Paraben free skincare

I read an interesting theory on the Pai skincare website this weekend, the gist of which is that because parabens can act as a hormone disrupter, they may contribute to breakouts.

My skin (touch wood) has been remarkably well behaved recently, with no time of the month breakouts. When reading the article on the Pai website, it suddenly clicked that I've been naturally weeding out paraben containing products from my skincare routine.

I have been interested in hippy/organic lines for years, but I've often found they are not as effective and less pleasant to use than mainstream lines. Dr Hauschka skincare just feels gloopy and unpleasant to me, and I really was not impressed with Nude or Stella McCartney; both were overpriced for the results they delivered (i.e. not much.) Over the last six months or so, I've had much better results with paraben free ranges almost by luck, rather than by judgement. Some ranges I've liked are:

Sarah Chapman - I reviewed the spf 15 moisturiser and eye cream in May. This line is available at SpaceNK, and it is a great compromise between science and nature.

www.beingcontent.com - this is my new favorite internet shopping resource.

Delivery was quick (a couple of days) and they included relevant samples. I've been using and loving the Stem Organics Exquisite Facial Fluid, which is an aloe based antioxidant cream that sinks into the skin beautifully. They also stock Dr Alkaitis, which is an extreme so-pure-you-could-eat-it line. I'm using the cleanser from this line currently, which is castille soap based. It's very refreshing, but be warned; it is really not intended to be used to remove eye makeup, and it stings if you get it directly in your eyes. (Yes, I am that person who tries it out, even when I've been warned not to.)

Nia24 sunscreen (available at SpaceNK.) I don't really like this, because it is horribly siliconey, and I don't enjoy the feeling of silicones on my skin. It is also scented, whatever the box says, but it is a paraben-free spf 30 mineral sunscreen. From memory, I do believe the other products in the Nia24 line did contain parabens.

Chantecaille spf 30 firming face cream (also available at SpaceNK, and at Fenwicks.) This is dreadfully expensive (£70, shhhh) but it is spf 30 and paraben free, with some very cutting edge ingredients. I've just bought this and have only worn it for a couple of days, so I'd need to live with it for longer before I can tell you that the results justify the price. I will say that for me, finding a high spf I can live with in the summer is a skincare priority.

Pai Skincare - this line looks interesting, but I've not dipped my toe in it yet. There is a website at paiskincare.com, and it's also available at beingcontent.