Lula Braithewaite, the young brains behind British online organic skin care emporium, lovelula.com, has been nominated for a prestigious award in her native Northwest - the Growth Business of the Year award in the Northwest women in Business Awards.

Lula, a 34-year old naturopath from Chester in the UK, launched lovelula.com in 2005 and it now houses all manner of skin care, make up and body care brands that are all organic and completely free from parabens and SLS (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate/Sulfate).

It’s great to see not only an organic skin care company, but an inspiring entrepreneurial woman being recognised in this way. The results will be announced in January. Good luck Lula!

Uptake of organic beauty among US shoppers is still very low, according to new research by market research firm TABS Group.

While organic fresh fruit - the most popular organic category - has a purchase incidence of 27 per cent, organic beauty is way down at the bottom alongside frozen food: Organic skin care had a purchase level of 5 per cent, organic hair care 4 per cent, and organic cosmetics 3 per cent, while in contrast, non-organic products for all of the categories included in the study have household penetration levels of well over 70 per cent.

TABS analysts suggest that organic versions of established brands are likely to penetrate households faster than new organic brands; and that they will do even better if included in shopper incentive - ‘Buy-one-get-one-free’ type schemes. In fighting for more limited spends, promotion is key, it seems…

Try as we might to overpower it, nature has a way of besting us. Our bodies are designed to tune in to natural rhythms and cycles and the same goes for everything we do in the world as well. The latest economic crisis is a testament to the natural forces at work in all areas of industry and the beauty biz is no different, according to Mintel Beauty’s prophecies for 2009.

The general gist of Mintel’s report on beauty trends is that 2009 will be about ’survival of the fittest’.

After a cycle of ever-expanding growth, with new brands springing up all over the shop - all promising to make us younger and prettier - crunch time is upon us, says Nica Lewis, Head Consultant of Mintel Beauty Innovation. “Consumers are going to demand real value for their money as well as visible results, and they will stick to the select number of brands they can truly trust.”

In addition, we can expect 4 distinct trends of beauty buying, Mintel reports:

1. Austerity Chic - “Looking good for less”

• Instead of indulging our every beauty whim, we will de-clutter our bathroom cabinets and focus only on the products we really need.

• With tighter budgets, we will pare down our trusted stable of lotions and potions, using all of them more sparingly and choosing the ones which offer the best value for money.

• The most resourceful amongst us will even peruse the ingredients lists of their favourite products and try and recreate them at home.

2. Turbo Beauty - “Seeing is believing”

• Before we agree to part with any money, we will want visible and proven results.

• We will turn towards science-based products that actually do what they say on the tin.

• We will see even more product development, patents, advanced technology and clinical testing come into play - cheaper, product-based alternatives to expensive cosmetic surgery, as well as advancements in stem cell research, research into cellular behaviour, and harmless alternatives to parabens will be top priority for any serious brand.

3. Extreme Ethical - “Science with sustainability”

• Even as budgets tighten, the “green” way of thinking will remain paramount for many people so brands will need to keep this in mind as they focus on science and technology.

• Again, people will want proof: empty promises and “green-washing” just won’t fly.

• We can expect more “fair trade ingredients”, eco-friendly packaging, charitable initiatives and attention focused on sustainable production - a flashing green light for organic skin care brands to spread the good green word!

• We may even see companies attempt to reduce the “water footprint” of their products, not just the “carbon footprint”.

“The beauty industry is showing that it is more than ‘skin deep’, with a number of initiatives that support economic, social and environmental sustainability. Cosmetics and skincare brands will add real value helping of ‘Beauty Foods’ will influence our beauty regimes in 2009. And those companies that can align
to their product lines by becoming advocates for change,” says Nica Lewis.

• Happily, this attitude goes hand in hand with Austerity Chic - being thrifty with our products helps relieve our natural resources along with our wallets.

4. Beauty Foods - “Blurring the lines between inside and outside health”

• In 2009, we will see food and beauty become even more intertwined.

• ‘Good-for-you’ food ingredients, such as probiotics, will increasingly show up in our cosmetics and skincare products as people start to trust that ingredients that help them on the inside will benefit their skin as well.

• People will also choose more ‘on-the-go’ boosts, such as supplements, snacks and drinks designed to help them look good and improve their beauty regimes.

Prince Charles is joining forces with the people behind world-renowned saving grace Rescue Remedy to launch a range of homeopathic tinctures in the new year.

The prince’s organic food company Duchy Originals has been a market leader in the UK for years, with it’s delicious organic shortbread, Christmas puddings and the like. And now Duchy has decided to collaborate with renowned homeopathic manufacturer Nelsons on a range of herbal medicine to be distributed in Waitrose and Boots.

Charles has reportedly long been a fan of integrating alternative medicine with conventional medicine and said he vividly remembers being treated from his grandmother’s collection of homeopathic vials.

All the profits from the range will also be directed towards HRH’s Charities Foundation which has a finger in all manner of worthwhile pies…

For more info, check out The Daily Mail piece here.

Sufferers of Eczema will woefully testify that the cold winter climes play havoc with their skin, making dry parts redder, itchier and flakier than ever before.

But, while steroidal ointments may seem like the only possible solution, they will only mask the problem, beating the symptoms into submission, rather than healing the cause of the problem. But fret not, evidence suggests that there is a natural way to turn your skin condition around - namely, buy loading yourself up with Essential Fatty Acids… inside and out.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are so called because they are vital nutrients that the human body cannot make by itself and therefore we must choose food sources, with a rich enough supply of them.

Some facts about EFAs:

• They are often referred to as Vit F and consist principally of unsaturated linoleic, linolenic (eg. Gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA) and arachidonic acids - also known as Omega oils 3,6 and 9.
• They have anti-inflammatory, acne-reducing and moisture-retaining properties and taken internally, are very important in optimising the efficiency of the immune system.
• When applied topically, they support the barrier function of our skin which helps it build the correct combination of lipids and has the added bonus of targeting specific sites where they are needed the most, such as drier areas on the cheeks etc.
• Eczema sufferers do no not have the normal ability to process EFAs, which may lead to a deficiency of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). But, research has shown that topical and internal supplementation of EFAs can improve Eczema and similar skin conditions

To this end, the SOPHYTO brains developed the company’s award-winning Mega Omega Day Face cream to ensure, skin gets its daily dose of good fats, so that even if we’re not getting enough internally, our skin can still abosrb the EFA goodness. It smells a little bit unusual but that’s the omega oils that will do you sooo much good, and it disappears as soon as you apply it - honestly! (I don’t have Eczema but I do have very dry skin in winter and Keratosis Pilaris - little bumps on my cheeks and arms, and taking 3g of Omega oils internally and applying Mega Omega topically has helped no end.)

Kids have a better understanding of the key health messages about diet, portion size, and exercise, according to the latest annual Health Survey for England.

For instance, thanks to the healthy living for schools programmes, as well as getting free fruit in class, school-age children have grasped that they should eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day and how big a portion should be, (FYI it’s 80 grams, so roughly one apple, banana, half a grapefruit… 3 tbs of peas and carrots…) and that potatoes don’t count as a vegetable. However, two thirds of adults surveyed didn’t know this, or how much exercise they should be doing (30 mins a day, 5 times a week - not necessarily in one burst), or the maximum amount of alcohol anyone should be drinking per day (3 to 4 units for men and 2 to 3 units for women).

It seems younger adults have a better idea than older generations, too, which is hardly surprising since our elders may have lived through a war, where starchy foods were the staple. But we have better information and more choices of food available to us these days, so, if you are in any doubt about how to live healthily just grab the nearest school-age child and quiz him… after you’ve finished gorging on all the unhealthy Christmas delights, of course..! New year seems a pretty good time to kick-start the bad habits. No need to rush these things!

Now we just need some inspired teachers to teach our kids about the importance of treating the outside of their bodies with as much care as the inside - and, hence, the beauty of organic skin care - and we’ll have every parent queuing up for our lovely products!

We wish you peace, love, good cheer, great health and exceptional skin for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

Love and light from all at SOPHYTO XOX

Will 2008 go down as the year our world leaders started to recognise the need to take drastic action to curb the culture of mass wastage without replenishment? Or has the global recession put the brakes on any positive action therein? And, more to the point, have they really grasped the extent to which the environmental and financial crises are interlinked? So asks The Guardian’s environment editor, John Vidal this week.

Vidal says: “This year will go down as the year of interlinked food shortages, climate change and the recession. But it was also the year when it may have dawned on governments that hell-for-leather, western fossil fuel-based, car-centred growth only ends in social and ecological disaster… The consensus is that 2008 was volatile and dangerously unpredictable. But if governments don’t change, it may come to be seen as a calm before the storm.”

Meanwhile, Barack Obama has made his first move to draw a big fat line under the environmental policies of the Bush administration by hiring top climate scientists to fill key positions in his administration.

Obama’s decision to appoint Harvard physicist John Holdren as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and climatologist Jane Lubchenco as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in addition to his selection of Steven Chu, a Nobel prizewinner, to the Department of Energy,has been applauded by scientists all over the world as a signal that the president-elect is determined to make climate change a top priority for his adminstration…

In an unconcealed attack on his predecessor, this week, Obama said: “Promoting science is about free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient. That will be my goal as president of the United States.”

Mr Bush, will not be told of course, however, and is using every last second to push through last-minute rule changes to increase mining and oil drilling on public lands, as well as allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns into national parks. What a hero!

If you (like me) are a lowly last minuter, before you hit the shops this week, make sure you check the credentials of your high-street chains… Co-op America has very helpfully created a list of the usual retail suspects, to let us know where they sit on the ethical ladder.

For instance, Amazon is a great favourite for Christmas presents. It’s quick, convenient and you needn’t even get dressed to shop. But, not only has it put many of our olde worldy friendly neighbourhood book shops out of business, but, according to Co-op America, the company has been guilty of some questionable business strategies in recent years. Eg. “Amazon fired 300 customer service representatives in Seattle when they talked of forming a union, and others were penalized for revealing negative information about the company.”

And, The Times has been reporting on some rather unsavoury business going on at Amazon lately - compulsory 7-day working weeks (with the threat of termination for any dissenters), followed by enforced trouser-dropping for a holiday photo!

The company has managed to up its score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI) -  which rates large corporations on policies that affect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors - from 65 to 80, this year.

But, if you would prefer to spend your cash elsewhere, Co-op America suggests checking out its Bookswelike.net section, for ideas on how to buy locally sourced, and reused books where possible.

Co-op America has also named and shamed the worst Corporate “Scrooges” at large in the US this year, which makes for some pretty interesting reading. The four leading offenders are:

For Wrecking Our Economy: Charles Prince, former CEO, Citigroup.

For Putting Profits Before People and the Planet: John J. Harris, chairman and CEO, Nestle Waters.

For Fossil Foolishness: Bruce Williamson, CEO, Dynegy.

and surprise, surprise…

For Seeking a Handout From the Government While Fighting Its Regulations: Rick Wagoner, chairman and CEO, General Motors.

Here’s hoping we can all be more proud of our corporations next year, eh?

For all those who enjoy flicking through glossy mags for the latest beauty fixes, but are tired of seeing the same old (chemical-laden) Big-Ad-Spend Brands all over the shop, the time for rejoicing is now! The simply titled Organic Beauty is about to hit news stands all over the USA… in time for Christmas - which just goes to show that  buying organic cosmetics is no longer just a faddy trend adopted by hippy types, but rather a lifestyle choice sought by increasing numbers… After all, the publishers would be mad to launch anything at this time of financial insecurity, if there wasn’t strong evidence to confirm the demand, wouldn’t they?

So, what can we expect from this OB? Well, organic skin care products, organic makeovers, tips, trends, new releases, bargains, expert advice, green celebrity profiles, glam green events and complementary therapy news, for starters…

The Editor-in-Chief, Rona Berg, has been in the mag biz for aeons. Having worked on the launch of Elle in a directorial capacity, and as Beauty Editor at The New York Times Magazine, not to mention as a guest speaker at numerous beauty industry events, she clearly knows her stuff. So, even though the graphics on the cover look a tad cutesy, we’re thinking, the mag is definitely worth a look…

Check out Feelgood Style’s interview with Rona Berg for more details about Organic Beauty.