What's the news?

We've been made a UK Soil Association organic licensee. To celebrate we are offering free shipping worldwide on all our organic creams and balms. Our newsletter readers can also get a 20% discount off their order by entering the code "NL20" in the promotions box at the Checkout page when ordering online. (Offer expires October 31st)

What does being a Soil Association licensee mean?

Our range of creams and balms are now certified as organic by the UK Soil Association. That is, the ingredients used in our creams, the process by which they are made, the packaging they are presented in, and the production standards of the business all conform to the high standards of the Soil Association. We are allowed to use the word 'organic' on our packaging and to carry the Soil Association logo as an assurance of their quality.

Lots of cosmetic products are organic now though, aren't they?

Maybe. Certainly lots of products would like to be perceived as organic, though in reality there may be little, or even no, organic content in them. For example, a product may say "made with ORGANIC aloe vera" with great prominence given to the word 'organic', but be made with 1% organic aloe vera and 99% of the usual synthetic compounds. Another approach is to make your packaging look very clean and simple, with a nice graphic of flowers or leaves - the message says 'natural' but the contents may say something else. But the Soil Association themselves do a much better job of explaining this.

So how is the Soil Association standard different?

The Soil Association cosmetic standards have two levels. To call a product 'organic' as in: 'Organic Calendula Balm' the product must be made with between 95% and 100% certified organic ingredients. If a product contains between 70% and 95% organic ingredients it can be labelled 'organic' but must specify the exact percentage of organic ingredients, e.g. '76.4% organic', and the remaining ingredients must be Soil Association approved. Thus, a non-organic ingredient cannot be used where an organic alternative exists; no ingredient may be of genetically modified origin (GMO), and synthetic ingredients must be from a list of approved compounds known to have no detrimental effect on human or environmental health.

Was achieving this standard difficult?

Yes and no. The certification process consists of two independent parts: a physical inspection of the premises and then an analysis of each product to be certified. The two parts are carried out independently by two Soil Association certification officers. The premises inspection examines the manufacturing and storage areas, the processes used, documentation and record keeping, hygiene and traceability. This was relatively easy for us as we have created a dedicated area for organic manufacturing, and our handmade processes are straightforward and with relatively few ingredients (compared to say a large factory with thousands of ingredients and hundreds of products, only some of which are organic). A key part of the process side is ensuring that controls and traceability exist to ensure that every input can be verified as organic and traced to its certified supplier.

On the product side, the production process must be described, the ingredients listed by weight and a sample of the product packaging must be supplied to ensure that the claimed organic content is correct, the packaging conforms to Soil Association standards (i.e. is clear, accurate and not misrepresentative), and that any non-organic ingredients can be justified and are approved. Again, this was not particularly difficult for us, though it was time consuming. The emulsifier and preservative that we had been using for our creams, whilst of very high quality, were not on the list of approved non-organic ingredients. Finding approved replacements for these involved many trials and re-formulations of products until we were satisfied with the quality, texture, and scent of the new creams. And of course, each time we tweaked a formula, we needed to revise the packaging and re-submit the ingredient listing for approval. However we got through, learned a lot along the way, and improved the quality of our products in the process. And the Soil Association were extremely helpful and supportive throughout.

Are organic ingredients so much better then?

Not necessarily. We try to use organic ingredients in our products for much the same reason we use organic ingredients in our Tearooms: it's not necessarily about the taste (or in the case of cosmetics, the efficacy), it is also about the process that creates the ingredient. A certified organic ingredient has been grown in a way that works with the environment rather than against it. Chemical fertilisers and pesticides cannot be used, genetically modified seed and other inputs (e.g. GMO feeds) are prohibited. Bio-diversity is usually greater on organic farms for these reasons.

We also use natural and organic ingredients because "Helianthus Annuus" (Sunflower Seed Oil) is understandable as an ingredient by the ordinary person in a way that "Methylchloroisothiazolinone", for example, is not. There was an interesting article in the NY Times about food and nutrition a few years back that contained the advice: "Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." It would be nice if today's cosmetic and body care products were made with more understandable ingredients. But the mainstream cosmetics industry is not too keen on this.

Are synthetic ingredients very bad then?

Not necessarily. "Natural = good, synthetic = bad" is a greatly over-simplified view. For example, the essential oils occurring in many plants have evolved as pesticides or herbicides. They make the plant unpleasant to eat for attackers or may inhibit the seed germination of competing species. An essential oil used neat on the skin may cause irritation, burning or inflammation. Conversely, in most hypoallergenic treatments all of the ingredients used are synthetically created as this is the only way to achieve the necessary purity. And of course, there are many diseases and conditions that are treatable today using medicines that are synthesised in laboratories.

Your balms 100% organic, but your creams aren't. Why is that?

Our balms are made only with oils and so will remain stable and safe without the addition of a preservative. Creams and lotions are made with a blend of oils and distilled water, and these products require a preservative (to keep them safe) and an emulsifier (to keep the oil and water from separating). There are natural plant preservatives but they are not as effective as their synthetic counterparts, so the Soil Associations recommends a number of preservatives that combine the best of both worlds: efficacy that ensures the safety of the consumer and biodegradability to protect the environment. Similarly the emulsifier we use, while not organic, is derived from olive oil and is Soil Association approved.

Remind me about the special offer?

Indeed. There is free shipping worldwide on all our organic creams and balms. Our newsletter readers can also get a 20% discount off their order by entering the code "NL20" in the promotions box at the Checkout page when ordering online.