By Katrina Deisler
The natural beauty market is a several billion pound per year industry, and like the beauty industry as a whole, it can be very daunting. In her new book, The Nature of Beauty, Imelda Burke helps you tackle the mystery of “natural” beauty and offers insight into choosing the best natural products for your skincare needs. She asserts that “natural” beauty doesn’t mean casting aside your time-tested and well-loved beauty products in favor of homemade products, but rather making the conscious effort to understand where products are coming from and how they will interact with your skin.
The author suffered from ichthyosis, a skin condition that results in dry and scaly skin. Her frustrations sent her on a journey of experimentation with natural beauty products. After finding the path to her own skin health, she opened her London shop, Content Beauty & Wellbeing, in 2008 which helped her gain extensive knowledge of natural beauty. It was one of the first shops to begin selling natural beauty brands, and has offered Burke opportunities to work closely with brand founders, formulators and other industry professionals.
Natural beauty, Burke says, can be “as simple as using a pure oil or as scientifically advanced as any mainstream anti-aging product.” They key is deciding for your self what you’re looking to gain. The Nature of Beauty explores both traditional and modern beauty techniques and explains why many people are going natural. Burke’s insights aim to help readers determine if that’s the right choice for them. It is organized topically into easy-to-read sections, ranging from cosmetic, hair, and body products to fragrance and aromatherapy. She explores powerful ingredients, and their effects and showcases her favourite natural products for each skin type. Burke also discusses ingredients to beware of for specific skin types. Handy tools like “logos to look for” and “make-up expiry cheat sheet” can make choosing products so simple. The book is an essential guide for newcomers to natural beauty, or anyone wanting to learn a bit about natural products.
The Nature of Beauty is available for £20 from 1 December.