Monday 5 May 2014

The Self Preservation Society

Lush Cosmetics are a company that famously pride themselves on their natural, ethical
 and handmade products.Where possible Lush try to use only the finest natural and
 organic ingredients in their cosmetics, but do allow for the occasional safe synthetic.
 The safe synthetics (such as methylparaben and propylparaben) are used in cosmetics 
as preservatives to give products that contain water a longer shelf life.
Lush recognised that, although they are deemed to be safe, lots of people don't like to
 use parabens for many different reasons. They are now working on taking their
 range from 70% self preserving to 100%, and have started by adapting some of the most
 loved Lush products.


Dream Cream is up hailed as the best Lush product for many, many people. The incredibly
 soothing ingredients of this hand and body lotion make it great for those who suffer with
 dry skin, eczema or psoriasis. The new self-preserved version of Dream Cream has been
 cleverly re-formulated to provide the same effects as the original for even the most sensitive
 skins. The product inventors at Lush have reduced the amount of water in this product and
 replaced it with a higher olive oil and glycerine content. This has given the formula a richer
 consistency but, as it took 98 attempts to get it right, rest assured this is still the Dream Cream
 you know and love.

Good news! Ocean Salt  has not only become self-preserving but also vegan too. To make
 this well loved face and body scrub self-preserving the inventors removed the two
 parabens and three synthetic emulsifiers that were in the original formula. These safe synthetics
 have been replaced with more fine sea salt and glycerine, as both are natural preservatives and
 mango butter and lanolin were added to the mixture to soften and soothe. The product is thickened 
with the added japan wax and avocado butter, which in turn prevents the onset of bacteria.
If I'm really honest I do prefer the original version of Ocean Salt to the self-preserving as ironically
 this one smells a little fake. I also prefer the coarse sea salt used in the original formula , but despite
 this both versions work just as well as each other at brightening the complexion.

Mask of Magnaminty is probably my favourite of all these four products. This face and back mask
 is great at unclogging pores and giving the skin a really deep cleanse. To make this a winning 
self-preserving formula Lush have replaced the synthetic preservatives with a higher honey,
 kaolin and glycerine content. When I tried this mask I really noticed a difference in the way 
my skin felt compared to the original formula. Whilst on the face my skin didn't tingle as much
 as usual, which may be due to less peppermint oil, but when I rinsed it off my skin felt smooth
 and supple. To me this self-preserving formula is much better than the original and has quickly
 become one of my favourite Lush products.


 Sympathy for the Skin is the final product released in the recent self-preserving range at Lush. 
This hand and body lotion, which I think smells of cake batter, is a firm favourite due to its
 beautifully light banana and vanilla fragrance. Again, there is less water in this body lotion and
 it has been replaced with a higher almond oil and glycerine content. The self-preserving version
 of this body lotion is much thicker and richer, so if you are looking for a really emollient cream 
this is the one for you.

All in all it is great that Lush are offering their customers the option of using products free
 of safe-synthetics. It is important to note that both the originals and the new self-preserving
 formulas will be available in stores and online.

Do you try to stay paraben free?

6 comments :

  1. I love everything that Lush stands for and this has just upped my respect for them even more. This was a lovely post, thank you for sharing it. xx

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    Replies
    1. They have such great ethics and values that are so worth shouting about.
      I'm glad you liked it xx

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  2. I've never really used Lush products before but I keep seeing them all over my blogreel at the minute. I think I'm going to have to get involved!!

    Also, I just wanted to let you know I've nominated you for The Inspiring Blogger Award on my blog :) I really love reading your posts and thought you deserved it! x

    Katy | Little Miss Katy

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    Replies
    1. Oh Katy you have a whole world of wonderful products to discover. Take that step into your local Lush shop and start exploring.

      Thank you so much for the nomination! :) x

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  3. Had no idea they were taking this approach! Very interested in learning more!

    xo
    www.style-wire.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, hopefully we will be seeing many more self-preserving products hitting Lush's shelves soon.x

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