 |
 |
Organic spa treatments
Organic spa products and organic spa treatments are becoming increasingly popular. Many of us choose organic food to eat for health or eco-friendly reasons. Many of us want to be equally choosy when it comes to our skin care. But just how organic does an organic product need to be, to be labelled as, well, organic?
You might imagine that if something says it's "organic", it would be completely organic, but that's not the case. Food and drink products need to be certified as organic before they are sold as such. Thanks to a rather strange loophole in EU law, beauty products are not regulated in the same way. This means that the expensive bottle of "organic" massage oil you splurged on, might contain only a tiny amount of organic ingredients, rather than being fully organic.
So how can you make sure you get what you want when it comes to enjoying organic spa brands and treatments?
We asked UK organic certification charity, the Soil Association, for their advice. They said: "A product that carries the Soil Association symbol, and is labelled organic, must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. In cases where the product contains more than 70% organic ingredients, it can still be certified by the Soil Association but the company must state on the packaging exactly what proportion of ingredients are organic. Unless a product is certified by the Soil Association or another organic certification body, the product may not be truly organic and could still contain harmful ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, petro-chemicals, nanotech, and GM ingredients."
The Soil Association are working with five European organisations, Ecocert, Cosmebio, Bioforum, BDIH and AIAB/ICEA to create the first harmonised standard for organic health and beauty, COSMOS. The COSMOS standard (COSMetic Organic Standard) will ensure that a product is labelled: "product made with XX% organic ingredients" with the percentage given prominence on the label.
So where can I experience spa treatments with certified organic products?
Circaroma[ comfort zone ]
Éminence
Germaine de Capuccini
Green People
L'Occitane
The Organic Pharmacy
Pinks Boutique
SenSpa
Sothys
Spiezia
Thalgo
Voya
Willow Organic
Circaroma
Circaroma are an English company who launched in 2000, creating Soil Association-certified aromatic herb and flower-based products. You can try Circaroma treatments at The Spa at Luton Hoo and the Peterstone Court Hotel Spa, Brecon.
[ comfort zone ]
Italian brand [ comfort zone ] have a range of products, Sacred Nature, which are certified through Ecocert. You can try out the [ comfort zone ] rituals at a variety of spas including Armathwaite Hall near Keswick, and the Sienna Spa at the Radisson Manchester.
Éminence
For products that literally smell good enough to eat (and are so pure you could tuck in!) try Éminence, a Hungarian brand that's certified organic by Biokontroll, an eco body in Hungary. You can try their herb, fruit and flower-based products at spas including the Chapel Spa in Cheltenham and Savana Urban Spa in Westbourne Grove.
Germaine de Capuccini
Germaine de Capuccini have an Ecocert range, Naturae. You can try an anti-ageing facial based on white-tea extract at a range of spas across the UK, including Clarice House in Colchester and K West in London.
Green People
Green People have a huge variety of certified organic products, with different ranges for men, babies, teens, and some that are scent-free and vegan. In 2007, Green People launched a deluxe spa range for serious organic pampering. You can try their treatments at many UK spas, including Witney Four Pillars Hotel, Oxfordshire and Oxford Thames Hotel.
L'Occitane
French beauty company L'Occitane have Ecocert-approved Olive and Lavender ranges. You can try out L'Occitane delights at their Petit Spa in Cheltenham.
The Organic Pharmacy
The Organic Pharmacy are Soil Association-certified (although for some reason, they don't say so their branding!). Organic Pharmacy products can be tried in-house at their stores.
Pinks Boutique
The Pinks Boutique product range is Soil Association-certified. As well as a full body range, Pinks Boutique also make organic manicure and pedicure products; you can try them at Uniquely Organic, Hove and Titanic Spa, Huddersfield.
SenSpa
SenSpa at Carey's Manor have their own Soil Association-approved product range which can only be tried at this Thai-inspired spa. The SenSpa products promise: "No synthetics, just natural, pure ingredients".
Sothys
French company Sothys have an Ecocert range called Beauty Garden, which is formulated from plants and flowers which grow in their garden in Auriac.
Spiezia
Spiezia Organics was the first company in the UK to gain 100% organic certification by the Soil Association across its entire skin-care range. You can enjoy their treatments at spas including the Scarlet Spa in Cornwall and Calcot Manor, Gloucestershire.
Thalgo
Famous for their marine products, French company Thalgo have developed an Ecocert-approved range, Terre et Mer, with olive and sweet almond oils. Try Thalgo treatments at a wide range of spas in the UK, including Eden Hall Day Spa, Newark, and Stobo Castle in Scotland.
Voya
Voya use hand-harvested Irish seaweed to create their Soil Association-certified range of products. You can try them at a handful of spas in the UK including Scarlet Spa in Cornwall and Ufford Park in Suffolk.
Willow Organic
Willow Organic have an exclusive range of Soil Association-certified products and therapies at SenSpa at Carey's Manor.
See also:
* What do "natural" and "organic" mean on product labels?
* What ingredients may be harmful to my skin?
* Buy Pinks Boutique products at The Good Spa Shop
|
|
|