Co-author of the Beauty Book, Fran Johnson encourages women to make their own products at home so they don't have to buy everything for their skincare regime.
"Beauty doesn't have to cost you anything. For instance, you can take some oat porridge from the cupboard and mix it with water to make a skin-smoothener," said Johnson, manager of natural health at Neal's Yard Remedies (NYR).
The freshly-made facial scrub complements other skincare products from NYR, which opened its first counter in Thailand last month, at Paragon Department Store.
Fran Johnson, manager of natural health.
Johnson was in Bangkok for the opening and to introduce the British brand and conduct a workshop on natural skin-nourishing remedies.
"People often ask us why we share our beauty secrets. Understanding the skincare properties of the herbal raw materials, they will appreciate them even more and look for them in our ready-made products," said the cosmetic scientist, whose job is to oversee product development at the eco-factory in Dorset.
Founded in 1981 as an apothecary store in Covent Garden, NYR makes organic health and beauty products without mineral oil, parabens, synthetic colours or fragrance to achieve its "beauty with no nasties" concept.
The original store had a variety of jars of herbs for making freshly-prepared skin treatments. The practice of using herbal extracts and essential oils in formulating skincare products continues in NYR's iconic blue plastic bottles, which are made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials.
Also an aromatherapist, Johnson believes in the wonders of essential oils and their profound effect on the body and skin.
"Aromatherapy is a two-way treatment as essential oils work on both a physical and an emotional level,'' she explained. "Once applied to the skin, they can have the ability to improve and heal, and emotionally, once inhaled, the smell interacts with the limbic part of the brain stimulating memory, the very primary fight or flight response and our everyday emotions."
NYR claims that it was the first high street retailer in the UK to sell essential oils and promote aromatherapy as one of the most popular complementary medicines.
From basil and frankincense, to rosemary and ylang ylang, the organic essential oils can be used for a massage or simply added to a warm bath, with each essential oil providing a different effect.
"When you're nervous, such as before giving a big presentation, the grounding frankincense essential oil can help you deal with the anxiety," she said as an example.
NYR uses frankincense essential oil steam-distilled from resin extracted from the bark of Boswellia carterii grown in Kenya and Somalia. Its use as a signature skincare ingredient is inspired by Ancient Egypt's mummification process, which may have involved anointing the body with frankincense and myrrh as fragrant gum-resins along with various oils and fats in the embalming process.
Introduced in 1983, Frankincense & Myrrh Skin Cream has been reformulated with organic ingredients for the brand's best-selling Rejuvenating Frankincense and Frankincense Intense formulas.
"We aim to make our products as organic as possible," she said. "Organic ingredients however only come from organically-grown plants. When the formulation involves functional ingredients as well as water and clay that can't be grown, the resulting product can't be 100% organic."
NYR's organic ingredients are certified by the UK's Soil Association, which promote sustainable and organic farming free from toxic pesticides and chemical fertilisers.
"As health-conscious consumers opt for natural and organic products, they come to us because we are one of the original organic skincare companies," she noted. "Clinical trials show that organic products do work. Not only are they good for the skin but also the environment."
Organic geranium essential oil.
