Readers may be interested to learn that the Free From Skincare Awards 2017 winners were announced earlier this month.
I have a vested interested here, as I co-founded the Awards in 2012. My colleague Michelle and I launched them to recognise and reward skincare products and cosmetics which were free from many of the ingredients which people either needed to avoid (in particular, due to allergy) or wanted to avoid (for instance, due to ethical, environmental or religious concerns – or simply due to personal taste). Among the excluded and non-permitted ingredients are both MI and MCI, and so all the winners and entrants you’ll find on the site are potentially safe for those with isothiazolinone allergy – but as always, if you have sensitivities to other ingredients, you will need to double check.
The overall winner was Benecos’s Classic Natural Lip Balm – which was remarkable for being free from beeswax (and therefore vegan), as well as free from fragrances, essential oils and food allergens. It essentially consists of some plant waxes, cocoa butter, sunflower oil and sea buckthorn oil. It also contains shea butter – not considered a nut in the UK, but considered a nut by some in North America. It’s important to note, though, that there are no allergic reactions to shea butter in the medical literature, so it should almost certainly be safe for everyone too. Most importantly, it performed brilliantly well.
One of the most frequently sought products which brings people to this site is shampoo, as many contain MI or both MI and MCI, so the winners of the Gold and Silver in the Hair Care category will be of particular interest. Gold went to Green People’s Fragrance Free Shampoo and Silver to Odylique’s Gentle Herb Shampoo – both of which are free from many of the ingredients readers avoid, such as fragrance, petrochemicals, food allergens, and certain preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and parabens, as well as SLS / SLES and artificial colours. Both performed strongly too.
All the Gold-winning category winners are below. For full winners, including Silver and Bronzes, see the FreeFrom Skincare Awards website.
GOLD WINNERS
1. Family Skincare – Sponsored by NATorigin
Siskyn Skincare Oils, Rosehip & Tamanu Scars & Stretchmark Body Oil
2. Men’s Grooming – Sponsored by Beauty Kitchen
Rosalena, Beauty & The Beast Face Oil
3. Hair Care
Green People, Neutral/Scent Free Shampoo
4. Body Care (‘Leave On’)
Organic Surge, Fresh Ocean Hand and Body Lotion
5. Body Care (‘Wash Off’)
Bloomtown Botanicals, Sweet Almond & Shea Sugar Scrub in “The Meadow”
6. Face and Body Oils and Oil Serums
Alteya Organics, Bio Damascena Rose Otto Nourishing Face Serum
7. Make Up
Jane Iredale, Active Light Under Eye Concealer in 2
8. Hand, Nail and Footcare
Bloom Remedies, Peppermint & Lemongrass Footbalm
9. Hard Soaps
Living Naturally, Oat Milk & Calendula Soapnut Soap
10. Lip Balms – Sponsored by Green People
Benecos, Classic Lip Balm
11. Face Care (‘Leave On’) – Sponsored by Bare & Beyond
AEOS, Realive Serum
12. Face Care (‘Wash Off’)
Nyasa London, Pure Glow Cleansing Balm
13. Problem Skin
Mrs Frisbee’s All Naturals, Tattoo Aftercare Balm
14. ‘Fresh and Fragrant’
Neal’s Yard Remedies, Peppermint & Lime Organic Roll on Deodorant
FreeFrom Achievement Award
Honesty, Protect Nourishing Cleanse Balm.
