Know what goes into your eco products
These days it’s all about pared-down pampering homemade remedies are back with an old world allure, and natural products are all the rage. On a recent trip to London I couldn’t resist picking up bottles of Neal’s Yard almond and rosehip oils while my sister replenished her stock of their moisturizers and tinctures. The English organic brand’s Covent Garden flagship has a hip yogi-meets-neighborhood chemist vibe you can consult with white lab coat-wearing staff behind the counter for whatever ails you inside and out; soft-spoken sales personnel offer you a cup of tea while you’re browsing. For all their eco-luxe appeal and seeming efficacy, however, an addiction to foreign beauty products causes a major strain on the budget, which does not bode well for my peace of mind mantra this season. Especially when you consider that the ingredients they use might have local alternatives, if not actually sourced here.
Take elemi, which recently made the local news for its health and beauty benefits reportedly being used by several global brands. Chanel on its website announces the use of Manila elemi as an ingredient in its Ultra Correction Lift line, touting a skincare breakthrough that firms the skin and keeps it youthful. Elemi comes from resin from the bark of the pili tree, found widely in Bicol. So when it comes to scouring the world’s best options for your natural beauty regimen, you may be closer than you think. Last year go-local advocate Bea Misa gave me a tiny blue bottle of Jojoba-Elemi Anti-Aging serum (P250, Ritual at The Collective, Malugay Street, Makati). I would use it sparingly at bedtime whenever my face needed an intensive pick-me-up, dehydrated and bloated from many late nights and bad meals. The rich serum lay surprisingly thick on the skin, considering it was a local formulation it felt like it was made for colder climates, but I was amazed at the results the next morning my complexion was instantly calmer, more supple and toned.
More Filipino companies are offering increasingly better alternatives for those who want to build a cleaner and cheaper natural beauty kit. Human Nature is a social enterprise whose commitment is to offer natural and organic products all sourced locally. They have a lofty goal, that is, to make products that are 100 percent free from harmful chemicals. This is more difficult than it sounds, and means strict sourcing of ingredients and lots of trial-and-error in R&D. Founded by Anna Meloto-Wilk and Camille Meloto, Human Nature aims to uplift the poor by working with local farmers to help them become sustainable producers of organic products. Projects are already running successfully, with farming communities in Camarines Norte now harvesting citronella (used in their bug shield lotion) and farmers in Davao growing passion fruit (the seed oil goes into their Mineral Hydrating Lipstick and Mineral Lip Gloss).
Human Nature has expanded its products to include mineral makeup and recently launched new Tinted Lip Balms and Lip Glosses in pretty purple and pink packaging. Since I became familiar with the brand, I got to know many of their supporters as well. Hindy Tantoco is a big fan and says she uses “everything” from their shampoos and conditioners, facial washes, body butters, lip balm and blush. Model Patty Ortega loves the Sunflower Cleansing Oil and Avocado hair mask. Other users include Agot Isidro, Iza Calzado and swim champ-turned-coach and mom Akiko Thomson. All are smart and beautiful women who appreciate natural, gentle products that are made with a noble mission, not to mention sold at super-low prices.
Leyende is a brand that is popular among yuppies, eco-conscious moms and the creative community. Their products first caught my eye at a bazaar because of the clean, modern black and white packaging. Leyende founder Neva Talladen also runs it as a social enterprise, working with several foundations offering training and employment for disadvantaged women.
“Most of our ingredients are sourced internationally, from ECOCERT-certified natural and organic or grown in sustainable farms,” says Talladen. ECOCERT is a France-based group and one of the top five certifying bodies in the world, which sets standards on organic and natural products for manufacturers seeking to enter the global market. Leyende also uses tried-and-tested local ingredients such as ylang-ylang extract and infusions from the Ilocos region, organic virgin coconut oil, calamansi oil, pili nut oil from Bicol, muscovado sugar, and lemongrass extract.
Speaking of pared-down beauty, Miss Universe 1968 Martha Vasconcellos from Brazil apparently attributed her glowing skin to a weekly facial scrub regimen of muscovado sugar soaked in sweet almond oil. Leyende took this homemade recipe and added a Filipino touch, using natural calamansi extract, “reminiscent of the time when Filipino women rubbed halves of calamansi on brown spots to brighten and even out the complexion.” The result is its new gentle La Dolce Muscovado Sugar Exfoliant. According to Claude Santos, Leyende’s manager for pioneer marketing, muscovado sugar contains calcium (for cell renewal), magnesium (for detoxification), potassium (for balancing skin moisture and elasticity) and iron (promotes circulation). The mild exfoliant had such an invigorating scent that I took to using it almost daily, and thus finished the scrub in a week and was left wanting more.
Beauty products, after all, must be enjoyable and take you on an emotional, albeit fleeting, high. Both Leyende and Human Nature offer online retailing, by the way, which makes spending for some holiday beauty treats even more effortless.
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Human Nature is available at www.humanheartnature.com or at Rustans Supermarket, Shopwise and Beauty Bar for a select line of Human Nature products. Leyende is available at www.leyende.com, Crossings Shangri-La and Sesou Nature Source, Trinoma.
