In the Witoxicity and MuLondon giveaway that just ended, I asked for suggestions of natural fragrances to use in my upcoming products. Here are all the suggestions and my answers:

Vanilla and Cocoa - My "White Chocolate Truffle" moisturiser contains Organic Vanilla Bourbon extract and an exclusive Cocoa Extract, so this would be an ideal cream for all those in love with these fragrances.

Strawberry, Cherry, Mango, Peach, Pineapple, Magnolia, Fig, Pear - No natural essential oils or extracts exist that could be used preservative-free in my moisturisers, as far as I know. These may all be available in a different form that could be suitable for other products that I'm working on. If you have some information - please contact me!

Fennel, Yarrow, Tea Tree, Coconut, Geranium, Neroli (Orange Blossom), Patchouli, Pomegranate, Almond, Coffee - Lovely fragrances, thanks so much for the suggestions! I better start mixing and testing soon.

Citrus - There are some issues with citrus oils and phototoxicity, please see my blog post here for more details: http://www.mulondon.com/blog/questions_1/

Sandalwood - The geuine Indian Mysore sandalwood is not only impossible to get by, but also endangered. I am looking into Australian Sandalwood, which is a lovely sustainable alternative.

Green Tea - This may be coming very soon, but not in a moisturiser. That's all I can say for now!

Jasmine & Lilac - These have only been available as "absolutes", i.e. solvent-extracted, until very recently. I am experimenting with new organic extracts of these flowers, as I never use any petroleum solvent-extracted ingredients in my products.

Mint, Cinnamon, Lemongrass - May be a bit difficult to use in a facial cream, as these natural oils can irritate the sensitive skin around the eyes and can make them teary. However, they could all be great in a feet moisturiser.

Honey - This is an animal product, and I do not use any animal products in my MuLondon range. There are some fab vegan alternatives that I am looking into!

Rosewood - This lovely oil has also been on the endangered list, but sustainable sources are appearing. I am looking into this.

What great suggestions - thanks so much for each and every one of them! Do you have any ideas not already on this list? Or do you have an opinion about the ones mentioned above? Please let me know by leaving a comment below!

Here are some more customer questions that I thought would be good to share with everyone:

Dear MuLondon, Can you please tell me which of your skincare products are suitable for dry/sensitive/fragile skin with fine lines around the eye area?
Many thanks, Gemma

All my moisturiser are ideal for dry & sensitive skin. If you also want to use it around your eyes, then either one of these would be great:

Organic Rose Moisturiser
Organic Marigold, Frankincense & Myrrh Moisturiser
Organic Lavender Moisturiser

Please note that as they are all water-free, they are very concentrated, so you need to use only a tiny amount. All of them are hand-made in small batches, and I never use any chemical preservatives or artificial colours or fragrances. Apply in a thin layer, gently using your fingertips.

I just bought your Rose Cream, I'm really excited to try it and hopefully next time I will get the Lavender one too - it seems bliss for night time.

Can you please advise me on cleanser and toner? I've just recently read that toner is actually not good! I've been researching natural skincare for 3 months now and can't get a top cleanser and toner! 
 

Regarding cleanser and toner - I am working on an all-natural, detergent-free cleanser and that will be available in a couple of months.

Toners are not that bad - it depends what they contain and what your skin likes and needs. A lot of toners contain alcohol - and sometimes this can be denatured alcohol, which I'm not a fan of. Alcohol in itself is not bad, it's what they put in it. If it is natural, organic grain alcohol, it's fine. Denatured alcohol contains chemicals to prevent people from drinking it. Those chemicals can be absorbed by your skin. There are also alcohol-free toners for people that find alcohol drying.

You can easily make your own skin toner if you have some Flower Water. Flower Water is what is left from a distillation of an essential oil. It is condensated water that is lightly fragrant and naturally astringent, meaning it will minimise the pores in your face. Which Hazel is know to be a particularly good astringent.

If you do not have any Flower Water, you can make a decoction yourself from, say, chamomile or rose flowers - bring to simmer, sieve, put in a spray bottle and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. It will keep a bit longer if you add some alcohol to it (about 15%), but make sure it is not rubbing alcohol like Isopropyl Alcohol. Pure vodka (40% and over) will also do.

Any suggestions or tips you can offer? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Here's an email I got from a customer:

"Dear MuLondon,

I have recently had twin boys who are absolutely adorable, but poor old mum is looking worse for wear and in need of some urgent TLC, my skin is looking rather dull. I was wondering if you could offer me any advice and information to try that will help to replenish my skin. I really would love to have a facial but at the moment I really haven't the time with the two little ones. I am 29 years old with a normal/dry skin type.

Kind Regards, Vicky"

As there are many of us with not enough time for a facial,here's what you can do instead:

If you feel your skin is dull, I suggest you spend some time outside every day, at least 15 minutes, to get some sun, which is effective even on a cloudy winter day. Also make sure that you get enough essential fatty acids. They can be found in evening primrose oil, hemp seed oil and flax seed oil, for example. These are long-term solutions that will definitely pay off over time, by giving your skin a wondeful lustre appearance.
 
For an instant fix, you could also do a simple facial at home - just boil some water in a pot, add a spoonful of herbs (chamomile, peppermint or rose, for example) or 2-3 drops essential oil, put your head over the pot and cover with a towel for 5-10 minutes. This will clean you face, open up the pores and clean the impurities from your skin.

Afterwards, scrub your face with ground oat flakes and wash with soap.

Apply a moisturiser - my Marigold, Frankincense and Myrrh cream or my Organic Rose Moisturiser are great for dull, lifeless skin.

All my natural, organic moisturisers are packed with pure shea butter and golden jojoba oil. They are concentrated, great for dry & sensitive skin and ideal for daily all-over body use - including face, hands and feet. Give yourself a 5-minute facial massage using one of them.

If you do not have access to a moisturiser, you can use pure virgin olive oil or jojoba oil. There you go - simple facial for next to nothing, and you do not even have to leave the home.
 
I hope this helps!
Best regards
Boris, MuLondon.com

PS: Let me know if you have any tips for home-made facials!

Hi,

Let me answer a couple of very interesting questions that some of you have asked recently.

 Question: I think a citrus based face moisturizer would be awesome...would energize you in the morning!

Answer: The problem with some natural citrus oils is that they can be phototoxic - i.e., when exposed to the sun, they can react with your skin, making it burn more easily. All citrus oils also oxidise and deteriorate quite easily, and would need stabilising.

As all my products are 100% free from all artificial additives, this presents a slight problem, but I'm working on it, naturally. There are a couple of citrus oils that can be suitable, and I'm experimenting with those. Also, there will probably be a citrus face and hands wash coming soon.

More on citrus oils and their phototoxicity here:

http://www.westcoastaromatherapy.com/index.cfm?page=176

 Question: Have you ever considered making an almond face lotion? I love the smell of almonds and they are supposedly very good for your skin when mixed with honey or milk.

Answer: Natural almond oil oxidises relatively easily, and people that do not tolerate nuts can react to it.

As I formulate my products without any harsh stabilisers, this presents a slight problem. That is why I have decided to use only highly-stable oils for now, like shea butter, jojoba and coconut.

Regarding honey or milk - these are animal products, and I only use vegetable ingredients. There are, however, some great alternatives to these that you will see in my new products soon.

 Question: Every product sounds so nice, I am hoping to see something with Lilly of the Valley soon :)

Answer: There is no natural Lilly of the Valley fragrance. All fragrances currently on the market that are Lilly of the Valley are artificial (i.e. chemicals) or blends of natural oils designed to somewhat mimic the original fragrance. If the product does not state anything, you can be sure that it contains the chemical sort, which usually contains endocrine disruptors.

As you know, MuLondon products are free from all added man-made chemicals. The other option of using a natural blend of oils to mimic the original fragrance is something I will look into. Many thanks for suggesting this!

About endocrine disruptors:

http://www.thecanaryreport.org/2009/05/08/the-endocrine-system-and-endocrine-disruptors/

Read more about Lilly of the Valley on this very interesting blog post here:

http://laureninjapan.blogspot.com/2006/10/perfume-school-101.html

That's it for now!

If you would like to be updated when new products are released, please subscribe to the newsletter, the subscription form is on every page of this website, top-left.

Thank you all once again for taking the time to leave your feedback - that is much appreciated!

If you would like to ask me any questions, please use the contact form here »
 

Despite empirical and historical evidence, scientists are sometimes not happy until they have proven something in a lab. Well, now they have and we can all rejoice.

Swedish company AAK has confirmed the moisturising power of shea butter. Unlike active ingredients, emollients (substances that soften and soothe the skin) are not usually tested for efficacy.

AAK’s researchers stimulated daily washing by treating the skin of volunteers with ethanol causing an increase in trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL).

The TEWL rapidly recovered after the application of Shea Butter and after two hours returned to basement levels. After three and four hours the barrier properties of the skin were improved on pre-treatment levels.

AAK also investigated the moisture levels deeper in the skin using a corneometer, finding consistent increase over four hours.

Original story:

http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Formulation-Science/Moisturising-power-of-shea-butter-highlighted-by-scientific-studies/

Rural women have been gathering and processing shea butter in West Africa since at least the mid-fourteenth century. It is an edible fat, extracted from nuts of the shea tree. Shea butter is also a known anti-inflammatory agent and is very effective in the management of sinusitis and relief of nasal congestion.

MuLondon moisturisers are based on pure, certified organic shea butter that comes from a community project in Ghana.