A-Z of natural beauty trends

A– ANIMAL TESTING

While the term ‘cruelty free’ is one we’ve long been familiar with, the issue is still far from black and white. In New Zealand, testing on animals is still legal for consumer and medical research reasons, but back in 2015 the government signed a bill banning testing for cosmetics purposes.

B– BEE’S KNEES

With nourishing, healing and antibacterial properties, honey is an obvious ingredient to be used in natural skincare, but the multitude of products our small, fuzzy friends are contributing to has surprised us recently. Moisturisers, serums, balms, anti-acne and anti-ageing products containing honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly and even bee venom are becoming star players and New Zealand is turning out some excellent products in this category.

C– CERTIFICATIONS

There is no ‘one label covers all’ when looking for natural products. While it’s best practice to read up on ingredients and do your own research into a brand, not everyone has time for that. Some badges are respectable, but each of these standards has slightly different criteria for what is considered ‘natural’. Some to look