Hey guys! Sorry I’ve been a little light on the blog posts lately. I’m not going to lie to you, my recent time has been taken up with the fact that I managed to get some of the gold dust tickets to the previews of the Harry Potter play last year and this week was finally the week I got to go. It was freaking AWESOME. But anyway I’m back now, and super excited to tell you about some Sophie la girafe Cosmetics that I’ve been using for a while now, which are both ethical and sustainable. A dear friend gave me their body lotion and face cream to try out a couple months ago and I’ve been loving them!

Who are Sophie La Girafe?

To put it simply, they do skincare. Well, they actually do skincare for babies. Sophie la girafe manufacture safe, ecological products that are designed for babies and children and work especially well on sensitive skin. But, as my friend quickly explained, they’re such a great brand that many adults love and use their products too, and I can see why.

What are their ethical policies?

They have a lot! Sophie la girafe cosmetics are designed for babies, whose skin can be up to five times thinner than an adult, so the thought and care that goes into their product ingredients is extremely high. According to their website, the entire baby range don’t include any of the following:

GMO (Genetically modified organisms), nano-particles, synthetic perfumes or dyes, phthalates, parabens, chlorine, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), MIT, triclosan, propylene glycol, benzobarbital, phenoxyethenol.

The whole range is also completely 100% vegan and products are made of  natural and organic ingredients, with the the rest being Ecocert approved synthetic subtances. If you don’t know what EcoCert is, it’s a certification that is based on a very strict criteria that makes it super easy to find the best products, as it was the very first certification body for natural and organic cosmetics. Natural and organic products that carry the Ecocert logo are subject to strict ingredient criteria when it comes to product composition and raw materials, the label guarantees at least 95% of the total ingredients are of natural origin, and Sophie la girafe ingredients are at least 99.4% natural origin ingredients. It’s also worth mentioning that their products are produced within the EU, meaning their are tight regulations on organic production too.

When it comes to the environment and zero waste, Ecocert also applies when it comes to making sure production processes and packaging standards are eco-friendly, and Sophie la girafe’s production chain, packaging and materials also comply with the Ecocert criteria. Finally, all of their packaging is recyclable. Their bottles and tubes are recyclable (some are made from already recycled plastic), whilst all of their boxes are made from environmentally friendly paper, which can obviously be recycled too.

What are their main ingredients?

Again because of being designed for babies there are some very specific ingredients that Sophie la girafe have chosen, both to be gentle to skin but also to help it. Here are the main things you’ll find in the products I’ve used (there are others on their website but I haven’t tried these products so I’m leaving them out) :

– Organic White Tea: an ingredient often reserved for adult skincare products, but which is in all Sophie la girafe products. It contains polyphenols that protect the skin from external irritations, in particular UV rays and pollution (if you live in London that second part is probably more likely than the first). White Tea helps to fortify skin and maintain its resiliency, and these products use only whole Organic White Tea leaves, not powders, thus maintaining their potency and effectiveness.

– Organic Lavender water and extracts: because essential oils shouldn’t go too near the eyes/facial area Sophie la girafe use lavender in a gentler form across all their products. Lavender has soothing, healing and calming qualities but also great anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, so is often used on many skin conditions and injuries. Lavender water and extract gives effective moisturising and soothing elements and a natural mild scent.

– Organic Nordic blueberry oil extract: can be found in the face cream and in their baby oil. One of world’s most powerful antioxidants that soothes sensitive/thin skin and fortifies it whilst also being lovely and nourishing.

– Organic oils: lots of different organic oils across the range, in particular sunflower oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and apricot kernel oil.  Jojoba oil is the main one for me as it is in both the face cream and body lotion as well as the baby oil and baby SOS cream. These oils contain fatty acids and vitamins that are great for nourishing and looking after the skin.

– Organic oat milk: both the body lotion and baby hair and body wash contain antihistaminic oats, which contain saponins that help gently cleanse the skin. It also moisturises, soothes and can help to relieve allergic skin reactions and inflammations.

What are the products actually like to use?

Firstly, they smell divine. you won’t find scent allergens, synthetic fragrances, perfumes or strong essential oils in any of these products as they’re not good for small children with allergies, so the scents in their products are all natural. When I first read the scent described as gentle and mild I didn’t really agree as I thought it was quite a strong one, but I soon realised it was just a scent I hadn’t smelled before and didn’t really recognise, so I was caught off guard the first time I used it. I don’t know if this is aided by the colour scheme of the packaging but I swear whenever I catch a whiff of myself I think of milk and honey, both in how I smell and how I feel. You don’t need to use a lot of these products in one go because they’re ultra creamy and nourishing, they don’t feel heavy but they also don’t feel watered down and weak where you end up using loads every go. A small amount goes a long way! And I feel pretty luxurious afterwards too. All in all I’ve found they feel really gentle, nourishing and all round nice to use. If you’re looking for lotions for an adult or child, I would give these a go. I haven’t tried out the rest of the range but I’m sure in time I will, and I’m excited to see how I fare!

So that’s that, hopefully I’ve helped some of you discover a whole new brand you may grow to love for yourself or your kids! Until next time, stay magic y’all.