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6 best fairtrade beauty buys

Think Fairtrade beauty just means cocoa shea butter? Think again. Healthista has tried and tested the best ethical beauty buys for Fairtrade Fortnight 

It’s one thing to make sure that the food you eat comes from ethical and sustainable sources. But you can also make a huge impact on the planet with the products you put on your skin too. And it’s not all just cocoa and shea butter. Small-scale farmers in over 50 countries, including Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Ghana and the Dominican Republic produce ingredients such as coconut, argan, apricot and brazil nut oils for beauty products. And when you choose products that have the Fairtrade seal of approval, then the people making your beauty care get a fair price and support to invest in community projects, from clean drinking water to improving their local healthcare.

We have tried and tested some of the best Fairtrade beauty about, here’s out top six.

Best fairtrade shower gel:

Neal’s Yard jasmine and ylang-ylang

Neal’s Yard uses an aromatherapy blend to create this Fairtrade-friendly shower gel. The gel uses an organic Fairtrade honey to condition your skin. Rooibos (an ingredient you might recognise from your favourite cup of tea) is filled with antioxidants and according to Neal’s Yard will leave your skin feeling soft and silky as well as squeaky clean.

neal's yard, 7 best ethical beauty buys you need this fairtrade fortnight by healthista

Tester says 

‘The smell of jasmine really comes through in the scent of this shower gel, which I loved as I’m a huge jasmine fan. I could smell it on my skin later in the day – loved the bonus that this product is both Fairtrade and organic.’

Available for £14 here.

Best fairtrade hand cream:

Fair Squared olive hand cream

As the name suggests, Fair Squared are a company that are committed to creating ethical products and this olive hand cream is no exception. This hand cream is an everyday hand moisturiser that uses the natural ingredients of Olive Oil and Honey to keep your hands moisturised. Both ingredients are totally Fairtrade certified. The honey comes from Guatemala and the olive oil is Palestinian. Fair Squared say that their cream is eco-friendly, fully recyclable and made right here in the UK.

fair squared hand cream, 6 best ethical beauty buys you need this fairtrade fortnight by healthista

Tester says 

‘Although Fair Squared say that this has a neutral fragrance I found that it smelled like talcum powder – but I was more than okay with that. The texture was thick but not gloopy – it has a definite thumbs up from me.’

Available for £4.50 here.

Best fairtrade cleanser:

Simply Gentle organic facial cleansing pads

These organic cotton pads are made from cotton which is certified as organic by the Soil Association. So they’re not only good for you but good for the world too. The facial pads are a gentle way to remove makeup and are vegan-friendly.

organic cleansing pads, 6 best ethical beauty buys you need this fair trade fortnight by healthista

Tester says 

‘These organic cleansing pads worked a dream on my skin. I wear a lot of makeup and they brought off everything. Plus the aloe vera left my face smelling fresh. My only reservation was that the pieces of cotton were very small so I had to use the front and back sides of two pads to get all of the product off my face.’

Available for £5.67 here.

Best fairtrade shampoo:

Urtekram brown sugar shampoo

Shower time is thinking time, and if you find yourself thinking about your impact on animals and the environment you can feel pretty good about yourself while rubbing Urtekram brown sugar shampoo into your hair. This sweet smelling shampoo is made from brown sugar sourced in Paraguay. Farmers are guaranteed fair working conditions and a good price for their sugar. Plus this shampoo is organic, vegan and cruelty-free.

MORE: The rise of ethical fitness fashion

brown sugar shampoo, 6 best ethical beauty buys you need this fairtrade forntight by healthista

The shampoo is lightly scented and will fill your bathroom with the relaxing fragrance of eucalyptus and lavender. Urtekram says that both these products also help to naturally soften and moisturise your hair. The shampoo is certified organic and contains no parabens or synthetic preservatives – win.

Available for £7.07 here.

Tester says 

‘This brown sugar shampoo smelled as though it were edible, I loved it. It was soapy and lathered well and I would definitely use it again.’

Best fairtrade face mask:

Odylique 3 in 1 maca mask

The Odylique maca mask is Odylique’s newest face mask that the Fairtrade beauty brand say promises polish, purify and revitalise your skin – basically, it’s a great excuse to give your skin a guilt-free pamper. Organic Fairtrade oats and sugar cane exfoliate the skin and organic maca helps to give your complexion a boost. According to Odylique, the green and white mineral clays that the mask uses help to draw out impurities in your skin and refine your pores.

Odylique say that the mask contains over 60 minerals, vitamins and amino acids. But what we love most about this product is that every part of the packaging is recyclable.

odylique 3 in 1 maca mask by healthista

Tester says 

‘This mask comes as a powder which you then add liquid to before applying to your face. Because my skin is dry I added coconut milk to the powder as Odylique suggested. It was quite fun to mix it up myself and to give my skin a pamper. I made a bit of a mess but overall I enjoyed using this product. It made my skin tingle a little at first but after I washed the product off, my skin definitely felt better for using it.’

Available to buy for £20 here.

Best Fairtrade fragrance:

Boots Extracts

High street store Boots have an Extracts range filled with amazing Fairtrade products. This softening body wash from Boots contains vanilla extract that is derived from the vanilla planifolia fruit. The beauty giant say that the honey in the wash helps to bind moisture to the skin. The honey is Fairtrade and is produced by communities that are paid fairly in South America.

Vanilla Body Wash, 6 ethical beauty buys you need this fairtrade fortnight by healthista

Tester says 

‘I wanted to eat this vanilla body wash – it smelled that good. And I loved how the smell totally filled my bathroom when I used it. My skin didn’t smell like vanilla for as long as I would have hoped but I would 100 per cent use this product again anyway.’

Available to buy for £4 here. 

Find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight at The Fairtrade Foundation’s website

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