Highlights from the show: Face&Body, Chicago 2016

Face&Body Expo, Chicago March 12 – 14, 2016.

One of the best beauty shows I have experienced – informative presentations, best examples of “organic” and “active” skincare brands.

I have a talk on the benefits of professional facial massage that has been recorded and I will share it with you soon.

The talks I enjoyed most as relevant to my clinical practice were given by:

• Dr Erin Madigan-Fleck on naturopathic treatment of protein deficiency and how it impacts on ageing skin (Atlanta, Georgia). An important issue to discuss with my vegetarian clients!
• Dr Mark Lees’s approach to acne care (Florida) – similar principles to my practice, using more of alpha/beta hydroxy acids and considering diet a little less than I do..
• Great review of current beauty&spa trends by IDI Dermalogica trainer Annet King (Los Angeles)
•  Practical showcasing of  Janel Luu’s introduction into her Asian lymphatic drainage on 10 pressure points technique with dark jade stone
•  Eminence Skincare intensive physio-based massage skills & showmanship

Invite to the Science Seminars, mine at 2pm

• 

Annet King – and background information on her approach to beauty in a 2010 interview

Large portfolio of all natural products (you can see the coarse structure of ingredients), traditional Hungarian line Eminence Organics, not for sensitive skin types in my view! The hard physio-based massage is what makes the difference! Their amusing shows (imagine balloons, Minion rucksacks, comedy) are very popular.

Interesting brand by Dr Pugliese. As their representative said, the latest ingredients used in the clinical Circadia (she switched from Murad), no need to injure the skin anymore.. Last but not least, the pillows to alleviate sleep lines – a more in-depth review of these brands coming soon.

SAVE OR SPEND: Summer Skincare Under £50

I would like to run a small high street skincare shop in Beverley, stocking niche and innovative brands. However, for now MyShowcase.com is my shop through which I am able to recommend personalised skincare routines – right for an individual’s skin type and budget. There are an increasing number of new products on the market that are very similar to each other and some of the new launches are becoming prohibitively (and questionably) expensive.

Branding – and a great story of how the product was born – aside, it is the ingredients (and their concentration) that make a product work.

MyShowcase.com is a shopping platform stocking organic skincare I currently work with, my reviews are unbiased and based on science. Here are my suggestions for the summer products to refresh your skincare routine with.

3 Summer Essentials for dry to mature skin types

  

• The Balm Balm Rose Flower Water (£11) is a refreshing toner for facial skin – in the morning as well as during the day. For even skin tone and hydrated, well conditioned skin. Rosa damascena (rose) flower distillate, 100 % organic. 
• The Balm Balm Superlight Coconut Cleanser (£13.25) is a great cleanser for a lightly tanned skin in summer. Gentle cleanser made from blended coconut oils, also suitable for removing eye makeup. 100% organic. 
• The Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum (£13.25) Anti-ageing staple for evening massage, the oil-based serum prevents sun related dehydration and maintains a healthy tan. Use prior to applying your evening moisturiser. Richer texture, a blend of rosehip, jojoba and borage oils with frankincense, rose geranium, palmarosa, juniper and mandarin. 100 % organic. 

For combination and oily skin types

A good choice – instead of the Coconut Cleanser – would be Elizabeth’s Daughter Facial Gel Cleanser (£8.95) for morning and evening cleanse. A gentle wash-off cleanser based on mild surfactants (laurel glucoside, cocoamidopropyl betaine) and aloe, enriched with kiwi fruit extract. Refreshing, mild & hydrating, contains also vitamins C & E.

Take advantage of free P&P for orders over £35. If you like my reviews, please put my name in the “Recommended By” section when shopping at myshowcase.com.

Ethical Skincare: Sustainable or Organic?

I prefer recommending ethical skincare as I feel better using products that respect nature and help local communities. Is sometimes sustainable better than organic? To differentiate the benefits of both, please read below.

Sustainable Skincare Helps Local Communities

The Cradle-To-Cradle certification follows rigorous independent assessment by the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (EPEA) to ensure that ingredients meet ecological and health criteria based on the Cradle to Cradle Design Concept (C2C).

• The ingredients must be either continually reusable or biodegradable and renewable.
• They must be healthy for users and for the environment.
• Their production and use must also offer social and economic benefits for its producers.

For beauty and personal care products, the Cradle-To- Cradle concept means that ingredients are extracted from natural materials, or, “biological nutrients,” that are given back to nature after usage to become part of the ecological cycle.

Aveda has been the first beauty company to receive Cradle to Cradle certification for four botanical ingredients: sandalwood oil from Australia, rose oil and lavender oil from Bulgaria and uruku from Brazil. The first Aveda ingredients to meet or exceed the stringent standards of Cradle to Cradle certification are:

– organic uruku sustainably harvested by the Yawanawa people in the Brazilian Amazon;

– rose and lavender essential oils grown and processed on a sustainable organic farm in Bulgaria;

– sandalwood oil which is wild harvested and processed by the Mardu peoples of Western Australia.

Each of the four key ingredients is a “biological nutrient,” grown or harvested sustainably. The methods used by the cultivators and collectors are traditional and assure the long-term sustained production of their ingredients.

Uruku, rose and lavender are grown to certified organic standards; sandalwood is wild harvested by methods that meet the standards of an indigenous raw materials certification developed by the Songman Circle of Wisdom, an indigenous group developed to oversee the sustainable production of Australian sandalwood.

Aveda’s numerous corporate and social responsibility associations include CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), Coop-America/Green Business Network, SVN (Social Venture Network), BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), Environmental Grant Makers, American Botanical Association, Organic Trade Association, Cosmebio, National Recycling Coalition, and the U.S. Green Building Council.

To read more about Aveda program, please go to http://www.c2cportal.net/2010/06/aveda-cradle-to-cradle-and-paradigm.html