What is organic skincare and how do we know if a product really is “organic”? While the question may seem a simple one, the reality is pretty murky – which is why this month London brand Pai Skincare is spotlighting true organics with its “Know The Difference, Feel The Difference” campaign.
Incredibly – there are currently no legal definitions of the words “natural” or “organic” in the beauty industry. These labels are bandied about on the front of beauty products all too loosely, much to the confusion of consumers, as often the products in question contain very few, if any, natural or organic ingredients.
There are rogue ingredients a-plenty in beauty formulas but some of the main ones include parabens, mineral oils and petrochemicals along with a mish mash of synthetics. And silicone is a false friend, too. It acts all smooth and silky and feels great in formulas but it can suffocate skin, clogging pores.
Really, the only way to tell what’s in that bottle of body lotion is to look at the ingredients list on the back.
Pai makes it that little bit easier by also carrying the Soil Association logo, which proves their products a) contain 100% natural ingredients; and b) contain 70% organic ingredients.
Pai’s founder Sarah Brown believes: “There’s plenty of room in the beauty industry for all products, natural or synthetic – but I think it’s wrong for brands to deliberately mislead customers into paying a premium for products that knowingly fall short of their claims.”
As Rob Sexton, Chief Executive of Soil Association Certification points out: “Organic skincare products, independently certified by the Soil Association, contain no nasty chemicals and have to meet strict ingredient and production guidelines. If everyone made a small change – like switching to an organic moisturiser – we can make a huge difference to not only our own health but also the health of our planet.”
Pai’s range has been thoughtfully formulated to target a myriad of skin issues – from hypersensitive skin to eczema and rosacea – and we also love their high performance anti-agers, so this is a good brand to embrace if you have sensitive skin, want to ward off the signs of ageing with natural products, or perhaps feel it’s time to switch to a cleaner, greener brand than the one you’re currently using?
WE LOVE. YOU LOVE? The 3 Pai Beauty Heroes we’re currently loving…
Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil
One of our favourites – and coincidentally one of the first products we ever tried – is Pai’s super-charged Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil £20/30ml which suits all skin types. Made with extra potent, premium rosehip it’s one of the simplest yet most skin-healing and nourishing oils on the market and it keeps working the more you use it, conditioning skin with regular use. 2-3 drops per application is enough, so the liquid gold in the dropper bottle will last you a good while.
Fragonia & Sea Buckthorn Instant Hand Therapy
With the season of central heating approaching after Britain’s almost-didn’t-happen but turned out spectacular summer, dry hands will soon be needing a more intensive treatment. £16/50ml
Pai’s Fragonia & Sea Buckthorn Instant Hand Therapy isn’t called “Therapy” for nothing. If you’ve tried one or two of the more “intensive” supermarket shelf hand creams to no avail, then this should sort things out. The intelligently targeted ingredients include grape seed oil, glycerine, avocado oil, rosehip, macadamia, shea butter (always a good one!), plum seed oil, sea buckthorn (a bright orange berry bursting with omega 9), fragonia (an anti-inflammatory) plus geranium, bitter almond and castor oil, and lactic acid derived from sugar beet.
The “Try-before-you-Pai” Sampler Pack – for just £5
Why don’t more brands do these try-me-you-might-love-me packs? If you’re tempted to try Pai, this 6-piece mini sampler pack is a winner – and the FREE Muslin Cloth is worth £3 alone. The Pai Trial Pack contains:
5ml Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream for Dry Sensitive Skin.
5ml Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream for Hypersensitive & Redness Prone Skin.
5ml Geranium & Thistle Combination Skin Cream for Combination and Oily Sensitive Skin.
5ml Macadamia & Rose BioRejuvenate Cream for Age-Prone Skin.
5ml Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser.
4ml Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator.
+ FREE Muslin Cloth (RRP £3)
Receive a FREE 50ml Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser this month, for you and a friend
Introduce a friend to organics this September and Pai will give you BOTH a FREE Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser (50ml) with your next orders to help you “Feel the Difference” (Quick side note here: this cleanser was shortlisted in our 2013 Beauty Shortlist Awards in the Best All-in-one Cream Cleanser category, it made the top 3 and we can tell you it’s super gentle on skin, sweeps off makeup and a joy to use!)
Explore the Pai Skincare collection at PAISKINCARE.COM
SAVE THE DATE! WIN Pai Skincare treats at Whole Foods Piccadilly on Saturday 7 September
TAKE THE PAI ORGANIC BEAUTY CHALLENGE at WHOLE FOODS PICCADILLY on SATURDAY 7 SEPT!
Think you’re a beauty buff? Join Pai and take the Organic Beauty Challenge at WHOLE FOODS PICCADILLY, SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER noon – 4pm. Pai will have one synthetic cream and one certified organic – if you guess which is which, you could win lots of Pai goodies!