Selfsufficientish.com

I know that this is an international forum, and that there are a lot of people who want to avoid certain ingredients, so i thought i'd set this thread up for links to natural cosmetic companies.

www.lush.com (or co.uk)
www.mmucosmetics.com
(US based, good prices, nice scents - 600 different ones!!)
www.gothrosary.com
(again, a US based company, but they've got really clear ideas for what can and can't go in their cosmetics - and the most amazing smells!!)

I've ordered from all of them recently. lush are pretty good on their mail order. If you make a mail order, then if you make another one within 60 days, you got shipping free.

MMU can take a while, they give turnaround times on their website. There are also specials like 10% off the order/birthday discounts and free shipping if you spend over a certain amount.

I bought the scent sample pack from gothrosary, and it was excellent! it was a great way of deciding which ones i do/don't like before ordering anything with those scents.

Please add your favourites too!

I love LUSH - BUT it´s worth knowing that they aren´t so natural. Their creams contain parabens and lathering products contain SLS.

They do publish their ingredients on the website though.

IMHO better to stick to their solid bars, they are better ingredient wise.

I am lush addict!

I've been an addict for about 10 years.

I have to admit, i'm not really overly bothered about what's in something (i know there are a lot of people that are, but i don't react to most things) BUT i do like things to have a fairly natural scent/no chemically overtones and i find that Lush does manage that for me.

I also like things that look a bit homemade/are homemade - the soaps aren't all pretty and packaged, and the jellies come as a blob in a container. i like that look.

I think I might be the minority here, I hate LUSH. Well a bit harsh as it is great they are using natural products but I am allergic to something that they use and get a reaction from walking past a LUSH shop. Almost as bad as I get walking through Boots or department stores. My mouth feels dry just thinking about it.

Probably Lavender!!

i had a housemate who worked in Lush for about 6 weeks - then he realised that the rash and breathing problems were all down to an allergy to lavender

Not sure as I have grown lots of lavender, picked it, cooked with it even had some under my pillow and been fine. Unless its the highly concentrated lavender that you get in essential oil that sets me off.

I had a friend who worked in Lush for 6 years, 2 years later she still had respority (sp?) problems. She told me everyone who worked their did - due to the over powering smell no doubt.

Still I like their stuff

Could be because thye're breathing in the bicarb all day as well! I'm sure that can't be good for the system.

Some of the stores only do half shifts - you're only allowed to work 4 hours a day.

I find the lush shops too pongy - i cant stay in there to make a purchase as i start wheezing..

I've never heard of them but if it is anything like walking into a department store - yuk!

I don't think it is, it smells nicer but much stronger.

There is a big store in Glasgow and if you walk down the street within 20feet of the front door you can smell it... but it is nice.

They do all sorts of 'handmade' soaps, shampoos, facemasks,etc. The couple that run it used to run a natural cosmetics mail-order company and they were bankrupted... so they turned to soap making.

They have signs around the stores saying not to eat the things (they look delicious)

So it's something like the Body Shop then?

Well...not really... its independent for starters (not owned by L'oreal) and they use more natural ingredients, and they don't push the 'we're saving the world' angle and they don't sell so many plastic bottles, most stuff is in block form and you buy it like you would cheese. And the staff are really friendly

But yes I suppose it is more like the body shop than a department store.

I guess I'm way out of touch because I haven't lived in the UK for 12 years but I thought the Body Shop was independent and owned by Anita Roddick (or some name similar)??? I always loved the smells in there and thought everything looked really edible.

Yip it was bought over a few years ago now it looks like a perfume shop...but I remember the old body shop...it was lovely.