Just as eco-friendly fashion can be a bit hit and miss, eco-beauty is one of those things that sounds wonderful in principle but doesn’t always live up to expectations. While brands such as Ren are flying the flag with products good enough to beat off competition from anyone, others just don’t cut the mustard. Having come across plenty of both over the years, the thought of trying out a fresh contender for the eco-beauty crown brought on mixed feelings. Would Love+Art be the new Dr Haushka? Or was I letting myself in for sorry shower gels, complete with gritty bits?
The answer turned out to be neither, as Love+Art doesn’t do skincare or (thankfully) gritty bits. What it does, and does well, are organic bath and body products. All the ingredients are sourced from Morocco’s Ourika Valley and everything from the product to the packaging is Fairtrade, organic and recycled. I put three different products to the test: the Moroccan Rose Floral Water and the Orange Flower Body Wash, both £10.75, and the Musc Body Milk, £19.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fragrance of the body wash – living up to its eco credentials; the orange flower scent really does smell like proper orange flower. I was even more pleased to discover that the gel was thick and not at all runny making it a real pleasure to use. Excellent. Next up was the body milk. The most expensive of the three, I was expecting great things from it in light of the performance of the body wash. Unfortunately, it was watery and the musc scent unpleasantly powdery. But once the florals returned in the shape of the Moroccan Rose flower water, the brand was back on form. Fresh, subtly scented and gentle, the flower water was absolutely gorgeous and a real pleasure to use.
While the Musc Body Milk was disappointing, the floral products in the Love+Art range are well worth the investment. They aren’t cheap but personally, I’d rather pay a little extra for a great product with good green credentials than something containing a smorgasbord of damaging chemicals. Impeccably green, Love+Art is well worth checking out.
For more information, go to: www.loveandart.co.uk
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