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Recipes For
Natural Beauty
ALISON ASHTON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
T
his season, the hottest
color in cosmetics is
green - as in environ-
mentally sensitive make-
up and body-care products.
Health food stores have long
stocked "cruelty-free" (meaning
not tested on animals) products,
but green cosmetics have gone
mainstream in a big way.
Honeyed Beeswax Cleanser?
Carrot Cream moisturizer?
Parsley & Mint Face Mask?
Mint Face Wash? Product
names like these may sound like
something from the produce
aisle, but they reflect rising con-
sumer demand for botanically
based cosmetics.
The Body Shop pioneered the
movement toward mainstream
natural beauty care, and British
founder Anita Roddick makes
sure each store is as much about
environmental activism as it is
about selling cosmetics.
Racks of fliers tout the
company's trade partnerships
with small communities (Brazil
nut oil comes from the Kayapo
Indians in Brazil, a small
company in Zambia provides or-
ganic honey and beeswax,
etc.) and its animal protection
efforts.
Cosmetics giant Estee Laud-
er concocted the all-natural Ori-
gins line, which found plenty of
green in organic botanical ex-
tracts and aromatic oils. Sebas-
tian Skin recently introduced its
Green Tea line of skin and hair-
care products. Apparently green
tea is not just a healthy drink:
Its anti-oxidant properties are
good for the skin when applied
topically. Sebastian expects it to
have as revolutionary an effect
on skin care as alpha-hydroxy
acids.
"I've found that just about
every line is touting their botan-
icals," says Heather Kleinman,
editor of The Cosmetic Connec-
tion Web site, who personally fa-
vors products with tea tree oil.
But she urges consumers to
beware of overblown claims.
Botanical-based cosmetics can-
not offer miracles any more
than their traditional
Alison Ashton is a
writer for Copley
News Service.
counterparts.
Still, many
women like
the idea of
using natural
products, and if
they make your
skin look or feel bet-
ter, Kleinman sees no
reason not to use them.
Smart consumers,
however, read the labels of the
skin-care products they buy. If
the natural components appear
far down on the list, they're prob-
ably natural in name only. If
"Smart consumers
read the labels
of skin-care
products."
botanicals are listed prominently
among the ingredients, you
know they're an integral part of
the mix.
True purists may want to try
cooking up their own beauty po-
tions, and most of the ingredi-
ents can indeed be found at the
neighborhood grocery store.
"Blended Beauty: Botanical Se-
crets for Body & Soul" by Philip
B. (Ten Speed Press) has 100
recipes for skin and hair-care
concoctions. B., who owns pri-
vate beauty salons in New York
and Los Angeles, started brew-
ing custom botanical treatments
for Hollywood clients before