Skin Care: From Curious Remedies to Costly Creams

A clearer look at what we put on our skin

A Curious Beginning

In The Secrets of Master Alexis the Piedmontese (1555),

you’ll find this rather unforgettable recipe:

A very Goodly Water to take away Spots, Lintels or Red Pimples

“Take green lizards quicke and boil them until the third part be consumed. Strain this, put with white wax and make thereof an ointment!”

It’s a reminder that humans have always chased flawless skin — sometimes with methods that make us grateful for modern alternatives.

The Modern Skin Care Machine

Until the advent of modern synthetic drugs, Herbal Medicines were the ONLY medicines.  Today, skincare is one of the largest sectors in beauty and wellness, projected to reach USD 116.96 billion in 2026. With that kind of money circulating, it’s no surprise that companies make bold, scientific-sounding claims to stand out.

• Some are grounded in research.

• Some are wrapped in marketing magic.

• And some are simply noise.

Social media doesn’t help. Among the genuinely knowledgeable voices, you’ll also find extreme advice, miracle cures, and “life-changing” products that owe more to sponsorship than science.

The Ingredient List Problem

Pick up a typical cream, and the ingredient list can be overwhelming. Long, complex, and often hiding behind vague terms like “parfum” a legal umbrella that can contain dozens of undisclosed chemicals. Unsurprisingly, most allergic reactions trace back to these synthetic components, especially fragrance.

And yet, across the spectrum, from global giants like L’Oréal to someone mixing creams at their kitchen table, many products perform similarly. Numerous studies show that affordable moisturisers often work just as well as luxury ones. What you’re really paying for is:

• marketing

• packaging

• celebrity endorsements

• and the illusion of exclusivity

A skin care cream is made by creating two separate phases, an oil phase and a water phase, then heating, mixing, and emulsifying them into a stable, smooth product. This process is used by home formulators all the way up to professional labs. So, the cream we use is very much the same as the cream used by the big cosmetic companies.

A Real Example

Here’s a genuine product found online:

Perfect Facial Hydrating Cream — 60ml — £100

Plump and refresh your skin with deep hydration for a smooth, matte finish. See product details

Water (aqua / eau) • cetearyl alcohol • glycerin • aloe barbadensis leaf juice • butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) • simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil • sodium ascorbyl phosphate • ceteareth-20 • rosa canina fruit oil • theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter • glyceryl stearate • peg-100 stearate • tocopherol • sorbitan stearate • glycine soja (soybean) oil • phenoxyethanol • boswellia carterii oil • citric acid • fusanus spicatus wood oil • rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil • disodium edta • xanthan gum • ethylhexylglycerin • peg-4 laurate • benzalkonium chloride • iodopropynyl butylcarbamate • daucus carota sativa (carrot) root extract • methylisothiazolinone • beta-carotene • d-limonene • farnesol • linalool

The ingredient list includes:

• Water – Aqua

• Cetearyl alcohol - A waxy, white solid used to give creams and conditioners their smooth, creamy texture.

• Glycerine (the “plumping” agent — and it’s third on the list, so there’s plenty of it)

• Shea butter

• Jojoba oil

• Rose-hip oil

• Cocoa butter

• Soybean oil

• Frankincense

• Rosemary

• Carrot extract

• Plus a long list of stabilisers, preservatives, PEGs, and synthetic fragrance components

It likely costs very little to manufacture. It’s not wildly different from a standard cream base.
And yet it sells for £100 a jar.

Why?

Because the industry can charge it, and consumers continue to buy it.

The major costs in our products are the Pure Essential Oils, some of which are very expensive. Jasmine, for example, is several thousand pounds per kilo. Additionally, we use higher dilutions than most companies to achieve that therapeutic effect. Our Revitalising Cream (one of our best sellers) has Frankincense, Neroli, and High Altitude Lavender in it.

Our Philosophy

We believe skincare doesn’t need to be complicated or mysterious.

• Fewer ingredients

• Natural where possible

• No unnecessary synthetics

• No hidden “parfum” cocktails

• No inflated promises

   

A simple vegetable oil — macadamia, rose hip, jojoba — with a few carefully chosen pure essential oils can perform just as well as a luxury cream. Sometimes better.

Modern research supports the properties of many essential oils. Some have strong, well-documented effects. But they don’t need to be buried in a list of 30 ingredients to work.

What We Offer

We keep things honest, simple, and effective:

• Hand Creams

• Rejuvenating Creams, Gels and Oils

• Moisturising Creams and Oils

• Cleansers

• Toners

• After Sun Lotions and Gels

• Baby and Children's Skin Care

• Lip Balms

• Luxury Dilutions – Jojoba and Rose, for example, a must-have skin care product on its own.

• Individual Organic Pure Essential Oils

• Individual bases: Cream, Lotion and Gels to allow you to add your own pure essential oils.

• Individual Vegetable Oils — including Organic Rose-hip Oil, a powerhouse all on its own

Natural. Straightforward. Evidence aware. And absolutely no boiled lizards.