We’ve been talking here at TWR about natural versus hi-tech-chemical when it comes to beauty products, as in which way is best and how to choose. Nicola Elliott, the founder and director of Neom Luxury Organics (one of the nicest natural brands around) is very passionate about using only wholesome ingredients and encouraging customers to cut down on their chemical intake -and as much as possible she uses organic in Neom. We thought we’d ask her why she choses the natural route.
TWR We’ve been inundated with high-performance beauty creams recently here at TWR, all using cutting edge chemicals to make our skin look good, what’s wrong with the odd chemical?
NE At their most innocent, chemicals can dry your skin out, strip it of its natural oils and pigment, and in the long term exacerbate wrinkles rather than reduce them. This in itself makes me want to choose chemical-free – for my beauty products (which I use every day) at least.
At their worst, chemicals like parabens (a chemical preservative) have been linked to breast cancer, as in some biopsies traces of parabens have been found. SLS and SLES (found in many shampoos and soaps) has the effect of stripping off the oil layer and then irritating and eroding the skin, leaving it rough and pitted. Propylene glycol (a chemical used to help retain moisture content) has been linked to health problems like contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It’s also found in anti-freeze – need I say more!
With this said, I’m a realist. I understand that you’ll always come across chemicals in your day-to-day life. I’m not here to force or scare people into living completely chemical-free. I launched NEOM, simply to offer another choice, to tell people that there’s an alternative and that’s it’s easy to reduce your chemical count today by making simple changes. Try swapping your hand wash for a chemical-free version. Or, swap your body lotion for a chemical-free one, it’ll do wonders.
Nature really does offer some of the most beneficial, gorgeous things to use on our skins – oils, butters, essences, herbs, fruit and leaf extracts. It’s crazy not to use what’s out there.
TWR Actually, we ARE concerned ourselves about this, do you think this approach to beauty might be the ‘fast food’ of the future? ie we’ll eventually think this is unhealthy and a wee bit dangerous?
NE Right now it’s about offering a choice and telling people quick and easy ways to help reduce your chemical count. However, I think we’re still a long way off converting everyone into using chemical-free products, but I am certain it will become the norm one day.
TWR So Neom Luxury Organics, gorgeous smell, but what else makes this product stand out?
NE Aside from the modern twist on scents – which is actually the main reason our customers buy our products. A very close second is because of the organic content and that all our products are free from nasty chemicals. All NEOM products are 70% or above organic and the rest are all natural ingredients. You’ll see a lot of brands claiming ‘organic’ but in fact the organic content is minimal. Customers come to us because they trust that we’ll never comprise on the finest organic ingredients or add any chemicals to our products.
TWR We know you are renowned for candles but we’ve fallen in love with reed dispensers recently, SO easy to use and long lasting, are scented candles on the way out?
NE The great thing about Reed Diffusers is all the ways you can use them and how practical they are. I have one in my hallway so the house smells lovely the moment you open your door, they are also in the bathrooms, guest room, and I even put one on the shelf in my wardrobe so it gently diffuses scent around the clothes. The ceremony of lighting and enjoying a candle is lovely, but there are some places you just don’t want a naked flame and this is where a Reed Diffuser comes in.
TWR Can you tell me what your top three best sellers at Neom are?
NE Candles are our best selling product. Scent wise Real Luxury(Lavender, Jasmine & Brazilian Rosewood) Complete Bliss (Moroccan Blush Rose with lime & black pepper) and Tranquillity (English Lavender, Sweet Basil & Jasmine) are the top three popular scents. I recommend every one try our Real Luxury scent – we call it the ‘cashmere blanket’ of our collection – perfectly-pampering!
So there you go, strong feelings on natural there from Nicola, do you agree with her?
I’ve been testing a few of the Neom products recently and they are really gorgeous (the newly launched Inspiration body cream is buttery thick and effective). The scents are all beautifully considered and smell gently floral. The creams are soft and very calming on the skin and they come beautifully packaged, making them absolutely ideal for summer gifts if you are going to stay with friends. I’d also be looking at these as gifts for pregnant mums or friends with sensitive skin as their natural pedigree makes you feel safe about using them. And it is British made, using UK sourced products that aren’t sold (much) abroad yet so again, nice for giving as gifts to friends overseas.
Tested on animals? Ingredients tested on animals? Even ‘organic’ = ‘chemical’, everything is ‘chemical’ and it’s too easy to say ‘oh, no nasty chemicals, all natural!’. Lots of ‘natural’ things are very bad for us indeed…
I’m just sceptical about ALL of these companies unless they state categorically that ingredients as well as the final product are not animal tested, whether by them or by other companies that sell ingredients.
Hm, interesting question Marv, we’ll ask Nicola and see, A
Marv, we have had a response from Nicola
“As well as being chemical-free all NEOM products are not and have never been tested on animals. We label all our products with the NEOM promise to hopefully keep things clear and simple for customers choosing our products.”
Heard from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, keeping it animal related A
I’m trialing Neom too & loving the products. They smell gorgeous.
Thanks for great beauty advice. This product not only gives wonderful smell but also transform the way you feel. Whether you want to unwind, energise or enjoy a great night’s sleep, this product provides the ultimate treatment experience. Nice article.