Natural. Beauty. These two words have been causing a ripple effect across the beauty scene for a while now.
Lots of people are talking about them, and even more people are trying (and loving them). It’s believed almost 50% of women are using clean and natural beauty products, and more than 60% of women are prepared to splurge on them.1
What is a natural beauty product?
Natural beauty products are, as the name suggests, beauty products made from natural ingredients rather than synthetic ingredients.2Fortunately, these days, the range of natural beauty items available online and in stores has mushroomed at the same pace as interest. And this means, you’re never too far from a natural version of your usual haircare, skincare or beauty products, you may just have to look a bit harder for them, or scroll around a bit more to find them. But they’re there, waiting for you to give them a try.
As for knowing how and when to incorporate natural beauty into your life? Well, a) it’s very much up to you and b) swapping the products that stay on your body all-day long, e.g. moisturiser or deodorant, is a sensible place to start.
As a general rule of thumb, natural beauty products are 100% free from these synthetic ingredients:
Some words of wisdom before we move on to our list of 8 of the best natural beauty products…
Natural products tend to have a shorter shelf-life because they’re made purely from natural ingredients, there are no preservatives or other chemicals prolonging their lifespan, so to speak.3 (A bit of an aside, we know, but it’s like when you bake your own loaf of bread, it tends to go off quicker because it just contains the main bread ingredients…) When shopping around for natural alternatives, you want the products to expire within six to 18 months of being opened. Having a longer shelf-life compromises the qualities of the nutrients that have been used to make these products. There’s only so long they can deliver optimum performance without going off or getting weaker over time. (For more practical insight on the ins and outs of natural beauty, including ingredients to look out for, check out this article, ‘What is clean and conscious beauty?’)
What are the best clean beauty products?
If the idea of incorporating natural beauty into your life appeals to you, but you aren’t sure where to find these products, we’ve compiled a list of some of them right here for you:
NATURAL SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
Natural haircare: 99% Naturally derived with 100% Orange essential oil to fragrance the product.
Ethical: Suitable for vegans.
Price: £2.50
About this product: Clean Me Sweet Orange Shampoo incorporates the zesty-ness and uplifting aroma of orange oil, leaving your scalp feeling fresh, cleansed and healthy. Specially formulated to remove everyday residues, this shampoo promotes an invigorating shower experience, leaving you feeling elevated and prepared for the day ahead.
Directions: Apply to wet hair and massage gently into the scalp to form a lather. Rinse with warm water. Repeat as necessary.
Customer reviews:
“Love the shampoo and conditioner, great price, hair feels clean after.” Bessybutt.
“The smell is amazing, it foams up nicely and leaves my hair feeling clean and fresh! I can't wait for the conditioner!!! Udalloodle.
“Smells nice and my hair is clean And it’s a good price.” Water Drinker.
Natural & organic haircare: Formulated with coconut oil, cocoa butter and lime essential oil
Ethical: Suitable for vegans and cruelty-free (no animal testing).
Eco-friendly: Zero waste packaging.
Price: £9.74
About this product: Formulated with lots of cocoa butter, coconut oil, Vitamin B5 and zesty lime oil, this conditioner will tame your frizz, hydrate dry hair and leave your hair smooth and soft. The Guardian also doubles up as a shaving bar or an in-shower moisturiser.
Directions: After shampooing, slide the conditioner over the ends of your hair, massage in and leave for 1 to 2 minutes. Your hair will feel super lightweight and even better once you rinse!
Customer reviews:
“I've been on the hunt for a plastic-free conditioner for years, finally this one comes through. I thought it was a bit pricey at first, but I've been using it for months and still have half the bar left. Gentle citrus scent, but not too strong, works really nicely on my hair (wavy, thick), leaving it quite sleek and healthy looking.” Ru2323.
“Leaves my hair soft and tangle-free. Best bar conditioner I’ve tried.” AMW17.
“Hair very soft. By far the best conditioner bar I’ve tried.” Anonymous.
SHOWER GEL & BODY WASH
Natural & organic body care: Formulated using organically certified and natural extracts.
Ethical: Suitable for vegans and vegetarians and cruelty-free (no animal testing).
Price: £9.74
About this product: Dr Organic’s tea tree body wash is a daily wash for use in the shower or bath. This product is ideal for normal to oily skin, blemishes, blocked pores or excess oil, thanks to the effective blend of natural cleaning agents and effective essential oils. It contains extract of tea tree leaf, aloe vera leaf and peppermint. Using pure organic bioactive tea tree oil ensures that the plant’s natural antibacterial properties are maximised to gently cleanse, refresh and restore the skin.
Directions: Lather and use as required on your body and hair. Due to the natural origin of the ingredients, colour and consistency may vary from batch to batch. This does not affect the quality of the product.
Customer reviews:
“Lovely smell, and seems to be good for my hair and scalp....less itchiness all round!” Anonymous.
“I was finding it hard to find shower gels that didn't make my skin to flare up. I read a review on Holland and Barrett and am a huge fan of this product. Leaves my skin nice and soft and clean feeling.” Sweetrose.
Natural & organic body care: Made with essential and organic oils, 100% natural.
Ethical: Suitable for vegans and Cruelty-Free International certified.
Price: £5.49.
About this product: Grapefruit and orange are both known for their cleansing qualities, and this shower gel and foam bath zings with their organic citrus aromas to help energise your day.
Directions: Pour some of the body wash under running water for a foam bath or use all over the body in the shower.
Customer reviews:
“We love it. The smell is beautiful. I will be buying this again. Hopefully not anytime soon, as we have only just got going with it. However, the wife and I do use it regularly, so it might not last as long as one might hope.”Carl1988.
“Lovely fresh grapefruit smell. Leaves skin soft and not dry.” Lizzer.
SKINCARE
Natural & organic skincare: Made from 100% Rosa Ranina (Rosehip) Seed Oil.
Ethical: Suitable for vegans.
Price: £19.99.
About this product: Suitable for every day skincare and especially for dehydrated or ageing skin and made with the finest quality ingredients, this certified organic 100% rosehip seed oil contains no preservatives or petrochemicals and is safe to use during pregnancy. Loved by celebrities, royalty and supermodels and with over 35 international beauty awards, Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil is fast becoming an iconic beauty product.
Directions: Massage 2 to 3 drops into cleansed skin on face, neck and/or body. Use morning and night. When applying to scars, Certified Organic Rosehip Oil should only be used once the wound has healed.
Customer reviews:
“I don’t really like writing reviews, but this oil is perfect for oily skin. Makes your skin looks beautiful and matte. I will buy it again. 6 stars if possible.” Omos.
“I have been using this oil for over a year now and it has really helped my skin shine. It's great for fine lines and provides moisture for the whole day. I use it as a base coat under my normal face cream.” Anonymous.
Natural & organic skincare: 100% natural
Ethical: Suitable for vegans.
Price: £15.00
About this product: This rejuvenating face mask is packed with retinol and carrot seed oil, containing high levels of Vitamin A and Vitamin E to help promote softer, smoother and visibly younger-looking skin.
Directions: Apply the mask to clean skin and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water. For best results, combine with the full VitaSkin Vitamin A Range.
Customer reviews:
“Nice face mask. Starts to warm up slightly when you apply on your face. Felt nice. Really liked this product and the fact it’s natural ingredients. Nice packaging too. Bought at the discount price. Worth the money. Would buy again.” SM20.
"Nice texture and moisturising, smells good. The mask comes off easily with warm water afterwards.” Anonymous.
HAIR COLOUR
Natural & organic hair dye: Enriched with natural plant and seed oils and extracts and contains no ammonia.
Ethical: Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Price: £15.00
About this product: Naturtint's innovative and gentle formula is favoured the world over by consumers looking for softness and shine, as well as intense and natural-looking colour. With a fresh new look, all Naturtint Permanent Hair Colours now come with a Multi-Care Mask that’s enriched with quinoa.
Customer reviews:
“I love this hair colour. I have no grey hair, but was looking for nice warm brown shade that revived my hair. No smell or nasties with this one.” AndreaJ.
“The products are high quality, the colour I am buying is nice and it is durable. The most positive side is that the ingredients are not as damaging to hair as the other brands, which use much more chemicals inside their hair colours.” DCustomer.
Natural & organic hair dye: Free from oxidants, ammonia and p-phenylenediamine (PPD)
Price: £7.49
About this product: Henne Colour hair colouring powders are enriched with henna. Henna is known for its beneficial properties for the hair and scalp. It has a fortifying, antiseptic and anti-seborrheic action. It brings softness, suppleness, shine and volume to the hair.
Directions: Always conduct a patch test before use. If after 24 hours no reaction has occurred, you can colour your hair.
Customer reviews:
“I am unable to use hair dyes. My hair is shoulder length brown with a lot of grey, I whacked this on for two hours under a shower cap washed off and...fantastic, greys showed up bright orange and the brown a lovely mahogany. Everybody has commented on how lovely my hair looks, it’s also very shiny.” Doolalee.
“Bought this as not keen on using chemical products so often. Great coverage and colour, needed my sister to apply it as not so easy and takes longer to work. Very happy with the colour now, doesn't wash out and my hair is soft and shiny. Will definitely use it again.” SP73.
This list of natural beauty products is literally just the starting point, one that you can use as a springboard into the world of natural skincare, body care and haircare products, and that you can build upon, one natural product at a time.
The more you look, the more you most certainly will find; one look at our full Natural Beauty range will show you that!
Better still, have you thought about rolling your sleeves up and making your own natural beauty products? If you like the sound of it, then have a read of this article, ‘How to make your own natural beauty products’, Jo Chidley, Founder of Beauty Kitchen, talks you through how to make your own lip balms, bath bombs and a gorgeous lip scrub from everyday ingredients. Shop Natural BeautyLast Updated: 16th December 2020