QuestionHello Caroline,
For years I have been pleased with Kiehl's line of products, especially their Facial Fuel series geared towards men. Recently, I have become interested in switching to an all-natural line of products. From my research Burt's Bees seems to have a line derived from 100% or near 100% natural resources. A few years back the company was acquired by The Clorox company. Despite this buyout, Burt Bee's still claim to adhere to their original values of animal-free testing and all-natural items. I haven't tested any of their products but it seems they are widely available. Whereas Kiehl's is only offered from high end department stores and Kiehl's own stores, Burt's Bees lines the shelves of many drugstores and supermarkets. Burt's Bees also looks less expensive! Every time I leave Bloomingdale with my small brown bag of Kiehl's goodies, I'm bummed by the total cost to maintain healthy looking skin!
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find out if Kiehl's is all-natural. According to their website, they say, "our fine formulations have always been made with the most unique natural ingredients.
Am I right in assuming that means Kiehl's is not a 100% natural brand? Judging from some of my labels, it appears they are mainly composed of chemicals. Can you share your own opinions of Burt's Bees or any other recommended brands? Things like overall reputation, effectiveness, and quality of their ingredients.
Thank you so much!
Mike
AnswerHello Mike,
You are touching a core issue in the world of beauty!
To directly answer your question, I couldn't find anywhere the actual list of ingredients of your kiehl's facial fuel series, so I cannot give you my opinion about this brand, except that a brand that doesn't show openly its list of ingredients has something to hide to be able to maintain its "natural" and "high end" marketing image. "Natural" or "organic" are terms that aren't regulated in the US, so anyone can create a cheap chemical beauty product, add a few natural or organic ingredients and call it so. It looks like this is the case for kiehl's. Therefore, in essence, you're paying for their marketing, for their presence in high end department stores and for the image, not for the quality of the ingredients.
Being in the business of natural and organic beauty and health, I can tell you that good quality certified organic ingredients cost quite a bit of money, therefore making the product much more expensive to produce than chemical ones. Given the sale price of Burt's Bee products and their huge marketing cost, I cannot believe that they put a lot of really rich and expensive ingredients. They may be all natural (although once again there's no regulation in the US) but there must be a lot of "diluent" and cheap ones and little bit of the real active ingredients. I'm sure it's going to be better for your skin as they're much cleaner than your kiehl's products, but realize that they're also about making money (a lot).
Here is my advice: look for products that are CERTIFIED organic by reputable organizations like ECOCERT, the European leader with BDIH. You can look at Weleda products. They aren't expensive or toxic and they provide some effectiveness, depending on how demanding your skin is. Otherwise, I would recommend that you switch to raw ingredients like Wild Musk Rose oil, Jojoba oil, Lavender floral water, Shea butter. It's like raw food for your skin and that's where you get the most for your money in terms of quality of ingredients. But raw ingredients aren't fancy, there's no big marketing image to make you feel like you're really going to look like a star; they're just pure, simple and efficient.
I could tell you more about what's happening in the US about natural beauty, but I don't want to overwhelm you. If you find a new brand you like, just send me an email with the link to the list of ingredients and I'll tell you what I think.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Have a beautiful day,
Take good care
Caroline-Morgane
http://www.naturepurity.com
http://blog.naturepurity.com
