Ever since I first got sick, my skin has mirrored how I feel and during flares it is worse than when I was a teenager. I know that looking after my skin helps, but I hadn’t found products that were easy and pleasant to use, until now. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare is a UK company based not far from where my parents now live. I had picked up the occasional sample before and liked it, but never got around to trying more. This summer I was given a couple of Liz Earle goody bags at parties. Among other products, included in those goody bags was a Cleanse and Polish Set, a sample of Skin Repair Moisturizer for Normal/Combination skin and a sample of Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash.

Liz Earle’s policy is to make high quality, safe, naturally active ingredients their priority. They never do animal testing and none of their ingredients are of animal origin (except beeswax, propolis and manuka honey). They use organic if they can and none of their ingredients are genetically engineered. It says on their website that they only use potent, premium natural-source vitamin E, never the synthetic variety; mineral sun filters (not chemical sunscreens) to provide the best broad-spectrum UV protection and to reduce the risk of skin allergy; they prefer plant oils to mineral oils and don’t use mineral oil, paraffin wax, petrolatum or any fractions of crude oil or primary petro-chemicals. Some of their products are preservative free, although they do use preservatives when essential for product safety. Where natural preservatives are not available, they use relatively low concentrations of the highest grade, broad-spectrum preservatives.
The products are gentle and although aromatherapy is used in some of them, none of them are strong smelling and the fragrances are all natural. I have yet to find a product of theirs that triggers the slightest chemical or smell sensitivity in me, which as I’ve been flaring and dealing with medication side effects recently, is quite impressive.
The Cleanse and Polish set is a pump bottle of cream cleanser and some muslin cloths. I had thought that it would be an effort to use such a regime, but actually it’s a delight and so easy too. It made a difference to my skin within a week and is still helping. I already had a sample spray bottle of the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, which I love, as it’s so refreshing and the aromatherapy is good too. I find it great, not only to use as a regular skin toner, but to spray on when I’m having a tired or foggy day, just as a gentle pick me up. The Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash is also great for foggy days. The Skin Repair Moisturizer for Normal/Combination skin is just perfect for me: moisturizing enough for my very dry skin, but light enough to not clog me up.
Although the products aren’t cheap, they are less expensive than many upmarket or specialist cosmetic/toiletries products and I feel they are definitely worth it! They seem to go a long way, and I’m perfectly happy to pay a little more than supermarket prices for such brilliant products. I’ve already put an order in for sample sizes of all my favorites to take on holiday and plan to get a lot more!
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare
© 2007 by Lindsey Middlemiss, butyoudontlooksick.com