Four natural ingredients that can help your skin – and the planet
Eco beauty doesn’t have to be hard. You care about a sustainable environment – here’s why you should care about it in skincare too.
No surprise the eco-friendly trend is booming in skincare.
You would have had to be living under an enormous rock, or in a cave, not to know plastic in beauty and care products is adding to the world’s environmental issues.
Which is why eco-conscious beauty companies are increasingly turning their hand to all-natural products and sustainable beauty.
And the winners? Your skin, and the earth.
Here are four of the best natural ingredients to look out for serious planet-friendly skincare perks:
Plant-based glycerin
It might sound like a foreign chemical, but glycerin, also often known as glycerol, exists in all animal and vegetable matter.
A natural humectant (meaning it draws moisture from the air and helps to keep it in skin), glycerin is the unsung hero of skincare ingredients.
Plant-based glycerin is an earth-friendly product that typically comes from soy, palm and coconut oils, meaning that it’s an ingredient that’s vegan friendly too.
Sunflower seed oil
The cheery flowers we know and love aren’t just good for brightening up our homes.
Sunflower seed oil, made from compressing the seeds of the popular plant, is chock full of skin-boosting compounds, including vitamin E and linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid with the ability to replenish, strengthen and soothe skin.
It’s also non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores.
Carnabua wax
A 100 per cent natural vegetable wax harvested from the leaves of the carnauba palm found in Brazil, carnauba wax is hypoallergenic and very emollient (ie. skin softening).
It also has a high melting point, making it a preferred ingredient for thickening skin care products.
When used in cosmetics, it gives products a smooth application and glossy finish.
Castor seed oil
While we hear a lot about the benefits of argan, rosehip and macadamia oils, the benefits of good old castor oil are often overlooked.
Pressed from castor seeds found in the Ricinus communis plant, it’s rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, making it an effective replenisher for skin and hair, and is often found in natural beauty products.
These ingredients are pretty special by themselves, but keep in mind that it’s the combination of ingredients and at varying percentages that impact how a complete product formulation interacts with, and benefits, the skin.
The Aussie skincare brand combining top planet-friendly ingredients
etchðos® is a new range of natural^ and sustainable skincare from family-owned Australian business Ego Pharmaceuticals.
Containing 94 per cent naturally derived ingredients, all etchðos washes, lotions and refills are made in Melbourne and packaged in bottles made with 50 per cent recycled milk bottle plastic.
The brand’s body wash and body lotion come in two delicious fragrance options “summer citrus” and “botanical bloom” in a 300g keep pack and 1L refill pack.
The hydrating body wash is vegan friendly, pH balanced and soap free with plant-based glycerin to revive dry skin.
The nourishing body lotion hydrates skin with ingredients such as natural sunflower seed oil, carnauba wax and castor seed oil to help protect against skin dryness and provide up to 24-hour moisturisation.
* This post is brought to you by etchðos. ^94 per cent natural as per ISO16128
