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Consumers Rediscover The Cosmetics That Captivated Cleopatra

Queen Cleopatra’s enthusiasm for a bath in asses’ milk shows that the ancient Egyptians knew about the beauty benefits of natural products. Two thousand years later, the modern world is rediscovering this principle.

“There is a strongly growing demand for natural cosmetics.An increase in allergies caused by chemical substances in perfumes, as well as growing environmental awareness, underlies this trend, she said. Now manufacturers are responding with perfume-free products.

Cosmetologists recommend products from health shops and organic shops. “But the commercial manufacturers are also making great efforts to meet customer demands for more natural substances and fewer chemicals,” she said.

British entrepreneur Anita Roddick first took environment-friendly cosmetics into the mainstream when she founded “The Body Shop” in 1976. The company rejected products tested on animals, insisted on environment-friendly manufacture, and took up the cause of recycling – empty bottles can be returned to the shops for refilling.

It proved to be a winning formula: there are now 1,800 Body Shops worldwide. From New York to Sydney, men and women wash their hair with ginger shampoo and banana conditioner, tired feet are massaged with peppermint lotion and skin is cleansed with tea tree oil.

U.S. cosmetics chain Aveda has also taken up the environmental torch. In 1997 it ceased production of its perfume “Love Pure-Fume” after it found the natural sandalwood oil from east India used in it was extracted in a non-environmentally friendly way. Now it has re- launched the scent after finding an environmentally-friendly supplier in Australia.

Back-to-nature is also inspiring other large manufacturers. Shiseido uses natural products from the Far East such as green tea, rice and cherry tree blossom. Rice bran and rice wine has long been part of Japanese beauty care to make skin soft and silky, says Shiseido Germany. Green tea contains vitamin C, carotene and vitamin E that are good for the skin. And cherry tree blossom is traditionally used to relieve skin rashes.

Biotherm uses white clay earth, zinc and copper in its “biopur” face mask. The clay earth absorbs excess fat, cleanse the pores and moisturise greasy skin, the company says. Other Biotherm products contain thermal plankton extract or soya oil.

But many products claiming to be natural do not contain predominantly natural ingredients.

That is why the German association BDIH, representing the interests of companies that manufacture and market natural cosmetics, has developed a stamp of quality for such goods.

Only products using raw materials extracted and processed with minimum harm to the environment, and using as few chemicals as possible, receive their seal of approval. Products must take into account the importance of animal and species protection and reject gene manipulation of animals and plants.

The organisation, with 300 member companies, says its strict guidelines are maintained by an independent controlling institute. Only products that pass the test can carry the sign “controlled natural cosmetic”.

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