AsiaSpa — November-December 2017

November/December 2017 AsiaSpa 57

natural may mean that a certain percentage
of the ingredients are mineral or plant-
based, rather than synthetic. However there
is no guarantee of this, and what those
percentages actually are.”
Mitsios explains the dubiousness of the
term ‘organic’ without an accompanying
certification. She says, “Beauty brands
leverage the popularity of these terms
for marketability, and their labels often
inaccurately represent how much of the
product is in fact organic. Brands labeled
organic may still include potentially harmful
preservatives or questionable ingredients
in their products, despite using organically
derived raw materials. Depending on the
specific certification, five to 30 per cent
may be non-organic, without being stated
on the label. This is the main reason we
use the term ‘edible’ as our gold standard
when it comes to purity. If an ingredient is
not good enough to eat, we will not include
it in our product.”
Independent brands across the globe are
taking the initiative to promote ideals of pure
and ‘safe enough to eat’ ingredients, setting

a new industry standard. Environmentally

forward-thinking companies like Kora,

Sukin, Vanessa Megan, Kjaer Weis and Jillian

Dempsey are paving the way in education

and sharing research-based evidence on the

efficacy of natural ingredients, so outdated

toxic methods can be a thing of the past.

The side effects caused by lead in lipstick,

carbon black in eyeliner and hormone-

disruptive parabens used to lengthen

product shelf life should be enough to deter

consumers from risking health for beauty.

Co-founder of Gourmet Skin Bar

Katherine Fan’s philosophy is simple – to

love, cherish and protect. She says, “The

Environmental Working Group says the

average women uses 12 products a day,

containing up to 168 different chemicals!

We want you to be comfortable in your own

skin without compromise.”

For Fan, this means standing against

animal testing and being dedicated to

protecting the environment, and supporting

organic, sustainable and ethical local

businesses. She says, “It’s not easy but if we

make a promise and don’t follow through,

we not only break the trust with our clients,

but are responsible for compromising

organisations trying to make a difference,

which would be detrimental. We are

glad to see people genuinely interested

in understanding what they are using on

their skin.”