At a time when we’re even more concerned with our health and wellbeing, the natural skincare industry is booming.

At Southsea Bathing Hut we handmade natural skincare products which are vegan, cruelty free and as refreshing and reviving as a dip in the sea. 

But does “natural skincare” actually mean?

If you spoke with a botanist, they may say that natural is any chemical compound found in nature, that has not been made or tampered with by people.

If you asked a chemist, they may say that everything in the world is natural - whether from nature or manmade.  Because if it wasn’t natural, it would be supernatural, and wouldn’t exist.

So what does “natural skincare” mean? Did you know there is no legislation around the word “natural” in skincare or haircase.  Which means you don’t have to prove certain things to use the word “natural”. This makes the term a bit of a grey area…

• At Southsea Bathing Hut, we would define natural skincare as products which are made using pure raw ingredients which have been ‘picked or squished’ from nature, so they maintain their original chemical shape and structure. Examples are oils, butter and waxes

• We also use ingredients which are “naturally derived”. This is where a natural or plant material has undergone a chemical reaction, such as fermentation or hydrolysis.  Common naturally derived ingredients used in natural skincare include functional ingredients such as emulsifiers, preservatives or solubilizers used in water based products.  For example, at Southsea Bathing Hut in our lotion we use an Olive Oil derived emulsifier to bring together oil and water. 

• And finally, we have “nature identical ingredients”. These have been synthetically processed, but are identical in chemical structure to a substance found in nature. For example, an improperly preserved cosmetic can be very hazardous to your health and natural identical ingredients are commonly used in preservative compounds. At Southsea Bathing Hut our preservative is derived from a nature identical compound found in green tea.  So why are some cosmetic ingredients synthesized?  Mostly for sustainability.  It isn’t feasible for certain ingredients, such as Green Tea, to be produced in the millions of tonnes required to satisfy worldwide demand. 

However, not all natural ingredients are good for your skin. An example is formaldehyde, which is a naturally occurring gas which can be solubolised and is commonly used products including nail polish, shampoo, make up, all sorts!

At Southsea Bathing Hut, we will only use ingredients which we know will bring you no harm.  Plus, all our products have been independently tested and certified for safety.  So you can scrub and lather away in confidence.

I really believe that people should be as informed about the ingredients they’re putting on their skin as the ingredients in the food they eat.  Your skin is your biggest organ and can let things in and out really easily.  It’s therefore really important to go ahead and ask your beauty brands what is in your products.

At Southsea Bathing Hut, you can find all ingredients listed on our labels, and check out the Ingredient Glossary here, or under the Help tab of our website.

I really hope that was helpful. Take care!