How fantastic - 2012 is also Year of the Herbs!

Posted: 19 Jan 2012 in Blog Key ingredients, biodiversity & farming blog Beauty is on the inside... what's inside your moisturiser?!

How fantastic – not only have the National Garden Bureau (NGB) named 2012 the year of the geraniums (rose scented geraniums are commonly found in skin care products), but they have also designated 2012 Year of the Herbs, which fits perfectly with our goal to get as many of you as possible to have a go at growing your own skin care ingredients – many of which can be designated as herbs.

NGB cite an apt definition from Holly Shimizu, director of the U.S. Botanic Garden, of what constitutes an herb, “herbs are defined as plants (trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, biennials or annuals) valued historically, presently, or potentially for their flavour, fragrance, medicinal qualities, insecticidal qualities, economic or industrial use, or in the case of dyes, for the colouring material they provide.” This definition defines herbs by their usefulness, and plants such as lavender, lemon balm and calendula are all incredibly useful for looking after your skin.  

Varied, easy to grow and incredibly versatile, you’ll probably find an herb pot on almost everyone’s kitchen window these days, and herbs can be a great addition to such an enormous variety of recipes. But herb’s usefulness doesn’t stop with food and drink. The medicinal skin care benefits of some herbs have been known of centuries. Chamomile, calendula and lavender are but a few of the wonderful bounty to be found in nature and these make up the active ingredients in a wide variety of skincare products. Calming, moisturising and excellent all-round first aid qualities mean these active ingredients can do wonders for our skin.

Unfortunately, some brands aren’t as honest as we’d like them to be about the quality of the active ingredients that they included in their products. There are a variety of different ways of growing and processing herbs for inclusion in skin care products, and while some methods preserve the beneficial properties of the oils, others taint or reduce the active ingredients through the use of synthetic chemicals. Not only does this mean that the end product will be less effective in helping your skin, but it also means that residue from the synthetic chemicals can actually cause damage to your body.

The use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers during the growing process can also be really damaging for the environment and our native flora and forna. Recent research has shown the detrimental impact of farming pesticides on our bee populations for example. For this very reason we believe the best way to farm and to garden is using organic methods that support and feed the natural ecosystems that in turn enable our lovely herbs to thrive. The best way to ensure the products we buy are grown and processed to maximise the natural active ingredients while protecting our health and that of our countryside is to look for the Soil Association organic symbol. This is considered the strictest independent certification body for organic skin care products and ensures no nasty chemicals have been used during the farming or manufacturing process. 

Our Beauty is on the inside... what’s inside your moisturiser?! campaign fits in perfectly with the NGB’s designation of 2012 as the year of the geraniums and herbs, as we’ll be bringing you top tips on how to grow your own skin care ingredients. We’ll show you how the Soil Association certified organic farming methods, used by the producers of our lovely organic skin care products, ensure the highest quality ingredients for your products and how you can apply these same organic principles at home.

We hope you’ll follow our journey with your own endeavours to grow organically and would love to hear how you get on!

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