Green with envy

You know a trend has got some clout when it gets a cute handle. And you know a cause will catch on once celebrity lends it a famous face. The buzzword for the hot environmental movement is ‘eco-chic’, and these days you’d be hard-pressed to find an A-lister who doesn’t claim to be on board.

So it’s hardly surprising that Organic Monitor, a research resource that tracks global natural and organic markets, reports that this sector is seen by many major players as the future of the beauty industry. Indeed, while naturals may have once been the domain of backyard businesses and smalltime labels, corporate giants are now looking to invest in natural brands, or produce their own organic products, to meet increasingly green-conscious demands. And, naturally, where that kind of money trail leads, deluxe ways to spend it follow.

Enter the brand billed as the world’s first 100 per cent organic luxury skincare line, Care by Stella McCartney. Conceived by the ultimate celebrity designer and backed by the trés chic Yves Saint Laurent company, Care combines nature and prestige of the most indulgent order.

True to McCartney’s famously vegetarian philosophy, Care products eschew animal testing and products of all types. The organic ingredients and ecological means of packaging and production are also endorsed by Ecocert, a certification body that validates products which meet the organic regulations of the EU, US and Japan. And true to the designer’s aesthetics, Care certainly looks covetably sleek. It’s all about living responsibly without forsaking the lap of luxury. Expect to see fashionstas queuing with their cloth carry-alls when Care by Stella McCartney hits Australia in January next year.

But green doesn’t go deluxe just because of a designer label. Other natural brands have developed exclusivity through cool-factor and a suitably hefty price tag.

The Organic Pharmacy began life when pharmacist and homeopath Margot Marrone was searching for organic skincare while pregnant. Frustrated with what she found, she and her partner set up their own pharmacy to specialise purely in herbs, homeopathy and organic skincare. Fully registered with The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and with formulas that drip non-guilty indulgence, The Organic Pharmacy has earned column inches of praise from glam-is-gospel mags like WWD Beauty Biz, UK Vogue and UK Harper’s Bazaar and is now officially deluxe in Australia too. For a budget-obliterating $298 you can sample the Rose Plus Anti-ageing Cream’s velvety skin love for yourself.

With even humbler roots, Ilcsi Organic Skin Care began in the kitchen of a Hungarian mother (though this one did have a biochemistry degree) who started mixing her own flowers and herbs. Fast forward almost 40 years and her entirely organic skin essentials now take pride of place in prestigious day salons around the world. 

Comfort Zone is an extremely top shelf spa line that draws on the refined tastes of its Italian homeland to gratify patrons of plush beauty spots. All while giving back to the planet. Elegantly recyclable packaging encases formulas designed to seduce every sense, but Comfort Zone also boasts an important point of difference: each product has been manufactured with energy solely from renewable sources. The brand also offsets carbon emissions through Impatto Zero, an offshoot of the Italian eco-enterprise Lifegate Energy. With enviable cred in Europe and the US, Comfort Zone has only just arrived in Australia, but if you like the sound of the hi-tech Glorious Skin Instant Skin Tensor ($190) or the free radical-fighting Action Sublime Serum ($188), there are exclusive stocks available.

Australian-owned Heritage Healers is green on the inside too. Blending (primarily certified) organic ingredients according to Ayurvedic healing principles, this premium line includes a wildflower-infused Eupho2ria Anti-Ageing Complex ($92) bottled in recyclable glass and packaged in a cotton bag. Even the application spatula comes from plantation timber. And as for the actual experience of the cream, it’s meltingly soft and luxuriant.

Of course, posh natural products aren’t entirely new. Avedahas been creating beauty must-haves with wind power for years and continues to build bridges between our bathrooms and the social and natural environment around us. In addition to sourcing sustainably-farmed organic ingredients from traditional communities, Aveda has raised more than US$6 million for environmental causes through annual Earth Month campaigns since 1999.

What is new, however, is the emergence of trendier natural brands that trade as much on fashion as on ethics. And, while labels like Care by Stella McCartney style up skincare, it’s on make-up counters where natural products have had to get sexiest.

Now that technology can deliver colours that satisfy our principles as well as our demands for performance, natural glamour is gaining ground. Take the chic Couleur Caramel make-up range for example – it’s certified organic by Ecocert, it includes Fair Trade ingredients and not one of the 156 pro-style products is tested on animals.

Meanwhile, in the bodycare aisle, Vani-T products are turning green hot pink. Hooking the body conscious with a conscience, the standout bottles of skin smoothers, softeners and shimmers are recyclable and contain 99 per cent organic-based ingredients. Who would have thought we’d ever have a sexy Bronzing Mist ($29.95) with no petrochemicals, synthetic oils, colours or preservatives? Stella McCartney, I guess.