Earlier this year, Minnesota became the first U.S. state to ban mercury in mascara and other cosmetic products. There is no word yet if Canada will follow the example set by that state or not.

That’s a great initiative, but the problem is that knowing and detecting if a specific brand of mascara or makeup contains mercury or not is not an easy task.

Even if you try to read the label of your favourite eye product to see if mercury has been added, you might not find it because mercury isn’t listed as an ingredient on labels.
It might be surprising to find out that cosmetic companies (legally) use mercury in eye products because it’s a preservative and germ-killer. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that mercury can cause serious neurological problems and many believe that it can do damage in even the tiniest amounts.

If you are a Stella McCartney fan then you’ll love what this British designer has in store for you.

Stella McCartney has teamed up with Sephora to bring an element of haute couture to her organic skincare line.

Are you heading south for the Spring Break? Well, I’m about to sound like a broken record, but you should not forget your SPF cream when packing and when you get to the beach, don’t forget to reapply it every 30 minutes or so.

There are many SPF formulations on the market, but if you’re looking for an organic formulation, then you might find Lavera’s Anti-Aging Sun Screen SPF 20 cream to be the perfect option for you. This organic formula was specially created for the delicate facial skin and décolleté area.

*** Beauty Match in London (U.K.)***

Organic skin care is becoming a real trend in the skincare industry. There are more and more companies producing skin care product that are devoid of chemical preservatives. In North America, we can either find organic skin care lines in natural health food stores or at a shop like Whole Food Markets. There are also a number of spas that carry only natural or organic lines.

Londoners don’t have to run about town trying to find locations to buy organic

*** Beauty Match in London (U.K.)***

Dr. Hauschka skincare is the UK’s most popular line of natural cosmetics. The line is entirely plant derived to take full advantage of the healing power of plants to restore and maintain healthy skin.

For over sixty years now, the manufacturer of Dr. Hauschka (WALA Heilmittel) depends on thousands of hectares of farmland all over the world providing raw and biodynamic ingredients for the Dr. Hauschka skincare line. Biodynamics (or bio-dynamically grown) is a holistic form of agriculture that dates back to the 1920s.

*** Beauty Match in London (U.K.)***

After establishing herself as England’s most influential fashion designer, Stella McCartney is now establishing herself as a skincare guru. This devote environmentalist matched her incomparable creative talent with her need to preserve the earth in her new CARE line of 100% certified organic skincare. Stella’s strict vegetarian diet and philosophy have been the inspiration behind the line that is totally cruelty-free and that closely follows the strict standards of ECOCERT (an international organic certification mark that is overseen by COFRAC, the French committee of accreditation).

I’ll put it out there for the world to know: I absolutely LOVE (I mean L-O-V-E) the entire Jurlique line of cosmetic products. I started using Jurlique in 1999 because I was having a hard time of it when it came to finding a moisturizer that didn’t cause any irritations, allergies or breakouts. Meredith was my consultant at my local natural health shop and she was always on the look-out for new products that I could use. One day, I walked in and she declared that she had found the ideal line for my skin. Was she ever right!

Jurlique is produced and manufactured in Australia and uses natural antioxidants, natural vitamins and herbal ingredients.

There are only a few lines of organic skincare lines on the market. Organic anti-aging products are even more of a rarity. If you have several allergic reactions to skincare products, then you’ll be happy to know that you can also take care of any of your anti-aging skincare concerns and continue to use an organic line.

Lavera NaturKosmetik has a full line of synthetic-free products for the face and body, but what caught our eye this week was their Laveré Lifting Serum Hydro-Gel. This lifting serum reduces fines lines around the mouth and eyes. The Laveré Lifting Serum Hydro-Gel is produced by incorporating a cocktail of plants, vitamins, bio-hyaluronic acid (essential a water reserve in the body that decreases with age), organic bamboo and organic green tea.