lanolin

8 February 2015


Animal Derived Ingredients in Natural & Organic Skincare
This article expresses MY opinions on certain ingredients, you may or may not agree with me but please respect my right to express my viewpoint. I want readers to gain an understanding of why I chose some brands over others.

Last year I wrote a post about Arbonne and Xenca which caused a mix of outrage and support but there was a part of that article that I feel is worth re-addressing. I raised the question about buying from companies which have majority "clean" products but the occasional "bad" one in the mix. I wanted to expand my viewpoint beyond the "good" and "bad" ingredients and look at animal cruelty. 

My views on animal testing were formed from an early age. I was ingredient aware as a teenager. I made decisions about what I would not eat and where I bought my products. This has stood the test of time and now expands into the world of natural and organic beauty. Thankfully, there have been changes in animal testing laws but there are still loopholes. It always amazes me how carmine is an acceptable ingredient for a company which promotes itself as cruelty free.

I have been contacted by brands that use emu oil, lanolin, and carmine in some of their products and I made the decision to walk away from opportunities to review. I am not happy to promote one or two items which meet my standards but know that other products in the line contain ingredients which I believe are not cruelty free. Emu oil and Lanolin are by-products of the meat industry and as a non meat eater I feel it would be a double standard for me to support their use in skincare. I object to ingredients which are extracted or by products from the death of an animal (e.g. Silk, Shellac, Bee Venom). I am of the opinion that I would prefer to boycott by not purchasing and campaign for changes. 

Parent companies divide opinions. Often a cruelty free brand may have an investor that carries out animal testing, for example L'Oreal and Unilever. I'm of the opinion that you are never going to change a company’s ingredients list if you continue to line their pockets with profits. 

When it comes to skincare there are fantastic plant alternatives so why do we need to kill animals for our own vanity? I suspect when it comes to by-products of the meat industry, some will argue that at least nothing is wasted after the animal’s death. I can’t stop the world eating meat but I would like to ask people to given consideration to the manufacturing of their beauty products because I'd like to believe we are all animal lovers at heart.

Sarah x

17 January 2013


The trouble with my opinions is they are so different from the majority of beauty bloggers. They blog about skincare or makeup and I generically comment "that's a pretty coloured lipstick or that cleanser sounds amazing". Secretly I'm thinking does that lipstick contain lead?, is that red colour from carmine? What hidden nasties are in the ingredient list? It's a difference of opinion which lands me in some heated debates. People feel that since they are not dropping down dead from using a face cream what's the harm. The truth is we do not know the long term effects certain ingredients have on our bodies.

I have a strong opinion about lanolin and like everything in life people do not always agree with me. You may remember I mentioned receiving Burt's Bee lip balms at Christmas. I was disappointed to discover they contained lanolin. In case you don't know lanolin "is a yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals"Wikipedia.You may be wondering why I avoid lanolin, after all it is a natural ingredient. I shall explain.

From a non meat eater view point, extracting lanolin is not harmful to animals but it is a by product of the meat industry. I understand that not everyone feels this way and I have no intention of telling the whole world they must become Vegan. It's a lifestyle choice but just know that I'm supporting the Veggies on this one.

My second reason for not using Lanolin is I am allergic to it and wool. You can tell me until you are blue in the face that allergies are a myth (yes people do make that claim) but I'm living proof they exist. Bottom line is lanolin is a known skin irritant for some people. If you ask me "should I use lanolin?" my answer remains the same. You need to patch test as there is a chance you may experience an allergic reaction.

In the 1960's lanolin gained a bad reputation as there was a rise in people reporting allergic reactions to it. This also coincides with an increase in pesticides used by farmers on crops and livestock. Lanolin is an ingredient that could be contaminated with pesticides and other unknown chemicals. Which leads on to the claim it could be a carcinogen. I'm not a farmer but as far as I'm concerned pesticides are common place so this risk still exists. This also generated concerns for the use of lanolin in nipple balms. Could it affect a baby who ingests via breast feeding? As with everything in life opinion is divided. Google is a great resource and lanolin nipple balms are widely debated in the online community.

Finally, lets discuss the blunt fact that lanolin is what I like to call "sheep grease". It's natures waterproofing so why do I need to waterproof my lips or nipples? It sounds ignorant but I just don't get it. There are so many wonderful plant alternatives which do not coat the skin in this way. Does it remind you of anything? Yes, you got it, sounds similar to how mineral oils behave on the skin. Skin needs to "breathe". I know it's not a good phrase to use but I want my skin to have contact with the air/environment and that is not going to happen if you grease it up like a Christmas Turkey.

So there you go folks, in a nut shell this is how I feel. If you have an opinion to share on lanolin (or Shaun the Sheep) then leave a comment below. If you would like a natural balm recommendation there are plenty on this blog. Simply use the search box in the side bar.

Sarah x

30 May 2012

Are Yves Rocher telling the truth? Are we being Greenwashed?

Updated 31.07.12 - Yves Rocher have been stripped of the leaping bunny logo

You're probably familiar with the brand Yves Rocher as it is successful in Europe and USA. A while ago I was approached by someone representing them with a friendly but bold statement - "I thought you might be just the person to work with as I can see that you are interested in natural and free from products - Yves Rocher have a wide range of organic and natural products and pride themselves on their botanical ethos". 

Personally, I won't accept products without giving consideration to formulations and sadly Yves Rocher do not make that easy since they do not list full ingredients on their website. My response to this situation is to ask the representative for clarification on the following -

Do you have Vegetarian or Vegan approval? What is your policy on Animal Testing? Can you tell me more about your ingredients policy is? For example, do your products contain any of the ingredients listed below: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Parabens, Mineral oil and petroleum derived ingredients, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Artificial Fragrance or Parfum, DEA or TEA (di- or tri-ethanolamine), Phthalates (DBP/DMP/DEP) and Lanolin

I have been waiting for a reply and completely forgot about it until this week when an email finally arrived. The following has been copied straight from the email so if the grammar looks out of place the writer has translated French to English.

"According to the European directive, "products launched on the cosmetic market cannot damage the human health when they are applied in normal or predictable conditions of use". We study all the raw materials entering into our products composition and we realise series of tests on our finished products before their launch on the market. These tests are realised on cell cultures then on human volunteers to confirm that these products are tolerated well. Moreover, our products are no more tested on animals since 1989. 

All our products are conceived from plants directly: we select among more than 1,100 ingredients from plants origins that are studied by our laboratories, each best adapted to the specific cosmetic profits of every product, while defining their just concentration. Also, we always give priority to components from natural origins in our formulas, as long as the efficiency and specifically the safety - of these natural materials are guaranteed. In case they were not entirely guaranteed, we prefer using synthesis ingredients. Finally, we do not use neither aldehyde, triclosan nor lanolin in the formulation of our products. Only two of our products still contain Diethylphtalate used for alcohol distorting: those products are Eau de toilette Plaisirs Nature flavour "raspberry" and the Perfumed Deodorant of the So Elixir Purple perfume (launch 09/2012)" 

It's an honest response but I have to weigh up the contents. I'm not completely against synthetic ingredients as they can serve a purpose e.g preservation but I would still like to know specific ingredients. I decided to do a little digging on the internet and came up with a couple of resources that lead me to believe Yves Rocher formulation can contain parabens, mineral oils and perfume. These are ingredients I am avoiding for a variety of reasons.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how some brands really don't wish to give away much about formulations. When you can't physically get hold of a product then you become reliant on the information presented online. What brands fail to recognise is that for customers with allergies and sensitive skin, every ingredient is important. I'd spend my entire time returning products if I could never read a full ingredient list. I prefer to work with smaller indie brands who are open to transparency and willing to share their formulations in detail. I do not doubt that Yves Rocher use botanical plant extracts but there are potential fillers (synthetic ingredients) that may be a concern if you have allergies and/or sensitive skin. I will always ask brands questions because I can not take personal risk with my allergies. I hate wastage so would rather not receive products that I can't test and I'm not keen to pass them along to friends/family if I don't personally approve of the formulations.

I'm not comfortable working with Yves Rocher, as I suspect them of being "Fake Natural Skincare" and I would argue a case for potential greenwashing. Why? because they market on green credentials but use ingredients which other natural brands would avoid. Products that are produced on a mass scale and sold around the world are often formulating on filler synthetic ingredients to keep consumer costs low, quality botanical ingredients are not necessarily going to be budget friendly.

Sarah x

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28 September 2011

I will always be attracted to products that claim to help people manage skin conditions such as eczema. I received a free sample of La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP and Lipikar Lait. This was something I had signed up for via the UK National Eczema Society. La Roche-Posay's Lipikar range is marketed to dry, itchy skin and "works in partnership with the skin to decrease the re-occurance of flare-ups in eczema-prone skin". Also free from soap and parabens. They also like to push that they have dermatologist approval.

The biggest hurdle that brands and customers face is that when it comes to eczema prone skin we all have different needs. There will always be products that work for me and not for others. As I have Atopic eczema it's connected to allergies so I scrutinise labels and I'm on the hunt for any ingredient that may trigger a reaction. I'm also looking to treat the itch and soothe overall appearance of my skin condition.

I'm personally disappointed in some of the ingredients in the La Roche-Posay Baume AP and Lait. They contain parfum, paraffin, dimethicone and acetylated lanolin alcohol which are not very appealing to my skin and the plant derivatives are few - shea butter, bisabolol, rapeseed. I strongly believe that any product intended for sensitive or eczema prone skin should be free from perfume. Fragrance is a known trigger so much so that there are 26 fragrance allergens which must be labelled if present at a specific percentage in cosmetics.  Mineral oils (paraffin) and dimethicone are intended to coat the skin and to give product a silky 'slip' for ease of application. If you experience eczema with infection then these ingredient may trap germs in place and offer no healing properties. If you haven't tried it before may I suggest you buy a tub of shea butter and see how you get on, it will be fragrance free and without paraffin. 

If La Roche-Posay works for you then fantastic but I simply wish to demonstrate how I go about choosing products and accessing labels. Always patch test your skincare and in the long term if you can't see an improvement then move on to something else.

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