Forest Secrets Skincare Ethos
At Forest Secrets Skincare we are truly passionate about making products that work and that respect our bodies and the environment. Here we explain why natural is good for you and the environment:
We believe that synthetic chemicals have long term effects on our bodies that will show sooner or later. Scientific research is beginning to show these long term effects. The latest National Congress on Andrology (Progress in Andrology) held in Italy in September 2007 warns that men are becoming less male because of all the oestrogen-like substances present in our environment including shampoos, soaps and cosmetics. The statisticscs show increases in male impotency and infertility (think about all the increase in IVF treatments and in Viagra sales), and an increase in criptorchidism ie baby boys born with retracted testicles (4 times increase in the last 20 years!).
If nature cannot handle synthetic chemicals, how can our bodies? Plastic leaches chemicals polluting the environment. This applies to our bodies as well, and that is why we commit to fully biodegradable natural products, so that your bodies do not get overloaded! Going natural minimises your chemical absorption.
We believe that nature is more intelligent than we are: nature has been around much longer than us and it has been managing very well. There are natural chemicals made by plants that can take years to identify and copy. Azadirrachtin, a natural complex from Neem used as an environmentally friendly insecticide took 22 years and over 40 organic chemists to identify and formulate synthetically. The Neem tree does this all the time at room temperature with no solvents or sophisticated apparatus. Paracelsus once said "The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician" believing that nature is a great healer. Many of us have memories of our grandmothers treating ailments with herbal remedies and our history shows us how herbs have been used effectively as remedies for thousands of years.
We believe it is not only about our skin and results, it is also about sustainable beauty. We like to think about what happens before and after the product is applied to the skin. That is why we committ ourselves to use CO2 emissions free energy sources in our manufacturing and our offices. CO2 is responsible for global warming and minimising its emission is one way in which we take responsibility and action to help the environment. We only use biodegradable detergents in our manufacturing process as it does not make sense to wash away natural products with synthetics which harm the environment. We minimise the use of palm oil derivatives. There is currently no viable alternative to the use of vegetable glycerine at present, but we avoid the most common palm oil derivatives such as emulsifiers, fatty alcohols and surfactants. Forests have been cut down in the South East of Asia to make room for palm tree plantations. This process is releasing waste pollution in the environment, causing soil erosion and destroying the lands of indigenous peoples and the habitats of endangered species such as the orangutan. Natural and organic materials have to be sourced in a responsible way, taking into account the inpact on the environment and threatened species.
We believe that nature knows best and that nature should be left to do its own genetic modification, nice and slowly with no economic interests. We avoid GMO materials.
We are aware that many people do not trust the natural claim anymore and this is understandable. As there is no legal definition for natural, anybody can use this claim whilst still having plenty of chemicals in their products. What can you do about this? The most important thing to do is to read the ingredients list, so that you can learn gradually without having to become an expert. In this way you will become aware and make enpowered choices. If you do not have the time for this, there are 2 things you can do: you can either choose a certified product, but still you will have to decide what certification to trust, bearing in mind that they all differ in their interpretation of "natural"; or you can choose the Organatural way. At Forest Secrets we considered organic certification, but to be honest none of the 5 certification schemes satisfied us. All had good principles, but none ticked all the boxes. We wanted a set of standards that was truly pure, but also that would allow creativity and flexibility in the choice of raw materials. For example, some organic vegetable oils have a strong odour that is unpleasant compared to the equivalent virgin alternative. Another major challenge for us was the restriction on the active ingredients allowed by the organic standards, which would have made it impossible to achieve our vision of natural products at the cutting edge.
We support truly fair trade organisations such as Phyto Trade Africa, which has a charter ensuring social and regulatory equity, and is committed to biodiversity, conservation and green technology. Being green is also about being fair.
We believe life is fun, even with all its challenges, and that is why we use natural vibrant colours in our products: to inspire you with vibrant colourful beauty.
Beauty has always been associated with radiant, young-looking skin, soft like a rose. Forest Secrets can give you the skin of a rose!