 We're very chuffed to be nominated for the UK Beauty Awards.
The award ceremony will happen at the UK Clothes Show on the 29th May.
Our category is the Organic Beauty Product Award, which is only open to products certified by the UK Soil Association.
All of the products have been nominated by beauty PR agencies and then shortlisted by beauty editors, journalists and industry professionals.
But the final decision over who wins is up to you! It is a public vote, so please vote for Pai here:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB228TC32ER7A
Once you've voted, you can submit your email address to Handbag.com for the chance to win one of 5 goody bags filled with shortlisted products and worth over £500!
 Perhaps not suprisingly for the country that gave us Dr Hauschka, German consumers are the greenest in Europe.
In the German personal care sector, one third of all purchases are of natural or organic products.
The UK and France lag behind, although we've caught up in recent years.
The Kline Report, Natural Personal Care 2008, estimated the size of the European Naturals sector at $3 billion - up 15% on 2007.
It went on to say that consumers don't appear to be put off paying up to a 20% premium for organic products - which reflect the higher costs of production and ingredients.
While organic food has been hit by the European economic downturn, the expectation is that the European organic personal care sector will continue to grow.
In fact, premium organic brands are actually much better value for money than luxury cosmetics - where the high retail price is set by the expensive TV marketing and not the cost of the ingredients.
 A new research report from US Kline Group has concluded that UK consumers are increasingly choosing certified organic products over "natural inspired" brands.
We at Pai have consistently warned that consumers are increasingly sceptical of brands that claim to be organic, but in fact load their "natural" products full of unpleasant, dangerous and cheap chemicals.
The worst offenders are the major chemical companies who have launched a series of "nature inspired" brands.
Their TV adverts may focus on the essential oils the product contains, but neglect to mention the large quantities of Sodium Larel Sulphate and other worse chemicals.
Also worrying is the number of independent "organic" brands that use some certified organic ingredients, but include chemical preservatives such as Parabens, Sodium Hydroxmethylglycinate or Propylene Glycol.
For consumers who have made the move to organic, it often comes as quite a shock to find that the brand they bought (usually at a premium) from their organic shop is still full of chemicals.
Sometimes you'd be forgiven for thinking you need a chemistry degree to decipher the ingredients panel on the back of some cosmetic boxes.
For those of us that don't have one, the UK's Soil Association logo is a quick shorthand for determining if an "organic" product really is organic.
At Pai, our products are not only Soil Association Certified, we don't use any chemical preservatives... even the ones on the SA's authorised list, such as Phenoxyethanol.
This makes our products the purest on the market. That's good for us, and very good for your skin!
 The recent European Cosmetics Directive has finally outlawed Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Phytonadion (Vitamin K1). About time too!
Few cosmetic companies now use these ingredients... but some still do - even the odd organic one.
Diethylene Glycol is a type of Glycerine or Glycerol that is poisonous to humans. It is often used in anti-freeze. However, in recent years DEG has been found in toothpaste originating from China.
Glaxo Smithkline has said that the ingredient was found in counterfeit versions of its Sensodyne toothpaste. In Panama, contaminated products are estimated to have killed 70 people.
DEG isn't completely banned, as the directive allows for cosmetics to contain traces of the chemical found in Glycerol.
At Pai we use vegetable derived Glycerine (as opposed to Animal Fat derived). Because we are Soil Association certified, we can only use their approved suppliers of vegetable Glycerine in our products.
This ensures that not even trace amounts of DEG find themselves into Pai products.
Pai manufactures all products in-house, rather than outsourcing production to a factory.
This means we can guarantee that our ingredients are not contaminated or replaced with non-human grade glycerine (this has happened to other companies in the past).
Phytonadion is best know as Vitamin K1. In 2006 it was banned in France by the health regulator Afssaps (Agence Francaise de Securite des Produits Sante).
Afssaps reported twelve extreme allergic reactions, all eczema-related conditions of the face and body. Six of the sufferers had to be hospitalised.
"Cosmetics products that include K1 can represent a serious threat to human health," an official statement from Afssaps said at the time.
Vitamin K2 is thought to be generally safe - but if a product does not specify K1 or K2, then we would suggest you stop using it.
Many consumers are becoming aware that just because a product says it is organic on the front, the ingredients on the back often tell a different story.
If you want to be absolutely sure a cosmetics product is as natural as it claims, then look for the Soil Assocation logo on the box.Labels: chemicals, eczema, organic skin care, skin allergy
Japanese Honeysuckle - the secret Paraben
 I get many emails from people wanting to know more about Japanese Honeysuckle.
They see it listed in the ingredients on their organic skin care products but have heard that it is a Paraben.
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is sold as a natural preservative and contains a complex mixture of lonicerin and natural para-hydroxybenzoic acid.
The latter is the main component of parabens hence the abbreviated name 'para-ben'. You can read a bit about it on Wikipedia (under the 'Chemistry' section).
Whether a natural paraben is better for you than a synthetic one is up for debate.
However, I did extensive research into the ingredient. The professional advice I received from manufacturers and chemists was that there is little difference between a natural and synthetic paraben - they both work in exactly the same way.
That's why Pai does not use Japanese Honeysuckle in any of its products.
We take a precautionary approach and do not use any ingredient that we have doubts about.
 The Pai Starter Kit contains the essentials of your skin care regime.
Choose the Moisturiser to suit your skin type.
Also included is our Camellia & Rose Cleanser for all skin types.
It is formulated for even the most sensitive skin, so you can use it around the eyes.
Our organic muslin face cloth is perfect for cleansing and exfoliating - and much better for the environment than disposable cotton pads.
Best of all, you save 10.00 off the normal retail price and get FREE UK delivery!Labels: organic cleanser, organic skin care, Special Offers
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We're very chuffed to be nominated for the UK Beauty Awards.
