‘Farm-to-face’ beauty is set to be one of the biggest beauty trends of the year, with editors calling it ‘the next generation in natural beauty’. People are becoming more aware of what they are putting onto their skin and into their bodies, with many beauty consumers already having eliminated the toxins and chemicals from their beauty regime. The next step is to discover how natural brands source their beautiful ingredients. ‘Farm-to-face’ beauty means exactly that, ingredients from the farm which are applied directly to the skin. Similar to the idea of ‘field-to-fork’ where restaurants and suppliers want to educate people on where their food has come from, the ‘farm-to-face’ process means that the ingredients come from farms owned by brands who hand-rear and harvest the botanical ingredients themselves. Companies which put 'farm-to-face' into practice are confidently transparent and work effortlessly to guarantee purity in their ingredients, and they will formulate in small batches to ensure freshness. By growing the bulk of the ingredients themselves, all the skin-loving benefits such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and bio-flavanoids that come from fresh, natural ingredients remain intact. There is one brand which usually comes to the forefront of the conversation when the 'farm-to-face’ topic is brought up, and that is the green beauty superstar Tata Harper. From the very beginning of her brand, she has cultivated and utilised ingredients grown on her 1,200-acre farm in Vermont, USA. Her infamous green bottles are also filled on site and shipped out from the same address where the ingredients grow. This practice allows for complete control over the manufacturing process, eliminates any intermediaries and also reduces their carbon footprint by only being active in ocane location - this is all a part of the natural beauty ethos. Tata Harper is not the only brand who grow their ingredients in-house, several of our brands follow this practice and work hard all year round to maintain their farms, fields or vineyards to bring you only the very best in home-grown beauty including Dr Hauschka, Herbfarmacy, Weleda, Caudalie and Jurlique. Key benefits This new generation of natural skincare delivers results straight into the skin. You know you are applying nourishing, healthy ingredients coming directly from small-batch artisans and brands that are always in pursuit of the best in beauty. One of the pioneers in artisan, organic beauty is Herbfarmacy. They have been working on their Herefordshire organic farm (pictured in our top image) in England for the past 32 years. They explained to us what they love about having control of their botanicals: "We can follow the rhythms of nature, carefully sowing, planting and tending our organic herbs as the seasons dictate. Producing our products here gives us more control over the manufacture and quality of our products." Natural beauty favourite Dr Hauschka have a similar view to Herbfarmacy when it comes to the key benefits of operating from their fields. They nurture their plants in Germany, and we spoke to their Head of Product Development Annette Greco, who tells us that aside from fresh, high quality and quick manufacturing, having their source of ingredients allows for other aspects too: "Having direct contact with the plants i.e. for development and getting familiar with the unique and specific behaviour and their potential is a huge benefit for us. Understanding how flowers grow is not something you can read about; you have to experience the being. We find inspiration for our products by seeing, tasting and feeling." Not only are brands able to interact with their plants throughout the year, but they are also able to cut out the majority of the middlemen who may be involved when buying ingredients from elsewhere. They have complete control over their formulation process, product development and what goes into each bottle and jar. "Without our farm, product development would not be possible for us," explains Annette, Dr Hauschka. "We have to know the potential of our plants to compose products. It's like cooking or writing music, here you have to know each instrument with all the characteristics to create a symphony." Growing & Harvesting Customers are now demanding pure, organic ingredients in their skincare and are prepared to pay a little more knowing their cosmetics have come from a reliable source. So, with crops and plants growing all year round, we wanted to know what kind of ingredients our brands are growing and what happens after the botanicals are ready to be harvested. "We grow 95% of our essential herbs here or source them from nearby organic growers, for the ones we can't grow here", Herbfarmacy explain. "We harvest roots (the main one being marshmallow, our signature herb) every autumn or winter. We harvest our above-ground herbs such as comfrey and meadowsweet, and flowers like mullein, cornflower and calendula during the summer season as and when they are in their prime. They then can be used in production for anything between 1 week and 12 months depending on the process involved and whether the herbs are used fresh or dried. We need to allow enough time for the extraction of some herbs to get the best quality. We don't rush them." This process happens 12 months a year, every year. Even in the winter when there may be little growing. Annette at Dr Hauschka explains what happens throughout the year in their fields: "In winter, the plant is apparently resting or sleeping, but there is inner movement, preparation time for when it starts to grow. Without the time in the ground in winter, there would be no growth. When spring comes around, we can observe how a plant opens for the environment and how it deals with light, sun, water and soil. In the summer the plant blossoms and then later on at harvest time, the plant starts to die. So it's growing all year round, but it may not always be visible." Farm-to-face brands such as Dr Hauschka, Tata Harper and Herbfarmacy are more than just the products they supply. They provide a reliable route into the beauty world for the consumer. They prove there is no reason to compromise with your beauty regime. You know what you are putting on your skin is fresh, pure and grown with nothing but good intentions in mind. No chemicals, no synthetics and no middle men here! 'Farm-to-face' beauty is beauty which not only makes you feel and look good, it's sustainable, trustworthy, of high quality and benefits both you and the environment - a highly useful process for everyone! For the best in farm-to-face beauty, shop here: Naturisimo
