Latest News
Welcome to the Natroma news page, here you'll find all the latest news on our products services and everything Natroma related.
RSS Feed
- July, 22 2010 - Natroma & The Natural Soapworks become BUAV approved
NEWS RELEASE FROM BUAV - 20th July 2010
The BUAV is delighted to announce that Natroma and the Natural Soapworks have been approved under the BUAV’s internationally recognised Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS), for not testing their products on animals.
Natroma and the Natural Soapworks products now carry the globally recognised Leaping Bunny Logo. The Logo symbolises an extensive independent audit process and guarantees that no animal testing has occurred in any part of the product or its ingredients after a fixed cut-off date. A fixed cut-off date is a date after which a company will not accept animal testing of any of its ingredients for cosmetic purposes.Natroma is a natural aromatherapy skincare range providing facial and body care products. The Natroma skincare range includes hot cloth facial cleansers, moisturisers, body lotions, skin toners, facial masks, balms and serums. The Natural Soapworks range includes luxurious soaps and aromatherapy bathing products (www.naturalsoapworks.co.uk or www.natroma.co.uk)
Chief Executive of the BUAV, Michelle Thew states: “We applaud Natroma and The Natural Soapworks for taking this step to prove their cruelty-free retailer status. The BUAV’s Leaping Bunny Logo is the absolute gold standard in cruelty-free products.”
Sarah King, The Natural Soapworks and Natroma said: “At The Natural Soapworks and Natroma skincare, our aim is to produce the finest quality handmade aromatherapy skincare, so we’re proud and delighted to have received ‘Leaping Bunny’ accreditation, since it shows our determination to only use the finest natural and cruelty-free cosmetics ingredients. We know our customers will appreciate our support for the wonderful work that BUAV does to eradicate the desire or need for animal testing.”
For more information on BUAV’s Humane Cosmetics Standard, please visit: www.gocrueltyfree.org
Related Links
- July, 5 2010 - Natroma Miron glass - new refill service!
Since the beginning of glass production (during the time of the Egyptian pharaohs), violet glass or golden containers were used to preserve precious oils, salves, and alternative medicines. These containers worked because the sun emits both visible and invisible light. We can see the visible spectrum (as a rainbow of colours), when white light is channeled through a glass prism, but there is also light that is invisible to our eyes – the infra red and UV-A part of the spectrum.
Sunlight is vital for plants to grow, but if they are over exposed to the sun after reaching maturity, the light accelerates the process of decay. This means that products that are packaged in traditional coloured glass packaging (clear, amber, blue and green) allow visible light to pass through so do not offer the same protection as violet glass. Miron violet glass is made in Switzerland and works like a natural filter, since it blocks most of the visible light with the exception of the violet part of the spectrum but remains permeable to UV-A and infra red light. This unique combination protects against the aging processes of visible light, and lengthens shelf life and potency of products contained within violet glass.
Over the last few years, several scientific tests have been carried out on spirulina, rose water,
drinking water, oils, cereals, honey, fruits and other substances to prove the protective quality of violet glass. (The picture right shows an example of what happened to a cherry tomato left in clear glass compared to the protection offered by the violet glass).
Chemical analysis by gas chromatography of rosewater, (stored for two months in either violet or amber glass) showed that within 2 months the amount of several important aromatic compounds had decreased significantly following storage in amber glass. No change was observed in the sample stored in violet glass showing the protection against decomposition by visible light.
This is why this very special glass was chosen for the Natroma range, where it protects our Hydrolat Toners and Oil Serums. We have to import these bottles to the UK, but we felt it was important to offer superior packaging that naturally increases shelf life, and protects the natural potency of our organic natural ingredients. The bottles are also very attractive too!
Refill service now available on the Natroma website!
We've always offered a studio refill service for products packaged in Miron glass (just bring your empty bottle back into the studio and we'll re-fill it with the same product again). So we’re very pleased to announce that we’re now offering refills on this website too! So when you purchase full sizes of Natroma products packaged in Miron bottles, don’t throw the valuable violet glass away when the bottles are empty. Instead, order a refill from our website (packaged in recyclable plastic) so you can top up your bottle and re-use it again. In this way, you’ll be helping the environment since the plastic bottle will be lighter for mail order and there will be no need to recycle the violet glass. To encourage you to recycle we’re pleased to offer refills at a cheaper price, that reflects their ‘no frills’ packaging.Related Links
- June, 27 2010 - Coping with oily skin
Just lately we've had a few customers ask us about which products can help oily skin. Using the correct cleansing regime is often a major factor in supporting oily skin, so we hope the following short article will help.
Oily skin can be prone to acne, often beginning at puberty when the body starts to produce hormones called androgens. These cause the enlargement and over-stimulation of the sebaceous glands in some people (particularly young men). The extra oil mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria on the skin's surface, which in turn blocks the skin pores – leading to spots. Unfortunately many commercial acne products work by drying out the skin, but some products actually make the condition worse since the skin reacts to the dryness by producing even more oil. A vicious circle continues since the products are applied as more spots appear, leading to more dryness then more oil production and even more spots!
Natroma products do not work in this way. Our cream cleanser contains natural ingredients, to work in harmony with the skin. There are no harsh alcohols in the formulation so the cream isn’t drying. It also contains castor oil, which is very moisturizing but absorbs slowly into the skin. This means the cream can be safely applied so it mixes with the dirt and impurities on the skin, and can be wiped away easily. The cleanser also contains gentle white clay to draw out impurities, and panthenol to gently moisturize the skin.
To use the cleanser it’s best to use a single pump of the cream, and gently apply over the face. Massage very gently onto the skin (do not rub), paying attention to the areas around the nose and chin which can be more prone to break outs. Rinse out a clean muslin cloth in hand hot water, and wring out so the cloth is warm and damp. Then use the cloth to gently remove the cream, and you’ll lightly exfoliate the skin at the same time. Do not rub, and try not to damage existing spots since this can spread infection. Alternately simply rinse the cream off with water (as you would, if using a soap). Use the cleanser each morning and night and by gently cleansing (rather than stripping the skin) you’ll remove excess oil, gently remove dead skin cells and leave it without any dryness. This will help to break the vicious circle, and should calm down any breakouts. Weekly deep cleansing with one of our rhassoul Clay Masks (we’d recommend our Chamomile variety) will also help to draw out skin impurities.
Remember that our skin’s condition is largely dependent on a healthy lifestyle, so also try to:
-
Eat more fruit and vegetables.
-
Drink more water to hydrate the skin.
-
Take regular exercise.
-
Take about 10 minutes of fresh air and sunshine (avoiding the midday sun and very strong sunlight) when you can since it stimulates the production of Vitamin D which is essential for healthy skin.
-
Reduce your caffeine intake (contained within coffee, tea and fizzy drinks etc).
-
Reduce the amount of refined (white) sugar and carbohydrate in the diet since this can increase hormone levels (particularly in young men) making you more prone to spots and acne.
We hope you've found this information useful!
Related Links
-
- February, 17 2010 - Mothers Day Soap Hamper Ideas
We've just uploaded some new goats milk soap gift hampers on to The Natural Soapworks website, which would make perfect Mother's Day gifts. Our new contemporary soap range will be added to the website in the coming weeks, and we're very pleased with them!
The botancial mini soaps, will be available in 2 sizes: 25g (these are the cute mini soaps which have been featured in our natural skincare gift sets for a while), and 40g (a new larger mini soap). These look fantastic in our elegant, hamper boxes.
We're particularly proud of our new contemporary soap slices, since they look beautiful but are also handmade using our new goats milk palm-free soap formulation. We first introduced this soap recipe when we launched 'Orang 2' (our charity soap, which supports Borneo Orangutan Survival - BOS UK). It will be the base formulation for our contemporary soap range, so is particularly suitable for anyone who wants to avoid using products which contain palm oil. This soap range will introduce several new soap fragrances, and the first six are: Springtime (a refreshing and uplifting blend with herbal and citrus notes), Rosebud (delicate, sweet rose notes), Hippy Rosie (rose geranium with patchouli), Exotic Flowers (rich sensual notes of ylang ylang and jasmine), Marigold (with lavender and chamomile), and an old favourite, Lavender.
These are being previewed in our Mother's Day hampers page on the website, and will soon be available as individual soaps. We hope you like them!Related Links
- October, 9 2009 - Natural skincare in the Autumn
Sadly the days are shortening, and it’s definitely becoming chilly at night! So while Autumn may encourage you to enjoy outdoor activities, it’s important to remember that your skin will retain less moisture as the air becomes cooler and drier. This is why at this time of year, many people experience dryness, fine lines, dull and sallow skin tone, sun and age spots, flaking and irritation as well as the flare-up of some conditions like rosacea. So it’s a good idea to pamper your skin in the Autumn and make some adjustments to your skincare regime in readiness for Winter.
On our blog we’ll be publishing a series of articles on Autumn skincare starting with the hands and nails.
Nails and cuticles can become dry and flaky at this time of year, so we’d suggest that you invest in products which will replenish lost moisture to keep the skin soft and in good condition. With this in mind we have now launched two new products! Our orange blossom and rose hand creams have a lovely formulation, enriched with jojoba and avocado oils with glycerine, comfrey and evening primrose extracts to nourish and condition the hands without greasiness. Please visit our new Hands and Nails page for more information.
For the nails we’d particularly recommend a butter enriched nail balm. Our Nail Silk contains shea and cocoa butters, jojoba and avocado oils to replenish the nail surface and surrounding skin. This is a rich balm which smells heavenly (it contains frankincense and neroli, with a touch of lime) but it sinks in within a few minutes. Many of our customers enjoy massaging their nails and cuticles with Nail Silk, whilst watching the TV each evening.
Related Links
