The new Fairtrade range has been launched nationwide to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, and includes two products that utilise products from across the globe that ensure farmers a fair deal.

We’ve always loved Bulldog for its natural and mainstream approach to male grooming, ensuring that no parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrance is used, instead focusing on quality essential oils and natural actives. Animal considerate with the BUAV seal of approval, the company won the RSPCA “Good Business” Award in 2008 and was also Highly Commended last year. Not to mention that the men behind the range have hearts of gold and take their dogs to the office with them.

Simon Duffy, Co-Founder of Bulldog, said of the range: “I am delighted that Bulldog is able to offer Fairtrade skincare products to men for the first time. The products perform brilliantly and it’s also very humbling to know that our Fairtrade range will provide a better deal for producers trying to build a sustainable livelihood for their communities. We now hope our competitors will follow Bulldog’s lead and embrace Fairtrade.”

The Bulldog Eco-System Shave Gel, £3.69 for 175ml, utilizes Fairtrade Green Tea that has been grown in the high mountains of the Uva region of central Sri Lanka. Last year I saw both a Fairtrade and non-fairtrade tea plantation in Sri Lanka myself, and if you are in doubt I can tell you how much a difference Fairtrade makes to one of the world’s biggest commodities in global trading. The Fairtrade premium will improve living standards dramatically and are currently going to improve housing and to build a community centre.  The shave gel also includes organic sugar from Paraguay. We had it man tested and its lovely blend of eight essential oils helped soothe the skin and make it feel wonderful after a thorough shave!

If that’s not enough for you Bulldog fans out there, then try the Bulldog Eco-System Moisturise, £6.49 for 100ml. This contains the luxury of Fairtrade organic shea butter from Bolgatanga in Ghana, sourced by a women’s cooperative. Their plans are to use the Fairtrade premium to renovate the community primary school. It also utilizes Fairtrade sesame seed oil from Nicaragua and Brazil nut oil from Peru.

The brand has some celebrity followers including Hollwood actor Idris Elba, as well as Britain’s own Olympic Gold medalist, Sir Steve Redgrave who said of the Fairtrade launch: The British public have shown that they have a real appetite for ethical shopping as Fairtrade sales in the UK have soared in recent years. Initiatives such as the Fairtrade Shea Butter Cooperative in Bolgatanga, Ghana, and the continuing support of marginalised farmers in places such as Africa, India and South America, are clearly the way forward.”

Available from many supermarkets and online at Meetthebulldog.com.

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UK beauty industry gets a Fairtrade makeover

When the “bubble burst” on Sue Acton’s corporate ten year world of banking she decided to set up Bubble & Balm last year, merging her passions for running her own business and her belief in a better world.

How has your first year with the company been?

A complete rollercoaster! When the company launched I was doing absolutely everything myself – making products, fulfilling orders, PR, book-keeping – everything from strategy to buying printer paper. Things have moved on a lot since then, and instead of making small batches of products at home we’re now making thousands of units per run. And from a few sales online, we’re now in discussions with major national retailers. There’s still never enough time to do everything – and like all growing businesses we have to balance the books – but despite the ups and downs I love what I do.

Can you tell us why Fairtrade is important to you?

Creating fantastic products without embedding the principles of fair trade throughout our business simply isn’t good enough for us; the reverse is equally true – an ethical operating model should never be an excuse for anything less than fantastic products.

Bubble & Balm is all about the ‘and’ not the ‘or’. We want to offer consumers the best of all worlds… products that are Fairtrade certified and gorgeous, natural and effective, with green packaging and great packaging, and luxurious and affordable.

Actions speak louder than words, and Fairtrade certification enables us to bring our policies to life – in other words it enables us to put our money where our mouth is. Perhaps even more than that, once you look at what Fairtrade actually means to real people and real communities – the difference it makes to everyday lives – it’s almost impossible to imagine doing it any other way.

How do you choose your ingredients within the products, and how do you think the cooperatives you work with will choose to spend the Fairtrade premium from Bubble & Balm’s soap sales?

All of our soaps are made using Fairtrade certified sugar, which means a better deal for sugar farmers in Malawi and Zambia. Our shea butter soap also includes Fairtrade certified shea butter, from Burkina Faso.

For the Kasinthula Cane Growers in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Southern Africa, the additional income earned from the Fairtrade premium has enabled, for example, the provision of clean water to three villages, meaning they no longer have to draw water from the Shire River, risking water-borne diseases and attack from crocodiles.

Products in development include Fairtrade cocoa butter (Dominican Republic) and Fairtrade olive oil (Palestine) as key ingredients.

I haven’t yet visited the cooperatives, but I’m very much hoping to have the opportunity later this year!

Why did you decide to add liquid soap to your range?

Lots of reasons! Firstly, our customers have been asking for them. Secondly, liquid soaps are now more popular than bar soaps – particularly in for example guest bathrooms and kitchens. And thirdly, we’re hoping to introduce our soaps into more ‘commercial’ environments – such as hotels, schools and offices. In fact we’ve already had a number of businesses get in touch with us wanting to swap their regular liquid soap for our Fairtrade liquid soap as part of Fairtrade Fortnight’s campaign The Big Swap.

Our anti-bacterial liquid soap in particular provides a great opportunity for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to ethical sourcing as well as being a great and effective product.

Above and beyond the Fairtrade aspect, the soaps are generally lovely – enriched with glycerine, natural ingredients and stylish yet green packaging (100% recycled plastic bottles). The range comprises citrus, lavender and anti-bacterial, with the anti-bacterial proven effective whilst remaining natural.

How do you plan to grow Bubble & Balm?

The intention has always been for Bubble & Balm to be a mainstream brand – which is why we’re very keen to see our products on supermarket shelves. Equally, we want to work with smaller independents. Looking to the future, we have some new products in development that we plan to launch later this year…watch this space!

Bubble & Balm Liquid Soaps are available for £4.35 for a 250ml bottle from its website.

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UK beauty industry gets a Fairtrade makeover

The panel of industry experts also awarded the Babies range with a ‘Highly Commended’ for the ‘Bath Time’ category. A few weeks prior, the Baby Foaming Cleanser won the ‘Innovative’ Award in the Baby Wipes section of the 2009 TIPS awards – the midwife-led testing programme. The Certified Organic Cleanser is a unique take on the nappy-bag essential as it provides a non-chemical, alcohol free wipe alternative and is great for cleansing hands and surfaces too. This is great news for overflowing landfills.

The entire Organic Babies range is certified organic by either the Soil Association or Organic Food Federation and is free of parabens and other chemical nasties.

Green People made it to the Top 20 ‘Who’s Who in Natural Beauty’ this year in the Natural Beauty Yearbook 2010 too. The company began when founder, Charlotte Vohtz, wanted to provide natural and gentle organic formulations for her daughter who suffered from severe skin irritations. Today it offers more than 120 products for women, men, children and babies.

Well done Green People.

Victoria’s travels across the Far East inspired this ‘Tropical Collection’ range, so the exotics ingredients – acacia, hibiscus, orchid oil, tamarind oil, among others – are all beauty secrets taken from Thailand and Japan. Victoria then applied modern beauty technologies to enhance the plant oils’ antioxidant properties for 21st beauty needs.

Star products include Acmella & Hibiscus Multi-Vitamin Lift Serum (£39) – a milky white serum that sinks into skin to strengthen and protect it – great against this month’s harsh winter winds – followed by Camelina & Hibiscus Protective Day Cream (£39), a lovely cream rich in omega oils and softening rice bran oil. All products are more than 99% natural, so even if you have the most sensitive of skins, your skin will have a treat.

Don’t miss out on the candles, soaps and gift sets too, which will make for perfect Christmas giving. The Handmade Castile Soap, rich in shea butter, olive oil and coconut oil for super soft skin, is the best buy. At £6, it comes in a gorgeously packaged box good enough to keep!

www.victoria-moore.eu

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Do you worry that you have to use your fingers to apply makeup in order to be an eco fashionista who likes to keep up appearances? No more.

Fresh from Paris Presents, Eco Tools offers grooming products that allow you to apply your natural, eco-considerate blusher and the sparkly eye look easily, without passing bacteria from your fingers to your face.

Rather than made from the usual not-so-fantastic plastic brushes on offer, the attractive range of Eco Tools are constructed from renewable resources such as bamboo, as well as cruelty-free taklon bristles and recycled or recyclable textiles, with reusable pouches for the packaging.

You can choose from a Powder Brush (£8.49), a Blush Brush (£7.99), Foundation Brush (£5.99), Eye Shading Brush (£3.99), Eyeliner Brush (£3.99), Lash and Brow Groomer (£3.99), 6 Pack of Bamboo Mini Brushes (£4.99), 2 Pack of Bamboo Powder Puffs (£2.49) or an all inclusive 6 Piece Brush Set (£14.99).
They are also available on a high street near you, through Tesco and Superdrug as well as OneStopBeauty.co.uk. What’s more, 1% from every sale is donated to 1% For the Planet.

If you’re also looking for a hair brush to detangle your natural locks, then this month why not go for an  Eco Brush hairbrush – made from fast growing bamboo.  There are five brushes to choose from for different hair types and needs, such as the mini cushion brush that is perfectly sized for your handbag and for a scalp massage on the move, or the heat retainer radial that will help dry your hair faster.

Eco Brush utilise both natural bamboo pins or natural bristle, as well as the not-so-green synthetic nylon fibres. Prices start from an affordable £4, and are available from Tesco.

We also love the eco har brushes available from ethical chic Cebra.

The deal is simple: sign up for an account, go for a treatment, write a review and Wahanda will donate £1 for every review written to charity:water, who funds clean and sustainable water projects around the world.

According to the charity, one billion people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water, which is a shocking one in six. Since 2007, charity:water has funded over 1000 projects across 14 nations, helping over 600,000 people. 100% of all donations go directly to water projects.

So once you’ve logged onto Wahanda, you’ll find an encyclopedia of spas, salons and beauty hideouts across the UK and worldwide including eco spas such as Titanic Spa in Huddersfield. Even if you’re on a budget, you’ll be pleasantly surprised because there are a ton of 2 for 1 offers waiting to be snapped up, and don’t miss the Wahanda spa vouchers too – perfect for Christmas – which can be used in over 370 spas across the country. Just don’t forget to write that review!

For your beauty indulgences to help a good cause, visit Wahanda.com

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Wild Organics is the latest bath and body range with a conscience. With wild-grown organic ingredients, it looks delicious on the bathroom shelf and the founder, Alan MacKenzie is passionate about helping The Freedom from Fistula Foundation too. Yanar Alkayat meets him to find out more.

After a career as an interior designer and success with his first brand, Organic Surge, MacKenzie launched Wild Organics. “Much more vibrant ingredients – natural, organic, luxurious, indulgent and certified by EcoCert too,” – this is how MacKenzie describes his bath and body products.

Marshmallow, peppermint, lime flower and white willow are just a few of the ingredients cultivated from their natural, wild habitat in Egypt, Bulgaria and Scotland, supporting local farmers along the way.

Bath soak, body wash, hand wash and skin lotion appear in each line – with more products to follow – slick, design-inspired, unisex and multi-tasking.

Not only is MacKenzie passionate about nature but also passionate about supporting Freedom from Fistula Foundation, which helps women suffering from obstructed labour that causes their bladder to rip – a very embarrassing illness (as it causes incontinence) but is relatively easy to treat with the right medical are. For every product sold, Wild Organics donates £1 to the charity, which works in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

MacKenzie, who visits Kenya on humanitarian projects at least four times a year is proud of his partnership. “What amazes me is if I work really hard here and my project’s are successful, I can do so much more with that money in Africa.”

Products from £12.50, available at wildorganicsbeauty.com and qvcuk.com

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Andrea Garland Natural Beauty Emporium features bundles of charming little tins, compacts and pillboxes from decades gone, filled with natural formulations of lip and beauty balms.

No petrochemicals to clog your pores, no fillers, no animal products and best of all, hardly any waste because every vintage tin is refillable and comes practically package-less – cute and clever! Rummage through the delectable choice and choose one to cherish forever…vintage lovers, this one’s for you!

Andrea, who is also an aromatherapist, has also developed a range of skin, bath and body products using very natural and skin-friendly ingredients on illustrated packaging.

You can buy one of a kind beauty pillboxes, compacts and tins, from £15, refills from £5 – online at Andreagarland.co.uk, Liberty’s and if you’re in London, you may be able to catch the vintage-eco lover herself at Brick Lane’s ‘Upmarket’.

SEE MORE VINTAGE FASHION AND BEAUTY QUEENSOFVINTAGE.CO.UK

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There’s nothing worse than falling prey to a premature cold but take our advice and prop-up your immune system with this high-potency syrup-like elixir.

Sea buckthorn is renowned for its high vitamin C and antioxidant properties so it will help your body fight any badies coming its way.
It’s been used for centuries for its anti-inflammatory effects and flu-fighting powers.

Simply mix a spoonful into water or tea first thing as it makes a great morning pick-me-up or use it if you’re feeling run-down and need extra TLC. It’s my number one winter-warmer this year.
£7.95 available at Weleda.co.uk

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Essential oils like citrus, lime, vetiver, petitgrain and ginger lift the senses in the Hand and Body Wash and the thyme, nettle and chamomile act as cleansing and soothing agents.

Once you’ve stepped out the shower revitalised and fresh, squirt on some of the Hand and Body Lotion, which has the moisturising benefits of moringa, sesame seed oil and shea butter.

Best of all, they both come without parabens, SLS, DEA, mineral oils, artificial colours or silicones. Hoorah! And for a limited period of time, they come with a complimentary wooden base to sit on too. Double hoorah.

£39, available at Elemis.com

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