Formulating high performance make-up within the confines of the most demanding organic standards has been for me the ultimate challenge in my skin-care and beauty journey - but such a worthwhile one. It's so good to know we can now enhance our appearance and indulge in that 'feel-good' factor without risk to our health or the environment.

This has meant absolutely out with synthetic solvents, dyes, phthalates, polymers, petrochemicals, fillers, silicones, lead, mercury, etc. and in with skin-caring natural colours and gorgeous, organic plant oils, butters and herbs! Not to mention a healthy dose of fun, as let’s be honest, as serious as the business of beauty is, for you, our end user, the application should be a pleasure and a joy, not a chore or simply the result of an ethical decision. 

But of course Organic standards do guarantee the ultimate ethical purchase: It goes without saying that organic standards prohibit animal testing, but lesser known is that animal by-products like carmine - the red dye chemically processed from crushed beetles – are also banned. Carmine or Cochineal is a common ingredient in mainstream blushers and lipsticks but often appears in so called 'natural' formulations too. Formulating without the artificial red lake dyes or carmine made it a challenge to create a lovely red lipstick, but we think we’ve come pretty close with our Cherry Tart!

For sensitive users, Organic makeup is often the only answer. Organic mascara doesn't contain the strong preservatives, synthetics, solvents, acrylic polymers and fibres that typically feature in conventional mascara, so is far less likely to irritate sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Soothing herbs and aloe vera further reduce the irritation potential and condition lashes at the same time. However, it is important to remember that without these artificial aids, organic mascara may not be quite as fast-drying as some conventional brands. So for maximum adhesion and smudge-resistance, apply after all other make-up to dry, oil and moisturiser-free lashes in 2 thin coats allowing a few minutes to dry in between.

Click here to view the make-up range from Essential Care in full now!

Inevitably, not all 'mineral' make-up is created equal and many brands are still laced with a generous helping of far-from-wholesome dyes, binders and fillers. But the good news is that genuine organic make-up is with us at last and by choosing products bearing a recognised organic symbol, you can be sure of no nasty surprises.

In fact it has only been within the last couple of years that Soil Association certified cosmetics became possible at all, due to the impurity and environmental issues surrounding mined mineral pigments.To meet their exacting organic standards, minerals must be produced ethically and to strict laboratory purity, quality and particle size criteria. This is yet another reassuring illustration that all ingredients, even permitted non-organic ones, have to meet the strict standards of purity and ethics that the Soil Association demands.

Over the last 5 years, we have had countless pleas to create a range of organic make-up to compliment our organic skin care, so as soon as there were permitted colours to work with, I was off to my laboratory in a cloud of multi-coloured dust. Two years of challenging development later - and my love of make-up tested to breaking point, I emerged with phase 1 of our very own certified mineral make-up range. These included the very first lipsticks, lip pencils, pressed eye shadows and mascara certified by the Soil Association and the first makeup ever to be approved by the Fairtrade Foundation using Fairtrade certified ingredients. So fired once more with the pioneering spirit, phase 2 is now underway.

Check back soon for part 2 in Margaret’s Make-up Journey

If only all these new ‘organic’ skincare products were created equal. Whereas organic food must meet legal standards, the same does not apply to beauty products. The term ‘organic’ can be used on products that contain literally a whiff of organic essential oil which leaves a massive loophole open to exploitation.  

Walking the aisles of London’s largest organic trade event, Natural & Organic Products Europe, the past couple of years, has been quite sickening. So many brands, some from overseas, but some who are made in the UK, are making their way on to the high street  (including stores like Holland & Barrett) and are taking consumers for a ride: Fake organic certification symbols and misplaced use of ‘organic’ in brand names and product titles.

But there may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Whereas the EU Commission doesn’t seem too bothered about the gaping hole in legislation, some European countries are now acting to create their own national rules.  In France, the equivalent of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) now only permits products to make organic claims if they are certified organic or are 100% organic. The Danish ‘Consumer Ombudsman’ has recently made a similar ruling.

So I am working with the Organic Trade Board and Susie Hewson from Natracare to lobby for similar regulations in the UK. The good news is that Trading Standards and the ASA are now looking at organic claims on cosmetics much more seriously. Moreover, if a case is brought to the ASA, they will take action if a cosmetic product making organic claims is neither 100% organic nor independently certified to a recognised standard like the Soil Association’s. BUT, like Trading Standards (who police labelling rather than adverts) the ASA can only take action if consumers bring cases to their attention. That involves writing to the brand first to complain and then lodging a complaint with the ASA or Trading Standards.

The Organic Trade Board is aiming to make this process simpler (i.e. for the regulation to be there in the first place to prevent companies hijacking ‘organic’ and deliberately trying to mislead). But meanwhile please take action! If you see a brand with dubious organic claims or credentials, please write to them and the ASA and Trading Standards! If it was food it would be fraud...

Understanding of organic abroad is usually pretty high. Among our Lithuanian team it’s incredible – does everyone know what biodynamic agriculture is? I asked incidentally in the training session, referring to the many biodynamic extracts we use in our skincare. All thirty hands shot up.  

Essential Care is distributed in Lithuania by Sveiki Produkti which literally means “healthy products”. Sveiki are pioneers, having created one of Lithuania’s first ever health food shop chains, which now comprises 12 stores. The shops are in wonderfully prominent places in shopping centres (Lithuania having its fair share of cold weather, shopping malls are quite a prolific feature on the urban landscape and a much-frequented destination). Somehow I can’t quite imagine such good quality health stores in British shopping centres. You certainly wouldn’t find a shop advertising ‘Natural, Biodynamic and Ecological’ products sitting opposite Tescos or Sainsburys.

Nor would you probably find store owners who care with such a passion about the products they sell. Sveiki Produkti have made the brave and ultimately successful commercial choice to stock a small selection of products they believe in rather than offer their customers a mind-boggling choice of bigger-name brands.

As a country which is keen not to be dependent on Russian energy, Lithuania has taken green issues to heart. I was lucky enough to visit a journalist from Lithuania’s largest online environmental magazine – which receives a whopping 30,000 visitors per day (Lithuania’s population is just 3.3 million).  She asked me the very interesting question of whether there was a list of ingredients not allowed in certified organic skincare. I assumed it would be easy to find, but on returning home and looking, she was quite right, there wasn’t. So thank you for the challenge Inga – that list will be the subject of another blog.

And thank you too to our fabulous Lithuanian team for a lovely stay in Vilnius.

It is a great opportunity for us to receive feedback from stockists, therapists and the few members of the public who’ve somehow wangled themselves a ticket.  This year we were showcasing a vibrant new design to our shampoo and bodywash labels (coming within the next few weeks) as well as the new bespoke point of sale stand for our makeup that has recently rolled out to stores such as Greenfibres in Totnes and Waterloo Body Station in London.

We met up with many of our cherished retailers including Amarya, Big Green Smile, Calendula, Natural Grocery Store, Real Foods, Sante, The Apothecary, Waterloo Body Station (apologies to those I have missed), as well as some of our overseas representatives and a number of new international buyers.

It’s also a wonderful opportunity for us lucky exhibitors to sample the latest in organic goodies from across Europe. My favourite find was P’tiwi Bio, a delicious range of Fairtrade and organic biscuits from France whose samples have gone down a storm with my children.  Flavour-packed organic jams (60 and more grams of sugar per 100g here!), delicious Irish spelt bread and some excellent Italian organic pecorino were among my other favourites.

Less appealing was the number of skin care brands, both British and from overseas, that continue to hijack the term organic. It is shocking how many companies are claiming their cosmetics are organic without proper product certification. Even more outrageous is that it’s perfectly legal to do so. More rumblings on that to come in another blog very soon. 

The Creating the Greenest County Awards are an annual event that highlight the environmental achievements within communities, businesses and schools across Suffolk. Suffolk has some fantastic people doing amazing things, whether they are cutting carbon, growing local foods or caring for our county’s wildlife. So when Margaret went along to the awards last Thursday, although Essential Care was short-listed, we were certainly not expecting to win – the competition is notoriously tough, particularly in our category.

We then found out that we were on a short-list of just two... Fingers crossed. Up went a fantastic video of our products on the big screen. Then shortly after, Margaret was receiving our ‘Green Oscar’ trophy from Sharon Bleese of the Environment Agency.

Given all the wonderful “green” activity within Suffolk, we feel thrilled and very honoured to win. The judges recognised our commitment to using high levels of organic ingredients, locally produced and recycled packaging. They were particularly impressed with our new makeup range which had broken boundaries in the industry.

Many thanks to all concerned for our cherished award and a lovely evening.

Footnote: Creating the Greenest County is one of Suffolk’s top priorities. The ambition is to reduce Suffolk’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2025 and to protect and enhance our natural historic and built environment. The partnership consists of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors from across the county.

The awards were sponsored by the Environment Agency, Adnams, Carillion, the Port of Felixstowe, University Campus Suffolk, the East of England Cooperative Society, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh Hotels, AV Unit and Suffolk County Council.

I buy fair trade products wherever I can and one of my new year’s resolutions was actually to give my wardrobe a fair trade and organic makeover. I had a Christmas shopping bonanza at Cornish company Seasalt and have just bought myself this gorgeous Laura Ashley Fairtrade top in pink (after my four year old daughter Claudia despaired at my attire the other day and told me I need to wear more colours!). People Tree is one of my favourite Fairtrade clothing brands for children’s clothes – Claudia loves this red top - and in terms of style, I think Frank and Faith is doing a great job.

As for sheer volume, chocolate tops my list of most-consumed fair trade products. I’m addicted to Green & Blacks Organic Raisin & Hazelnut Chocolate and I buy a hefty volume of G&B’s dark cooking chocolate for baking cakes. I’ve known the co-founder of Green & Blacks, Jo Fairley, for a number of years (Jo is a also a beauty journalist and has done wonders to raise awareness of organic skin care in the past decade) and know that the core of the company’s ethics are spot on even post merger with Cadburys and Kraft. My other weakness is for Tropical Wholefoods Dried Mango bits. I’ll happily wade my way through an entire packet; they are so tangy and yummy.

And of course have to count some Essential Care products in my collection of Fairtrade must-haves! If I had to pick two, it would be our silky, intense mineral-rich black eye liner, made with Fairtrade shea butter, and our 2 in 1 Mint Mask whose mint and other herbs and Fairtrade sugar are working wonders to spruce up my post-winter skin.

In addition there are other fair trade certifications – Fair for Life – for example (that certifies our gorgeous coconut oil, which are excellent certifications, but are not recognised by the Fairtrade Foundation. We are keen for the Fairtrade Foundation to change the policy and instead to recognise other fair trade certifying bodies (as organic certifiers do). This would benefit producers by enabling more composite products (like cosmetics) to be certified. – Don’t get me wrong, I think the work the Fairtrade Foundation does is great, but there is opportunity for a little more fairness all round!

To read our article with Katie Franks, of the Fairtrade Foundation,  visit http://www.essential-care.co.uk/media/pdfs/Katie-Franks-Essential-Care-Blog.pdf

To learn more about Fairtrade Fortnight, visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

To shop our range of Fairtrade lipsticks visit  http://www.essential-care.co.uk/organic-makeup/organic-lipstick.html

For those who aren’t fully in the know, can you tell us about the Fairtrade Foundation? What are their aims and what are they doing to try to create better working conditions for Fairtrade farmers?

Fairtrade aims to improve the situation of farmers and workers at the bottom of supply chains who are at the sharp end of exploitation and injustice in international trade.  Many producers in the developing world get their income from crops which are commonly used for cosmetics and/or food products, however in the conventional market they often have to accept prices below their costs of production and so do not have the ability to meet their families’ most basic needs.

Fairtrade is helping to turn this situation on its head through helping to develop fair trade for producers by giving them security through a minimum price and additional premium, where consumers can be assured purchases are benefitting producers by looking for the Fairtrade Mark. This year our campaign ‘Take a Step for Fairtrade’ will encourage everyone up and down the UK to take a step, such as try a Fairtrade certified beauty product, in order to raise awareness of these producers.

What do Fairtrade beauty standards involve?

Our rules state that for a product to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark, all ingredients that can be certified Fairtrade, must be sourced from Fairtrade certified producers under Fairtrade terms.

Fairtrade’s role is to ensure that producers’ benefits and interests are at the centre of the business relationship and product plan, where long term commitment from licensees is established.  

Licensees therefore have to proactively action a plan with producers to create added value and extra benefit back to producers. Examples of these have been anything from extra donations,

Why do non-Fairtrade cosmetics dominate the market?

Many companies have spent many years in building up their relationships with their suppliers for the raw materials, or not even realise that they can substitute some of their man-made materials for natural materials. They have also spent lots on marketing their products and building up their market of followers, and so it takes time to change a formulation or supply chain.

Part of my role is to have conversations and work closely with these companies so that they understand of the benefits of working with Fairtrade certified producers and the difference that they can make. However consumer demand also plays a key role in this, where our campaigners and consumers are key to driving sales and petitioning companies to get more involved and change their sourcing habits.

What is your favourite Fairtrade product?

Outside of the Cosmetic category my favourite Fairtrade product are Tropical Wholefoods Organic Dried Mangos – yum yum! 

To read the whole article visit http://www.essential-care.co.uk/media/pdfs/Katie-Franks-Essential-Care-Blog.pdf

To learn more about Fairtrade Fortnight, visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

To shop our range of Fairtrade lipsticks visit  http://www.essential-care.co.uk/organic-makeup/organic-lipstick.html

Hans Herren of the IAASTD (an agriculture think tank) then gave an entertaining account from of why (among) other things GM is bad. I particularly loved his simple adage of why the world can’t feed itself, “we’re growing the wrong stuff in the wrong place at the wrong time”. Industrial systems (pesticides and herbicides) use 10 Kcal to produce 1 Kcal of food and crops (which is only possible while there is cheap oil around) whereas organic farming uses 1 Kcal to produce 3. He encouraged investment into agriculture research that is knowledge-intensive (like organic agriculture), and not pesticide-intensive.

The talks were presided over by Soil Association President Monty Don, pictured above sitting next to Phil Bloomer of Oxfam and and Soil Association chief executive Helen Browning.

Figures published by the Soil Association at the conference in the 2012 Market Report also showed that British consumers purchased 8.7% more certified organic skin care products in 2011 compared to 2010. Challenging economic times have clearly done little to dent consumers’ belief in green, healthy beauty. Long may it continue and thank you to all of you for supporting us.