I've spoken to so many people over the years who want to launch a cosmetics brand in the UK, but find themselves overwhelmed and frustrated by the regulations. Whilst stringent safety measures are a good thing in cosmetics legislation, since it protects us as consumers, it can be daunting to try to understand the rules, especially if you're not familiar with legal language or just new to the cosmetics industry. And when you're already struggling to get your head around business admin, finances and product manufacture, the additional hoops you need to jump through to get your products legal for sale can seem a bridge too far. 

I don't want to see anyone give up on their dreams of starting a cosmetics business because they can't get their head around the regulations. I happen to enjoy reading pages and pages of law texts and have the kind of memory that stores this esoteric information, but not everyone does. To help you get started, therefore, I've written a short guide to break down some of the regulations that you need to understand. Just a note, I wish to point out that this guide was written solely by me, without any assistance from generative AI. If you do find a typo, I apologise, but at least you can be sure that the information is accurately sourced from the relevant legislation, rather than whatever people may happen to be saying on the internet. 

And if, after you've read the guide, you still feel overwhelmed, do not despair. I now have a complete range of services on offer to help guide new businesses through all areas of cosmetic compliance, all priced very affordably with the small business in mind. You can find out more about all of my services under the Services menu on this website. I'll be writing more about the services I offer in future blog posts. But for now, enjoy the guide, and happy formulating! 

For the ultimate decadent treat, you can't go wrong with the luxurious scents of rose and neroli, so why not consider the Goddess Luxury range? There are two different cleansers to choose from, a hydrating toner, a high-performance serum and a nourishing moisturiser. I'll soon be adding to the range with an aqueous serum, so stay tuned for that. 

If your mother fancies an at-home spa day, then look no further than exfoliating clay masks. You can choose from the original Exfoliating Clay Mask or the Luxury Exfoliating Mask, which includes a blend of botanicals in each mask. Both of these are available in a wide choice of clays to suit your skin type. 

Perhaps your mother prefers makeup, in which case don't forget that my Multi-Purpose Powders are now available in an even wider choice of colours, and I'm also expanding my Luscious Lipstick range too. 

​I'm always working on new products behind the scenes, so if you haven't browsed the shop pages in a while, take a look now and discover something new! 

In Part One I discussed the requirements I have for ingredients to be as eco-friendly and ethical as possible. So, how do I go about researching a new ingredient? 

I'm fortunate to have studied at an excellent formulation school - Formula Botanica - whose courses give a firm grounding in understanding the most common skincare ingredients and how to research them further. I'm also a member of The Lab, which is their ongoing professional development membership. This contains detailed profiles of many different ingredients, which have been put together by experienced formulators, so it's always my go-to place to start my research. 

Another great source of information is the ingredient suppliers themselves. I like to choose my suppliers carefully, and one of the things I look for is good customer service support with knowledgeable staff, as well as full disclosure about where the ingredients come from. As I mentioned in Part One, I usually like to get things from as close to home as possible, partly to cut down on airmiles and partly because it's harder to exploit workers in the UK/EU countries than in countries with mass poverty (I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that it's rarer). The ideal is to find ingredients where I can actually visit the place they're made and see for myself that conditions are as we would want them to be. I wrote about my local lavender farm in a previous article, and that is a great example of this. It's wonderful to be able to stroll among the lavender, and the sheer volume of bees there testifies to their organic farming practices. 

One thing I always like to avoid when it comes to ingredients is jumping on the latest trend just for the sake of it. When a new ingredient starts appearing in every big product launch, mainstream companies are quick to copy each other to stay with the trend. But just as in the modern fast fashion industry, trends are usually short-lived and will soon be replaced by some other 'revolutionary' new ingredient, so that doesn't make for products that stand the test of time. Whenever a new ingredient becomes the hot topic of the industry, I therefore prefer to spend some time researching it, and in particular its chemical makeup. The question I try to answer is: is there anything unique about this ingredient that could have benefits to the skin? In other words, why use this particular ingredient instead of something else? For all that companies like to claim their new wonder ingredient does things for your skin that nothing else can, it's highly unlikely that the same chemical extract couldn't actually be found in dozens of other plants around the world. Therefore, there may actually be a more sustainable alternative to what everyone else is using, that would have the same effect. 

​​One type of ingredient I've recently started investigating is specialist cosmeceuticals. These are generally only available from high-tech laboratories, and these will only deal with registered companies, so it's only now that I've become a limited company that I'm able to chat with these labs and discuss using some of their ingredients. In particular, I'm looking at incorporating a few specialist extracts into my new healthy skin ageing range, including NovoRetinTM and GlowAGETM. I'll be writing more about these ingredients later, so stay tuned! 

If you want to find out more about my journey to make Natur Cosmetics as sustainable as possible, don't forget you can click the links under Categories to filter blog posts by topic. And I'll be back with more updates soon! 

I've talked many times before on this blog about the devastating effects of plastic waste from cosmetics. Shampoo bottles are one of those particularly bad pieces of plastic, as they're too small and low-grade to be recycled at the majority of recycling plants, even if the government actually sent plastic to be recycled (which is a whole issue in itself). When you think how many bottles of shampoo most of us throw away each year, it's easy to see how UK households reach an estimated 1.85 billion pieces of plastic waste a week (Greenpeace, The Big Plastic Count, 2022). 

So how can we eliminate one source of plastic pollution? By switching to solid shampoo bars of course! Now I'll admit, I was sceptical about these at first. I have very long, thick, mildly frizzy hair, so washing it is a bit of a chore at the best of times, and I didn't see how a small bar was going to be able to generate enough foam to get a decent spread over my hair. I'd studied the science of surfactants, so I knew that the amount of foam a product produces isn't necessarily linked to its ability to clean a surface, but even so, it does affect the spreadability and therefore ease of use. However, I desperately wanted to give up plastic shampoo bottles and I didn't fancy using glass for safety reasons, so I starting trialing out shampoo bars. I bought several different ones from different companies and I just didn't get on with any of them. I was of course limited in choice by my super sensitive skin, but the ones I tried didn't seem to include any hair-nourishing ingredients, and left my hair either dry and frizzy or not feeling washed well enough at all. So I did what I always do in such situations: I simply designed and made my own. 

For my shampoo bar formulation, I opted to combine a range of solid surfactants that would be mild on the skin whilst still giving a thorough cleanse, so they can work on a range of hair types. I also added some nourishing oils and butters, as well as a couple of special ingredients, including panthenol and Ecosilk, a plant-derived substance that mimics the properties of silk protein. All this adds up to a shampoo bar that foams easily, cleans well and doesn't dry out or damage hair.

These shampoo bars are available in six different scents, so whether you prefer your shampoo floral, herbaceous, fruity or woody, you should find something to your liking. 

And if you have really sensitive skin and prefer to avoid essential oils altogether, I also have an unscented version. The shampoos are coloured entirely with natural clays, so there are no artificial scents or colours to worry about. 

You can find Solid Shampoo Bars in the store now! 

References: 
https://thebigplasticcount.com/media/The-Big-Plastic-Count-Results-Report.pdf

Pentylene glycol may sound like something cooked up in a chemist's lab, but actually it is also a naturally occurring compound found in plants, particularly types of sugar. It can be created synthetically in a laboratory, and it's this synthetic version that is most commonly used in cosmetics. I, on the other hand, prefer to use the natural form. The one that I've chosen is manufactured from sugarcane bagasse. This is the fibrous pulp left over after the usable part of the sugarcane has been extracted, so it makes good use of a resource that would otherwise be wasted. The extraction of the pentylene glycol then takes place in a lab in France, so it doesn't have to travel too far to bring it on to my supplier in the UK. 

The company I've chosen to source pentylene glycol from provides full traceability for its products, showing the sugarcane was harvested responsibly and guaranteeing the purity of the finished substance. It's been awarded a Silver Green Ingredient Award at the In-Cosmetics Global event in 2014. 

The really great thing about pentylene glycol is that it's multi-functional. It's an humectant, which means that it helps to attract water from the atmosphere into your skin. It also has emollient properties, meaning that it helps to smooth the skin and improve the feel of any products it's used in. But its main use is as a preservative. It's effective across bacteria, moulds and yeasts, and also acts as a booster for any other preservatives you include in the formulation. As you'll know from my previous articles, I'm a big fan of natural preservatives, as they are far gentler on the skin and less likely to trigger allergies. 

Pentylene glycol is my favourite natural preservative to include in my products, because it ticks every box: it's natural, sustainable, zero-waste and skin nourishing. That's why you'll find it in so many of my products, including the Goddess Luxury Range and Luscious Lipstick. 

Further reading:
Pentylene Glycol: The Natural Multi-Functional Preservative 

1. Goddess Luxury Cream Cleanser:  With a delicate rose and orange blossom scent, this daily cleanser is the perfect gift for those who prefer practical presents. 

2. Luxury Exfoliating Mask: A great choice for someone planning an indulgent at-home spa experience. 

3. Multi-Purpose Powders: Available in every colour, so you'll have no trouble finding the ideal shade. You can also request a custom shade created to match a favourite outfit. 

4. Luscious Lipstick: This opulent lipstick will be the perfect complement to any look; just get in touch to request your custom shade. 

5. Marvellous Mineral Bath Salts: Upgrade your bath time routine for a luxury spa day. 

And don't forget that I also have a range of Pamper Packs, which make the perfect gift for a special someone. 

Or, if you live in the south east and would prefer a more hands-on approach, why not book onto a workshop to craft your own makeup or perfume? 

Book a workshop

Dragon's Blood resin is the wonderfully evocative name given to the red resin that comes from a number of related tree species: Croton, Pterocarpus, Daemonorops or Dracaena, collectively known as 'dragon trees'. These trees are found across South America, Asia and Africa, mainly in tropical regions. Many are endangered, however, so you always want to check the origin of any Dragon's Blood resin you purchase by referring to its Latin name, which will tell you which kind of tree it came from. 

Dragon's Blood resin has a long history of use by indigenous peoples around the world. Its medicinal properties have in more recent times attracted scientific study. It has well-documented antimicrobial properties, as well as the potential to treat ulcers and inflammation. There have also been studies which suggest it may help to treat diabetes and tumours. 

Obviously I can't make medical claims for my cosmetics, but I like to include herbal extracts into my products whenever I can nonetheless. Resin is a great binding agent to add into products where we need a smooth texture and staying power. That's why I chose to include a resin in my Luscious Lipstick. I saw a lipstick (which has now been discontinued) from another company using Dragon's Blood resin as an ingredient, which they claimed helped give the colour staying power. So, I decided to experiment. 

Sourcing Dragon's Blood resin for cosmetics proved tricky, however. Whilst the resin is available to buy all over the internet, cosmetics ingredients require an MSDS in order to be included in a formula, so I needed to find an extract specifically designed for cosmetics. Eventually, I managed to find a glycerine extract of Croton Lechleri, the South American dragon tree, commonly known as sangre de drago in Ecuador, where this particular extract was sourced. I then needed to do some thorough research into its sustainability credentials, checking the company's certifications and ensuring that the extract would be suitable for use in my product. 

Once this was complete, I ordered a sample of the extract and tested it out in my lipstick formulation. Normally, glycerites can only be used in a product that contains water, because glycerine is an aqueous ingredient. However, my lipstick includes a high percentage of an ingredient commonly known as Ecosilk, which acts as an emulsifier, so I could get away with a small quantity of aqueous ingredients. The viscosity of glycerine means that it is easy to incorporate into the formula. 

So, what do you think of my Luscious Lipstick? I found the colour lasted pretty well in tests (conducted mainly at parties or in pubs after a show: it's a tough job but someone has to do it). How have you found the staying power of the lipstick? 

Health benefits of Dragon's Blood Resin: https://www.healthline.com/health/dragons-blood#researched-benefits 

You've probably noticed that some new products have recently appeared on the site, including Kitchen Soap, Christmas Soap and Organic Lip Scrubs. So, what do we have in store for next year?

Well, I've been working hard on perfecting the formulas for my Goddess Luxury range. I know they've been shown on the site for some time as 'coming soon', due to the fact that certifying them for sale has proven very expensive and I needed to be 100% happy with the formulations before doing this, because once a CPSR is obtained, the formula can't be altered in the future. However, I now have a product range that I'm super pleased with, so the Serum will be launched shortly (because this is much cheaper to certify than the other products), followed by the Bi-Phase Cleanser, Toner and Moisturiser. I am also developing an aqueous serum to complement the range, so I'll keep you posted on that too. 

Meanwhile, for bath lovers I'm currently working on a range of botanical bath bombs, which I plan to release in the spring, along with a Gardener's Soap to match my current Kitchen Soap offering. 

My Organic Hydrosols have already gone out to testers for review and received very positive feedback, so they will be launched in January. Other future plans include conditioner bars to complement my current shampoo bars, exfoliating scrubs and an eye gel to supplement the Goddess Luxury range. I've also had a couple of requests for lip balms, so am looking into creating a range of these too. 

All products will be made available on this website as usual, so do keep checking back to see the latest additions. Or why not sign up to my newsletter so you can keep up-to-date with new products as they launch, as well as receiving skincare tips, behind the scenes stories and exclusive offers? Just head to the home page to sign up. 

When reviewing existing lipstick options, I was surprised how many still used beeswax. Vegan lipsticks are surprisingly hard to find, so that was one gap I knew I needed to fill. Then there are all the synthetic chemicals in most lipsticks, again something that isn't needed. Finally, most lipsticks just didn't come in a wide enough range of colours for my liking. What are you supposed to do if you want black, purple or green lipstick? You shouldn't have to use a lipstick full of synthetic junk just to show your own unique style. So that's where my Luscious Lipstick comes in. 

I wanted this lipstick to have a real luxury feel, so I blended a range of high-end ingredients, which gives the lipstick a rich and creamy feel and long-lasting colour. And best of all, the ingredients are all plant-based extracts or natural mineral pigments, so no need to worry about what you might be ingesting! 

I'm regularly adding new shades to expand the range and I will soon be adding in exciting glitter shades too (yes, still all natural)! 

You can see here (from left) Kissed by a Rose, 60s Ice Pink, Blueberry, Desert Sunbeam, Vampire's Kiss, 60s Ice Pink, Vampire's Kiss and Blueberry. 

It's hard to get an idea of a lipstick shade without seeing it in action, so that's why I've been arranging photo shoots to get each lipstick photographed. 

And yes, I do like to name lipsticks after songs. How many can you spot? 

Many of these lipsticks use the same pigments as in my Multi-Purpose Powders, so you can use them to create perfectly matching makeup. I've listed some of the matched shades below. 

Fancy getting yourself one? You can find it here. 

I like to use my customers as models for my products, so here you can see Jessica being modelled. This colour blends well with Gold Leaf, as you can see modelled below. 

And here's the review of the Gold Leaf lipstick.