Malt whisky and honey lip balm, soap with Scotland’s own version of tea-tree oil, skin cream with a natural midge deterrent, really smooth body lotion made with spiky gorse, balm made by monks, and natural shampoo for dogs – these are just a few of the products made by small suppliers in Scotland and now found in one place at www.naturalbeautyscotland.com
Natural Beauty Scotland is a newly-launched online shop showcasing the best of natural skincare made in Scotland. Perthshire-based owner Johanna Summers has had a career in Scottish tourism PR but has always been passionate about the quality of specialist Scottish skincare products, pure and simple. Now she has created a shop-window to promote these to a market with an increasing interest in natural skincare.
Natural Beauty Scotland sells a wide range of products from simple soaps (free from cheap mineral oils and other nasties and suitable for vegetarians and, sometimes, vegans) to top-end skincare with pure, effective, ethically sourced or home-grown – and often organic – ingredients. These ingredients are always listed so that customers can make an informed choice.
Local and native plants and produce are well represented. Bog myrtle, recently hailed as a natural remedy for acne and skin ageing and sometimes described as ‘Scotland’s tea-tree’, turns up in soap and lotions from Islay, while nourishing sea buckthorn extract, whose potential as a crop in Scotland has been in the news, is in top-end organic skincare made in Helensburgh. Mint, seaweed, honey, oatmeal and Scots pine oil also feature in other products. Even malt whisky from Islay is used in soaps, body lotions and lip balms – and is also a reminder that Natural Beauty Scotland also stocks a range for men, including traditional Shetland shaving soap!
Johanna’s philosophy here is simple: make the most of Scotland’s good environmental credentials by offering quality products for the skin – after all, skin is important – it’s where we meet the environment! All product lines have passed stringent pharmaceutical safety regulations. She is careful not to make medical claims and leaves it to the well-informed customer to decide if, for example, pure nettle soap benefits eczema-sufferers, as some believe, or that bog myrtle keeps off midges. (In fact, she also stocks a dedicated anti-midge lotion clinically proven to keep these pests away.)
Ideal for little treats and indulgences to lighten the recessionary gloom, or as gifts and thank-yous, Natural Beauty Scotland is also aimed at those serious about skincare and who want the gentlest and purest products. And customers are also supporting small Scottish businesses, naturally.
