OV aromatherapeutic skincare Ingredients

With a focus on 'Aromatherapeutic' skincare - which harnesses the therapeutic properties of essential oils for the benefit of the skin & the mind - here at Orchard View, our approach to essential oils is at the heart of everything we do.

Essential Oils are powerful plant extracts with clinical properties. The essential oils we use here at OV are sourced from registered specialist suppliers and include organic, naturally farmed and wild oils. My suppliers are very concerned with purity and authenticity of essential oils. They follow stringent codes of practice. We call our essential oils 'therapeutic grade' as they are of the highest quality to benefit your wellbeing.

The term 'commercial' is a trade term, describing oils that are of a lower quality. While they may be 100% natural, they may be diluted, blended or 'extended' or contain small amounts of aroma chemicals. We do not use this type of oil in my products, not even in OV soap.

In the world of essential oils, you basically get what you pay for. Certified essential oils cost more than uncertified. We, personally, never trust a very cheaply priced essential oil or one that is bought from a non-registered supplier. Be careful buying from market stalls etc. We have heard of many traders selling, for example, 'rose oil' which is unregulated, cheap & almost certainly not the real thing!

OV 'Full of'ingredients policy
OV naturals is all about the ingredients. We use either raw ingredients, as in our facial oils, or specialist creams and lotions into which we hand-blend other botanicals and essential oils, such as in our Organic face creams. Botanicals selected for blending by us are carefully individually selected for their quality and aroma. OV naturals skincare products contain a wealth of high-grade, potent, pure, natural, wild, organic and organically certified ingredients, including:
•Aromatherapeutic essential oils: All, without exception, are high-grade and therapeutic. Essential oils provide the natural aroma in our products - we never use artificial fragrance. If you are used to artificial fragrance, OV products may seem very subtle at first, but phase out the ‘artificial’ and phase in the ‘natural’ and soon your nose will adapt and begin to appreciate these fine aromas, which have a positive effect on the brain and your wellbeing.
•Cold Pressed Plant oils including nut & seed oils such as Soil Association organically certified Rosehip or infused oils such as Calendula. Cold pressed oils are by far superior as they retain many essential vitamins, fatty acids and other active constituents which are lost when plant oils are produced cheaply.
•Vegetarian and vegan ingredients (the only non-vegan ingredient being Organic Beeswax).
•Some necessary preservatives, emulsifiers and other ingredients which are not considered to be unecessarily harsh. These may be plant derived or man-made. These are only used when necessary either for the product to function or for your protection & safety (e.g. where water is present in a product there is a risk of contamination).

OV ‘Free from…’ ingredients policy
There is much controversy over certain ingredients, so to be cautious, we avoid some of those that receive bad press as well as those that are proven to be less helpful. We completely avoid:
•parabens which are commonly used preservatives and may be linked to hormone disruption
•amines and derivatives including ethanolamines DEA, MEA & TEA which may irritate skin & mucous membranes and have been linked to carcinogens
•bleaching agents e.g. hydroquinone and mercury which have caused allergic reactions and are linked to carcinogens
•detergents derived from petroleum based products including Ethoxylated Alcohols (EA) such as PEG Polyethylene/polyethylene glycol & SLS/SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate/Sodium Laureth Sulphate) which may be irritating, disrupting & drying on the skin (stripping the skin of its natural oils)
•formaldehyde, a synthetic preservative which may be sensitizing & allergenic
•paraffin & fossil fuel derivatives
•genetically modified (GM or GMO) ingredients, as we do not know about the risks long-term
•lanolin from sheep’s oil glands which is linked to allergic reactions & is not suitable for some vegetarians or vegans
•synthetic ‘parfum’ or fragrances which are linked to allergies: we use natural essential oils instead.
•petrochemicals e.g. mineral oils, isopropyl alcohol, petroleum, propylene glycol. Mineral oil is used to coat the skin synthetically which may be drying &/or clog pores as the skin cannot break it down.
•phthalates e.g. dibutyl, dithylhexyl, PEHP, added retinol & silicones which coat the skin synthetically. Pthalates have been linked to toxicity.
•artificial colours which have been linked with allergic reactions and may irritate the skin
•synthetic constituents such as synthetic limonene and synthetic linalool which may be irritants. This can be confusing as they are also naturally occurring components of essential oils. The EU requires potential allergens in essential oils to be listed on ingredients and you will see this on OV products. Look for ‘Natural constituents of essential oils’ on ingredients so you can avoid these if you have a known allergy. As a sensible precaution, we suggest a patch test prior to use.

Orchard View products contain safe exposure levels of essential oils, plant oils and other ingredients, as decreed by Cosmetic Law. We are highly trained in our subject and passionate about our products. We follow stringent guidelines and are independently safety assessed.

We require all suppliers to give us written confirmation that they do not test on animals. We are completely against all cosmetic animal testing.

Our suppliers are all registered and monitored by industry standards. Many of the ingredients we use have Soil Association certification. We only use suppliers who meet our strict criteria, as we believe in high-grade ingredients to create beautiful products which really work.