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.

Related article:

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.

Related article:

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.

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.

With existing ethical beauty companies such as pioneering Essential Care, Visionary Soap and Neal’s Yard Remedies receiving Fairtrade certification, this is an opportunity for small-scale farmers to be given a greater voice in democratically-organised cooperatives and given a fairer wage, with the added social benefit of the Fairtrade premium.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, explains their journey: “Obviously we had Fairtrade beauty products in our sights for a while, and producers, companies and the public kept asking, but it was quite a challenge. We wanted to get it exactly right for the industry, recognising that the beauty industry is different from food.”

By setting minimum thresholds of Fairtrade-certified ingredients at 5% for leave on products and 2% of wash off products, the estimation is that Fairtrade labelling products could make up 53% of the total cosmetics and personal care market in the future.

And, the hope is that within the next five years they will impact 5% of the market, as Lamb states: “These are international set standards and so we’re very confident from here that it will roll out, probably France and the USA next and then right across the world.”

And with products from both the budget end of the market to luxurious treats, are the new products up to scratch on performance? Click through to discover the products…

Fairtrade beauty: Neal’s Yard Remedies…

]]> http://www.greenmystyle.com/the-uk-beauty-industry-is-given-a-fairtrade-makeover/feed/ 1 http://www.greenmystyle.com/body-shop-launches-minerals-range/ http://www.greenmystyle.com/body-shop-launches-minerals-range/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:42:20 +0000 Lena Weber http://www.greenmystyle.com/?p=987

Ethical beauty pioneer The Body Shop has launched a new mineral-based make-up range, Nature’s Minerals. It’s greener with real beauty benefits.

Mineral-based formulations, especially for foundations, are ultimately desirable right now as they offer a more natural product option with fewer nasties, plus real beauty benefits too; improved coverage with a light ‘barely there’ look and feel.

Mineral make-ups have none of the usual oils, fillers or preservatives that can be found in other foundations. Toxin free, they are especially suitable for sensitive or problem skin.

Now The Body Shop has just launched its own mineral make-up range, Nature’s Minerals. As well as foundation in six shades, the range includes blushers and eye-shadows.

Nature’s Minerals includes kaolin and Mediterranean clay, which are sourced naturally, in keeping with The Body Shop’s vision of protecting natural resources.

The range promises healthy-looking, radiant skin without clogging up your pores. SPF 25 adds extra sun protection to the foundation – good for preventing unwanted sun damage (otherwise known as premature ageing) – and the make-up is preservative and fragrance free too, making it perfect for sensitive skin.

The Body Shop has a policy of sourcing ethically-produced ingredients, is committed to helping protect the environment and uphold human rights, and takes a firm stand against animal testing.

Nature’s Minerals is available in The Body Shop stores and online, from £15. There’s an offer on at the moment – £5 off your purchase when you buy a Nature’s Minerals make-up collection consisting of make-up product and brush.

Nature’s Minerals

greenmystyle.com is excited to welcome fashion & beauty writer Lena Weber to the team. Lena also writes her own fashion blog, Style High Club. Welcome Lena.

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