more expensive to produce, but they will last longer.”
Nothing Nasty started in 2001 after Pedersen, while pregnant, studied the chemical-laden labels of foods, cleaners and cosmetics. “I started making my own skin care products over the kitchen sink — mixing up moisturizers, stirring lip salves, blending hand creams.”
Soon, a business was born. Pedersen uses fresh, natural ingredients such as herbs, vegetable oils and essential oils. “I think like a chef preparing a good meal,” she said — one composed of wholesome ingredients that nourish the skin.
Surf the Web
» Skin Deep, Environmental Working Group’s easy-to-use Cosmetic Safety Database: cosmeticsdatabase.com
» Cosmetic testing and certification: idausa.org/facts/costesting.html
»» leapingbunny.org
» safecosmetics.org
» To order Nothing Nasty products, visit nothingnasty.com.
Compassionate consuming
The Body Shop and Mary Kay are among large companies that have received Leaping Bunny certification for using only non-animal testing to ensure the safety of their cosmetics. The cruelty-free standard was established by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.
Have a green idea? E-mail Robin at [email protected].
