SKIN CARE Plant oils and extracts are the workhorses of skin care. Without synthetic fillers or preservatives (or even water), these ingredients are powerful, so a little goes a long way. The trade-off: Variations in plant batches may affect the product’s scent and colour. The shelf life may be shorter than you’re used to.
MAKEUP Mineral makeup is revered because it offers good coverage, can soothe skin and provides some sun protection—the colour comes from mineral pigments. However, 100% Pure uses fruit and vegetable pigments in its makeup. The trade-off: “There are limitations,” notes Suki Kramer, founder of Suki. “We can’t do a cream-to-powder in a natural state. We can’t do waterproof mascara. You are going to have to retouch.”
FRAGRANCE A green scent is a throwback to the classic art of perfumery, consisting of pure essential oils. “I think this romanticizes what we love about fragrance— it’s about the quality of the naturally derived oils,” says Danielle Raynor, co-founder of Lavanila Laboratories. The trade-off: A natural perfume will never have the complexities that a synthetic one can deliver; certain scent molecules can only be created chemically.
NAIL POLISH “Nail polish is always going to be chemically based,” says Nonie Creme, co-founder of Butter London. “It’s paint.” That said, opt for polishes free of formaldehyde resin, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (brands like OPI and Revlon have phased these out). The trade-off: Don’t expect to find neon shades. “Recently, it came to light that the pigments used to make neon polish are not safe,” says Creme.
HAIR CARE The scalp is one of the body’s most absorbent areas, so most green shampoos rely on lauryl glucoside or decyl glucoside, which are plant-derived surfactants. Conditioners are the most challenging green products to create. “It’s not hard to reconstruct the hair with proteins, but to get that cosmetic feel of softness, it is more difficult,” says John Masters, founder of John Masters Organics. “The ingredients used now are hard to get certified organic.” The trade-off: Green shampoo won’t create a voluptuous froth, but that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. Masters says plant-based defrizzers don’t offer the “instant gratification” of silicone products, which build up and leave a film.
SUNBLOCK Chemical-free sunblocks often contain the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, but zinc-only formulas may be your best bet. Both are immediately effective in blocking out UV rays (whereas chemical sunscreens have to be applied 15 minutes before exposure), but zinc in particular is “very stable and very safe,” says Tony Kovacs, executive vice-president of Soléo Organics. “Titanium dioxide is less effective against long UVA, and produces more of a whitish effect than zinc oxide,” adds Alain Ménard, co-founder of Green Beaver. “Zinc oxide provides a broader range and has an added skin benefit.” The trade-off: Physical sunblocks aren’t as transparent as chemical ones.
 |
An education in green beauty |
First published in FASHION Magazine April 2010
related features
Comment on this article
Editor's note: This is a moderated forum, so your comments won't appear until approved by the moderator. Please help us foster a friendly environment by keeping your posts civil and on-point. We reserve the right to delete comments that include foul language, personal attacks on others, sales solicitations or any other inappropriate content. Posted comments reflect the opinions of the poster, not of Fashionmagazine.com. Read our privacy policy for more information.
Your comment