To mark National Organic Month this September, founder DEBORAH MITCHELL talks about why using natural ingredients is so vital.
Tell us why you started to use organic ingredients: When I launched Heaven 26 years ago, it was important that right from the start my products were not only results-driven but completely natural. I suffered from really bad acne throughout my teens and tried all manner of things to help it, but because more products contained chemicals, they just irritated my skin even more. When I left school, I did a beauty course at my local college and became a mobile therapist. I used what I learned on the job to start mixing and blending essential oils into various creams.
When it came to using natural ingredients, you were very much ahead of the curve: Long before it was a “thing”, I was one of the few people in the industry trailblazing the move away from nasty chemicals and instead opting for organic formulas. My ingredients use the very best nature has to offer, from the anti-ageing vitamin C in my Divine Cream and nettles in my new vegan range to the Manuka honey in my exclusive Gold Bee Venom Mask as well as countless essentials oils, fruit and herbs across the whole collection.
You use some very interesting organic ingredients in your products. Tell us more about ABEETOXIN® and its vegan counterpart NETTATOXIN®: My patented ABEETOXIN® controls the facial muscles to tighten, firm and lift while at the same time penetrating fine lines to give an immediate anti-ageing effect. Historically, bee venom has been used as pain relief but it had never been used as a skincare product before. I wanted to find an alternative to Botox after I noticed wrinkles starting to appear on my face. My sister is a beekeeper, so I had a lot of information about bees and honey in my head and I just knew what I had to do. It took me years to create NETTATOXIN®, which is the vegan version using common nettles that I gather from the hedgerows near my home. It works because the venom of the nettle causes a reaction similar to that of bees when they sting – the skin goes into rapid repair on first contact leaving you with a lifted, more radiant complexion.
You’ve even use tree bark in one product: Yes, my Willowbee Mask & Cleanse contains bark from the willow tree, which is renowned as a natural alternative to aspirin. This means it has anti-inflammatory and healing properties, making it ideal for all skin types.
Why is using organic ingredients important? What we put on our skin is vital to having a healthy, radiant complexion, especially if you suffer from conditions such as acne, open pores, rosacea, psoriasis or eczema because harsh chemicals in some products will just make them worse. At the heart of my brand is the fact that consumers should be advised on how make better choices when buying natural beauty as well as showcasing products that are free from chemicals such as parabens, SLS, petroleum, silicones and derivatives.
