FAQs – Belle&Basil

If your Moisturiser has gone mouldy stop using it. Let us know and we will refund your money. Every batch we make is tested in a UK laboratory for microbe content and so your Moisturiser should not get mouldy. However, this is a product which is 100% natural with a natural preservative and it is not as robust as products which use preservatives made from paraban or a formaldehyde releaser. Our preservative is an extract made from Honeysuckle with no potential health risks but it may not cope as well if: you do not have clean fingers when you apply the Moisturiser; if you use your Moisturiser for a couple of weeks and then stop using it for a while (we recommend you put it in the fridge in this instance); if you live in a very hot climate (please keep your Moisturiser in a fridge). Please contact us if you have any questions.

The products were all tested during formulation to ensure that they have a shelf life of 1 year and that they comply with all EU regulations and the Vegan Society standards. Every single batch that we produce is tested in an UK laboratory to ensure that the products are made to the highest standards and have no micro bacterial content.

Belle&Basil products do not contain any parabens. They do contain a natural preservative made from an extract of Honeysuckle which has had some coverage online, stating that there is a chemical connection between this extract and parabens. We have attached an article by Dr Barbara Olioso MRSC explaining in detail why there is no chemical relationship between Honeysuckle extract and parabens.

Read the article here

Belle&Basil products contain a natural preservative made from an extract of Honeysuckle. There has been some coverage online, stating that there is a chemical connection between this extract and parabens. We have attached an article by Dr Barbara Olioso MRSC explaining in detail why there is no chemical relationship between Honeysuckle extract and parabens.

Read the article here

This means that we hand make and package all out products in our Garden Workshop. Each batch of moisturiser usually only produces approximately 80 jars. Hand making our products is a very important part of Belle&Basil. It means that each jar has genuinely been made with love as we meditate before we make each batch. Each batch is tested by a UK laboratory so you can have the joy of using a handmade product but the security of know that it has been made to the highest standards.

All our Moisturisers are full of ingredients which are beneficial for mature skin, such as Arctic Winged Kelp which has been scientifically proven to reactive ageing skin cells at the concentration we use, increasing skin elasticity, firmness, radiance and hydration. However, our Nourishing Moisturiser with Wild Seaweed, Comfrey and Rose is our richest cream and is highly beneficial for naturally supporting mature skin.

All our products are handmade and contain handmade active ingredients such as the Irish Moss Seaweed Extract and the Plantain Extract. We take care to make sure that all the plant material has been removed from our extracts but occasionally the particles are very small and they escape the sieving process. Every batch has been sent to a UK laboratory to be tested for micro bacterial content and so you can be confident that even if there is a small grey fleck in your face cream it will not create any problems for your skin.

Our environmental strategy is to try to create a zero waste business that gives more then it takes.

We hand make all our products to ensure the ingredients are as fresh as possible and there is no waste.

We use green energy (PV panels to create electricity which is then stored in a battery) to power our Garden Workshop.

We use as many local ingredients as possible.

We would love you to Return Your Empties which we will wash and reuse. We offer free postage for these returns in the UK. If this is not possible then do not worry, all our packaging is recyclable and we use as much from a recycled source as possible.

We give 10% of our profits to charities, including the RSPB who help endangered birds such as Puffins which breed on Rathlin Island off the coast of Northern Ireland, and The Ocean Clean Up which is an amazing organisation dedicated to developing technology which is getting rid of the plastic in our oceans and rivers.

Belle&Basil uses glass, bamboo and recyclable plastic in its jars. All these elements should be separated for responsible recycling. It can be hard to separate the bamboo from the plastic inner lining (although a small hammer works very well!) which is why we would love you to Return Your Empties which we will wash and reuse. We offer free postage for these returns in the UK.

All the postage packaging is made from paper and card and is recyclable. When possible we use packaging from a recycled source, such as our cards and leaflets, and the zig zag paper which protects the glass jars. It comes from the extra bits left over from the manufacturing of disposable coffee cups.

Belle&Basil does not use palm oil directly but there are several ingredients which we use that contain a mixture of vegetable oils, including palm oil. These products are mass balanced which means that the palm oil in them is a mixture of ordinary palm oil and sustainable palm oil from a certified source. At the moment this seems to be the best that the cosmetic world can do, but hopefully we are moving towards a fully sustainable and certified palm oil industry. If palm oil is produced sustainably without the loss of any more rain forest it is actually our most environmentally friendly source of oil as palm produces many times more oil then any other vegetable crop and so uses up less land. As soon as emulsifiers are available which are fully certified as only using sustainable palm oil we will reformulate our products using these ingredients.

Belle&Basil uses glass, bamboo and recyclable plastic in its jars. All these elements should be separated for responsible recycling. It can be hard to separate the bamboo from the plastic inner lining (although a small hammer works very well!) which is why we would love you to Return Your Empties which we will wash and reuse. We offer free postage for these returns in the UK.

It is very important to us to contribute to our local and global community. We give 10% of our profits to 2 inspiring organisations: the wonderful local charity Children in Crossfire which works to change the conditions for children caught up in the crossfire of injustice and poverty; and The Ocean Cleanup which develops technologies to rid the oceans and rivers of plastic. We also sponsor Perry the Puffin, and so help the RSPB to protect this beautiful, endangered seabird which breeds on Rathlin Island, off the coast of Northern Ireland.

If you spend over £35 we will deliver anywhere in the world for free. If you spend less then £35 the delivery in the UK will be £3 (£4.20 if you want the parcel to be Tracked and Signed). In Europe it will be £6.50 (£10.25 if you want the parcel be Tracked and Signed) and in the rest of the world it will be £9.50 (£14 if you want the parcel to be Tracked and Signed).

Product and Ingredient Questions

Belle&Basil and the Environment

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Product and Ingredient Questions

Belle&Basil and the Environment

Online Account and Subscription Questions

Order and Shipping Questions

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