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Looking for botanical skincare for your visage? Your search is over....
Whether it’s skincare or food we’re buying, more of us are opting for products that boast organic and natural credentials. It makes sense, as we strive towards more environmentally friendly, healthier and sustainable choices.
But what exactly do these terms mean? Well, like most things in life, the answer is not straightforward.
Although there are a number of certification bodies, there is no legal definition for either of the terms, which can mean that what is natural when it comes to skincare can vary.
“Natural facial moisturisers use plant-based ingredients with moisturising properties,” explains aesthetic practitioner, Dr Sophie Shotter. “In fact, many ‘conventional’ moisturisers also utilise botanical ingredients but will formulate them in a way to enhance their results.”
Organic, meanwhile, has become a buzzword in both nutrition and skincare, she adds, highlighting that what this means can vary worldwide: “I take organic in skincare as meaning that the natural ingredients in the product have been grown according to organic farming standards, and no more than this.”
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For an organic beauty product to carry a Soil Association Cosmos organic symbol, 95 per cent of all plant, animal or microbial ingredients which have been subject to basic processing must be organic.
In this handy video explainer, dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto explains that it’s a popular misconception that natural skincare is safer or more effective than synthetic or chemical-based skincare. But there are some handy things to look out for if you are keen: “If the top three to five ingredients have got long synthetic chemical-sounding names, chances are it’s not particularly natural in nature.”
Luckily there are a multitude of beauty brands and moisturisers in the natural and organic skincare space, with more innovative products and formulations coming out each month. Although it can be a tricky area to navigate, all of the natural moisturiser options we’ve selected below have been chosen for both their effectiveness and focus on using either naturally derived or organic ingredients (or both). Where products have been certified by a regulatory body, we’ve endeavoured to highlight this.
During our review of the best natural facial moisturisers, we looked at a range of important factors: ingredients, texture, ease of application, how it felt on the skin, overall results and value for money. For weeks we applied creams to freshly cleansed skin, both day and night. We were also keen to see how they fared under make-up and generally felt on the skin during a normal day to day routine.
Where creams were designed for especially dry or eczema-prone skin, we reached out to testers who suffer from these skin issues to get their honest verdict. We tested a huge variety of facial moisturisers that are marketed as natural or organic.
Upcircle’s face moisturiser with argan powder ticks all our boxes, so it was a clear choice for the top spot. Although they’re on opposite ends of the price spectrum, we were also impressed with Weleda’s budget-friendly skin food light cream and Tata Harper’s luxe fortifying moisturiser.
For the latest discounts on beauty and make-up buys, try the links below:
We’ve also rounded up the best moisturisers for oily skin that won’t clog your pores and for dry skin too