‘Age spots’ are areas of pigmentation on the skin, also known as ‘liver spots’ – but in fact, neither term is entirely accurate. These pockets of pigmentation are actually caused by sun exposure – so the term ‘sun spots’ is …
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Tag Archives: chemical-free skin care
Customer Consultation: Combination skin with hormonal acne
Every day we receive skin care queries from natural beauties looking for savvy skin care advice. We share them on our blog so that you, too, can benefit from other customers’ questions – because we’re all in this together!
If you have a skin care query or just need a ‘skin care check-up’,
get in touch!
* Names have been changed for privacy.
Hi Eve Organics!
I was hoping you could recommend a regime for me – I suffer from acne but it seems to be hormonal because when I go on the pill this helps. I get the blemishes on my t-zone forehead, chin) and sometimes my cheeks. I find that commercial acne products can be too drying, while some organic products can be too rich. I cleanse, tone & moisturise twice a day, use mineral makeup and exfoliate with a mask once a week. I have had microdermabrasion twice which seemed to help, but I think my routine needs a shake-up.
Thanks for your help,
Elyce*.
Hi Elyce*,
Thank you for providing that information – I would love to help you on your journey to naturally beautiful skin!
Most acne is hormonal, and what you’ve described sounds like typical hormonal adult acne. It seems as though you’re treating your skin quite well; it just needs some ‘balance’ and routine. You said that commercial anti-acne products can be too drying – this is precisely the problem with the majority of anti-acne skin care, it’s just too harsh. It usually works at clearing acne in the short-term, because the ingredients are so drying that they strip the skin of oil. However, this is never a good idea long-term, and it doesn’t solve the problem.
Hormonal acne is exactly that – hormonal. No topical skin care product (commercial or organic) is going to ‘fix’ the problem; it needs to be addressed from the inside out. Hormonal acne in women is generally caused by an excess of ‘androgens’ – a type of male hormone (which women have too.) There are various ways of tackling this problem – one is taking medication (such as anti-androgenic contraceptive pills). But there are also dietary changes you can make – both dairy products and refined carbohydrates work to increase the level of androgens in the system; so cutting out or reducing your intake of these foods can be beneficial. Click here to read our blog post about the link between diet and acne.
As far as your skin care goes, the idea here is to balance sebum production gently, and encourage the skin to regenerate and repair itself. If you’re finding some natural skin care too rich, then you probably have normal/combination skin – so you need to use skin care designed for this.
I’ve written out a complete regime for you, including a cleanser, toner, moisturiser and mask. You don’t necessarily need to use all these products together, and you should find that incorporating even one or two of them into your routine will make a difference; but I wanted you to have a complete regime to refer to.
Cleanser = Gourmet Body Treats Kukui Mint Cleanser
This cleanser is designed for combination skin types. It will help to balance oil production and unclog pores without drying the skin. It contains chamomile oil to calm, peppermint and lavender oils to balance sebum production, and willow bark extract and vitamin B5 to combat acne.
Toner = 100% Pure Mint White Tea Tonique
Soothing and refreshing, this toner will help to tone the complexion, reduce the appearance of enlarged pores and prepare the skin for moisturisation. It contains soothing aloe to reduce redness, tea tree and sage to balance and purify, and calendula to calm an angry complexion.
Moisturiser = Oz Goddess Balancing Moisturiser
This moisturiser is hydrating but not at all oily or greasy. It leaves a beautiful matte finish, and is ideal for combination skin types. It contains shea butter to hydrate without clogging pores, and lavender and neroli oils to balance. This is actually the moisturiser I use myself.
Mask = Mokosh Face Cleansing Powder/Mask
One of our best sellers, this wonder produce is fantastic at balancing the complexion, purifying oily and acne-prone skin types, and reducing the appearance of enlarged pores. It contains a host of gorgeous ingredients, including rose petals, organic neem powder (renowned for its anti-acneic properties), oatmeal to soothe and clay to withdraw impurities.
I would suggest that you follow your current routine; that is, cleansing, toning and moisturising twice a day, and using the Mokosh Face Cleansing Powder/Mask once-to-twice a week for 15 minutes.
Did you find this helpful?
Do you have a specific skin care question, or just need a ‘skin care check-up’?
Send us an email - we’d love to hear from you!
Artisan skin care from Maine: Welcome Aucocisco Naturals!
You may have noticed that we’ve been a little quiet lately… and if you’ve been checking out the ‘What’s New?‘ section of the website, you’d realise why!
We’re in the midst of a huge expansion of the Eve Organics range, and we’re so excited about it. To help introduce these impressive lines to our Australian customers, we’re going to be featuring interviews with their beautiful and inspiring skin care creators. This week we’re talking to the gorgeous Alyce Ornella from Aucocisco Naturals – an artisan skin care range from Aucocisco in Maine, U.S. She’s as lovely as her stunning range of products, and she’s talking to us about what it means to be a natural beauty. Read on!
There are some unusual ingredients in the Aucocisco Naturals range,
such as parsley, chickpea flour and black cumin seed oil. Where do you find the inspiration for your skin care recipes?
I think I’ve always been attracted to the unusual, whether it be in
skin care products, music, or art. With black cumin seed oil (also
known as nigella sativa or blackseed oil), I had begun reading about
its amazingly beneficial properties yet I rarely, if ever, saw it
included in beauty products. Coming from other aspects of my life
and interests, I look for opportunities to use highly traditional and
ethnobotanical approaches to formulate products. Chickpea is a great
example of this — it’s been used for thousands of years in
traditional Indian personal care techniques, namely in full body wraps
called Ubtan to purify the skin.
How did your journey into the natural beauty industry begin, and what
influenced your decision to start creating your own products?
Like many people, I got tired of reading ingredient lists with dozens
of words I couldn’t understand. In my own life, I often found that
simple combinations and applications of ingredients — such as apple
cider vinegar rinses, which my grandmother taught me to do — were
effective and pleasant without wading into the world of complex
synthetic chemicals.
I think what was really my gateway into becoming a product creator was
when I started using henna and indigo to color my hair. Dark
synthetic hair dye was just becoming too scary to use because it’s
made from known carcinogens. From this entry point, I began thinking about other aspects of personal care, which lead to my initial skincare formulations. From a young age I have been a maker of things and Aucocisco Naturals is an incarnation of that creative impulse, while attempting to meet a real need for products that are simple, beautiful, and undiluted by unnecessary synthetics.
Which is your favourite product in the range, and why?
I really think the Apricot + Blackseed Serum is the most valuable
product in the range. I believe it’s the very most beneficial for
skin quality and health. Blackseed oil is just amazing – incredibly
dense with vitamins and nutrients, and has been used for thousands of
years in North African and Arabic traditions to support overall
health. Pure, undiluted Blackseed oil is quite expensive and rare, so
I pair it with two other very beneficial oils so that it’s accessible
to a wider range of clients.
What makes Aucocisco Naturals different to other skin care lines?
I have a bit of a folklorist streak which imparts an ethnobotanical
influence on the line. I’m interested in featuring natural
ingredients which have been traditionally used for generations for
cosmetic and health benefits. Aucocisco Naturals aims to bring these
ingredients into contemporary life through simple formulations and
modern packaging.
What does ‘natural beauty’ mean to you?
Natural beauty means not covering up who you are, but revealing your
inherent beauty with the support of products that sustain your health
and emotional wellbeing.
You can check out the beautiful Aucocisco Naturals range here, with more exciting products arriving shortly – Alyce never runs out of inspiration!
Breaking new ground: Lite & Brite, the world’s first organic skin lightener
We’re no strangers to breaking new ground at Eve Organics – we were the first 100% natural online skin care boutique in Australia, and we remain one of the only truly natural skin care stores in the world.
We’ve introduced a number of new brands to Australian shores, including Gourmet Body Treats and the 100% Pure facial range; with more in the pipeline.
Now, we’re excited to introduce the world’s first 100% natural and organic skin lightener.
Beyond Organic’s Lite & Brite is a skin care revolution. Extremely popular across Asia,
skin lighteners are often laden with dangerous chemicals – and until now, a natural alternative hasn’t existed. Lite & Brite works by naturally decreasing the production of Tyrosinase in the skin, which is the enzyme responsible for pigmentation.
Lite & Brite‘s lightening properties have been demonstrated by biological tests (in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo). After daily use for 28 days it shows measurable results, with further results at 56 days. Beautifully scented and hydrating enough to function as a moisturiser, the cream gradually and gently fades skin tone, hyper-pigmentation, freckles, melasma and age spots.
Lite & Brite has won a host of natural skin care awards, including earning a ‘Highly Commended’ in the prestigious 2012 Natural Beauty Awards.
We’re excited!
Click here to view the entire Beyond Organic range at Eve Organics.
…Until next time xx
Your Questions Answered – our pick of this week’s customer queries!
Every week we receive dozens of queries about our products, their ingredients, and natural skin care in general. So we thought, why not share the answers around so that all our readers can benefit?
Here’s our pick of this week’s customer queries – and a special thank you to Waleska from our 100% vegan range, Gourmet Body Treats, for her contribution to this blog post. Remember – you can contact us any time by clicking here, or emailing info@eveorganics.com.au – we offer free skin care consultations and are always happy to answer your questions.
Q: Why do some of your face creams come in jars? Doesn’t this mean the product is exposed to air each time it’s opened?
It’s true that jars do make the product exposed to elements after each use, but since many of our face creams don’t contain any ‘filler’ ingredients such as water or emulsifiers, they’re often too thick to be housed in a pump-type container. Some of our suppliers such as Gourmet Body Treats have looked into aluminum tubes, but many skin care users have allergies to various metals. Gourmet Body Treats feel that glass containers are the most environmentally friendly choice and they don’t react with their product, keeping the products pure, safe and natural. Keeping the lid on and washing your hands prior to use or using a cosmetic spatula to apply the product will keep your cream germ free. Most of our products have a shelf life of 8-12 months after opening and we always encourage customers to use the products ritually to ensure no product gets wasted.
Q – Does your Gourmet Body Treats Gingko Biloba Toner contain any alcohol?
The Gourmet Body Treats Gingko Biloba Toner has a 1% alcohol content left over from distilling the witchhazel plant in organic alcohol, from Californian grapes unsuitable for wine production.
Gourmet Body Treats did originally try to distill their witchhazel extract using water, but they found that this left the witchhazel weak and diminished its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, mainly due to a reduced amount of tannins in the extract.
Q – What’s the difference between floral waters and essential oils? Do floral waters still contain essential oils?
The flower waters we used in many of our products do come from the plant – they are derived through steam distillation. The essential oil separates from the water during
distillation and, if the floral water is filtered into a separate container, then no essential oils are present in the floral water that ends up in the product. However, some of the plants’ natural healing properties are present in the final products such as alpha-Bisabolol, an anti–inflammatory. If you’re pregnant or suffer from allergies and you’re concerned about particular essential oils in a product containing floral waters, please ask us and we can advise you accordingly.
Q – How does the Vitamin C in your Gourmet Body Treats Vitamin C Booster work? Does it matter if the product is left open?
The vitamin C Gourmet Body Treats use is encapsulated in a stable plant based lipid. The product is housed in a dropper; but the vitamin C is released only after the surrounding plant based lipids melt after after application, releasing the vitamin C onto the skin. The plant based lipids are a combination of olive and coconut oils.
We hope you found these Q&As helpful – and if you have any other queries for us, we’d love to hear from you! You can contact us here.
…Until next time! xx
Brand new products from 100% Pure!
Our 100% Pure range just keeps growing – and we’re so excited to introduce the newest range of products from this beautiful line. Welcome to our new and gorgeous 100% Pure products – there’s something for every skin type!
Decongests and detoxifies with seaweed, vitamin C and peppermint. A cooling, soothing treat for irritated skin.
Rich in the protective antioxidant lycopene, this restorative moisturiser is a pick-me-up for lacklustre skin. Contains carrot seed oil, pomegranate seed extract, oregano, thyme and avocado butter to pack a vitamin-rich punch!
Acai Berry Anti-Ageing Eye Cream/Antioxidant Facial Cream
Acai berry is rich in anthocyanins and flavonoids, powerful antioxidants. This beautiful range aims to correct environmental damage and help reduce the signs of ageing, with ingredients like acai berry fruit and fruit oil, calendula extract and vitamins C & E. Delicious!
This antioxidant and nutrient-rich facial oil is light but nourishing. Contains grape seed, lavender, rosemary and blackcurrant oils to heal and protect against ageing.
Restore moisture, softness and elasticity with this healing and protective balm. Enriched with avocado, shea and almond butters. Perfect for dry skin in need of extra hydration.
Cucumber Juice/Lavender Honey Facial Cleansing Foam
These beautifully simple, 100% natural face cleansers foam when dispensed, making skin care a breeze. Use the Cucumber Juice cleanser for irritated or sensitive skin and the Lavender Honey version for dehydrated skin in need of some TLC.
Red Wine Resveratrol Eye Cream
You’ve heard of the nourishing cream and antioxidant serum – introducing the Eye Cream in the Red Wine Resveratrol age protective range. Turns out wine is good for things other than drinking!
Have you tried any products from our 100% Pure line? What’s your favourite? Share your thoughts!
..Until next time xx




