Natural Beauty: The Skin Care

Guide
The natural skin care segment is growing at a phenomenal rate. But how
do products labelled “sustainable”, “natural” or “organic” differ? We
caught up with Oriflame skin care expert Melina Galeadi to find out.

What is meant by “natural” when it comes to skin care?

Even though there are different certification bodies offering their own definition on what natural
means, there is no global industry standard as yet. This means, that “natural” is up for
interpretation. However, natural ingredients are in effect ingredients that are sourced from plants
or other natural sources. These are extracted by mechanical means, like pressing, or by use of
natural solvents.

And how does this differ from skin care products labelled “organic”?
Organic ingredients are natural ingredients that are organically farmed. This means that farming
has taken place without the use of synthetic pesticides. 

Is “natural” and “organic” always better, or is this a misconception?

Natural and organic ingredients can be better, but because of their delicate nature, great
expertise is required to preserve, formulate and extract the goodness from them. On saying that,
synthetic formulations can also be safe. It is the process, the expertise in formulating, and a deep
knowledge of ingredients, that determine the quality and safety of the final product.

"Instead of trying to understand complicated

ingredients, look at a company's overall
philosophy and approach to naturalness."

But can natural skin care products really target ageing concerns with the same efficacy as
non-natural products?
It’s not that black and white. It’s not so much the level of naturalness that influences
performance, but rather the formulation of ingredients. The efficacy of natural ingredients can be
greatly enhanced when refined through science.

Why did Oriflame create Ecobeauty and target the eco-conscious consumer?
Nature is in our DNA. We’ve been pioneers in developing formulas using natural ingredients
since 1967, so creating the ultimate natural range was a sensible next step for us.
 "It’s not so much the level of naturalness that
influences performance, but rather the
formulation of ingredients."

Can you tell us a bit about the Ecobeauty range?

Ecobeauty embodies Oriflame’s commitment to sourcing ingredients from nature and from
renewable sources. It’s been certified by Ecocert, meaning that it contains over 95% natural
ingredients and over 5% organic ones. On top of that, the manufacturing processes to create
Ecobeauty are environmentally responsible and the packaging is recyclable – sustainable form
start to finish. But what makes me even more proud, is that Ecobeauty delivers results too!

Each Ecobeauty product contains two key ingredients that have been carefully selected for their
unique effects on the skin. Because of the gentle extraction process, the essential vitamins,
amino acids and fatty acids are kept intact. This provides the skin with all of the essential building
blocks needed to maintain radiance and health in a natural way.